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Norwich City Fans Verdict: Canaries Punish Lacklustre Royals

Harry rounds up the reaction of the Loyal Royals after Saturday’s humbling defeat to the Champions Norwich.

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You feel a bit for the players going into games such as this one, because it’s a lose-lose for them. If they go out, play well and win comfortably, the backlash will be that they only turn it on when they don't really need to, and if they go and get humiliated then they'll get criticised for not honouring the game and for already being on the beach. And we saw a mix of those two things in my opinion on Saturday.

In the first half, we played well. Going 1-0 up and causing Norwich a lot of problems with John Swift, Ovie Ejaria and Michael Olise in particular looking threatening every time they got the ball. However, as soon as Norwich pegged one back before half time, we never really got going again.

In the end, it was a game that showed the gulf in class between the two sides and proved why Norwich are going up as Champions and why we’re ending the season outside the top six.

The second half was really bad. We started on the back foot as the hosts put their pedal to the metal, and as soon as Dowell bagged his and his team’s second, it went catastrophically downhill.

Here’s how the fans reacted after the game...

Paunovic

In recent weeks, Pauno has come under some serious fire from the Loyal Royals - some deserved, some not so much. He is not immune to criticism just because of the start he had, but that start should also not be forgotten either.

I genuinely don’t think we’ve seen Pauno’s style of play or how he genuinely wants this team to play. He joined two weeks before the season and it’s a well-known fact that time on the training pitch actually working on tactics has been at a minimum throughout the season.

He needs and deserves time - which is a statement that some fans agree with, but some don’t...

Capitulation

The second half of this season has been a capitulation in its entirety to be honest, but Saturday was one in itself.

The first half was good, and we deserved to at least be level at the break. However, the second half summed up our current confidence, swagger and mojo as a team, as we showed absolutely none of them.

Mistakes were flying around all over the gaff, and the fans weren’t happy...

Recent form

Momentum is a huge word in football, and it's so important. Whether that’s positive momentum or negative momentum, it has a huge impact on the team, how they play and the results they get. We have absolute none of it at the moment.

It’s like deja vu of last season - but it’s been even more depressing this time round considering the position we’d put ourselves in. We’ve just completely run out of steam and ideas, and that’s the problem of having a team full of flair players.

When it goes right for players like Lucas Joao, Swift, Ejaria and Olise, it’s a joy to behold. But when it’s not going their way, games pass them by, they tend to sulk and then they become invisible and we lose games.

One win in 10 games is very worrying for the fans...

Conclusion

Another painful end to a season. I don’t think we necessarily saw the players down tools on Saturday, it’s just the fact that this team is so bereft of confidence and a shadow of the one we saw in the first half of the season.

From January onwards it’s been a bit of a chore watching this team. I’m just praying, above all else, that a) Pauno gets a chance to build something and b) we actually have the capability to build something. I'm very worried about this summer, and am dreading where we’ll be come August in all honesty...

Onwards and upwards I guess.