Norwich City column: Pressure on Ben Knapper this month at Carrow Road

I don’t think it’s a big stretch to say most Norwich City fans will have been somewhat underwhelmed by Ben Knapper’s first few months at Carrow Road.

Knapper’s arrival was expedited in November, in a bid to end the toxicity that shrouded the end of the Stuart Webber era.

There was a real hope that Knapper would galvanise the club by pressing the reset button and offering up fresh ideas to put an end to the mediocracy of the last few years. However, two months later, it feels like nothing has changed.

The same apathy still exists – and the same questions remained unanswered. The most pertinent of those, why is David Wagner still our head coach?

To be fair to Wagner, there is no doubt that our form has improved recently, but the performances over Christmas were a stark reminder that we are heading nowhere with the 52-year-old in charge.

I know we earned a point, but the tactical set up against Southampton – effectively sticking all 11 players behind the ball – is not something I want to associate with this football club, especially in the Championship. In my eyes, to only have 25 per cent possession, at home, is embarrassing.

In his first interview, Knapper expressed his desire for us to play attacking, exciting football – and I can’t fathom how after this length in time in post, he still sees Wagner as the man to execute that.

Southampton is of course not the sole example, the performances against West Brom and Millwall were equally disappointing.

It already feels like there is pressure on Knapper to deliver a successful January transfer window. It is clear we need to start lowering the average age of our squad, and there are quite a few senior players I would be happy to see depart.

In their place, we need to see some youthful exuberance. Players with pace, energy and technical ability, who can help provide hope of a brighter future.