Promotion and relegation have unfortunately been a way of life around Norwich City, and we’re not just talking about the Premier League.
Since 2003-04, the Canaries have not spent more than four seasons at the same level. They’ve been relegated to the Championship thrice, to League One once, and promoted four times between the three flights.
Norwich went down after one year in the Premier League on Wednesday despite beating Watford 4-2 at Carrow Road, and they even spent more in January in an attempt to avoid the drop.
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Timm Klose was a revelation after arriving for an undisclosed fee from Wolfsburg, while Robbie Brady was worth every penny spent in August, when Dieumerci Mbokani arrived on loan.
Norwich rose 14th on Jan. 2 with a home win over Southampton, as the Canaries were seemingly figuring out life in the Premier League. They lost every game for the rest of the January transfer window, three by blowout and one a 5-4 decision versus Liverpool. By the first week of February they were back in the drop zone, and didn’t rise any higher than 17 the rest of the way.
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So what now? Well, who’s staying? Is Neil going to get the chance to lift the Canaries back into the top flight? He managed them for a half season, with 17 wins from 25 matches to rise into the Premier League. Then, this season.
Will Brady stay? There will be interest from around the Premier League, and Nathan Redmond could fetch a premium as an England U-21 star who has shown he can do a job in the top flight. Klose could fetch a pretty penny as a 6-foot-4 28-year-old center back, and what’s left beyond that?
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Norwich’s directors face some key decisions this summer, and it’s going to be a battle for the Canaries to stay in the hunt for a Championship playoff spot with Newcastle and Aston Villa retooling to join ambitious Cardiff City, QPR and whoever remains from the playoff of Derby County, Hull City, Brighton, and Sheffield Wednesday. Fulham is going to reload, too.