Paddy Davitt delivers his Oxford verdict after Norwich City’s opening day Championship defeat

1. Rowe no show

Jon Rowe requesting to sit out Norwich City’s opening Championship tussle of the season at Oxford United, amid on going transfer speculation around his future. What a terrible look all round. No surprise within seconds of the kick-off a good portion of the 1,500 travelling fans delivered their verdict.

A sad state of affairs. Especially for a young man who has been taken into the hearts of many of those for his genuinely vibrant first team breakthrough at a club which nurtured him through a difficult academy journey.

‘Speculation’ because as of Saturday morning, and Rowe communicating his desire to sit this one out to Johannes Hoff Thorup, Marseille are the only club to have made a firm move.

But the French powerhouses are well short of City’s valuation for an England Under-21 international who, but for persistent injury interludes, would only have further embellished his reputation on the pitch last season.  

City held exploratory, but as of this point cursory, dialogue with Leeds and no more. Which makes Rowe, and his advisors, actions even more bizarre. Particularly when from the Norwich bench in the second half emerged Adam Idah, despite a summer of intense chatter around his next career move.

It would appear a Celtic return is edging closer, after the Bhoys finally got near enough to City’s mark to re-open meaningful talks.

Where this Rowe situation goes from here is anyone’s guess. But his public stance is hardly likely to smooth his exit between now and the end of the summer window.

2. Checking the small print

Thorup would have known the size of the task, and the outline brief, as discussions between his team and Ben Knapper’s unfolded over many months.

Culminating in the highly-rated 35-year-old Dane opting to cut his ties at FC Nordsjaelland barely 18 months into his first senior coaching post.

But Thorup surely did not envisage quite the volume of transfer-related turbulence to his pre-season plans of embedding his footballing ideas into a squad who were tasked with a very different style of play under his predecessor.

In no particular order this summer, Thorup has had to deal with Idah’s Austrian antics and the relentless march of reports touting him with a return to Scotland.

Then the departure of Gabby Sara, and with him the type of goal threat – both directly and indirectly – that looks lacking in the creative players left behind.

Now Rowe unable to continue in the same pre-season goalscoring vein that marked him out as one of City’s brightest attacking options, until presumably his future is resolved.

Add in the fitness related issue around summer headline signing, Jose Cordoba, that has seen him restricted to barely 15 minutes of action in a Norwich shirt, and the game of patience that saw Callum Doyle only arrive in the building at the start of this past week, and Thorup must close his door at night and wonder what he has let himself in for.

No wonder there was a weariness about his answer at his pre-match media, regarding his wish for deadline day to come and go, and finally for the full focus to settle on those who will be here for the foreseeable.

Sadly for him, Rowe’s latest intervention means it will probably get worse before it gets better.

3. Welcome Forson

There was a positive transfer-themed story to come out of a lacklustre opening day defeat at Oxford. The rather hasty introduction of Amankwah Forson at half-time, just a day after his move from Austria was confirmed.

The 21-year-old box-to-box midfielder looks an interesting addition. From the Champions League to the Championship underscores he certainly brings a pedigree, and it is another signal of where Thorup and Knapper want to drive Norwich’s recruitment and recalibrate a squad craving a refresh.

Forson looked comfortable in possession, happy to take the ball in tight spaces, and his first thought was to drive forward in search of attacking team mates. He also brought a rare stop from Oxford keeper Jamie Cumming in the 81st minute, when he veered onto his left and drilled an angled shot from just inside the penalty area. There is plenty to work with.

Noticeable too, irrespective of Rowe’s absence, City’s bench contained the likes of Gabe Forsyth, Elliot Myles and Abu Kamara. Forsyth made his senior debut in the closing seconds at the age of 18. Onel Hernandez’s absence was purely a selection decision from Thorup. Another clear signal of a changing of the guard.

Should Idah and even Rowe depart in the days and weeks ahead, then Norwich fans can expect some more creative business which fits the template of young, gifted and hopefully with their best days ahead.

Some of Norwich City's travelling support made their feelings clear towards Jon Rowe and the performance at the final whistle (Image: Paul Chesterton/Focus Images Ltd)

4. Searching for clues

The Rowe fallout will predictably be the abiding memory of Thorup’s first Championship tour. But on the pitch it was another reminder this remains a very early work in progress.

Players like Cordoba will clearly come firmly into the plans, and given how easily Grant Hanley and Shane Duffy were turned by Mark Harris for the Oxford opener, it will not be a prolonged wait to see the Panamanian.

Oxford were everything you would expect a newly-promoted club to be, back at this level as a club for the first time in a quarter of a century. Hungry, energetic and full of optimism and enthusiasm.

City defended Cameron Brannagan’s second goal little better. Angus Gunn saw his woodwork rattled and there was plenty of other openings from the hosts. Norwich’s attacking play was fitful, their midfield control lacking and by the closing stages those travelling fans had to suffer the ‘Oles’ rippling around the Kassam.

Thorup reiterated patience is required before this league game. A patchy pre-season of performance continued at Oxford.

Yes, there is plenty of mitigation to be had but there is also an expectation on the shoulders of the Dane and this group of players to show more visible signs when it comes to patterns of play and structure in and out of possession of what this season can aspire to be over the next 10 months or so.

You could understand the frustration expressed by pockets of the away support as City's coaching staff and players headed across at full time to show their appreciation.