Norwich City and their fight for survival: The Houdini Escape?
By Varun Aithal
The Relegation Escape: Can Norwich City manage one?
The recent form of Norwich City in the Premier League cannot be taken into consideration for a “Great Escape”. However, miracles happen in football and the Canaries will be hoping for a turnaround with six games to go. The near-impossible task looks like an inescapable challenge for Norwich City if they have to scrape the relegation scare.
As there is no perfect remedy to win the title or a seal a top-four spot in the Premier League, there is no perfect remedy to survive in the top-tier. If one believes that spending money can ensure a club’s survival, they were proved wrong by Fulham.
Fulham spent over £100 million but ended up getting relegated at the end of the 2018/19 season. In the case of Norwich City, though they didn’t spend money, the club was marred with injuries and the small-money signings didn’t prove quite effective enough for them.
“We’re now above West Ham and we took their money - their Tevez masks are just a bit cringeworthy.”
— FootballJOE (@FootballJOE) January 10, 2020
Separated by nearly 200 miles, Sheffield United vs West Ham isn’t a traditional rivalry. Carlos Tevez’s role in the 2006/07 relegation battle changed that... pic.twitter.com/DvAk60oCzz
The history has been kind to many clubs in Premier League. The Canaries can derive inspiration from 2006/07 West Ham United or 2011/12 Wigan Athletic. West Ham United won six games out of their last eight games and avoided the drop. Sheffield United got relegated in that season where the Hammers had signed Carlos Tevez in a controversial manner.
Roberto Martinez led his side, Wigan Athletic, to safety after defeating Arsenal and Manchester United in the final games. Apart from these examples, Leicester City and Sunderland saved their season by winning their final games, respectively.