Ipswich Town will play Norwich City in the first East Anglian derby since February 2019 next season. Mark Heath and Connor Southwell, the Chief Norwich City Reporter at the Eastern Daily Press, take a look at how the sides are shaping up going into the summer...
With Town surging to promotion and the Canaries struggling in the Championship last season, you get the feeling that the Blues will be pretty confident going into the derby clashes in 2023/24.
Town, of course, haven't beaten Norwich since April 2009. The all-time match-up is very close - Town have won 43 games, Norwich 42 and there have been 22 draws.
So, all to play for! Let's get to it...
2022/23 season
Norwich: A tough season for everyone involved, however you spin it. Naturally, there is the on-field disappointment of falling short of their objectives.
I think people can look at that as being entitled but it was the club who set expectations internally and were judged on that. To target winning the league and end up 13th is always going to be deemed as a failure.
Deeper than that, there was an erosion of connection that took place. That wasn’t just down to results – Norwich won six on the spin pretty early in the campaign and that existed throughout that period.
They didn’t enjoy Dean Smith’s offering and were angry at the lack of communication that was coming their way.
So, it’s been a difficult campaign and there feels like plenty of rebuilding to do – both of the squad and bridges to its fanbase. 22/23 is best consigned to the history books never to be revisited.
Town: The season that fans have been waiting years for, as Town surged to promotion.
Kieran McKenna's men started fast, but then had a decent-sized wobble in the wake of that crazy 4-4 draw at Charlton, winning just four of 15 games.
But, following a frustating 0-0 draw at Bristol Rovers on Valentine's Night, Town were super sexy.
They finished the campaign like a freight train, going 19 games unbeaten and smashing Exeter City 6-0 to earn promotion.
Yes, they missed out on the title and 100 points/100 goals, but everything about the club feels rejuvenated, ambitious and loaded with momentum.
The boss
Norwich: The first impressions were positive. Norwich ‘bounced’ and were playing some slick stuff.
Injuries derailed their already faint play-off hopes. Woven within that were some questionable tactical decisions and a run of one win in 11 matches that saw them end the campaign sitting 23rd in the form table.
The jury remains out but most are willing to let him have a full pre-season to implement his methods. The pressure is on.
Town: Kieran McKenna guided Town to promotion in his first full season as a manager, a remarkable achievement.
That's made him one of the hottest managerial properties in English football, but you get the sense he's very much in it for the long-term. Mark Ashton certainly thinks so.
McKenna will have learned a lot from last season, and now gets the chance to test himself and his coaches in the Championship.
Articulate, analytical, focused and driven, he'll be relishing the challenge.
The squad
Norwich: Sporting director Stuart Webber has admitted it needs an overhaul and that is what most are expecting this summer.
Norwich will target five to seven new additions before any player sales – but it will likely end up nearer double figures by the time the window closes.
The desire is to inject some experience, the first step being Ashley Barnes, in an attempt to support a first-team group that has 11 players between the age of 20-23 at present.
Replacing quality like Teemu Pukki and Kieran Dowell on a small budget will be tough – especially given their recent track history when it comes to recruitment.
Gabriel Sara, if he stays, is the man to watch next season. The Brazilian midfielder was a shining light in an otherwise dark campaign for the Canaries.
As for potential outs, Sara is certainly on that list with Norwich preparing to fight ‘strong interest’ for his services. Young duo Max Aarons and Andrew Omobamidele are also expected to depart this summer.
Town: Two years removed from the frenzied 19 signings of Paul Cook's 'Demolition Man' summer, you'd expect Town to do some focused, considered business.
The key target this summer will surely be a striker or two, with loan star George Hirst, now back at new Championship rivals Leicester City, almost certainly on their list. They've also been linked to Blackpool's Jerry Yates.
After that, a potential starting centre-back will also be a priority, along with additions to the midfield and forward units.
In terms of exits, they need to sort out a stacked midfield, with the likes of Rekeem Harper, Panutche Camara and Idris El Mizouni potentially departing on loan or otherwise, while striker Joe Pigott will surely also be on his way.
Centre-backs Corrie Ndaba and Elkan Baggott could well be loaned out again, as could striker Gassan Ahadme.
None of Town's big names look likely to leave though, with a solid 4-5 arrivals on the cards.
Mood
Norwich: As alluded to, the mood across the fanbase isn’t the best. But there is a willingness to buy into a project and get behind something after 18-months of fracture.
Ultimately, it will be performances in the early portion of the campaign and their summer business that helps refresh it, but you’d be hard pressed to locate a Norwich fan tipping their side for automatic promotion at this stage.
Town: While the Norwich fanbase are apparently feeling disconnected and down, the Blues are perhaps the polar opposite.
Fans feel like they've got their club back under CEO Mark Ashton and the new American owners, resulting in the highest average crowds this century at Portman Road last season, and regular sell-outs.
It's a very exciting time to be a Town fan - and that's been a long time coming!
Summer jobs
Norwich: The club’s love child is the training ground. Stuart Webber has taken a major personal interest in rejuvenating that from over 40 portacabins into a place that is ranked inside the top 10 in the country by City’s senior figures.
Work is ongoing to build a recovery hub that will be opened later this year to accompany the SoccerBot360 (Google it…) and other innovative features they’ve added to their Colney base.
They’ve also invested a lot of resource into upping their scouting network in South America.
Four years of graft, including the appointment of two full-time scouts in the region and a formal tie-up with Brazilian top-flight side Coritiba, saw Gabriel Sara and Marcelino Nunez arrive on these shores directly from that continent.
It’s a project that was created by Brexit, which saw previously popular markets for the club like Germany’s lower divisions, become all but impossible to recruit from.
Norwich will head abroad – and to Austria – for part of their pre-season preparations. Narcis Pelach, a highly-rated coach from Huddersfield, is also set to join Wagner’s coaching team.
Town: The main project this summer, apart from the transfer business, will be the small matter of installing a state-of-the-art new pitch at Portman Road.
That's ongoing now, with Ashton revealing recently that it's a £2.5m investment.
The work means Town won't play a home friendly this summer, and have asked for an away game to start the new Championship season in August.
They're planning their first overseas pre-season trip since Covid too, and like Norwich are set to head to Austria for a training camp, including at least one friendly game.
Early hopes for 23/24
Norwich: Enjoyable; that would be a nice start! Above all else, I think Norwich fans want to see the semblance of a plan that they can get behind.
David Wagner will be the man to lead them into next season so let’s see his playing style on full display.
I don’t feel like there is much optimism at present – but that could swell with a couple of positive early performances and astute moves in the market.
That first East Anglian derby feels crucial – if only to the mood music around the place.
Town: It would be very easy to get carried away in the wake of the season just gone, but all involved at Town will be staying firmly rooted to the ground and focused on what will be a tough job in the Championship.
The squad looks like it should be very competitive in the second tier, with several potential stars.
Add a starting striker and a couple of other reinforcements, and you'd hope Town will be comfortably top half next season - and at least flirt with those top six spots.
Oh, and a first derby win in 14 years would be lovely....
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