Imagine telling Norwich City fans when they were 23rd in November that they would have a faint shot of the Championship play-offs in early April. They’d have laughed. Imagine if Philippe Clement had been appointed earlier. When he arrived on Nov 18, Norwich had 9 points from 15 games. They are now 9th with 58 points from 41 games. Highly unlikely but not impossible that Norwich could make the play-offs. 6 points off with 5 games remaining. Still a long shot. But Clement has transformed Norwich.

He's improved fitness levels, defensive concentration and mood. Improved recruitment, too, and credit to sporting director Ben Knapper: Mohamed Toure, Randers, £2.6m, scouted by Knapper since 2022; Paris Maghoma from Brentford and Ali Ahmed from Vancouver.

Knapper’s appointment of Clement has been inspired (and may have saved Knapper’s job). Clement has authority, presence, good decision-making and deals with adversity. He lost Makama to injury, and Sargent to a sulk and Toronto FC. He had 10 players injured going into Friday’s game with Portsmouth, drawn 1-1. Norwich trailed 1-0 to Millwall at a sold-out Den today, but Clement’s subs turned the game around: Mohamed Toure 2x assists, Schwartau the winner. Clement has restored hope to Norwich. #OTBC

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/mar/17/tony-powell-gay-footballer-norwich-documentary-last-guest-at-the-holloway-motel?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

I remember watching Tony play alongside, Forbes, Stringer et al.
What a remarkable story of heartbreak, and a kind of redemption in being reunited with his family.
#otbc #canaries #NorwichCityFC

Longest current run without an away win in the top four tiers of English football (league games)

1️⃣Newcastle - 9
2️⃣Wolverhampton - 8
3️⃣Norwich - 7
4️⃣Reading - 7

🔗Full list: https://footballrates.com/currentruns/winlessaway

#NUFCFans #NUFC #wwfc #wolves #ncfc #otbc #readingfc

Norwich City dismiss Liam Manning. On the day Jack Wilshere makes it four wins on the spin at Luton Town. Wilshere had hoped for the Norwich job after a well-received two-game caretaker stint. Norwich felt inexperienced Wilshere a risk. But Manning isn’t the sole issue here. Norwich’s sporting director Ben Knapper under huge pressure from fans to get the next appointment right.

Fans understandably angry, and protested outside Carrow Road after their 11th game without a win. Nine points from 15 Championship games, four points from safety. As Knapper says in @[email protected] statement “results and performances on the pitch haven’t been good enough. We accept that responsibility, but it’s now imperative that we start to repair the relationship with our supporters and do everything we can to give them something to get behind”.

Lot of repairing to do. Fans asking how much experience did Knapper have doing analysis and scouting at Arsenal, also doing a loans and pathway role, to justify Norwich responsibility in charge of recruitment of players and head coach. Anyway, good luck to Ryan Garry (ex coach of England U17s with Nwaneri, Lewis-Skelly and Dibling) placed in temporary charge. #OTBC

Good luck to Jack Wilshere at Luton Town. Really like how he’s building his managerial career. Retired from playing in July 2022. First, worked in an environment he knows, at Arsenal, as an Under-18s coach helping Lewis-Skelly and Nwaneri develop. Then working in a first-team environment as a coach at Norwich City in the Championship, and briefly interim manager (W1 D1).

Players liked him, Wilshere felt he was ready for the permanent role, Norwich said no. So he left, considered his options, bided his time, now in charge of League One’s 11th-placed Luton after four rounds of interviews. Knows the club, was there briefly as a kid pre-Arsenal, and has friends who are season-ticket holders and, very sensibly, has the experienced and popular Chris Powell as his assistant. Not short of decent left foots in the staff games. #LTFC #AFC #OTBC