Anna Say: City's bold new era should excite supporters

This follows a period of uncertainty and strategic transition within the club that started with the departure of Daniel Farke in 2021. The club has not since been able to regain its footing and chart a clear path forward since his departure.

Norwich have been here before. In 2017 after a disappointing season in which the team underperformed, then manager Alex Neil was relieved of his duties. It was understood that a dramatic overhaul was needed if Norwich was to regain its identity and competitive edge. This resulted in the arrival of Stuart Webber as the club's first sporting director.

Webber's initial plan was clear, financial stability, infrastructure revitalisation, smart scouting and recruitment and renewed focus on the development of young players within the club's academy. While Webber led the way with the club, he needed someone to lead the team resulting in the arrival of Farke. 

With Webber and Farke at the helm, Norwich very quickly tasted success, and promotion soon followed. However, it would be the club's struggles in the topflight that would be their ultimate downfall.

During the 21/22 season, in a desperate bid to cling to their top-flight status, Norwich sacked Farke and seemed to abandon the hard work put into developing their identity and philosophy by hiring Dean Smith.

His previous team Aston Villa avoided relegation because of a technical fault by the goal line technology and his playing style went against everything that Norwich had previously stood for, which in the end led to Norwich finding themselves back in the Championship.

With another relegation on the club's record and a growing disconnect between the club and its supporters in December 2022, Smith's time at the club came to an end.

David Wagner took over from Smith and while many would consider the German to be more successful than his predecessor, ultimately, he struggled to maintain any real push for promotion.

David Wagner opted against using young players regularly. (Image: PA)

The team's form became inconsistent, and Wagner's tactical decisions were called into question on more than one occasion.

Norwich did just make it into the playoffs this year; however, there is a widely held belief that the team achieved this in spite of Wagner and not because of him. Perhaps his biggest downfall would seem to have been his seeming refusal to integrate young players into his squad.

Norwich are a club that have for years prided themselves on being able to develop youth while also having a clear and distinct pathway from the academy to the first team, a pathway that Wagner neglected during his tenure. 

As things deteriorated on the pitch, the instability within the club became even more apparent when Webber decided to cut his time at Norwich short, leading to a sense of rudderlessness at the club. With no distinct leadership, direction, or communication, the fans were left feeling like the club was sitting in limbo with no obvious way out.

Fans did hope that this would change with new sporting director Ben Knapper. Many were desperate for his first impact at Norwich to be letting go of the head coach, but Knapper instead demonstrated a thoughtful, non-reactionary approach.

In the end, it was a 4-0 playoff semi-final defeat at Elland Road that spelt the end of Wagner's tenure at Norwich City.

Knapper has been quite distant since arriving at Norwich; however, his professional and efficient process for bringing in Thorup as head coach has proven popular with fans and those close to the club.

Reports have confirmed that even though other candidates were talked to, as would be expected, Thorup has been Knapper’s front runner from the beginning, with talks stretching back months. This is due to his progressive and attacking tactics alongside his focus on youth development.

Johannes Hoff Thorup - the man tasked with leading Norwich City's new era. (Image: Matthew Usher/Norwich City FC)

This process has signified a clear plan and a steadfastness that reflects a clear vision, contrasting with the reactive decisions of the past few years. The club is not making the easy or safe choice this time, which will be music to fans' ears.

Norwich now stands on the cusp of a new era, and despite the turbulence of recent seasons, a more exciting future finally seems to be on the horizon.

With Knapper's strategic planning and Thorup's progressive football, the hope is that Norwich can now rebuild and focus on finding their way back to the Premier League.