The latest edition of the Pinkun podcast wrapped up Norwich City's Austrian tour where the focus was as much off as on the pitch for Johannes Hoff Thorup's squad.
Host Connor Southwell was joined by Adam Harvey and Paddy Davitt to reflect on their trip covering the Canaries during a stay in the picturesque Tirol in the Austria mountains, and the friendly against Hoffenheim, for episode 596.
From Adam Idah missing the squad flight out on Sunday, amid relentless speculation around a move to Celtic, and all the fallout including Thorup's clear public message to his striker after he sat out the game against Bundesliga opponents.
From sweltering summer conditions to a fascinating exclusive sit down with assistant head coach Glen Riddersholm at the club's Scheffau base.
Here is a flavour of the hour-long discussion below.
CS: I want to start by actually looking back to the Magdeburg game at Carrow Road last week. I've been slightly surprised at the reaction of a minority who were at that game.
I think it's fair to say there were a handful of boos, which was a little bit odd. But even taking the temperature on online, you can sense a little bit of panic in how this pre-season has unfolded. Is it natural because that's the world we live in, and every minute that they play is dissected and poured over?
PD: Well, you can kind of see that on a slightly different, albeit connected theme, when you look at the transfer activity. With Ben Chrisene coming in the building and a push to get Callum Doyle’s loan over the line as well in relatively short order that sense of, ‘Where's the signings?’ you saw every week that passed since Jose Cordoba’s arrival has quietened now.
I wouldn’t describe that as ‘panic’ but there was a sense of urgency required for a proportion of the Norwich fan base. But even if we stay on the transfer theme, it is clear now how much work, how many discussions went into the Chrisene deal, both with the player and Aston Villa.
All of that happening in the background and away from any public glare. But bringing it back to your point about the reaction of a small number of fans at full-time on Friday. If there were boos that borderline ridiculous, I don't understand where you're coming from with that.
This isn't David Wagner, this isn't the same template in terms of playing style. In many respects it's the same players but trying to play the game in a dramatically different way, far different to what they saw last season.
So for me there has been a definitive break from what went before and as a result it's a clean sheet of paper. Thorup needs time to put his fundamentals in place. And that's not going to happen in a manner of four or five pre-season games. It's probably going to happen in the first few months of the season.
Let’s see what the feeling is on Saturday when they play St Pauli. If there was genuine dissatisfaction, albeit from a very small minority, to Johannes first Carrow Road game that would seem strange.
CS: One person there has been a lot of talk about on this Austrian tour is Adam Idah. It's been quite a few days for him.
He obviously didn't play last Friday because of a knock. That was then followed obviously by the fact he failed to report to Colney with the rest of the team on Sunday morning to get a flight to Innsbruck. Johannes Hoff Thorup made his feelings clear in his post match reaction after the Hoffenheim game.
Adam, What do you make of it? It's a tough one, isn't it? Because people make mistakes, only he will know, ultimately, whether it was genuine error or whether he was being badly advised, but it happened and it's clear now obviously he's going to be disciplined internally. It’s an unwelcome distraction, isn't it?
I understand how difficult it must be as a 24 year old having that much attention and that much speculation and to have come back from a place where you were really popular, really successful, but also really enjoyed your football after what's been a pretty tough period at Norwich for various reasons.
I think we've always been pretty fair to him, even if he has expressed some frustration with the reaction of some fans and media. But that's for other people to debate. Even though he said he wasn't disappointed, do you get the sense privately his head coach would have been?
AH: Yes, I think so. Both Johannes and Ben Knapper have publicly spoken about how much they want to work with him as a player, and how they can see him as a player who suits what Thorup wants to do.
He came through the academy, and he has had some stumbling blocks in his time here, especially trying to get past a player Teemu Pukki or now Josh Sargent. Maybe he needed a loan earlier in his career and that stunted his development a little bit.
I can understand his frustration but, for me, it's a fresh start and there's an opportunity for him to maybe buy into something that's completely different to everything that's gone. He has gone on record in the past that he felt at times a scapegoat but if he's in a Norwich team that's thriving and he's scoring goals, and he’ll get more chances in a side set up to create them, then he’ll be loved.
I completely get the pull of Celtic. He's a boyhood Celtic fan and he obviously had some really great moments up there in that spell from January through to the end of the season. There is obviously the chance to play European football, but he's contracted to Norwich and he signed a relatively long contract here.
Nobody made him sign that contract. If it was a genuine mistake, then that's fair enough. But for me, it doesn't help the situation with all this noise. The last thing you want is something like this to happen because it reflects straightaway on to him and comes across as he is being a disruptive presence in the camp.
I don’t think it is the way to get a move. If Norwich keep the player and he scores goals then his value only increases. You hope that Thorup can bring him back onside if nothing else materialises in terms of bids that meet Norwich’s valuation.
🗣️ "I think if Cordoba is fit and available for Oxford, you have to go for an experienced head (to partner him)."
— The Pink Un (@pinkun) August 2, 2024
The 🆕 @pinkun #ncfc podcast recorded in Austria 🇦🇹
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- The Pink Un provided full coverage of the Canaries' time in Austria, in partnership with Chips Away Norwich
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