2026 / 2027 Season

Hairy Mary Quite Canary said:

There's the small matter of a World Cup to enjoy, but with the announcement of dates for friendlies, we can start looking forward to the upcoming season too. The atmosphere among the Canary faithful seems cautiously optimistic following a strong 2nd half of the season under Philippe Clement. There's a sense of belief and renewed ambition to push on for the upper end of the table next year. Time will tell. OTBC!

Pre-season friendlies are announced, only a month away:

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According to the PinkUn there are likely to be another 3 friendlies to be announced, pending confirmation.

1 was confirmed by the club today.

First one away. Looks like no foreign, or Scotland, trip. All the comforts of home.

Playing Colchester, so I checked ColUMike. Not posted since July 2018. I miss his anti Budgie inanity.

PC started early with a 10 day fitness and training programme to build team spirit and compensate for time lost to the World Cup. As Paddy Davitt points out:

"There is a clear parallel between his ‘in-season’ November 2025 arrival in Norfolk and when he took over at previous clubs Rangers (October 2023), Monaco (January 2022) and Genk (December 2017). Excluding his short-lived spell at first club Waasland-Beveren, Bruges was the only coaching appointment where he arrived prior to a new campaign. Clement’s second seasons at his Belgian clubs delivered titles, with very strong underlying numbers, while at Monaco and Rangers they produced good points per game (PPG) returns and win rates without translating into silverware."

It's clear from the pre-season games so far that the focus will be implementing his strategic approach, refining tactics to achieve that and working closely with each player on their individual and team contributions. Recruitment will focus on strengthening key positions like wide right and the left side of defence then possibly midfield and up front with a focus on quality rather than quantity and the creation of team synergy where the collective performance exceeds the sum of individual output. That was evident in the second half of the season with individual improvements like Slimane, Mattsson and McConville which enhanced team play as a whole. The pre-season will allow the refinement of player interactions to achieve team performances from the off. PC has a clear plan and has shaped his strategy for achieving it. Exciting times ahead.

It isn't just me with high expectations, here's Captain Kenny's view:

“Going forward, I think things look positive. There’s optimism around the place, a real positivity around the city and among the fans. There’s an expectation, which as a player is incredible. That’s what you want. You want that expectation at this football club. I’ve seen it have success, I’ve been a part of it, and I want more of it. I’m going to drive that as much as I can. Everybody’s on board with the manager, and everyone knows what we want to do as a football club, and that’s all we’re focused on.”

When exactly do they return for pre-season training?

I would not expect the five on world cup duty to be involved before mid July. The will need a decent break, especially Ahmed

I would not expect our main players to be involved in the Kings Lynn match either. The season starts later than usual this August I believe.

There's a League Cup game on the 8th of August and the season starts on the 15th, so yes, later than usual and mid July for those in the World Cup sounds about right, given that they won't need as much fitness training and they will have the Osasuna game on 1 August and the League Cup game on the 8th to sharpen their match fitness.

As there's only 3 days until pre-season starts I went back to the YouTube video Suffolk posted some time back as a reminder of how PC achieved the amazing transformation last season:

Adam Harvey's Pinkun preview of the pre-season about to begin tomorrow:

"Sweating off the excesses of a summer of indulgence long ceased to be a hallmark of the professional game at the top level. Players understand the need to remain disciplined and committed to their craft. But the intensity Clement works at, and the demands he places on his players, suggest this will be a pre-season unlike any other for many of his squad. While the appointment of Dr Paul Ford as performance director, towards the end of the previous season, and the on-going work to fill some key vacancies across physio and sport science, was an acknowledgement Clement does not want his hunt for continued progress on the pitch to be hindered by prolonged player unavailability."

PC is already at his desk and Alves and Field will join the other players tomorrow. There's still the need for another RW option and a possible strengthening at LB, but otherwise the squad should be ready to go from the off.

Need to switch the pins around for this thread and last seasons old thread

SuffolkCanary said:

Need to switch the pins around for this thread and last seasons old thread

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Yes please!

Good point on the value of World Cup participation for our players, especially Ahmed:

"The Canaries have already tracked several World Cup strands, but Ahmed’s case is especially relevant because his role can feed directly into next season’s squad planning. Tournament minutes test more than sharpness; they test decision-making, stamina and emotional control. Canada’s next step will decide how long Ahmed remains away from Colney, but Norwich can take encouragement from the level of football he is experiencing. Clement still needs summer recruitment and a strong pre-season structure, yet Ahmed’s World Cup involvement gives him one internal option with live competitive rhythm. For a squad trying to build momentum early, that is not a small detail at all."