Dean Smith said: “Mine and Craig (Shakespeare)’s job is to keep us in the league this season, and that’s firmly what we believe we can do. If I thought it was a risk then I wouldn’t have taken [the job]. We’ve got 27 games left in the Premier League, there’s a lot of points to play for, and we’re just off the back of a win. I’ve seen how progressive this club has been, there’s enough quality, and that’s the biggest thing. Our aim is to stay in the Premier League, and if we can do that I think there are great building blocks and, hopefully, we can build on them.”
Perhaps what Norwich needed was a man to whom the Premier League was familiar, whose last 87 league games have been in the top division and who isn’t ready to give up that status just yet. Perhaps what they needed was simply a passionate speaker, whose targets weren’t hidden and whose statements were clear.
