Survival has to be the number one Premier League priority again next season, according to Paul Lambert.

City carved out another piece of history alongside Swansea and QPR by becoming the first promoted trio in more than a decade to survive their debut campaign. Lambert warned gradual improvements have to be the Premier League panacea to try and establish the Canaries in the big time.

'The club gave itself seven years to get in the Premier League and that was allowing itself to get relegated again, so the rise has been huge,' he said. 'It is always going to be the case for Norwich that you build it again every year to try and stay in the league. You see the teams that have gone down. It will be an absolute nightmare for them to go down, but it happens. As long as you keep in this league that is the main thing because it is the league everyone wants to play in or manage in. It is the best league going.'

Lambert knows the task again is to recruit well this summer.

'Every year has been a challenge. To get out of League One was a challenge when we were 15 points or whatever behind Leeds. The club was at its lowest ebb. To do what we have done in three years has been too quick,' he said. 'We are not going to put this club in the position it was when it was financially troubled two years ago. As long as people realise that, we won't be able to do that. It is my job to try and get people in and the right type of player to help the team.

'You are always playing catch up because of what has happened here. The chairman said himself I think that we would have to stay in the league another year before it starts to build and build because of what had happened before.'