Timm Klose insists it is full steam ahead for Norwich City’s Championship prospects.



The Swiss international defender coined a nautical analogy on Friday to underline how tight Daniel Farke’s squad has become after a club record run of five consecutive league clean sheets.

City’s latest 1-0 midweek win at Middlesbrough was earned without Josh Murphy, who was left at home by the German head coach for what Farke felt was a drop in the young man’s standards.

The influential Klose, however, has made it his priority to ease Murphy swiftly back into the fold.

“If someone struggles, we catch them and bring them back into the boat. We’re all in the boat. Nobody is allowed to drown,” he said. “We all work for each other as a team. You can see that, on and off the pitch. It’s important to keep everyone in the boat. We’re not here to judge the players, we’re here to help them. I am always talking about this boat.

“Josh, for example, in the last couple of days fell out of the boat, but that is not a problem for us as a team because we pick him up, talk to him and he knows what to do.

“In this situation with Josh you can see the team spirit is very good. It isn’t a case of whether it was right or wrong to leave him out but it showed the gaffer is not simply here to enjoy himself. He is working hard to bring us to the next step and if that means you have to be rough at times with players then we all know where that line is and it helps the team stick together.

“Sometimes you need to bring the younger players back to the ground. I was in the same position myself when you are flying over the clouds and you think everything is possible and very easy.”

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Klose has already spoken about his leadership role under Farke.

“My goal is to be a mountain and to lead the younger players, when it comes to showing our fighting spirit,” he said. “If I am struggling I know on the pitch there will be other guys who step up. Last season was difficult for me. No doubt, I struggled in some games, but now I try to improve every day. I’ve watched some videos to see what I can do better and learn from mistakes I made last season. You have to wake up in the morning with the feeling I want to be a better player when you leave training. We’re becoming more and more of a team.”