Premier League Preview 2011-12: Norwich City

Best title odds: 10,000/1 - StanJames
Best odds on staying up: 11/8 - VictorChandler
Last season: 2nd (Championship) - Promoted
Manager: Paul Lambert

Good news:

They’ve won promotion two years running - good news doesn’t get much better than that! Manager Paul Lambert is understandably hot property, but he signed an improved contract in May that Delia Smith will hope keeps the wolves at bay for a while. The team spirit and togetherness has already carried this side all the way from League One - that immediately gives Norwich at least one edge over the likes of Newcastle Utd. Grant Holt has been prolific for four seasons - the confidence that will bring could go a long way, even at this level.

Bad news:

It’s pretty hard to imagine some of the players who were lining up in League One less than 18 months ago, suddenly gracing the Premier League. The squad is distinctly lacking in top flight experience; all the new additions this summer having effectively come from the lower leagues, at least based on loan spells. Lambert will keep attracting interest unless the Canaries perform abysmally. Yes, he signed a new contract in the summer, but then again so did Owen Coyle after promoting Burnley, and he was off to Bolton by the January.  In fairness to Coyle, he wasn’t the first to jump ship in this situation and he won’t be the last. Norwich should be wary.

Remember when:

Delia Smith took to the pitch to rally the troops last time Norwich were in the Premier League? Well, she’s been at it again. She celebrated promotion this time by praising manager Paul ‘Langbert’, before proposing a toast to “staying up,” rather than “going up.” Naturally it’s all caught on film again.

Verdict:

At times they will wish they could have their two keepers - Ruddy and Rudd - both out there, but City will enjoy the ride whatever happens. Nobody was expecting them to be back in the big time this soon. The club’s previous campaigns in the Championship had ended with finishes of 16th, 17th and 22nd. But Paul Lambert changed all that. He is relying extensively on the same players who performed miracles to get here, to do it all again. That’s a big ask. It’s hard to see three teams they can beat over 38 games, but they may come close to survival.

Prediction: 18th