Although the football might not be stellar, pre-season rarely disappoints when it comes to drama.
The contrasting elements of preparation, the variance in agendas from player to player, the trips abroad, the fan engagements, the new kits and, of course, the transfers; it's a cocktail of excitement and heightened speculation that dies down only when the real stuff kicks in.
Given the numerous elements at play this summer, that's been truer than ever for Norwich City as they've tuned up for their assault on the 2024-25 Championship season. They've got a new head coach, a sporting director enjoying his first summer in the role, several players worthy of high ranking in the rumour mill and a focus on communicating effectively with their supporters.
Add to that two spells on the continent and a host of young players vying for opportunities, and it was well set up to become a soap opera at Carrow Road.
In truth it's been a relatively civilised soap opera; no Italian pub teams or bin-housed ice baths. There was a small disaster involving battery acid and a pitch in Stevenage, but Johannes Hoff Thorup was glad of the extra training week before travelling to Northampton three weeks ago.
The warm-up campaign began with a trip to Northampton Town (Image: Martyn Haworth/Focus Images Ltd)
That Cobblers victory was almost as friendly as they come. Although beating League One opposition comprehensively was an encouraging start, it did include 45 minutes of virtually under-21 action.
From there it was straight to Belgium, and two test against significantly tougher opposition. A 3-0 defeat to Pro League champions Club Brugge brought the Canaries back down to earth with a bump, especially given the fact they were 2-0 down within eight minutes.
Standard Liege meant a less culturally enriching trip for visitors, but a more positive performance meant a 1-1 draw and a feeling that Thorup's new era would at least be able to compete with the top sides.
The following week felt like a real home coming, with not one but two events organised at the club's NR1 base. First there was an open training session and subsequent signature parade, followed by German side 1. FC Magdeburg's visit late in the week.
The former was mainly to catch a glimpse of new signing Jose Cordoba in the flesh, and to analyse Josh Sargent's walk after his return from international action. The latter was rather more alarming, even in a benign pre-season setting.
A 1-0 loss was City's first shock defeat of the summer, and led to all sorts of panic from those who place stock in results at this time of year. It placed even more emphasis on the trip to Austria and included clash with Europa League qualifiers Hoffenheim.
There was definitely a crunch-time feel to proceedings, heightened by the strength of the line-up and the debut of new left-back Ben Chrisene. But when under pressure Thorup's side responded well, and came from 2-0 down to earn a draw in the mountains.
Tomorrow they head into their final warm-up fixture, an evenly-matched meeting with 2. Bundesliga champions St. Pauli. In the current context it feels huge: the final chance for players to stake their claims, and for some a future-decider.
But when the whistle blows in Oxford it pales in insignificance, the drama of missed Adam Idah flights, transfer inactivity worries and fan forums forgotten for a year as the high stakes get incalculably higher.
In July 2025 pre-season will feel massive again, but when the final whistle blows tomorrow it'll be history.
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