Norwich City

Marc Webber
BBC Final Score

Image source, Getty Images

Norwich City manager Liam Manning is asking you to look up and down if you are looking for an answer to this club's malaise – and he is right to do so.

Whether you are listening to Chris Goreham's post-match interviews on BBC Radio Norfolk, or have the privilege of sitting in on Manning's post-match press conference (as I do) he is clear the failure of this club is a team sport.

And that feeling is shared by many of Norwich's fans who were there on Saturday.

The fact there were more chants for [sporting director Ben] "Knapper Out" or [chief executive Zoe] "Webber Out" than there were "Manning Out" after the Bristol City game should give you a sense of how the whole club is at a crossroads.

Manning said his players were too nice and showed Bristol City too much respect. Again, he's right.

Only two players in that side - Josh Sargeant and Kenny McLean - showed any fight.

Thing is, it seems it is only Liam willing to face the music after every game.

Whether Manning's tactics are to blame, or this club's problems are wider than him, Norwich face a harsh winter.

It's hard to see how that will change right now.

Image source, PA Media

Norwich City boss Liam Manning called on his players to take more personal responsibility in games following their sixth successive home defeat of the season.

The Canaries went down 1-0 to his former club Bristol City, a result which left them 20th in the table.

"We need a few to start stepping up and owning performances because everything is just too nice around the place - we have to try and change that," he told BBC Radio Norfolk.

"There was some nice football but nothing at the end of it, not enough aggression, not enough purpose, not enough intent when you're losing a game to get on the front foot and change it.

"Too many people are passing on the responsibility and not being brave enough. I can't play the game for them, we can give them games plans and solutions, but the second the whistle blows you need people to step up."

Manning admitted the squad "needs a lot of work" and were leaving striker Josh Sargent to feed off "scraps and half chances" only.

"Have we go the composition right? I don't know," he admitted.

Asked about his own future and whether the club could be facing a relegation battle this season, he said: "It's a bit early for that. We are in a tough period at the minute and we have to change that.

"I wouldn't be stood here now if I wasn't up for the job. I've had to fight to get here and my default is to get my head down and keep fighting, keep pushing until I'm told different."

Norwich will be away to Derby County on Tuesday evening.

Image source, Opta

The international break is finally over and Norwich City will look to get back on track when they welcome Liam Manning's former team Bristol City to Carrow Road on Saturday (15:00 BST).

The Canaries have lost all five home games in all competitions since Manning's arrival and went down 3-1 in the East Anglian Derby at Ipswich last time out to sit 19th, two points above the drop zone and with just one point from their past four league games.

Gerhard Struber's Robins are five points better off in 10th but also went into the break off the back of a defeat, going down 2-1 at home to QPR, and have taken just two points from their past four matches.

• Norwich City lost home (0-2) and away (1-2) to Bristol City in the Championship last season, after only losing one of their previous 14 league encounters before then (W9 D4).

• Bristol City could record successive away wins in the league at Norwich City for only the second time, previously doing so in February 2009.

• Since the start of April, only Sheffield United (12) have lost more Championship league games than Norwich City (9) and only Sheffield Wednesday (29) have shipped more goals than the Canaries (28).

• Bristol City are one of three sides unbeaten away from home in the Championship this season (W2 D2), along with Coventry and Millwall. The Robins' last away defeat came under current Norwich manager Liam Manning, losing 4-0 at champions Leeds in April.

• Josh Sargent scored in each of his first four Championship games this season, netting five goals. Since then, he's failed to score in five appearances in a row, last going more without a goal between February and April 2023 (7 games).

"That was a shambles. A lot of people are disenchanted. They might say when it comes to renew their season ticket, I'm not going to because the club are treating me badly.

"They should just scrap the whole thing.

"It's just a really poor decision. They're just going to create a library in the stadium. It was an absolute PR nightmare. It got ugly."

On Wednesday night City fans attended a Q&A in the Lion and Castle pub to discuss the club's controversial plans to move fans as they redevelop Carrow Road.

In a Scrimmage Daily special, BBC Radio Norfolk's Chris Goreham and Rob Butler react to what was said and also bring you head coach Liam Manning's thoughts on the situation.

Listen to the whole Scrimmage special and more Norwich City content via BBC Sounds.

Rob Butler
BBC Radio Norfolk Canary Call, presenter

Image source, Getty Images

Norwich City head coach Liam Manning goes up against his former side when the Canaries host Bristol City in the Championship on Saturday (15:00 BST).

Manning joined Norwich from the Robins in June but has not managed to win a game at Carrow Road since taking over the hotseat.

Here are some of the key points from his pre-match press conference:

• Defender Jose Cordoba sustained a hamstring injury while on international duty with Panama and Manning said he will be out until mid-November

• Shane Duffy is back training, but not available for Saturday's game

• "It hurts and it's something I'm not happy about", Manning said the team will have to move on from the East Anglian derby defeat earlier this month

• Manning said he is not feeling sorry for himself following a bad run of results for his team

• On the home form: "We have to be better, simple as that"

You can listen to coverage of Norwich City v Bristol City with BBC Radio Norfolk on Saturday, coverage starts at 14:00 (BST).

The post match Canary Call will be available to watch on this page shortly after full-time.

"I think some fans are very excited to maybe get one up on Liam Manning after leaving us in the summer," Robins fan Tom tells BBC Radio Norfolk.

"I think for both teams, it's a real opportunity to get some points on the board."

Join The Scrimmage team as they take a look ahead to Norwich City boss Liam Manning's upcoming reunion with former club Bristol City as the Robins visit Carrow Road on Saturday (15:00 BST).

They also talk stadium plans, catch up with Eurovision star Emmy and analyse how a baseball team in the US can affect the Canaries.

Listen to the latest episode of The Scrimmage and more Norwich City content on BBC Sounds.

Matthew Soakell
Fan writer

Image source, Rex Features

Now the dust has settled - although I'm not sure we'll be able to accept last Sunday's result for a little while yet - it would seem Norwich City is as fractious as it was in the days leading up to Dean Smith's dismissal and later David Wagner's.

As fans, we've found ourselves in an endless cycle of positivity, mediocrity and then staunch negativity since Daniel Farke was dismissed. The trouble we now have is some fans are apathetic. This, of all of the things, is the most dangerous for the upper echelons at Carrow Road.

Right now the biggest question marks surround Ben Knapper, who will have led back-to-back failed appointments should Liam Manning be relieved of his duties any time soon.

For what it's worth, I didn't see the appointment of Johannes Hoff Thorup as a failure but saw the sacking as a failure and a poorly timed one at that: a premature decision that pulled the rug completely from underneath the so-called project that Mark Attanasio had tweeted about only weeks earlier.

Jumping the gun so soon on a young head coach, whose side were the second highest scorers in the league last season and created more chances than most in the league, showed JHT had a style of play he was implementing but perhaps needed some patience and time to perfect. "Tighten up the defence," I thought, "and we'll be a real force this season." It wasn't to be.

At the second international break of the season, we find ourselves languishing in 19th place, and fans are one part frustrated to one part apathetic - at least from the various group chats I'm a part of and the sentiments I've seen on social media.

Defeat at Portman Road has fuelled the frustration further - turning many angry - and so the challenge Mr Attanasio now has is whether he keeps Knapper for the entirety of this season or whether he boldly rips another project up and resets the club further.

Do we need yet another restart and new head coach? I don't think so. I think that's a dangerous spiral to go down and end up like Watford - who have made yet another managerial change and where manager of the month isn't an award but closer to contractual status.

We need togetherness, we need leadership and a hierarchy who will come out and say, "We know things are not where we or you as fans want them to be right now, but trust us, we'll turn it around." Doubt or silence won't do from the top - they need to be bold and aim to unite.

At risk of being labelled a happy clapper, which I'm absolutely not, the slippery cycle of managerial changes is something that can lead to a poor culture and an unattractive club for future managers and rarely leads to sustained success.

For this reason, let's get behind Manning for as long as he's at the club, irrespective of whether it's the next two months or two years.

Hear more from Matthew at Where Canaries Walk., external

In the wake of Sunday's East Anglia derby defeat, The Scrimmage spoke to BBC football reporter Nick Mashiter about the situation at Norwich City, and the pressure on head coach Liam Manning and sporting director Ben Knapper.

"Ipswich are probably one of the best, if not the best side in the Championship and started to hit their straps a few weeks ago, so it probably wasn't a big surprise, the result on Sunday, as much as it's going to be a disappointment for all Norwich fans," Mashiter said.

"But there's no panic stations, nobody's pressing the big red button to hit the alarm bells at Colney at the minute.

"There doesn't seem to be any rush to make a change, it certainly looks like the plan is to stay the course.

"At Norwich, they believe they have enough talent to be able to make this work, Liam Manning is planning to be here for the long-term and from the noises we're hearing, that is not changing from anybody above him."

Sunday's 3-1 defeat at Portman Road was Norwich's first in the derby for 16 years and left them 19th in the Championship ahead of their 18 October meeting with Manning's former club Bristol City.

"Liam Manning, other people at the club, they're not naive, they know what industry they are in... they haven't done well enough, they are not ignorant of that fact at all.

"They came in, Liam Manning and the coaches, to a club which was definitely not a ready-made machine. This is a team that was on the slide last season. So for them not to hit the level this season is probably not a surprise.

"There's a bit of a hangover from the players that were involved last season and maybe that's affected the new guys because there isn't a lot of Championship experience (among them), so that means a player like Harry Darling has had to come in to a new club and be one of the main men straight away."

Image source, Getty Images

Norwich City defender Kellen Fisher has been called into the England U21 squad for their forthcoming Euro 2027 qualifiers against Moldova and Andorra.

The 21-year-old has been added to Lee Carsley's party after Newcastle's Lewis Hall pulled out through injury and Manchester City full-back Nico O'Reilly moved up to England's senior squad.

Fisher has been capped at England U20 level and was involved with the under-21s for their 2-0 win in Kazakhstan last month but did not feature in the game.

England, the current European champions, visit Moldova on Friday before hosting Andorra at Derby's Pride Park three days later.

Marc Webber
BBC 5 Live at Portman Road

Image source, Getty Images

Listen back to the post-derby Canary Call on BBC Radio Norfolk, and three minutes and 46 seconds in, host Rob Butler asks the very question everyone involved in Norwich City should be asking right now.

"Can you see why fans will look above [manager Liam Manning] and say, he hasn't got the players, he hasn't got the tools?"

People will point the finger at manager Manning for that first derby defeat in 16 years. He is not blameless, for sure.

But, as former owner Delia Smith will tell you, it takes more than one ingredient to make the perfect recipe. And eyes must turn up and down from Manning's position to ask why it is going so wrong for a huge club like Norwich City?

Aside from the 188-second response from Oscar Schwartau to equalise, you rarely felt someone else in yellow would turn effort into endeavour.

Add to that the unhappiness from fans being moved from their lifelong Carrow Road seats as part of a stadium redevelopment plan, and I left Portman Road just asking myself one question.

What is going on at Norwich City these days?

Image source, PA Media

Norwich City wing-back Jack Stacey says his side must find a way to become tougher to score against following the East Anglia derby defeat at Ipswich Town.

The Canaries went down 3-1 at Portman Road - their first loss in 15 matches between the two sides since 2009.

"To concede the third goal and how we reacted after that is probably where the frustration is," Stacey told BBC Radio Norfolk.

"We're probably not making it hard enough for teams to score against us. If you're going to concede soft goals, you're going to make it very hard for yourselves to win games.

"We're looking forward to the (international) break to work on certain things and look towards the next game in two weeks' time, (when) we're going to be in a better position than we are now.

"We're not where we want to be at the moment and people are judged on results at the end of the day.

"At the start of the season, that was our goal, to get into the play-offs - it's very early in the season but we have to look at it now, there's no grey area, if we're not up there, it is underachieving, yes."

Norwich will be at home to head coach Liam Manning's former club Bristol City when they return to action on Saturday, 18 October.

Image source, Rex Features

Liam Manning believes his relationship with Norwich fans is "recoverable" but he understands why they are on his back at present.

Sunday's 3-1 derby defeat at Ipswich was a fifth loss in nine Championship games, with Manning's side also having lost all five games at Carrow Road in all competitions.

City are two points above the drop zone, with eight points from nine matches, and asked about his position coming under scrutiny so early on, Manning told BBC Radio Norfolk: "It's where the world is at in this industry, unfortunately.

"When you look at the back half of last season, the change in the summer, where everything's at, we've got a huge amount of work to do. I'm under no illusion.

"I'd have loved to hit the ground running, played some beautiful football and won games, and really built a rapport with the fans, but we haven't done it."

Manning says he'd experienced similar pressure early on at Bristol City and said: "All I can control is keeping my head down and keep working.

"We've acquired a load of talent but we're now in the process of trying to build a team. It does take time, but whilst you're doing that you do have to win games and that's what we're not doing.

"You have to find a way of grinding out results to keep people on board and we haven't done that well enough.

"If we win games the relationship with the fans is recoverable. I had it early on at Bristol. Rightly the fans are on us, we have to accept it, but the only way to change it is by delivering, and that's what I'm focusing on."

Manning said the East Anglian derby loss had hurt him as much as it had the fans, adding: "I'm gutted, disappointed. Basic errors cost us again, which has been a little bit of a pattern so far this season.

"If you look at it outside the goals, I didn't think there was a huge amount in the game."