Leigh Bromby is a former Leeds United and Norwich City defender, he worked with current City boss David Wagner at Huddersfield Town.
Bromby says Leeds will need picking up by manager Daniel Farke after failing to claim automatic promotion to the Premier League.
Norwich host Leeds in the first leg of the play-off semi-finals at Carrow Road on Sunday (12:00 BST).
Former Norwich City and Leeds United defender Leigh Bromby says the Canaries will be the most well prepared team in the Championship play-offs.
Bromby was working as a coach at Huddersfield Town when current Norwich boss David Wagner led the Terriers to promotion to the Premier League in 2017.
The Canaries play Leeds over two legs in the play-off semi finals, the winner will meet Southampton or West Brom at Wembley in the final on 26 May.
Matthew Soakell, North East Canary
I’ve criticised David Wagner this season when I feel he’s been worthy of criticism and I’ve also praised him for his second half of the season turn around. Do I think Norwich City finishing in the play-offs is a success? No. Do I think given that where we were at Christmas, that Wagner’s done well in 2024? Yes. That said, as Norwich limped over the line on Saturday at St Andrew’s after a dismal performance, my first thought was "If we play like that against Leeds, we haven’t got a chance". So when I heard Wagner say “It wasn’t great but to be totally honest, who cares?” after the game, honestly I was seething! And I’ll tell you for why…
My frustrations aimed at City’s head coach are nothing personal; he comes across as a lovely man who I’d have a pint with. But we all know the play-offs are all about momentum and we’ve lost any possible momentum in our last three games. Two draws and a lacklustre defeat meant we passed up the chance to finish 5th and with it, there was a fair bit of optimism and positivity sucked out of the fans as a consequence.
I know we’re in the play-offs.
We might get to Wembley.
We might get promoted.
I’m not saying let’s be negative — far from it!
However, Wagner’s comments were almost him saying “I’ve done what I was tasked with doing and I don’t care how we’ve done it”. This surely isn’t the attitude to have going into two - hopefully three - huge games?
If we were in the Premier League and we’d survived by playing poorly but we’d got over the line, then the sentiment would be totally different. But we aren’t. We have one of the highest wage bills in this league and fans - rightly or wrongly - demand more than what we’ve seen against Bristol City, Swansea City and Birmingham City of late.
So here’s hoping that Wagner, his team and staff are up for Sunday’s game against Leeds United. I know the fans will be. We definitely care. And I know that he cares, but there are ways and means to get or keep fans onside; there are ways and means to go into the play-offs; Wagner’s not quite helped himself with either of these, but let’s be loud and proud this weekend and show the whole footballing world watching just how much we care!
You can listen to David Wagner's full post-match interview after the Birmingham game here.
Rob Butler and Jack Reeve called for positivity from Norwich City supporters ahead of a two-legged play-off semi-final against Leeds United.
The first leg is on Sunday at Carrow Road (12:00 GMT)
Download the full Scrimmage podcast here.
Norwich City supporter Tim Merchant had his car smashed up while watching the Canaries play Birmingham City at St Andrew's.
Mr Merchant was special guest on the week's Scrimmage podcast.
He told Rob Butler and Jack Reeve all about what happened:
You can listen and subscribe to The Scrimmage podcast here.
Gary Gowers, My Football Writer - Norwich City, external
In typical Norwich City fashion, their narrow 1-0 defeat by relegated Birmingham on the final day of the regular season divided opinion.
For some, it was fine. Despite losing, the result was still sufficient for the Canaries to earn their place in the play-offs. In doing so, they picked up no new injuries and spread the workload - giving game time to those who needed it and resting those who needed protecting.
In theory, nothing not to like.
But for others, producing such a dire performance – something that no one could contest – was not the ideal preparation for the play-offs, particularly given that City were being talked up seven days earlier as likely to be the most in-form of the four playoff teams.
It’s probably only right at this stage to declare an interest and say I was in the latter group – one of the ‘others’.
But I can wholeheartedly see where the ‘some’ were coming from and, ultimately all that mattered, if looking at the bigger picture, was being in the play-offs with a relatively fit squad.
Ironically, we now find ourselves pitched against the team that enters the play-offs off the back of a run of form that sees them 22nd in the form table, with a record of won 1, drawn 1, and lost 4.
Strip away the fact they are called Leeds United, are managed by Daniel Farke, and have, on paper, a squad that’s already equipped to compete in the lower half of the Premier League, and you would have to fancy City's chances.
Even taking into account the infamous 'along come Norwich' factor, logic suggests we have a more-than-fighting chance of going toe-to-toe with Yorkshire’s Los Blancos, and should have no reason to fear them.
And I really really hope that’s a sentiment shared by David Wagner. And I hope too that it’s one he shares with his players.
Because, for all the good things that Wagner has produced over the second half of this season, one of the ongoing criticisms has been around how he sets his team up to play opponents he deems technically superior.
Cautious would be one way to describe it. Tentative would be another.
What it isn’t is gung-ho and, to be honest, we’re all cool with that. To go all-guns-blazing against good sides exposes gaps for those sides to exploit. But it is okay to still be brave and play on the front foot when the opportunity presents itself.
For many of us, Wagner has struggled to find that right balance.
But Leeds, regardless of the bravado that will emerge from West Yorkshire in the next few days, are wobbling. Even, in some quarters, a tiny bit fearful.
So please let’s not hand the initiative to Farke’s men on Sunday and allow them to play themselves back into some form.
Be bold, be positive, and allow a thunderous Carrow Road to do the rest.
Never mind the danger.
Steve Sanders, @ncfcnumbers, external
Let’s stop short of saying "I don't care" but there really wasn’t much to write home about on Saturday, was there?
So, instead, time to travel further back and look at some Championship play-off history for five key indicators and what they tell us about Norwich City’s chances. (Be warned: if you are of a positive disposition, this may not make for enjoyable reading.)
Starting with a sobering one. Since the four-team play-offs were introduced in the second-tier 35 years ago, there hasn’t ever been a points deficit between two teams as large as the 17 between Leeds United and Norwich City this year. Never. As in not once.
The Canaries can take a little heart from the fact that on the other occasion in the past 20 years where the gap’s been as much as 15 points, it was the underdogs who came out on top (Sheffield Wednesday v Chris Hughton’s Brighton in 2016). But that remains the only time a side more than 12 points worse off than their opponents in the regular season has won a play-off semi-final at this level. So yeah, bit of a mountain to climb.
‘The play-offs are a lottery’, right? Well, not really, no. The benefit of home advantage in the second-leg – not to mention the added quality of a higher league finish – is substantial enough that eight of the last ten promoted teams have come from 3rd or 4th placed finishers. As it goes, the other two were managed by two guys called Dean Smith and David Wagner.
That said, of the last 50 play-off semi-final ties, the away team in the second leg has progressed 17 times. That’s basically a third – so forget the points difference for 180 minutes and it’s not an insurmountable task. The real lesson here though? Don’t lose your home leg. Of those 17, nine won at home, seven drew, and the sheering insanity of Frank Lampard’s Derby losing the first-leg to Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds and toppling them at Elland Road remains the only outlier.
Defensively, Norwich City have shored things up in the second half of the season – conceding 25 compared to 39 in the first-half. That’s 64 goals over the entire campaign then, the ninth worst record in the Championship.
Brace yourselves, because no team has ever been promoted to the Premier League having conceded more than 62 (incidentally Southampton have shipped 63, so they too would be making history here…). On the plus side, of the five sides to have gone up conceding 60 or more, three stayed up the following season. So once we’re there, it’ll be plain sailing.
Another slice of history that would accompany a Norwich City 2024 promotion would be allying it with some epically shaky away form.
Only Bolton in 1995 have gone up with fewer away points than the Canaries’ 24 this season, and four of the previous six play-off winners have had the best away record of the four competing teams that season. If records are there to be broken, then there could be some serious shattering at Elland Road a week on Thursday.
One of the strangest quirks of this season’s play-offs is that no team is coming into it in any real form. In the last five seasons, only Bielsa’s Leeds in 2018/19 (again) have come into the play-off campaign with fewer than nine points from their final six games. This season, none of the four teams has more than nine from their previous six.
Extend that form guide to 10 games and you get a pretty good idea of your victors. Seven of the last 10 Championship Play-Off winners have had the best record from the final ten matches of the season of the competing teams, and the other three have had the second-best record going in. So at last this column can bring a slice of good news: this season’s ‘in-form’ team over the last ten games? Norwich City.
The Scrimmage discussed David Wagner's comments following the Birmingham City defeat on Saturday.
You can listen to his full interview here.
The full episode of the Scrimmage podcast is here.
Rob Butler is joined by guest co-host Jack Reeve for this week's Scrimmage podcast.
The pair look back to defeat at Birmingham and preview the upcoming Championship play-off semi-final against Leeds United.
Plus, they are joined by Tim Merchant who had a very difficult day in the Midlands after watching the Canaries.
Head to BBC Sounds to download the podcast here.
Here's some more of your views on Saturday's defeat at Birmingham for Norwich City.
We also asked what you thought about David Wagner's post match comments, (his full interview is here):
Lorraine - I have been to worse away games, but it wasn't a great watch for the fans that had travelled to Birmingham and spent hard-earned cash. Then to hear Wagner's comments was a kick in the teeth. I left St Andrew's, not excited that we were in the play-offs, but disappointed that Wagner's tactics spoiled another day out.
Lenny - Last game of the season, happy to lose 1-0. The man’s a motivational and tactical genius! We got into the play-offs despite Wagner rather than because of him. I doubt we will go up but even if we do Wagner must be replaced in the summer if we are going to move the club forward.
Dave - Disappointing result and performance against Birmingham. A winning mentality is hard to beat and concerns over other recent games which have not been of high enough quality to secure all three points - Bristol (City) and Swansea. The crowd will be up, now just need the team to show what they are capable of as on their day they are brilliant. Come on you yellows!!
Darren - Wagner again made some significant tactical blunders, an ongoing trend that means he should not be the answer for NCFC next season. Success this season has seemed to be down to individual player’s ability, rather than quality management. I hope we win and go up, but either way Wagner has served his time.
Richard - We all know what Wagner meant - the main thing was qualifying for the playoffs and he achieved that. There is a group of fans who think they are somehow doing something noble by going to an away football match. You’re not. It’s entertainment. If you can’t cope with the possibility of a loss, don’t go. Spend some time with your family instead.
Here are some of your views on David Wagner's post match comments following the defeat at Birmingham on Saturday (you can listen to the full interview here):
Garry - WHO CARES? Every Canaries fan in the world, that’s who. OTBC.
Blue - I was at St Andrew's and the way Norwich played sucked the atmosphere out of the game. After 10 minutes, both sets of fans were quiet as it was horrible to watch. Slow backwards and sidewards passing with no urgency! Even after we conceded the players didn't seem bothered. Not a good way to go into the play-offs.
Kris - I was at St Andrew's and was really disappointed with Norwich’s lack of ambition in possession. Wagner intimated in the week that they would go all out to win the game and to hear his after match comments shows a complete disrespect to the fans who travelled to support the team.
Kevin - What an unprofessional thing to say when 2000 of your club's fans paid a lot of money to watch a game Wagner says he did not care about. He should be made to pay for them away fans tickets, in my opinion.
Terence - Absolutely it was the correct call. Nobody was going to put their body on the line. The importance was that everyone is fit and healthy for the play-offs. On current form we can beat Leeds over two games.
Paul - Disgusted by Wagner comments. "Who cares?" Us fans do David, particularly those who travelled up and spent their day and hard earned cash on a no show and a manager who treated it like a friendly and couldn’t care less! Not sure what he was trying to do? Needed take some momentum into play-offs - that’s all gone with a defeat preceded by two draws
There's a special guest co-host for The Scrimmage this week.
Jack Reeve sits in for Chris Reeve alongside Rob Butler. Here's his reaction to the defeat at Birmingham and the news that Norwich City will play Leeds United in the play-offs.
You can listen to The Scrimmage on BBC Radio Norfolk live at 18:00 GMT on Monday, or download the podcast version on BBC Sounds here after 19:30 GMT on Monday.
Image source, Getty ImagesNorwich City and Leeds United will face each other in the Championship play-off semi-final with both going into the game on the back of indifferent form.
The Canaries failed to win any of their final three games, and were beaten 1-0 at Birmingham City on Saturday. The Blues were relegated to League One despite that victory.
Leeds had a 2-1 reversal at home to Southampton on Saturday and have lost 4 of their last 6 games, they finished third in the table behind Premier League-bound Leicester and Ipswich.
After the game at St Andrew's, City head coach David Wagner had this to say to BBC Radio Norfolk:
"We don’t have the best squad but we do have the best team.
“The most important thing was that everyone stayed healthy. We had to manage our squad. It wasn’t great but to be totally honest, who cares?”
You can listen to the full interview with Wagner here.
What do you make of his comments?
Were you one of the 2200 fans who made the journey to the West Midlands?
Are you glad the Canaries took it easy in the sunshine at Birmingham with much bigger matches to come?
How do you think Norwich will fare in the play-offs?
Are you happy City are facing Leeds rather than Ipswich or Southampton?
Get in touch with BBC Sport here.
Image source, Getty ImagesChristian Fassnacht has made 21 appearances from the bench in the league this season
Here's the answer to our regular pre-match quiz.
First, a reminder of the question:
Which player has the most substitute appearances for Norwich City in the league this season?
The answer is:
Christian Fassnacht with 21 appearances.
The rest of the list is as follow:
Liam Gibbs - 18
Onel Hernandez - 17
Adam Idah - 16
Przemyslaw Placheta - 13
Norwich City are preparing for a Championship play-off semi-final over two legs against Leeds United, with the first leg taking place on Sunday 12 May (12:00 GMT).
The Canaries finished sixth despite losing their last game of the regular season 1-0 at League One-bound Birmingham City.
Former Norwich defender Darren Kenton was BBC Radio Norfolk's summariser, here are some of his thoughts on the defeat:
"They will be disappointed (with the defeat at Birmingham) as they can play better.
"Norwich knew it was going to take a massive swing for them to be out of the play-offs so I think that played on their mind really.
"They (Norwich) didn't really go for the game as much as they should have done but at the end of the day we are in the play-offs now, let's look forward to that. We (Norwich) know we need to be better than that because if it's against Leeds, that game will be a different story."
You can hear more from Darren Kenton on Canary Call with Rob Butler here.
Norwich City have qualified for the Championship play-offs despite losing 1-0 at Birmingham City on Saturday.
The Canaries will host Leeds United in the semi-final first leg on Sunday 12 May at 12:00 GMT. The second leg at Elland Road is on Thursday 16 May at 20:00 GMT.
Birmingham City have lost nine of their last 10 Championship meetings with Norwich City (D1), including each of the last six in a row
Norwich City have won three of their last four away league visits to Birmingham (D1), although the last time they lost was against Gary Rowett’s Blues in his first spell in August 2016, a 3-0 defeat
Birmingham have ended their last four league seasons with a defeat, losing to Derby in 2019-20, Blackburn in both 2020-21 and 2021-22 and Sheffield United last season. They last won their final league match of the season in 2017-18 with a 3-1 victory over Fulham
Norwich City have lost their final league game of the season in their last two seasons. They’ve not done so in more consecutive seasons since between 2004-05 and 2009-10 (six in a row)
Birmingham go into this match in 22nd place and could be relegated to League One depending on the result in this match. The last time they were relegated to the third tier of English football was in 1993-94
Susannah George
Many a Norwich fan will recall May 1985, and even those that don’t may have inherited a grudge against Everton - already Division 1 winners - owing to their surprising defeat to Coventry City which saw the Canaries relegated. Everton had already won the title before heading into that final fixture, and it’s hard to escape the allegation that the Toffees were suffering from classic on-the-beach mode. Norwich City once again being ever so slightly hard done by.
Whilst many of us would strongly prefer to be heading into this weekend having secured play-offs, the fact that we are going down to the wire has somewhat of a wholesome feel to it. Whilst all teams must technically field a full-strength squad, the underlying mentality or make-up of the subs bench can never fully eradicate potential bias if a team ends up with nothing to play for on the final day.
Aside from being wholly unsportsmanlike, not to mention ever so slightly disrespectful to the opposition, for Norwich City fans especially - who felt the keen sting of 1985 - such an attitude should be entirely unpalatable.
Football is never more exciting than when everything hangs in the balance, it is in those heart-racing, adrenaline pumping, breath-holding games that victory feels all the sweeter.
We are well placed going into the weekend, however Birmingham have plenty to fight for and we would be silly to underestimate their hunger for the three points, but for the reason above, I am glad that this is how the season will draw to a close, and in front of full-house away support no less.
For the match-pickers who selected Birmingham (A), of whom I know there are a fair few of you – my dad included - I can only assume that you are the die-hard faithful, the hopeless romantics and optimists who had faith that we would be ending the season with promotion, or potentially play-offs.
Let’s not forget, these match-pick selections are made pre-season before the die are cast. One may be slightly disappointed if the narrative of the season had concluded prior to this stage, depriving those faithful supporters of a potential full-force celebration.
To those supporters, the Birmingham (A) match-pickers – Bravo! I hope your belief rubs off on the players on Saturday and beyond. I am sure that the lads will put on a fantastic display to show you what your faith has purchased. As for the last-minute bid to secure play-offs… am I worried? Of course not, after all, never mind the danger!
Time for our regular pre-match quiz which has been devised by BBC Radio Norfolk's Chris Goreham:
Which player has the most substitute appearances for Norwich City in the league this season?
