Paul Standley: Promising signs as Norwich City pause for breath

My first contribution to the Fan Zone, sees us reach the first point in the two months since Johannes Hoff Thorup has taken charge, which gives us a chance to reflect on the new project at Carrow Road.

One of the most active transfer windows in Norwich City history has finally “slammed” shut, we have reached the first international break of the season and all nicely rounded off with a first league win. Time indeed for all in and around the club to take stock – and breathe.

While the transfer window of the much-compared start to the Daniel Farke era in 2017 may have seen as many ins and outs, there has been significantly more money first coming into the club and very quickly being reinvested in this 2024 window. The accompanying noise around many of the recent departures, the honourable Gaby Sara aside, has also been unprecedented. At one point I read that Norwich were “hurtling” through the transfer window. While on the face of it that seemed a good description, it has become clear how well prepared those in power have been.

Ben Knapper was noticeably quiet in his first few months in the new job. That has changed now, but there had obviously been some very hard work going on in the background. For every twist and turn along a bumpy path this summer, there was a quick reply forthcoming on the transfer front. And those answers have always aligned to the blueprint set out at the beginning of the summer, with a new coach to match. That not all those new additions may work out, is the nature of the business, the mix will undoubtedly need some further adjustment, but to coin a recently used phrase, Ben has certainly walked the walk.

Our young new head coach has admirably managed an ever-changing squad in his first two months in the fine city. JHT started out pre-season instilling his football philosophy on what was essentially an Under-21 squad with a few first-team additions.

While internationals returned late from their summer breaks, the wheels of the transfer merry-go-round gained traction, the inevitable injuries had their say, and then the Championship season sprang into life. Through all this, Thorup managed to bring his team far enough to show positive signs of what is to come. While there is a still a way to go, the recognition shown by the Carrow Road crowd after such a short time is, in a very Norfolk way, praise indeed.

Johannes Hoff Thorup deep in conversation with his coaching team in the win over Coventry (Image: Paul Chesterton/Focus Images Ltd)

Now he finally has a settled squad to work with. Along with further work on the style of play, the challenge is to improve on the areas of weakness (defence and robustness to name but two) while at the same time negotiating an unforgiving Championship programme and collecting points for the league table as well as performances along the way. The display at Coventry showed that JHT and his team are more than capable of doing that.

Living in Germany, I don’t get to Carrow Road as much as I would like, but it did give me the opportunity to watch a training session during pre-season when I travelled down to Austria.

The session was more intense than anything I had seen under previous regimes - and I have seen a few.  Thorup, Glen Riddersholm and perhaps interestingly also Narcis Pelach were in the thick of the action explaining detailed requirements individually and collectively with the training game going on around them.

While I am sure that will need to come in measured doses during the cut and thrust of a championship season, for me it adds a level of belief that we are in good hands for the foreseeable future.

Come the next international break, coincidentally also my next appearance on the Fan Zone, we will undoubtedly be wiser - and have another chance to breathe.