NORWICH are back in the Premier League at the first time of asking following their hammering of Middlesbrough at Wembley in the play-off final.

But manager Alex Neil will be hoping that the club can finally become a mainstay in England’s top flight.

For too long, the club have yoyoed between the Championship and Premier League, never quite able to cut it with the big boys but too big to sit with the little kids in the division below.

The players are good enough, as Paul Lambert showed when he guided the club to a 12th-place finish in 2012.

But since then, the Canaries have had a succession of managers who were unable to build upon the foundation he set three years ago.

However, in Neil they may have come across the right man for the job.

At 34 yearsold, he has managed to command the respect of the dressing room despite some of the players being older than him.

And with just two years’ experience as a manager — his previous role was manager of Scottish side Hamilton Academical — he is already being touted as a big name for the future.

Neil has an attacking style and has struck the right balance in front of goal as well as remaining tight at the back.

Striker Cameron Jerome proved once again that he is a tidy finisher but has always struggled at the this level.

But under Neil’s guidance, the former Stoke and Birmingham player has added more to his game and has become a willing runner, pressing teams from the front and setting the tempo for the rest of the side.

He will still need to contribute goals but if he can cause a nuisance, his selflessness could allow the talented Nathan Redmond to really flourish.

Redmond has a bright career ahead of him and if he can perform week-in week-out, it could be the difference between another trip to the Championship and Premier League survival.

There hasn’t been much transfer business done over the past few weeks as most of the squad has the experience of playing at this level. And the addition of West Brom duo Graham Dorrans and Youssouf Mulumbu may just add that little extra needed to get them over the finish line.

However, while keeping the same squad could be seen as an advantage, it could also prove to be their downfall.

This is largely the same set of players that got relegated and it was sent down for a reason — it wasn’t good enough.

Under Chris Houghton, the team didn’t concede many but didn’t score enough either.

Too often matches ended in low-scoring draws and if you aren’t beating the teams around you, your stay in the Premier League is often short-lived.

This season, Neil will need to have Norwich finding the back of the net regularly.

If he can outscore the likes of Bournemouth, Watford, Sunderland and other teams who are tipped to be in the relegation fight come May, Norwich should be OK.

But if he abandons his attacking flair and tries to beat teams on the counter or nick games with a 1-0 win, he may be counter-productive.

The board have no intention of getting rid of him as they see him as their manager long-term and regardless of where they finish he should keep his job.

But, as managers often find, once in this division the prospect of going back down and trading Old Trafford and Stamford Bridge for Elland Road and Ewood Park has board members quick to go back on their word and find a replacement in an attempt to stay up.

And should Sam Allardyce be out of work around Christmas time with the club sitting in or just above the relegation zone, it wouldn’t surprise many to see his name being touted for the hotseat at Carrow Road.