The Promoted – End of Season Report – Norwich City

Two back-to-back promotions for Norwich City means the Premier League welcomes yet another Scottish manager to the fold, as Paul Lambert brings his brand of open, attacking football to the top flight this upcoming season.

A manager in demand, Lambert had already rejected an official offer from Burnley back in January and when West Ham were looking for a new boss after sacking Avram Grant towards the end of May, penned a new, improved 12 month rolling contract along with assistant manager Ian Culverhouse and head of football operations Gary Kars. With their new deals in the bag, Lambert and co. can now concentrate on acquiring players for next season:

“It’s terrific for myself and Ian and Gary. We came here together and we’ve never indicated we wanted to leave at all. I’ve loved my two years at the club. I’m delighted everything has been sorted for the three of us and now we are working on bringing players into the club. We have to try and give the current group a hand, as I have always said.

We want to try and make this club the best it can possibly be. We’ll try and do everything we can to get a foothold in the Premier League and to enjoy it. The fanbase here is tremendous and if you have got them behind you, then you have a chance.”

Defensive improvements seem a certainty; Norwich finished top scorers in last season’s Championship but a glimpse at their Goals Against shows they also had one of the poorest defences, suggesting there should be plenty goals at either end of the pitch should the side continue its adventurous style of play, particularly at Carrow Road.

Here’s a look at the displays that saw them clinch a second-place finish and end the club’s six year top-flight exodus…

The Statistics

CS = Cleansheets

Norwich’s approach tends to work better at home, in terms of goal returns; they failed to find the net on only 2 occasions and scored two or more goals in 14 of their 23 games at Carrow Road. They are more prone to conceding at home, though; Norwich’s opponents scored two or more goals a total of nine times and, more alarmingly, Lambert’s side chalked up just four clean sheets in front of their own fans.

There’s a definite tendency to tighten up on the road; Norwich picked up seven clean sheets away from home and conceded two goals less, overall. Home teams may have scored two or more goals in 8 games but Norwich bettered that, scoring two or more 10 times. Only on three occasions did they fail to find the net on their travels, despite scoring 9 goals less than they did at home.

The Manager

Lambert made a somewhat inauspicious start to his managerial career at Livingston but, with years of experience from playing under the likes of Ottmar Hitzfeld at Borussia Dortmund and Martin O’Neill at Celtic, gradually found his feet as a boss. To his credit, Lambert has arrived in the Premier League the hard way, working his way up the lower leagues in England on shoestring budgets and his successes were rewarded with the LMA Championship Manager of the Year award last season.

Norwich tend to play with a narrow midfield diamond that allows Wes Hoolahan job of chief creator. The lack of width places an emphasis on full-backs Russell Martin and Marc Tierney to get forward and Norwich look to start attacks from the back through either of the pair. Lambert encourages his side to keep possession, suggesting they’re more craft and guile than sheer, brute force and such an ethos will be a welcome addition to the Premier League.

Norwich are also known for a never-say-die attitude, bourn of a fitness regime that saw them win a substantial number of points in the final fifteen minutes of games last season. As Lambert explains:

“We train at high intensity. My character is such that I hate getting beaten, and if you are, you go down fighting.”

The club’s subsequent promotion prompted star forward Grant Holt to sum up Lambert and the spirit he has instilled in the club best:

“The manager has been fantastic. He’s a motivator and has been great for us. We’ve worked hard, we’ve a great team spirit and a great desire. It’s a joy being with each other every day.”

The Promoted Squad:

Here’s the lowdown on the main men who helped Norwich achieve promotion last season:

John Ruddy (45 starts, 11 clean sheets) Missing just one league game all season, Ruddy picked up 11 clean sheets for the season and unless Lambert goes looking for a replacement with top-flight experience, will be the number one between the posts again.

Russell Martin (46 starts, 5 goals, 2 assists) The right-back was the only ever-present last season and is an integral member of the Norwich starting XI. Has a real eye for goal, too, finding the net five times in 2010/11.

Marc Tierney (14 starts, 2 sub apps) Signed by Lambert in the January transfer window from his old club Colchester, Tierney has wasted little time in making the left-back his own.

Adam Drury (19 starts, 1 sub app, 1 goal) The veteran was first-choice left-back until the arrival of Tierney and looks set to be a squad player in the upcoming campaign.

Zak Whitbread (20 starts, 2 sub apps, 1 goal)
Ruled out through injury for the first few months of last season, the centre half returned to establish himself as first-choice in the heart of the Norwich back-four.

Elliot Ward (39 starts, 1 goal)
Signed on a free transfer at the start of last season, Ward has firmly established himself as a first-choice centre-back for the Canaries. Missed games from mid-December to the end of January through injury, but was an ever-present, otherwise.

Leon Barnett (25 starts, 1 goal)
Signed on loan in August as defensive cover but was thrown into first-team duties due to injuries. Barnett impressed enough to earn a permanent contract in January but he then succumbed to injury himself and looks set to return to his role as back-up.

Andrew Surman (19 starts, 3 sub apps, 3 goals)
Signed from Wolves last June, the midfielder had a stop-start debut season for Norwich, with knee injuries plaguing his campaign. Lambert was keen to bring him to the club, so there’s a good chance of him cementing a first-team place when fully fit.

Andrew Crofts (44 starts, 8 goals, 6 assists)
The ex-Brighton captain was snapped up by Lambert in May last year and had a stand-out debut season for Norwich. Bombing forward from central midfield, Crofts gets involved in plenty goalmouth action and should grab a handful of goals next season.

Wes Hoolahan (36 starts, 5 sub apps. 10 goals, 9 assists)
Hoolahan is the playmaker at the tip of the Norwich midfield diamond, with the system set up to make the most of his creative talents. Takes most free-kicks and was the club’s first choice for penalty duties, but a couple of missed efforts last season saw him hand penalty duties over to Grant Holt.

David Fox (30 starts, 2 sub apps, 1 goal)
Another player snapped up from Colchester, Fox was on Man United’s books as a youngster and has represented England at youth level. A first-team regular in midfield but his goal returns offer little Fantasy potential.

Korey Smith (19 starts, 9 sub apps. 2 assists)
It’s doubtful whether the midfielder will be anything more than a squad player. Either way, Smith is not the type of player to find his way into many Fantasy squads, offering little goal threat or creativity.

Simon Lappin (20 starts, 7 sub apps. 3 assists)
Was a more prominent member of the first-team the season before last, though Lappin’s appearances were cut short in February when appendicitis ruled him out for a number of weeks. Another midfielder who should cause minimal Fantasy interest.

Simeon Jackson (20 starts, 19 sub apps. 13 goals, 2 assists)
The Canadian forward was signed from Gillingham last July and proved to be a real asset, grabbing some crucial goals for the Canaries; his run of nine in seven games towards the tail end of the season helped Norwich clinch promotion. Looked likely to partner Holt up front but the signing of James Vaughan from Everton now calls that into question.

Chris Martin (21 starts, 9 sub apps, 4 goals)
The striker looks to have slid down the pecking order of late, with both James Vaughan and Simeon Jackson likely to feature in the side ahead of Martin. He could yet force his way into the side if Norwich start to struggle for goals.

Grant Holt (44 starts, 1 sub app, 21 goals, 14 assists)
Player of the Year for Norwich last season, much will depend on Holt’s ability to deal with a step up in class. He’s scored 45 goals in the last two campaigns and will be Lambert’s number one striker, despite never playing at the highest level before. Norwich’s season will rely on his goals more than ever this time round. Expect Holt to give Kevin Davies a close run for Most Fouls by a forward next term; he made 103 last season.

The Potential Targets

Regardless of who ends up at Carrow Road, it’s fairly certain Lambert’s eye for a bargain and unwillingness to fork out huge wages will shape the club’s recruitment drive over the summer, with low-key captures more in line with the Norwich boss’ acquisition policy. Lambert was well aware of the need to add to his squad, admitting after clinching promotion:

“It is not going to be easy, but we have to try to give the current group a hand. Now we can try our best to get players in. We want to try and make this club the best it can possibly be. We will try and do everything we can to get a foothold in the Premier League and to enjoy it.

He wasted little time in identifying a weakness up front, with James Vaughan already moving from Everton as his first signing of the close season. The Norwich boss was keen to point out Vaughan’s top-flight experience as a fundamental factor in the deal, suggesting this may be a policy the Canaries revisit over the next few months:

“I think the great thing about him is he has played at Premiership level before, he knows what it is all about, he is only 22 and hopefully his best years are in front of him. That is the beauty about him – he has done it at that level, he knows what it is, he just has to be consistent with it.”

Lambert has since added another forward to his squad, with the capture of Millwall’s Steve Morison for an undisclosed fee. Having already had two or three bids for the player’s services rejected, Lambert showed a determination to get his man and Morrison -who bagged 17 goals in the Championship last term- also handed in an official transfer request in order to quicken up the move.

The Canaries have also bid for Leeds winger Robert Snodgrass rejected in the few days or so, but Lambert seems set to return with an improved offer for his compatriot. Meanwhile there are reports that a bid for Brighton’s assist machine Elliot Bennett has been accepted with the winger set to join the Carrow Road revolution.

There will be plenty more names linked with the club throughout the season, with Lambert’s German connections even bringing the name of Miroslav Klose to the fore, though the Norwich boss laughed off the rumour as nothing more than media speculation.

Peterborough’s Craig Mikail-Smith scored 35 times last season and, out of contract this summer, has already been linked with a move to the Premier League, with Posh boss Darren Ferguson confirming there is definite top-flight interest.

Hull’s Jimmy Bullard has been linked with a move, despite playing for arch-rivals Ipswich on loan at the end of last season. Bullard’s previous Premier League experience certainly fits the bill, though his current £45K per week will be a stumbling block. Man United’s Darron Gibson and Danny Guthrie of Newcastle are both out of favour at their respective clubs and could revive their careers with a move to Carrow Road.

Henri Lansbury‘s successful spell last term has prompted suggestions Lambert may be ready to ask Arsene Wenger for a season-long loan this time round; with Wenger keen to see his youngsters pick up vital experience, there’s every possibility this move could happen.

With 58 goals conceded in a lesser league last season, tightening up at the back will be a priority and Newcastle goalkeeper Fraser Forster has experience of playing at Norwich under Lambert, with a loan spell two seasons ago. Forster spent last season on loan at Celtic and with a job on his hands to win the Newcastle keeper’s jersey from Steve Harper and Tim Krul, has been linked with a return to the Canaries, either on loan or on a permanent basis. Man United defender Ritchie de Laet is another who has been linked with a temporary move, having impressed while on loan at Portsmouth last term.

Lambert does tend to make most of his signings early in the summer, though, which will hopefully put paid to months of endless speculation between now and the end of August.