Will Jennings on former Norwich bosses Daniel Farke and Paul Lambert

The German is a man still unanimously adored in Norfolk circles, steering the club to two unforgettable Championship titles and, despite ruthlessly being removed from his duties after a rare Premier League victory, continuing to treat the club with gratitude and respect.

Nowhere was that more visible than after Leeds’ comeback 3-2 win at Carrow Road back in October, when Farke refused to conduct his famous ‘oles’ in front of the jubilant travelling contingent in a strikingly admirable gesture towards his former club.

Daniel Farke - respect on his return to Carrow Road with Leeds (Image: Paul Chesterton/Focus Images Ltd)

Farke’s heroics in the yellow and green hot-seat, coupled with his comments and behaviour towards the club since departing, means his name will remain indelibly etched in Norwich City folklore.

Sadly, the same cannot be said for a certain Paul Lambert.

In many respects, the Lambert epoch largely mirrored that of Farke, inheriting a club in urgent need of an overhaul and successfully masterminding a thrilling, heart-capturing and unforgettable journey.

Lambert succeeded where Farke did not, taking City up to the Premier League and staying there before Aston Villa came calling and the Scot decided it was time to pursue pastures new.

What has happened since, however, has seen Lambert’s managerial career spiral out of control and simultaneously served to tarnish his once untouchable Norwich City legacy.

After failed stints at Blackburn Rovers, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Stoke City, Lambert’s ill-advised decision to take the job at Ipswich was always going to ruffle City feathers.

But following that up by instigating a ridiculous derby day bust-up, retrospectively lifting the lid on his ostensibly ‘manufactured’ intentions and then claiming he isn’t bothered by what Norwich fans think of him, has seen his reputation among supporters plummet even further.

Nobody is expecting Lambert to go to the full extent of Farke, showering City with praise and nostalgically harking back to the glory days he sat firmly at the heart of.

But by joining our red-hot rivals, acting like a petulant child on his return to Carrow Road and treating his time at City – which let’s not forget, laid the platform for the rest of his managerial career – as subservient to that at ‘world-renowned clubs’ Celtic and Borussia Dortmund, Lambert’s antics continue to function as an insult to fans who backed him so loyally throughout his three-year tenure.

The final quotes in Lambert’s interview earlier this week stank of arrogance, a lack of respect and total obliviousness to what those memorable seasons meant to us fans, bizarrely putting his time at City in the same bracket as Ipswich while also claiming he shows no interest whatsoever in the club’s current fortunes.

Again, Lambert deserves considerable credit for how he propelled the club to back-to-back promotions and has no duty to in any way follow, praise or remain connected to his former side.

But the least he can do is respect us, reflect on his time in Norfolk fondly and not treat the club as below him – three things he fundamentally failed to do with his recent comments.

It genuinely is sad it has come to this with Lambert, a brilliant man-manager who – much like what Kieran McKenna is currently doing at Portman Road – constructed a team of largely unheard of third-tier players and miraculously moulded them into a bold, fearless and free-scoring Premier League-bound outfit.

None of us will never forget those pair of demolition derbies, string of dramatic last-gasp winners, a promotion party at Portsmouth and long-overdue trips to big top-flight grounds – most memorably White Hart Lane on a magical Easter Monday.

And despite his Carrow Road tenure ending in somewhat sour and acrimonious circumstances – a bitter contractual dispute between City and Villa ensued after his departure – we will always have those memories of League One 2009/10, Championship 2010/11 and the Premier League 2011/12.

Farke has treated his former club with nothing but respect, still clearly cares and now has the chance to further endear himself to City fans by getting one over on our rivals in a seismic promotion showdown on Saturday evening.

But for Lambert, his legacy continues to be tainted by his unashamed apathy, petty recent comments and big-headed belief that he remains in some way bigger than the club where he without doubt enjoyed the greatest days of his managerial career.