Will Jennings: Norwich City fans are hurting but we'll always believe

Meandering aimlessly towards another miserably mediocre Championship season, a manager sounding increasingly clueless and an abdication of responsibility from the powers that be surely render the current circumstances some of the bleakest in recent memory. 

A cursory glance at social media will suggest the whole of our fanbase has given up, a relentless barrage of negativity around David Wagner, Delia Smith and - increasingly - Ben Knapper as the so far virtually invisible sporting director continues frustrate the masses. 

But look beyond the tweets, vitriol and ‘apathy’ from those who are becoming growingly reluctant to attend matches and you’ll find a totally different story. 

Rest assured, me and the hundreds of others who traipse the length of the country to watch City are hurting as much as anyone. 

But no matter how bad things get at the club, we will never stop travelling, supporting and believing.  

More of us than you might think will make those long, late night trips to Hull and Bristol over the next five days, written off as idiots by some of the more vociferous voices of on social media but really just pursuing a passion it’s impossible to let go of.  

For all the club’s flaws, one thing you can’t criticise Norwich for is its fanbase and the steadfastly loyal following that flock to all corners of the nation and support the team they love. 

We’re not all ‘happy clappers’ or morons who throw money down the drain - instead, it’s an addiction fuelled by so much more than the mere football itself and regardless of the result, creates memories to last a lifetime. 

That Plymouth pummeling this season, Middlesbrough mauling in March and those Georginio Wijnaldum-inflicted woes at Newcastle back in 2015. 

Dismal days on the pitch but invariably eventful, fun-filled days off it that take you to all different corners of the country and remind you just what supporting your local football team is about.  

Regardless of how poorly City are performing, the yellow and green army will continue to follow their beloved team far and wide. 

Despite the doom, gloom and often inevitable pending defeat, it’s difficult to beat the buzz of travelling to an obscure, otherwise undesirable location with a group of mates in the hope that City will give you a day to remember. 

Look, of course I’m aware that many fans don’t have the time, money or energy to follow City up and down the country on a weekly basis. 

And while it’s easy to sit there insisting that ‘proper’ fans will continue to follow their team regardless of how they’re performing, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to work out that we’re more likely to pack out away ends when City are flying high. 

Similarly, if we do battle past Bristol Rovers in front of a hardcore handful of City fans on Wednesday night, we’ll be likely to take a bumper Canary contingent to Liverpool later this month for another Tottenham or Arsenal-esque cup day out to savour. 

Obviously, a trip to Anfield is a more enticing proposition than a cold January night at the MKM or Memorial Stadium and while the argument that fans should follow their team irrespective of results is a valid stance to take, that’s just not the way it works. 

On the flipside, however, there are hundreds of us - myself often included - who do still take a great deal of joy from following City through thick and thin and regardless of the result, revel in the camaraderie and spectacle of supporting our team away from home. 

That doesn’t make us idiots, lunatics or means we need to get our brains tested, as some have suggested on social media this week. 

It’s merely an addiction to the thrill of an action-packed day out that let’s be honest, is always so much more than about just 90 minutes of usually dire football. 

Those quintessentially British beers on an early morning train, meeting mates you may not normally see in your day-to-day life and those familiar faces you encounter when drinking, singing and chatting in the pub before.  

But more broadly, the world of adventure each match opens up that can leave you reflecting back fondly years later thinking: ‘I was there.’ 

Humberside beckons next and on the topic of away games under the Friday night lights, one of my most memorable came during a recent period of similar City incompetence. 

Those 2,000-plus of us there will never forget that jubilant Josh Sargent-inspired triumph at Vicarage Road in January 2022, a rare ray of light in an otherwise pathetic Premier League season that once again demonstrated why so many of will never stop following, travelling, believing. 

It’s difficult to muster much optimism at the moment but regardless of what happens in the north-east and south-west over the coming days, I can’t wait for the next chapter of my Norwich City journey to unfold.