The outlook was bleak for Norwich City in the days prior to Philippe Clement being named the club's head coach.
His predecessor, Liam Manning, had been sacked just five months into his tenure in Norfolk after losing 10 of 15 Championship fixtures, including seven successive defeats at Carrow Road.
Supporters had directed their ire at the club's hierarchy after such a torrid start to the campaign, and it was going to require a drastic turnaround to improve Norwich's fortunes.
Step forth former Rangers boss Clement, who has been the architect of remarkable revival that's hauled the Canaries comfortably clear of relegation trouble and into the top half of the Championship where a play-off berth is still a mathematical possibility.
On current form, you wouldn't want to rule them out.
What makes Norwich's turnaround under Clement even more impressive is that the Belgian initially encountered difficulty in restoring confidence and implementing his methods.
A 4-1 defeat to Birmingham City in Clement's first match laid bare the size of the task ahead of him. He concluded that the squad wasn't fit enough, and immediately set about rectifying that issue on the training ground with a rigorous programme.
Norwich accrued five points from his opening five matches, but Clement warned his methods may take time to yield rewards. In the midst of a relegation fight, Clement has not only had to galvanise an underperforming squad, but he's had to contend with a spare of injuries and the fiasco involving wantaway talisman Josh Sargent, who eventually departed Norwich for Toronto FC at the end of February.
Victories over Southampton and Charlton in December were indicators that the Canaries were heading in the right direction, but a 2-1 victory away at Wrexham in the middle of January felt like a statement triumph for Clement's side.
An emphatic 5-0 success over West Brom followed before an excellent comeback win over league leaders Coventry City, and Norwich then claimed 12 points from a possible 15 in February. In the last month, the Canaries have won four from seven, including Easter Monday's triumph over automatic promotion contenders Millwall at The Den.
It means since Clement's arrival, only Coventry have accrued more points than Norwich in the Championship - although arch-rivals Ipswich Town top the custom table by virtue of goal difference.
If you were to extrapolate Norwich's return of 49 points from 26 matches across an entire 46-match campaign, the Canaries would accrue 86 points, which according to Opta's projections, would be enough to secure a top-two finish this season.
On that basis, it's clear to see why Norwich supporters are incredibly optimistic that with the full backing of the board over the summer, Clement could orchestrate a charge at promotion next term.
Championship table since Philippe Clement's appointment
Table since 18th November 2025:
Played: | Won: | Drawn: | Lost: | GD: | Points: | |
| 26 | 15 | 5 | 6 | 15 | 50 |
| 25 | 14 | 7 | 4 | 19 | 49 |
| 26 | 15 | 4 | 7 | 16 | 49 |
| 26 | 14 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 47 |
| 24 | 13 | 6 | 5 | 18 | 45 |
