Smithgone

Yesterday afternoon, it was announced that Norwich had sacked their manager of 13 months, Dean Smith.

Deano had previously been manager of Aston Villa and had got them to a play off (lost), another play off (won), then survived a season in thePremier League, and each year pretty much had to rebuild a new squad.

That he lost his job less than 24 hours after Norwich were on the market for a new manger, it seemed too good to be true.

Sadly, it was.

He could not keep us in the Premier League, so we were relegated in May, and so all was set for a new beginning back in the Championship. Our last two season at this level had seen us win the title at a canter. We had a larger, stronger squad with a manager who knew how to get the best out of minimal resources.

Promotion was a given.

And yet it never clicked. Either last season or this.

I believed.

I beleieved that he had done a good, similar job before, so would do the same again for us.

A losing start turned into t a winning streak, we were second in the league early in October, and despite not playing well, were just fine.

Some said that winning when playing poorly would mean at some point playing poorly and losing.

I laughed and kept believing.

But we kep on losing.

A four week break, and a warm weather break in the US would refocus things. We would come back a better team.

Shots were posted on social media of players in the sun, laughing and smiling. So, a new beginning when the season restarted?

Sadly, not.

And with the best squad possible at this level, a preseason and now a four game reset, and still no improvement, what is a club to do? Carry on hoping that things will change, or say, enough is enough, and change.

There are good decisions and bad decisions.

If the end point is that we go up either by the play offs or automatically, then it would have worked.

I hold no animosity to Smith or Craig Shakespeare, just want my club to do weel Friends who go week in, week out, have had enough, and change had to come.

I trust their view.

So, a week before the tansfer window, we're looking for yet another permanent manager.