Liam Manning insists a derby duel at Ipswich Town is the best way to respond after a 1-0 Championship defeat to West Brom at Carrow Road on Wednesday night set an unwanted club record.
Manning has presided over four straight home league defeats at the start of a campaign for the first time in the Canaries’ history, with some fans again venting their frustration at the final whistle.
City head to Portman Road on Sunday bidding to maintain a 16-year unbeaten streak against their bitter rivals, and Manning is under no illusions what is on the line.
“It hurts. We are in the results business and that is not good enough,” he said. “I understand the reaction from the fans. We are not winning at home and that is unacceptable.
“Ipswich was always going to be a big game. We understand the importance of it and the lads will be ready to go. It is a different game in terms of what has gone before gets parked.
“It is a huge game. It is a good time for us to go into that game. We have just spoken about it in the changing room, about the importance of it. The lads will be fully aware of what it means to the fans and we will be ready on Sunday.
“That is not a record anybody wants. But it will fuel me and it will drive me. My default is to fight, to get my head down and make sure I give the lads everything to provide a platform where they are quite clear on what they need to do.
“Despite getting a point at Stoke we were hugely disappointed with the performance and what that looked like and the challenge was to respond. It was better but we didn’t get the result.
“I thought there was some much better stuff in terms of performance, but that doesn’t count for much. I challenged the lads to go and play with some bravery and identity and I thought they did. But ultimately we lacked quality in and around the box to get your rewards for all the other bits.
“All I can control is making sure the group progress and get better. This is a tough period and we have to show resilience. I will never shy away from that.”
The City chief spoke to the Pinkun exclusively on Wednesday night at Carrow Road.