Norwich City questioned for 'odd' Carrow Road decision | OneFootball

FLW's Canaries fan pundit has given his opinion on the improvements to Carrow Road, which will result in the relocation of away fans

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Norwich City are planning on developing and upgrading Carrow Road, but some fans are displeased with the implications for the relocation of fans in the ground.

The Canaries have set out four phases of work which should be undergone in the coming years, with the end goal of improving the City Stand.

Unfortunately for some fans, that means that they will need to look at finding a new seat for the upcoming seasons, as it is being planned for the away fans to be moved to the lower tier of the River End from the 2026/27 campaign.

Away fans are currently situated in the corner of the south stand next to the Barclay Stand, and many Canaries fans feel that this helps create a good atmosphere on matchday. Therefore, they're questioning this decision somewhat.

Zeke Downes, FLW's Norwich fan pundit, is looking past this frustration, however, and is instead focusing on the positives and excitement which come with a major stadium upgrade.

Norwich City fan pundit comments on away fan relocation at Carrow Road

The atmosphere around Carrow Road isn't the best currently. The Liam Manning era hasn't started as many envisioned, and Norwich were beaten by their East Anglian rivals, Ipswich Town, for the first time in 16 years last Sunday. Therefore, Downes believes that this frustration surrounding away fan relocation is just an extension of on-field annoyance.

He does state that the movement of the away fans seems "odd," but believes that the good which comes with stadium upgrades will outweigh the bad in the end.

"It's a big topic right now, and I don't know how I feel about it, because if we were winning, then the mood would be better and there'd be less outrage," Downes told Football League World.

"If they want to improve the stadium, then they do need to do something, but I will say that moving the away fans to the lower part of the River End does seem odd.

"I think it worked well where they were, and that's why we had any sort of atmosphere, so I worry if moving them to where they are going to be isn't going to benefit us — but I will say that they are trying things."

Indeed, the look to enhance the matchday experience in the short term with fan zones and "premium offerings" at various stands at Carrow Road is rather exciting, and shows that the current higher-ups are willing to invest in getting the club back to where it needs to be.

"They are improving things, which is a good thing, and something we've been asking for a while now," Downes continued.

"I'm hoping that this means that once we've done this, we can maybe expand the stadium and add another tier, but that depends on where we are as a club, because at this point we're obviously nearing the relegation zone.

"If we do end up getting relegated, we've obviously spent a lot of money on the stadium ahead of next season, and if we're in League One, it'll be impressive, but it may be a waste of money, so yeah, it does depend on where we are as a club. But I think the fact that they're improving the stadium at all is a good thing.

"People will moan regardless, but I do agree and say that moving the away fans isn't a great idea."

Ultimately, whilst Downes understands that it is a risk to move the away fans as it could upset loyal Norwich supporters or heavily backfire if the club does go down, Mark Attanasio and co feel it's a risk worth taking.

Norwich City need to improve on the field to match their off-field ambitions

The statement, which revealed the four phases of the upgrade plan at Carrow Road, revealed that phase four will see preparation begin for the redevelopment of the City Stand, which could possibly lead to an expansion and a higher capacity.

However, that won't likely begin until the club is back in the Premier League, which currently seems a long way away.

Ultimately, it's all well and good, improving the fan experience at Carrow Road, but that doesn't magically make the team on the pitch start performing to the level expected to challenge in and around the top six.

Norwich will need to see where they are on the field once phases one to three are fulfilled. But if things continue to be lacklustre, it may be a long time before Canaries fans can get excited about further stadium improvements.