Why the mood music at Norwich City is upbeat under Thorup

After all, they've won just one of their opening four Championship matches, two of their three crown jewels departed the club earlier in the summer, and they are currently amidst a period of transition following a top-six finish last season. 

Yet, take a snapshot of the majority of City faithful currently and the mood music is overwhelmingly positive about the direction of travel and what Johannes Hoff Thorup is seeking to achieve at Carrow Road. 

There are no celebratory fist bumps or declarations, like from Jez in the Peep Show, that 'everything is going to be totally great forever', but it does feel like something is building. That feeling and hope has been lacking amid a scramble by any means to get back into the Premier League in recent years. 

When the whole machine is geared towards winning, there is no story to buy into or overriding message to connect supporters with what is being produced on the pitch. There is no wriggle room when results aren't there and little time is afforded to development. The foundations become flimsy.

What Thorup and Ben Knapper are building is a strategy that some City fans are willing to engage with. One that chimes with the values and ethos of the club they support. 

For the last few seasons, Norwich's operation has felt cold, distant and lacking in substance. The focus has been on objective, but when that wasn't in place - it was hard to feel anything meaningful about what they were trying to do. 

That is why, despite a sixth-placed finish and a successful campaign last year, there was a constant feeling that something wasn't right. 

Despite David Wagner's best efforts to repair that, the recruitment strategy and lack of soul turned City fans off. Dean Smith struggled in his own endeavours to turn the wheel after Daniel Farke's departure. 

Be it Smith declaring that City were better playing games away or Wagner's substitutions being booed despite a promising home run - all of it spoke to a club that was failing to connect with its core. 

It wasn't just those characters, it was others. Stuart Webber, who took the Canaries on an incredible journey alongside Daniel Farke, went from intoxicating to toxic to supporters. Even a touchpoint with Delia Smith and Michael Wynn Jones did little to repair relations at the AGM last November. 

There is an optimism building at Johannes Hoff Thorup's era at Norwich City. (Image: Paul Chesterton/Focus Images Ltd)

None of it was deliberate. It fact, it was a burning desire to be successful. But the flames burned so high, it led to petrol being poured on rather than a lurch for a fire extinguisher. It spoke to a club that had abandoned the way it spent five years developing only to row in behind head coaches and their ideas. 

That context speaks to the difficult waters that Norwich were swimming in. Some of the problems still exist. 

Thorup and Knapper have seemingly hit the reset button. There has been a pivot back to a clear strategy - one that involves handing real agency to young talent to deliver in a style of play that is attractive on the eye but also effective in terms of results. 

Selling that narrative is important. In Thorup, City have a canny communicator who is both considered and honest. In Knapper, a sporting director who has devised a clear plan and is determined to deliver it. 

When you invest in a process, you earn wriggle room. When results fall, supporters are more likely and willing to stick with it in the hope of the wheel turning. They know what it is building towards and bumps in the road are factored as part of the process. 

As Thorup has aptly pointed out, during that process, wins are required to keep people invested during the building stages, which is why Coventry was an important victory, but the bulk of City fans seem on board with what is being put into motion rather than simply swallowing it. 

That victory over Coventry saw City win due to proactivity from their head coach. There was a perception, rightly or wrongly, that it was the opposite last season. It was a result created by young talent. Last year, the squad was made up of 11 players over 30 at its peak. 

When those young players make errors, they do so as part of their development rather than those already at their ceiling. Whilst experience is important, it was elevated above talent in some cases. 

It does feel like a fresh approach. Norwich is beginning to consider the ‘why’ and looking beyond results. There is much more consideration of the route — that willingness to invest in the process is the way to tell a story and bring supporters on a journey with them critically important. 

The situation in the boardroom and the progression of Mark Attanasio-led Norfolk FB Holdings have helped fuelled the positivity. That is a group with a significantly higher ceiling, even if it doesn't lead to instant investment.  

Johannes Hoff Thorup has handled himself with composure amid early challenges at Norwich City. (Image: Paul Chesterton)

Simply, that connection between messaging and delivery builds trust. Since Oxford United, supporters have witnessed continued improvement and a coherent strategy in the way that was promised. 

The true test of this newfound positivity will come when, inevitably, there is a dip in performances and results. 

But for now, it is about enjoying the moment and daring to dream of a brighter future - especially in a two-week hiatus with little action to puncture that particular bubble. 

The challenge for Thorup, Knapper and co is to prove this isn't another false dawn, but the foundations are there to convert that cautious optimism into real belief that something special can be achieved.