Norwich City players’ reactions to Johannes Hoff Thorup sacking speak volumes about how they really feel

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It’s been an odd week for Norwich City, with Johannes Hoff Thorup being sacked after another defeat on Monday, but even more strange things have been happening at the club since.

Norwich chief Ben Knapper handed the reigns to the relatively unknown Thorup last summer, with another rebuild on the cards for the Canaries.

However, patience ran thin with the Norwegian coach after Norwich lost sight of the Championship play-offs in dramatic fashion over the last few weeks.

Four defeats in five have left Norwich stranded in midtable, and Thorup was dismissed after Monday’s loss to Millwall.

While we had expected Thorup to be under pressure after the crushing 5-3 defeat to Portsmouth last Friday, his departure has sparked an unusual vibe around the club in the days following.

• READ MORE: Jonathan Rowe opens up about ‘difficult’ Norwich City exit amid rumours of possible return to England

Norwich City players have barely said a word about Johannes Hoff Thorup departure

Usually, when a manager moves on, for better or worse, we see a flood of social media posts from his former players offering their support and well wishes.

At Norwich, it’s been practically radio silence this week. So far, only youngster Kellen Fisher, who’s linked with a transfer away from the club this summer, and Emiliano Marcondes, have posted on social media about Thorup’s exit.

The former took to Instagram to share a message to Thorup and his assistant, Glen Riddersholm, writing on his story: “Thank you for everything Johannes and Glen.” Meanwhile, Marcondes added that Thorup “taught us all a lot.”

The club itself posted the standard copy and paste message of support, writing on Twitter/X: “We would like to thank Johannes and Glen for their efforts during their time at the club.”

Since then, Norwich City’s social feed has been filled with Jack Wilshere content, which some fans have found a little bit suspicious.

We know Wilshere wants the top job permanently, and he has two games now to show what he can do. But, supporters are starting to think this was the plan all along, and suggested the posts about the young interim manager are distasteful.

One fan said, “Read the room guys,” while another added, “It’s hardly something to promote or shout about.”

• READ MORE: Under-fire Leeds boss Daniel Farke already teased Norwich City return with tantalising post-sacking message

Why are Norwich players ignoring the elephant in the room?

So, what is going on at Norwich, then? There are essentially two theories that can explain why the players have practically ignored the fact that Johannes Hoff Thorup has gone.

One is that the playing staff were not particularly keen on the manager and aren’t all that upset that he’s left. That may be harsh, but it’s certainly not unfounded.

There have been reports that senior players were unhappy with the way Thorup dealt with disciplinary issues. Fans believe the decision to leave Shane Duffy out of the matchday squad for a clash with Oxford United due to him missing a meeting was the wrong call.

Alternatively, a slightly more positive angle is that the players simply feel that guilty about how they have performed lately and how it cost the manager his job that they can’t find the words to express how they feel.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
11	SwanseaSwansea	44	17	9	18	48	52	-4	60
12	WatfordWatford	44	16	8	20	51	58	-7	56
13	Sheffield WednesdaySheffield Wednesday	44	15	11	18	58	67	-9	56
14	NorwichNorwich	44	13	14	17	67	66	1	53
15	QPRQPR	44	13	14	17	52	58	-6	53
16	PortsmouthPortsmouth	44	14	10	20	56	69	-13	52
17	Stoke CityStoke City	44	12	14	18	45	60	-15	50

That is more unlikely, sadly, as even in those circumstances, when you look at other examples throughout the game, players will often come out and bear the brunt of the blame for the manager’s demise.

Either way, Norwich have undermined the project they were building under Thorup, and they absolutely have to get the next appointment right.

With players set to leave this summer, the Canaries face another big rebuild, and fans will surely not have much more patience beyond that if it all goes wrong again.