Norwich's return to the Premier League has not exactly gone to plan so far.

After securing promotion back to the top flight at the first time of asking, the Canaries spent £60million on their squad as they bid to stay in the big time.

But they are still searching for their first win of the season and have picked up just one point.

Ahead of an important home clash against Brighton, have Norwich accepted their fate or is a turnaround on the cards in Norfolk?

Risky business

After years of refusing to overspend as they looked to grow the club in a sustainable way, Norwich’s transfer dealings this summer had many wondering whether this will be the season they push on.

A considerable amount, by Norwich’s standards, was spent on improving the squad as Milot Rashica, Christos Tzolis, Josh Sargeant and others came through the door.

The double loan swoop of Billy Gilmour and Brandon Williams from Chelsea and Manchester United also excited fans.

But the main reason they could afford this outlay was the exit of star man Emi Buendia to Aston Villa for £34m.

For director of football Stuart Webber, losing key players is something they accept. 

After securing promotion at the end of last season, Webber told BBC Look East: "One of them [Buendia, Todd Cantwell or Max Aarons] may go, maybe two or three of them will go, who knows — but the facts are that this team isn't about one or two players. 

"For us to be successful in the Premier League it's going to be how does the squad of 20 do, not if one player performs brilliantly.

"When we sold James Maddison [to Leicester] everyone thought it was the end of the world and then a guy called Emi Buendia turned up ­— when Ben Godfrey left [for Everton] it was the end of the world and a guy called Ben Gibson turned up, and that's football."

There is certainly logic to selling one player for big money in order to strengthen in multiple areas of the squad.

But selling your talisman and replacing him with unproven players is always a risk when Premier League safety is on the line.

Baptism of fire

Six defeats, one draw and only two goals scored is a record no team would be proud of.

But Farke’s men were not dealt with the easiest hand as they looked to settle back into life in the top flight.

They kicked off the season with a tough game against Liverpool, before they travelled to last season’s champions Manchester City, with those ties ending in resounding 3-0 and 5-0 defeats.

They were more competitive in the games that followed — narrowly losing to last season’s fifth-place side Leicester before being similarly edged out by Arsenal.

Fed up with Farke?

Defeats against those established sides, while disappointing, can be accepted by fans.

But their form since has seen the mood shift slightly at Carrow Road.

A 3-1 defeat against relegation rivals Watford felt a significant blow even this early on in the season, while another 3-0 loss to Liverpool in the EFL Cup, a 2-0 reverse at Everton and a 0-0 draw with fellow strugglers Burnley has done little to lift spirits.

With the sustainable and level-headed way in which Norwich is run, fans have generally accepted that they are not going to be a side that pushes towards the upper echelons of the table just yet.

After all, it is hard to argue with Farke’s record of two promotions in three seasons on a shoestring budget, playing an attractive brand of football throughout.

But the fact they have been booed off on more than one occasion already this season suggests they want to see their side be more competitive.

Despite pressure building, Farke insists he has enough credit with fans and indicated Norwich will not change their ways despite the results.

Farke said: "There is always pressure on this level.

"Our supporters were not unbelievably happy after the Watford game. They were booing a little bit — and if you judge it in a level way, you would expect this a little bit.

"Of course we have credit in the bank, that is also definitely for sure. It is a different situation to four years ago where no-one knew you. We know that we will not change our ways, so nothing will happen here."

Ignoring the noise

From the outside looking in, it would be easy to think Norwich are already doomed.

So much so that former Premier League player Jamie O’Hara recently called for the top flight to be reduced to 18 teams to remove "dross" teams such as bottom-of-the-table Norwich.

Of course, his argument is flawed, as the Canaries winning the Championship last season means they would still make an 18-team roster — but the sentiment concerning Norwich from some mainstream media outlets is clear.

Despite criticism left, right and centre, the mantra so often used at Carrow Road is to ignore the noise and stick to the philosophy that has served them well in recent years.

On the widespread doubters, Farke said: "There is a bit of negativity perhaps from the national media because they do not know really exactly each and everything about where we are coming from or the fixture list.

"They just watch the table, and say 'OK, we have to criticise a bit'.

"At the moment we have to be focused a bit more on protecting our own goal, but all in all, we are fully convinced of our way and this is the way we will go forward."

In a time where clubs look to join elite super leagues or risk their futures by spending more than their means as they chase success, Norwich’s approach of gradual growth should be applauded.

But if they do not improve in the short term, another relegation this season may see fans’ patience run out.