What do Norwich City fans want for the rest of the season?

But this one is shaping up to be up there with one of the weirdest.

On paper, the Championship statistics are entirely unspectacular.

Of the 29 games, 12 have been wins, 12 have been losses and there have been five draws.

We've scored 46 and conceded 44.

Coventry's draw on Tuesday moved them three points ahead of David Wagner's men ahead of the clash between the two sides at Carrow Road on Saturday.

A win for the Canaries would leave them level and, depending on other results, joint sixth.

In the cups, Sunday's 5-2 loss at Liverpool was entirely expected and ended an FA Cup run which had hardly got started after a laboured victory over Bristol Rovers in a third round replay.

There was slightly more joy in the EFL Cup as the Canaries put up a spirited display in a 2-1 reversal at Fulham which came after 1-0 wins at Bristol City and QPR.

So with those pretty bang average facts in mind, why is this season so strange?

Norwich are known in many quarters as a yo-yo club for obvious reasons.

But I don't remember a time when supporters have yo-yo-ed so much between optimism, desperation, frustration, anger and total apathy (and a whole load more emotions).

Think back to the early days of the campaign when City won three out of the first four league games (and got a 4-4 draw at promotion favourites Southampton), netted 13 goals and there was a real buzz around the place.

Then came the sobering 2-1 defeat at Rotherham, the defeat to Leicester and then the catastrophic 6-2 humiliation at Plymouth.

All of a sudden in the eyes of loads of people, City had gone from contenders for going up to the worst team ever.

Wagner had to go. There was no coming back from it.

Late September and into October saw a mix of a win, draw and loss before four straight defeats following the international break.

Cue more supporters joining the queue to demand change.

Game after game seemed to be a "must win" and "last chance saloon" for the head coach.

Adam Idah's late, late winner at Ashton Gate sparked some of the most joyous celebrations I can recall in a game which wasn't significant in a cup competition or promotion campaign.

I think we'd all feared the worst when we headed to Portman Road in mid-December. 

Surely the long, long, long, long, long unbeaten run was certain to come to an end. Somehow it didn't... yes we did treat that 2-2 draw like a victory. 

Since then the campaign has continued with its big highs and huge lows.

Throw into the plot of the 2023-24 season soap opera the farewell to sporting director Stuart Webber, the arrival of Ben Knapper, Delia Smith's "20pc are whingers" comments, the continued debate over City's style of play (or lack of it) and as I type all the intrigue around the end of the transfer window, particularly in relation to Idah's future.

So my question to fellow fans is, what do we want for the rest of the campaign?

I'm pretty sure there are still some of a yellow and green persuasion who are hoping (albeit perhaps secretly) for the form to dip, thus accelerating the departure of Wagner.

Others just want the 46 games to be over.

At the other end of the spectrum will be those who genuinely think we can not only force our way into the play-off picture but get the momentum to go all the way.

If (and it's a very big if) somehow that happened, how could things in any way be different from the most recent forays into the top flight?

Watching the enormous gulf between the Canaries and the Reds on Sunday was a sobering reminder.

I saw the highlights of Luton's demolition of Brighton on Tuesday which shows it is possible to get promotion, not spend enormous sums of money and yet show hunger, guile and clinical finishing to compete.

I've thought long and hard for an answer to my own question about what we want to happen over the next four months.

I certainly don't want the season to peter out and finish languishing in mid-table.

I was chatting to a colleague in the office about the 2002 play-offs.

City forced their way into the end-of-year bun fight with a late surge, had a fantastic two-leg tussle with Wolves and then ensured we had the never-to-be-forgotten day in Cardiff.

Of course we were gutted to lose in that heart-breaking penalty shoot-out. But the over-riding sense was one of achievement to have got so far.

In the context of where City currently find themselves, is a similar outcome one we'd be satisfied with? An exciting run to the play-offs, victory in the semi-finals and a great day out (but allowing ourselves longer to really be ready for a proper adventure into the top flight?)

Am I being too negative? Tell me what you think.

(And naturally it goes without saying that if a play-off final happened to be an East Anglian derby then we'd put up with being relegated next season with zero points rather than losing such a match!)

OTBC.

So chuffed for Gibbo

While Borja's banger (or Sainz's screamer if you prefer) rightly got national plaudits at Anfield, it was fantastic to see Ben Gibson finally net his first goal for Norwich.

Gibbo's header brought the Canaries level and gave us a momentary hope that a cup shock could be on.

It's been a long, long wait for the centre half to finally open his account after first coming to Carrow Road back in September 2020.

Along with most players who have been in City's often over generous back line, Gibson has faced a fair bit of criticism.

He spoke openly and emotionally after Sunday's defeat and reflected on all he has been through in recent weeks.

In December Gibson and his partner welcomed their second child, who was born extremely prematurely and has since been in hospital in the intensive care unit. 

Thankfully she is on the mend but Gibbo spoke about balancing an understandably turbulent time in his family life with functioning as a professional footballer during a tough period for the club.

I'm delighted he got his goal in front of the Kop and wish him and his family all the very best.

Don't read too much into body language

There were plenty of talking points from the cup exit at Liverpool - including how Wagner celebrated (or rather didn't celebrate) Gibson's goal.

Some fans took to social media questioning why the head coach had remained pretty emotionless when the centre half levelled the scores.

While we probably all realised the outcome would ultimately end up the way it did, surely there was cause to be happier in the moment?

I'm sure there was lots going on in Wagner's mind and I have no idea why he reacted in the way he did.

It was certainly a world away from his on the pitch reaction at the end of the Bristol City match.

While there are reasons to question Wagner, I do think we need to cut him some slack when it comes to body language.

He's not perfect - but he certainly cares.