Football League World
·26 ottobre 2024
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·26 ottobre 2024
Daniel Farke took the Canaries to the Premier League twice during his stay in Norfolk, and is still held in high regard at Carrow Road.
Leeds United's clash with Norwich City at the start of October 2024 was not the first meeting between the two sides since Daniel Farke took over at Elland Road, but it was a poignant one.
The teams could not be separated at Carrow Road on that evening in Norfolk as Josh Sargent's 15th minute penalty was cancelled out by Largie Ramazani's low strike on the hour mark to split the points.
It was the first time that the two had come to blows since their play-off semi-final matches at the end of last season, where Farke's new side blew past the Canaries, running out 4-0 winners on aggregate.
It has been a period of relative domination over Norwich for Leeds since the German took over at the start of the 2023/24 campaign, having beaten them twice in the Championship ahead of the meetings in the play-offs, but it was a moment after their most recent clash that caught the eyes of Canaries supporters.
While honours were even in the game, after the final whistle, the two-time promotion winning manager of Norwich showed his appreciation to supporters despite being sacked by the club in November 2021 when they were in the Premier League.
It is not often that a former player or manager gets such a great reaction from a club that they once had deep ties with, but the German still seems to have a fantastic relationship with the Canaries.
Farke spoke to the media following the game about his ties to the club after his four-year stay in East Anglia.
He said: "For me, to be honest, it's always pretty emotional to come back, because this club and these people here will always have a special spot in my heart. It sometimes is also difficult to turn the emotions a bit away.
"I will always be forever grateful also to this club and the city, how warmly they welcomed me as a pretty young, unknown coach from German football, the first coach from abroad, and we were able to create memories and something really special for this club. So great memories and I met many great, great people, and it was a great time I will always be grateful for this."
Farke continued: "And for me, yes, it's always also emotional to come back. Norwich is on a good path and during this season look a really strong side. And when we don't play against them, then always my fingers are crossed for them.
"I'm happy that I'm still unbeaten here. It wasn't easy in the last games. And also a nice reception, I’m a bit proud of that."
It's a relationship and level of respect that goes both ways, as supporters of Norwich sent praise to Farke when the footage emerged of him applauding Carrow Road.
While it may be easy to say that he is one of the best managers in Norwich's recent history, Farke has the statistics and honours to prove it.
He won the Championship title in a season that was filled with fantastic teams, such as Dean Smith's Aston Villa, Marcelo Bielsa's Leeds and Chris Wilder's Sheffield United. Although it did not work out in the Premier League, they returned and instantly won promotion again.
Farke is a superb manager, and although he failed in his first season at Elland Road, there is a high likelihood that the second time round he will crack it.
At just 47, the German has a long career in management ahead of him, but he has already created a legacy at one club. He was the Canaries' first manager from outside the British Isles, and he quickly proved why they took the gamble that they did.
Johannes Hoff Thorup, the club's third manager from abroad, looks to be carrying on that legacy that was left by Farke three years ago, and there is a similar feeling emitting from Carrow Road currently as Norwich look for a return to the Premier League.