All week, I’ve been scratching my head, desperate to figure out how Norwich City once again find themselves on the brink of a crisis.

It feels like only five minutes ago we were heading into this season full of optimism and belief that this could be the year the Canaries mount a genuine push for promotion. But eight defeats from 11 games – including the last five on the spin – have seen things unravel at an alarming rate of knots.

The truth is that performances of late have been woefully short of the expected standard.

The most recent, during last Saturday’s 1-0 loss against Portsmouth at Carrow Road, was that of a team desperately struggling for confidence, void of any ideas and lacking any cohesive game plan.

It brought with it the first real sign of fan discontent, with audible chants against sporting director Ben Knapper re-emerging for the first time since the dark days of last November.

Ultimately, everyone needs to take responsibility. That’s not just Knapper, but our absent owners, the players and, of course, Philippe Clement, who is guilty of deviating so far from the formula that brought so much success last campaign.

At times during this poor start to the season, I’ve found Clement far too arrogant – almost suggesting results were somehow a sign of bad luck, rather than performances.

But in the wake of the Pompey defeat, I was pleased to see a degree of humility from our head coach – along with a pledge to work harder than ever.

And that’s what we are going to need to turn things around – hard work, determination and a real sense of fighting spirit.

Because for all the negativity, I still believe this squad is more than capable of delivering on its aim of a top eight finish – and it’s not a goal that is completely unattainable at this stage (albeit very unlikely).

So, let’s dig in, show some fight, and begin another climb up the table.