Executive director Zoe Ward spoke to canaries.co.uk ahead of Friday night's match against Millwall. Today's boardroom notes cover results so far, injuries and looking ahead to round two of the Carabao Cup.
Good evening and welcome back to Carrow Road.
Games in the Sky Bet Championship are coming thick and fast and the scheduling this season is relentless due to the FIFA World Cup in November.
After relegation from the Premier League, there is always a period of adjustment as we adapt to the rigours of the Championship again.
In a 46-game season, it is far too early to make an assessment or to reach any conclusions, but we are disappointed not to have started better.
Like you, we also want better results because expectations, both internally and externally, are high at Norwich City.
Although printing deadlines mean these programme notes had to be written before the home game against Huddersfield Town, we are disappointed that our performances prior to last Tuesday’s game have not translated into more points.
We strongly believe that we are close to recapturing the winning formula and that we will soon put together a winning streak that will quickly see us climb the table.
There is no question we have the infrastructure, the squad, the players, and the coaching staff to challenge at the top end of the league.
We have been particularly unfortunate to lose two left-backs, and Jacob Sørensen, who was being relied upon to fill this position, to injury in the opening games of the season. Everyone feels massive disappointment for Dimitris, Sam and Jacob and we wish them well with their recovery.
As we know, the foundations of this club are built on our academy system. On a more positive note, we are delighted with the return of Andrew Omobamidele after a period out with injury.
He is such an accomplished footballer and his progress through the youth ranks, before going on to represent Norwich City in the Championship and Premier League in the past couple of years, reinforces our continued commitment to producing young players under the leadership of Dean Smith.
We are also thrilled with the emergence of Liam Gibbs, Tony Springett, Jon Rowe and Jon Tomkinson.
All are exciting talents and their promotion to the first team squad is recognition for all their hard-work, dedication and professionalism.
Recognition must also go to Steve Weaver and his team in the academy for the continued growth in our academy productivity, something which is fundamental to our club model and that we are extremely proud of. There’s nothing quite like seeing ‘one of our own’ taking to the pitch.
All these players are important to the future of the club, and we hope that they will play an influential part of our journey in the coming months.
Although there is always a period of transition for new players, the touches of our recent signing Marcelino Núñez have also added a new dimension to the side. Marcelino has the advantage of arriving midway through the Chilean league season and he has already become an integral part of Dean’s plans.
We will be back at home again next week when we play AFC Bournemouth in the second round of the Carabao Cup on Tuesday night.
Once again, we are honouring our commitment to affordable football by keeping ticket prices low to make it more accessible for families and our young, future fans. These nights generate a terrific atmosphere, and we hope to continue our run in the competition with a victory over Premier League opposition.
This evening the focus is on the Championship and rest assured we are determined to give you the performances here, and on the road, that your unfailing support deserves.