Ian Culverhouse is a fully paid-up member of the Stuart Webber/Daniel Farke fan club - and is backing City to learn from past Premier League experiences this season.
The Canaries hall of famer will pit his wits against Farke when City head to King’s Lynn for a sold-out pre-season friendly on Friday night as relations between the A47 neighbours continue to flourish.
“I think they are a magnificent football club,” said Culverhouse. “The best club I have ever been to - I had nine glorious years there and then going back again (as assistant manager).
“I think they will be safe this year. I think they will learn from what they did last time.
“They are very shrewd and business-like up there with a superb manager in Daniel. I think they will be safe.”
Whether it will be with or without Max Aarons – who occupied the right back spot just as Culverhouse did to great effect from the mid-80s - is another matter. Aarons has been linked with a string of big-name clubs in recent months - only last weekend the Everton link reared its head again.
“It is going to be hard for them to keep him,” said Culverhouse. “I think he has been excellent and rightly so last year I thought he was outstanding. He has done his hard graft there and it will be hard for them to keep him there.
“As a Norwich supporter I hope he stays because you need your best players – it is a tough, tough league.”
City’s sport director Webber was a regular Linnets watcher last season when Lynn had goalkeeper Archie Mair and Simon Power on loan from the Canaries. The bond clearly goes beyond that and providing Lynn with the first sighting of the recently-crowned Championship title winners is seen as something of a feather in their caps.
“We are grateful for Stuart for the support he has given us,” said the Lynn boss, whose team went down 3-1 at home to Russell Martin's MK Dons in their opening opening friendly of the summer on Tuesday. “He has really helped us out with the players we have been given as well – he is always asking what can we do for you.
“What he has done for Norwich is magnificent, it is a level above when I was there – a very, very clever man.”
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