Norwich City v QPR: fans’ reaction to Norwich City’s 1-0 win over QPR
Norwich City maintained their perfect run of results in the Championship as they won 1-0 at home to QPR.
The winner came in the 21st minute, but what did City supporters have to say about their team’s performance?
Leeds United’s new summer signing would be playing in the top flight right now if it weren’t for the problem we’re currently dealing with
The Whites had been on trial with the former Canaries right-back as they considered whether to sign him on a short-term deal.
He made an impressive impression during their pre-season training and was rewarded with a contract in the West Yorkshire outfit.
He is a familiar name to Leeds supporters, having progressed through the club’s ranks and made nearly 150 appearances before joining West Ham United at the end of last season for an eye-watering fee of approximately £4m.
He left the club at the age of 22 and worked under new manager Daniel Farke when he was at Norwich.
After a promising start to life as a professional footballer, it’s safe to say Byram’s career didn’t take off as quickly as many would have hoped, with injuries limiting his ability to make an impact with West Ham and at his former club Norwich.
He made just 36 appearances for the Hammers, before signing for Norwich in 2019 on a 4-year contract. Byram would go on to play 54 times for the Canaries, predominantly as a left-back but also a right-back at times.
So how has Byram fared so far?
Many Leeds supporters had doubts about Byram’s fitness in the long-term. The former full-back has shown his quality in the Championship and in glimpses in the top-flight, but injuries have prevented him from living up to his early promise.
The 27-year-old was always worthy of a short-term contract on a reduced wage. He can play on either wing or at full-back and is likely to adapt to life back at Leeds relatively quickly. He also has a good understanding of Farke’s system.
He has featured in 15 of Leeds’ 17 games in the Championship, starting 13 of those games. Byram has scored one goal and provided an assist in his time in the left-back role in Junior Firpo’s absence.
Leeds have had a lot of full-backs issues this season, and Byram has kept his fitness levels up.
He is not an absolute left-back, but he performs well out of position.
The last couple of years of his time at Norwich were marked by injury, but when he’s fit, he’s showing that he can play at a Premier League level.
A lot of people have wondered whether he’d be fit enough, or even good enough, to keep playing at this level for another season, largely due to the persistent injuries.
It’s fair to say that he’s surprised a lot of Leeds fans with the level of his performances and his quality and maturity in what isn’t his best position.
Byram would have been a top-tier player if those injuries hadn’t cropped up so often in his career so far. He was a late replacement for the last game, recovering quicker than expected from a hamstring injury he picked up against Plymouth before the international break, and his presence on the left flank was sorely missed in the defeat at Rotherham.
Firpo, on the other hand, has far more top-flight experience than Byram; the Spaniard has spent time at Real Betis and Barcelona, while Byram has played for Leeds, but the former looks more at that level than Firpo does.
Byram knows exactly what is expected of him, and he has the skillset to do it to a high standard. The injuries may have blinded fans to just how good a player he is at Championship level, but he’s turned himself into more than a squad player, and a guaranteed starter, for Farke’s side.
On a free, this has been one of the best signings we’ve seen so far, and he’s exceeded all expectations.
Leeds could do worse than offer him a new one-year contract, regardless of what league they play in next season.
Byram has the potential to be a valuable player both in the second tier and in the Premier League, and it’s perhaps a pity that injury has prevented him from achieving greater success in England’s top flight.
