Ian Clarke: Will frustration dominate Norwich City's season?

Not easy is it?

I know I'm not alone in leaving Carra on Saturday with more than a spring in my step.

We'd witnessed a fantastic win against a team who were playing at football's top table last season.

The goals had flown in against Burnley, and what a first 20 minutes that was.

Mo Toure was at his clinical best and Andre Brooks showed why Sheffield United fans had been gutted and angry to lose him.

NR1 was rocking.

I didn't quite share the over-excitement of one caller to BBC Radio Norfolk's Canary Call who assured listeners that Philippe Clement's men were nailed on for the top two. But it seemed that City's season was very much up and running.

We all saw the positives in the opening day defeat against West Brom, a game which was dominated by THAT handball.

Norwich City manager Philippe Clement after Tuesday's defeat at Stoke (Image: Matt Wilkinson)

The defeat to Millwall was truly awful.

The league cup wins against MK Dons and at Cardiff gave us reasons to be cheerful.

In my simple world, every win is a good one. Success breeds success. Positivity breeds positivity.

If you are making changes for cup games and the players coming in are shining, that has to be good.

If we get one more win in the league cup this season, that really will be remarkable.

We knew the trip to the Potteries was going to be a tough test.

There's a reason for that saying: "Can you do it on a wet Tuesday night in Stoke?"

Well, it was a dry, pretty pleasant, first night of autumn Tuesday night in Stoke.

Norwich City fans weren't best pleased with the defeat at Stoke (Image: Matt Wilkinson)

And the answer was, no - City couldn't do it in Stoke.

The head coach was right to highlight some positives in terms of possession (72pc by the way), mentality, control and bringing out the best from the home keeper.

Clement had used the word "angry" to sum the capitulation at Millwall.

"Frustration" was very much the theme at the bet365 Stadium following the third win out of four this season (and let's remember Stoke had gone in to the game pointless).

The boss said: "It's a crazy game to lose the three points. My team did a lot of things really well. I don't think I can ask more in terms of mentality and the will to win.

"But to play an away game so dominantly, I think it's a really good step. If my team keeps on playing like this, we will take a lot of points this season."

Of course, it's still really early.

City could well be sitting on nine points if they had been more ruthless.

We have to remain positive and must trust the head coach and his players.

But it would be naive to think there aren't worrying signs and we have to make sure that frustration doesn't come a theme of the campaign.

After the amazing second part of last season, expectations have rightly been set high.

The way the Canaries steamrollered Burnley at the weekend shows the team is more than capable of picking up lots of points this year and getting into the mix at the top end of the table.

When the tails are up, the momentum is there and the crowd is buzzing, things are good.

The issue seems to be when teams smother the Canaries with a low block.

On Tuesday, City lacked quality at key times. They were too predictable, didn't show enough creativity and got sucked into silly battles.

Mohamed Touré of Norwich City clashes with Stoke City players on Tuesday. (Image: Matt Wilkinson)

We had been thrilled by the impact of the wingers on Saturday.

I've been lucky in my 50 years as a City fan to have cheered on the likes of Louie Donowa, Disco Dale Gordon, Darren Eadie and Darren Huckerby.

Wingers with chalk on their boots get fans off their seats. We were purring on Saturday at what the wide men did.

Four days on, Andre Brooks and Oscar Schwartau (and later Papa Amadou Diallo) just could not do the business.

For me it was a night when we really missed the creativity of Paris Maghoma and strength of Jovon Makama.

There's no point lumping the ball forward against big teams like Stoke.

Jacob Wright cut a lonely figure after Tuesday's defeat (Image: Matt Wilkinson)

It's a very big three weeks ahead before the long September/October international break.

Sheffield United away on Saturday will be another hard trip - especially as the Blades will be buoyed by their first victory of the league campaign.

The relentless nature of the Championship season continues with the visit of Birmingham on Wednesday evening before another long trip to Middlesbrough three days later.

We'll have a rare Thursday night match on September 17 as City travel to The Etihad to take on league cup holders.

And then Bolton come to NR1 for the rearranged league home fixture on Sunday September 20.

Come the end of that game we really will have more of an idea of how things are panning out.

Finally, on a night of frustration and gloom on Tuesday, one tweet managed to put a smile on my face.

Thanks Steve Cook for your amusing observation: "Next time they tell you that the Championship is the best league in the world, remind them that Stoke away is the football equivalent of removing your own teeth with a rusty pair of pliers and no anaesthetic."

OTBC.