The increase of West Brom links at Carrow Road this summer has been scoffed at by some – but the Baggies are preparing for their sixth successive season in the Premier League.

That is the kind of top-flight stability now desperately craved by the Canaries and I see no reason why it cannot be achieved.

The signings of midfielders Graham Dorrans and Youssouf Mulumbu from West Brom have been praised by many supporters.

The appointment of Lee Darnbrough as head of scouting, who worked as a technical scout at The Hawthorns until 2012, also seems to tick plenty of boxes.

Yet some have questioned if those deemed unwanted by the Baggies will be able to establish City at English football's top table.

Despite being a club of comparable size, Norwich fans must accept that Albion are, for now, in a far stronger position. Their journey offers plenty of lessons though.

Relegation in 2009 was followed by automatic promotion in 2010 – with Mulumbu and Dorrans at the heart of that success – and top-flight consistency has followed.

Finishing 11th in 2011 was followed by 10th place in 2012 and the heady heights of eighth in 2013. The following season brought the blip, when finishing 17th and just three points better off than the Canaries to scrape to survival.

With the resilient Tony Pulis brought in as manager last season the status quo was restored and 13th place secured.

If bosses at Carrow Road are to take City to the next level and take the longed for step of expanding Carrow Road, that is the stability that is needed.

In the last 10 years it has taken a points total of between 31 and 40 points to steer clear of the relegation zone. Last year Aston Villa survived on 38 points but only needed 36.

The average for the past 10 years works out to 36 points needed for survival – or nine wins and nine draws, to put it another way.

So if Alex Neil can guide his team to win half of their home games and pick up at least a point in half of their away games, survival should be achievable.

Those are targets which are unlikely to daunt the Scot who salvaged promotion so brilliantly last season. Under his guidance, Canaries fans will travel in hope. Neil remains unbeaten away from home, let's not forget.

Just two away wins were achieved in the disaster that was the 2013/14 season. I'd bet decent money Neil will do much better this time.

However he does it – and I'm confident he will – that is all that matters: surviving.

Achieve it and once again the club is on track for an exciting future.

Had Paul Lambert been more patient, that Carrow Road expansion and chase for European football could have been in full swing by now.

It's time for the club's hierarchy to prove that some very harsh lessons have been learned.

• NORWICH CITY PLAYERS MUST PROVE THEIR QUALITY

As usual most in the national media are tipping Norwich City for relegation before a ball has even been kicked.

One of the most recent season previews I read highlights the fact that Alex Neil said he intends to 'stick with the hardcore group who have got us up' following promotion.

The article went on to point out that the majority of that squad was relegated in 2014 – suggesting they would be so again.

As Canaries fans know however, that is not the full story.

That squad should not have been relegated. Two seasons of mid-table finishes and an injection of continental style should have been a base for success to be built upon.

Unfortunately, Chris Hughton was not a manager capable of getting that from the talented players available to him. Much has been written about that already so I will not go over old ground again but that proves that City have a squad more than capable of surviving in the top flight.

The likes of John Ruddy, Seb Bassong and Cameron Jerome are all capable of being good top-flight players when they are full of confidence and focused on the task at hand.

Alex Neil proved he was capable of creating the environment to allow those players to display their true abilities last season.

PREDICTION: Norwich City to finish 12th, with Watford, Sunderland and Bournemouth to go down.