Norwich City: Chris Sutton on Delia Smith and David Wagner

The topic many have picked up upon and been irritated by is that of fan negativity, and I can see things from both sides.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion, and paying supporters have every right to exercise that right as long as it doesn't spill over into abuse. By the same token, Smith was asked a direct question and answered it with her own view, which she's equally entitled to.

I'd say she might even have been generous with her percentages; far more than a fifth of Norwich fans are currently unhappy with the direction of their club, and with reason.

Performances aren't where they were at the start of the season, the Canaries are floating around mid-table in the Championship and new sporting director Ben Knapper has a big job on his hands.

But negativity these days comes in far more toxic form than it was when I was playing. Social media is a cesspit of abuse and vitriol, while a minority of supporters fail to consider the impact of their actions on people in the game.

That's abundantly clear in the treatment of referees at all levels, and it's the kind of conduct that led former City sporting director Stuart Webber to struggles with mental health, as he himself has admitted.

How much that impacts players depends on the individual, but there's no doubt that some in the Carrow Road home changing room will be affected by the criticism they receive. And that's where it circles back to Wagner.

David Wagner is still failing to convince Canaries fans despite three wins in four games (Image: Paul Chesterton/Focus Images Ltd)

As positive as it sounds to say that Norwich have won three from four, that they've climbed the table and halted their losing run, the German is still struggling to shake the baggage attached to him. When fans turn they turn, and there's still a feeling that consecutive losses could turn things toxic once again.

Of course, performances still aren't especially convincing, and that's another important factor. But even if there were signs of returning to the fluid football seen back in August, I wonder if that feeling will ever really go away.

That link to Webber, whose own comments about fans helped drive a wedge between him and them, will always be a stick to beat Wagner with, even if I think that's unfair. The 52-year-old's passion was good to see as he celebrated the late win over Bristol City on Sunday, but it might not be enough to get his public back on side.

He came into a tough job earlier this year, as Dean Smith did before him, and it's been a long, long while since there was any real sustained positivity in NR1. Their last title-winning season came behind closed doors, so the last time City really enjoyed a dominant campaign in front of home fans was back in the 2018-19 season.

That era under Daniel Farke was one in which fans were going to Carrow Road buoyant and positive. Players feed on that positivity, and that type of atmosphere is the one that Knapper will target in his tenure.

It'll take a hell of a lot of work to get there, and it might take a significant amount of time, but the new man in charge is clearly a shrewd and intelligent operator, who will be keen to make his mark on the club.

Divided factions of the fan base have become commonplace in recent times, as they often do at struggling clubs. Hopefully he can inspire supporters, media, players, coaches and the like to pull together in the same direction, because City desperately need that at the moment.