Norwich City: Can David Wagner turn results around before the axe falls?
- Published
David Wagner has lost seven of his 14 Championship games in charge this season
After defeat by Sunderland last weekend David Wagner said he "loves" his team, the club and the city, but are Norwich fans falling out of love with him?
Despite a decent start to their campaign, the Canaries are now on a run of just one win in eight league games.
There are mitigating circumstances - given the injuries to their strikers - but they also possess the joint worst goals-against record in the division.
Lose at home to Blackburn on Sunday and Carrow Road could become a toxic place.
Like many BBC radio stations, Radio Norfolk hosts a post-match phone-in after every game to get the views of fans from across the world on their beloved team.
Canary Call is a great mix of passion, rants and eloquent punditry, but following Saturday's loss to Sunderland the theme was certainly 'Wagner Out'.
While you can't use a radio phone-in show to represent every fan, and it should be noted that there were a few people defending the head coach, it was a noticeable change in mood from previous weeks.
So where has it all gone wrong?
After an enjoyable and successful August, aside from an injury to Josh Sargent, September is where the cracks began to appear.
Defeat at Rotherham at the start of the month was swept under the carpet by a home win against Stoke next time out.
Even a loss to Leicester the same week didn't dampen the mood - outclassed by a Premier League-bound outfit was nothing to be too upset about.
The 6-2 thrashing at Plymouth though - that couldn't be glossed over. Since then, it's been one win, one draw and four defeats.
Norwich have won just two Championship matches since Josh Sargent was injured in August
Injuries to Sargent and Ashley Barnes have certainly wounded the side. The two front-men brought a great balance of strength and speed between them, not only going forward, but also in defence.
But as former Norwich hero Chris Sutton wrote recently: "It's a blow, but they are not Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe."
The acquisition of Hwang Ui-jo on loan from Nottingham Forest looked good on paper, but despite his first goal for the club at the Stadium of Light, he hasn't made an impression on the side at all.
Adam Idah continues to work hard, but rarely looks like he has the confidence required for a striker to light up the Championship.
Even with a blunt strike force, the Canaries have often found themselves in front - they took the lead in games against Coventry, Leeds and Sunderland recently but won none of them.
Despite the negatives, Wagner does have quality players at his disposal.
Gabriel Sara will no doubt have Premier League clubs circling come the transfer window, Jonathan Rowe the same after an incredible start to the season, and a number of others have the experience and talent to be at top-end Championship teams.
So is Wagner getting the best out of the squad he has available to him? In short - no.
Can he change it? Yes - but he might not be given the opportunity.
After six years at Norwich, sporting director Stuart Webber is leaving the club in the next few months - and his replacement Ben Knapper begins work later this month. A handover period between the two men could last months, or end much quicker.
Changing a head coach during this period of limbo would be less than ideal - but it is surely being considered by the powers-that-be at the club.
Victory (and a good showing) against Blackburn on Sunday might buy Wagner more time at the helm, and with Barnes getting close to fitness, things could start to turn the other way.
But as Norwich's last manager Dean Smith will tell you, if you lose the fans - it's only a matter of time until you're looking for a new job.