EVEREST
Farke produces a miracle at Norwich…and is happy to have just £20m to spend in top flight!
NO ThRee words act quite as well as a slogan for norwich’s promotion back to the Premier League as ‘ignore the noise’.
The sight of manager Daniel Farke popping the first bottle of champagne in the home dressing room while standing in front of a locker that had the phrase printed on it fitted the script perfectly: a dig at those who questioned norwich’s achievements this season and a reminder to the players never to lose sight of the prize.
After a 1-1 draw at Ipswich in September that left norwich with just four points from six games, Farke spoke with an assuredness that, at the time, didn’t really make any sense. ‘ I’m pretty sure we’ll win many, many points,’ he said.
But to have made it to 91 and the chance to reach 94 next week? ‘It’s a little miracle,’ he said on Saturday after beating Blackburn 2-1 to seal promotion.
nobody deserves more credit than the German and sporting director Stuart Webber.
Teemu Pukki and emiliano Buendia arrived with little fuss but have been two of the signings of the season. At 29, Pukki might have thought the good times had gone after fruitless spells at Schalke and Celtic, but on 28 goals, he is the Championship’s top scorer and player of the season. ‘It’s a dream for me to play in the Premier League and now it has come true,’ he said.
And Buendia? ‘ The little man from Argentina,’ as the norwich fans sing. Against Blackburn, the 22-year-old started the move that finished with Marco Stiepermann finding the bottom corner and unsettled Blackburn’s defence to give Mario Vrancic time to find the top corner.
A top- flight return means norwich are £200million richer, but the failings of big- spending Fulham this season highlight the need for caution. Farke will be given around £20m to improve the team and he is happy with that.
‘One thing is for sure,’ he said. ‘We’ll stick to our beliefs and not do anything stupid.’
Webber is not worried either. The club is very different to the one he joined from huddersfield in 2017. ‘We inherited a ridiculous wage bill, a ridiculously aged squad, a horrendous culture and that takes time to turn around,’ Webber said.
‘I feel like we’ve climbed everest. We’ve got to try to climb it again. It’s not going to be easy, but it would be boring if it was easy.’
And a word from Delia Smith, the club’s long-standing co-owner who has overseen four promotions and three relegations. Asked if this is the best season under her watch, she said: ‘Indeed it is. The fact that everybody is gelling.
‘It’s not going to be easy — we’ve got to live with losing seven games in a row maybe next season. But if we stick together and stick to this unity and humility — watch this space.’