“A very unfair game” - Seb Bassong issues verdict on David Wagner’s future at Norwich City | OneFootball

Former Norwich City defender Sébastien Bassong believes that Canaries boss David Wagner is safe in his role for now, despite not being in the mix for automatic promotion.

Norwich have been a yo-yo club for many years and people expected them to be in the mix to make an immediate return to the Premier League last season after relegation in 2022.

However, it was a disappointing campaign at Carrow Road, with the club finishing in 13th place, and Dean Smith was given his marching orders in December 2022.

David Wagner replaced Smith, and whilst he couldn't help the Canaries avoid a mid-table finish, with a full pre-season in charge, Norwich were tipped to enjoy a successful season under the German this time around.

Whilst the Canaries have improved this season, and find themselves in the mix for the play-offs, not everyone is overly happy with the club's performances this season.

Seb Bassong on David Wagner's future at Norwich City

Bassong, who made 135 appearances for the Canaries, believes that consistency is key to the club's promotion charge and that Norwich will continue to build under Wagner.

Speaking exclusively to Football League World, via Free Bets, he said: “Football is a very unfair game. Whether it’s fair or not, you get judged by what’s happening. Fans are going to moan because they want the best for their team, and they have their opinion.

“Is he going to be affected by that? I don’t know. I don’t know him personally, so I don’t know how he deals with that.

"At the end of the day, Norwich are expected to be up there because of the standard of the club - especially in the Championship. “When they’re not, I think they know that they’re going to get criticised. That’s part of our game, that’s part of our job. “It’s almost written in the job description. When you’re not winning or performing, you’re going to get exposed to criticism. “He’s experienced enough to deal with it and if, at the end of the season, Norwich are getting promoted or even getting in the play-offs, all those criticisms are going to go to bed and people will live in the moment. Fans and even sometimes the media are into the emotions. “The love that they have for the game and the team take them really far in terms of their emotion. When you are a player or a manager, you’ve got to differentiate emotion from facts.

“Wagner knows how to do it and the players, if they don’t, will have to learn really quick.”

The former Cameroon defender also believes that not winning promotion at the first attempt after relegation from the Premier League came as a big shock to the Norwich faithful and has subsequently added more pressure on the manager.

“I really think that Norwich have the blueprint to go down and come back up. They have the blueprint and because of that, they’ve got the fans used to that," added Bassong.

“Getting relegated is not the end of the world, but the problem is when you get used to something, you get used to going down and going straight back up. That’s the formula everyone around the club is used to.

“I don’t think it’s going to cost Wagner, but they’re going to have to double the focus next season to make sure the consistency is really there, and they can really make it back up.

“That’s where they belong. If there was a third league between the Premier League and the Championship, Norwich would be champions of it. “I’ve experienced it with Norwich, and it’s still happening now. That’s where they are, so I really think that Wagner is safe and if he’s not, I don’t think it’s going to be a good thing. You need continuity and consistency. “IHe knows the team they’re building, and Norwich are not a team that keeps building for the sake of it.

“I think he’s safe.”

Norwich City's promotion hopes

With ten games remaining of the Championship season, Norwich are in seventh place, just two points outside the play-offs.

With basement boys Rotherham United up next, the Canaries should be targeting that game as a must win if they're to have any chance of making the top six.

If Norwich can continue to pick up wins, there's no reason why they can't make the play-offs, and their previous experience of reaching the Premier League could come in handy if they made the top six.

The club have won promotion to the Premier League four times since 2011, and the club clearly has the right mentality of being able to perform when it matters.

Whilst David Wagner hasn't always been too popular at Carrow Road, he's done an impressive job to keep the Canaries in the mix and, with ten games left, they have a genuine chance of reaching the top six.

If he can get Norwich performing over the next ten games, even his biggest critics will have no choice but to praise him.