Following a dismal start to Norwich City’s return to the Premier League, a run that saw them accumulate just two points from ten games, Daniel Farke led his side to West London looking to get their first win of the season, and they did just that. Unknown to Farke at the time, it would be his last.
As soon as the German concluded his media duties, the sporting director of the club, Stuart Webber, informed Farke that despite beating Brentford, his four-and-a-half-year tenure at the club would come to an end. The board had decided that morning that regardless of the result against The Bees, it would be Farke’s last game in charge.
Many fans had been calling for Farke to be relieved of his duties for several weeks as it has been clear he has lost the dressing room, which is a point of no return in the Premier League. However, just as we have been wanting him gone doesn’t make actually letting him go any easier, especially given the cruel circumstances that it happened in.
Daniel Farke took Norwich from being a mid-table Championship side with major financial issues, to a side that won the championship twice in three years with a relegation season sandwiched in the middle. Whilst in the process arguably saving the club from folding through the development and sale of young talent. Were it not for the sale of James Maddison, who knows where the club would be right now.
On the topic of young talent, Farke’s resume of developing young and promising talents is unmatched at this level. James Maddison, Emi Buendia, Ben Godfrey, Todd Cantwell and Max Aarons all spring to mind. Even this season, nineteen-year-old Irish international Andrew Omobamidele has been a silver lining for the club and is certainly a name for neutral fans to remember. Farke may not be at the club anymore, but his legacy lives on through the aforementioned players.
Norwich City as a club have gained a reputation for being unwilling or perhaps cautious of making tough decisions, which just makes the way in which Farke was sacked seem so out of character. Yes, the board had already decided he was going regardless of the result, but did they really have to announce it immediately after the game? For us fans it would’ve been nice to be able to have that evening at the very least to enjoy the highlight of our season so far, without it being spoiled by the bittersweet news of his dismissal. I suspect that the quick decision after full time has something to do with his replacement as they aim to bring him in as soon as possible.
In all fairness to the club, they have sacked him at the perfect time. There is now a two-week international break with a favourable fixture against Southampton waiting at the end of it. Reliable sources have stated that the club know who they are bringing in to replace Farke and that it will be announced within the coming days, but at the time of writing there are no concrete rumours as to who that could be. Lampard, Fonseca and Favre are all names linked with the job but knowing the vision at the club I highly doubt it will be any of those.
The squad Norwich City has is more than capable of surviving the relegation dog fight, as the Brentford result shows. A strong start under a strong new manager will be vital if the club want to still be playing Premier League football next season.
But for now, all Norwich City fans can do, including myself, is look back at the memories Farke made at the club. Some of my best memories in life generally came from results under Daniel Farke. He oversaw several giant killings and most importantly developed a bond with the fans that perhaps not many other clubs will ever get to experience. I have met Farke on multiple occasions and he is genuinely a lovely human being, which just makes the sacking even more gutting. He just understood Norwich as both a club and city. There is even a mural for him at a pub near the ground that has become a landmark for all Norwich fans.
Throughout his tenure at the club, Farke often said that his ‘blood was yellow’. Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end, and it appears that Farke had bled dry of his ‘yellow blood’. At the end of the day, Farke is not what we need in order to stay in the Premier League. By sacking him we are displaying that there is ambition there to stay up, but that doesn’t make it any easier to say goodbye to a certified club legend.