Why? Well, in a nutshell, they liked what they saw from Philippe Clement’s team in the final two thirds of last season.
Head coach Philippe Clement (Image: Paul Chesterton/Focus Images Ltd)
After Clement arrived here in November, only Millwall (third), Ipswich (second) and champions Coventry City claimed more points.
From the start of 2026, Norwich were ahead of everyone in a points-per-game return.
Norwich finished ninth in the table, but were in the play-off picture until the penultimate game, having been 23rd when Clement started.
No wonder there’s optimism… unless you are Claude. We’ll come to Claude in a minute, but first it is worth a look at second-season syndrome at Carrow Road.
Of Clement’s 12 immediate full-time predecessors, only four – David Wagner, Daniel Farke, Alex Neil and Paul Lambert – actually had a full second season.
Liam Manning and Johannes Hoff Thorup didn’t finish their first; Wagner got City into the play-offs where they fluffed their lines against Leeds in the semis. Dean Smith reached December in his second season, Farke took City up twice but his entire second season was spent in the second tier.
Alex Neil’s second season was a full year in the top flight before relegation. Neil Adams reached January in his second season; Chris Hughton didn’t quite see out his; Paul Lambert won promotion to the Premier League, Bryan Gunn lasted one League One game, Glenn Roeder reached January and Peter Grant October.
So maybe the recent history under Clement is trumped by the last 19 years of managerial history for our aforementioned friend Claude.
If you don’t know Claude, let’s introduce him: he’s the supercomputer responsible for a study which has “predicted this year’s Championship season’s final table”. That’s in quotes so you know we don’t entirely agree with Claude.
The study – commissioned by Tipman Tips – fed the AI supercomputer information about each Championship team and told it to simulate the season ahead. Prompts using managerial rumours and potential transfer links were used for the AI model to determine a final result – says their press release.
And this is what they come up with…
1st West Ham – 93 points
Premier League-standard squad depth should tell in a division without one
2 Wolves – 89
Top-flight quality across the pitch, tends to be too strong for this level in year one
3 Sheffield United 81
Championship regulars, strong recent play-off pedigree, settled squad
4 Middlesbrough 79
Missed out narrowly last May; but have Hackney money in the bank
5 Burnley 77
Resources are still a level above most Championship sides
6 Southampton 74
Big spending power even after the four-point Spygate deduction; talent is there
7 Millwall 72
Reached the play-off semis, physical and well-organised under Alex Neil
8 Wrexham 70
Heavy continued investment (Reynolds/McElhenney era), just missed the top six last time
9 Watford 66
Perennial top-half finishers, decent squad turnover
10 Derby County 64
Steady progress under Eustace
11 Bristol City 63
Solid, well-run
12 Norwich City 61
Should have more consistency under Philippe Clement for a full campaign
13 Preston 60
Reliable mid-table operators
14 Birmingham City 59
Parachute-style backing from ownership, adjusting to the level
15 Stoke City 58
Resources there, form has been inconsistent
16 Queens Park Rangers 56
Similar story — mid-table with occasional dips
17 Cardiff City 55
Best-resourced of the promoted trio, should be comfortable
18 Swansea City 54
Yo-yo-ish form, likely to hover just above trouble
19 Charlton Athletic 52
Newly returned to the level, still settling-in
20 West Brom 51
Inconsistent form last season
21 Portsmouth 49
Squad thinner than a year ago
22 Blackburn Rovers 47
Flirted with trouble last season, ended it under a new manager
23 Bolton Wanders 43
Weakest of the three promoted sides on paper
24 Lincoln City 39
Smallest budget in the division, tough ask now their manager has left
Conclusion: Don’t shoot the messenger, just unplug Claude.
