My Football Writer Norwich City news… comment… analysis
Norwich City – news, comment and analysis
It was a nice line from a profile piece in The Times – Peter Cullum was “the deal junky's deal junky…”
Today he officially stepped into the ring with one eye firmly on his next big deal – wresting a controlling interest in Norwich City Football Club out of the hands of the club's principal shareholders, Delia Smith and Michael Wynn Jones.
And every other shareholder, for that matter. Maybe 'wresting' is too strong a word; in fairness to the …
As the rest of the sporting nation watched the drama unfold on the Centre Court of Wimbledon this evening, Norfolk's sporting nation were wholly engrossed in a tennis match of their own as the Canary board smashed the takeover ball back into Peter Cullum's court.
This morning had belonged to the 57-year-old insurance billionaire and his promise to pump ?20 million into the Championship football club – provided that the controlling interest in the Carrow Road club was his.<br …
News that billionaire insurance tycoon Peter Cullum was prepared to pump ?20 million into Norwich City Football Club in return for a controlling interest in the Championship outfit this morning merely prompted more questions than answers – and left the existing City board walking the tightest of PR tight-ropes.
To dismiss out of hand a man ranked 40th equal in the Sunday Times Rich List with a personal fortune estimated at ?1.7 billion – give or take – would be to court widespread …
It was the interview that launched a thousand rumours. Before The Independent stirred the pot again this spring, rumours of Towergate Partnership executive chairman Peter Cullum taking a financial interest in the Canaries were merely numbered in the hundreds.
Tonight and that same rumour mill was back into over-drive as the Eastern Daily Press promised its readers a “sensational” story in the morning; of a “potential investment” that would put the Canaries in among the really …
City striker Chris Martin has vowed to put his nightmare season behind him as the Beccles teenager enters his make-or-break year at Carrow Road.
After bursting onto the scene in 06/07, Martin endured a disappointing campaign last time out with only 10 league and cup appearances to his name.
But it was his off-the-field antics which grabbed the headlines after an incident in his home town ended with him being banned from a number of pubs in the Waveney area.
<br …
Darren Huckerby's whereabouts next season could be decided in the next seven days after the long-time Canary favourite was reported to be on a whistle-stop tour of the MLS – first stop Toronto, second stop sunny California and the San Jose Earthquake.
According to the San Jose Mercury tonight, the 32-year-old two-time City Player of the Year will visit both clubs over the next few days – though under the MLS' complicated draft system Toronto continue to enjoy first …
After one of the most prolonged transfers for many a year and rumour after rumour, finally the Canaries have secured the services of the highly-rated Wes Hoolahan.
The arrival of Sammy Clingan last week was generally met with approval amongst the City faithful, but given that Hoolahan was undoubtedly one of the star performers in the Championship last season, we can only hope that the calibre of any other subsequent additions to the squad here at Carrow Road are as impressive …
City goalkeeping coach Tommy Wright has hinted that the Canaries will be in the market for a new shot-stopper after Matty Gilks returned to the North West today as part of Wes Hoolahan's move to Norfolk.
Gilks has struggled to make a first-team impression at Carrow Road after arriving from Rochdale last summer and his departure makes sense for all parties.
The transfer figure remains 'undisclosed' but after joining on a Bosman free, any sort of fee will …
Young Declan Rudd's hopes of parking himself somewhere near a first team bench next season received something of a boost today as Canary No2 Matthew Gilks headed back up north as part of the deal to secure Wes Hoolahan's signature.
The Blackpool Gazette this afternoon reported that Hoolahan was due to complete his long-mooted switch to Carrow Road later today once the final details of a three-year contract were finalised. That was duly officially confirmed by the Canaries …
The Carrow Road transfer merry-go-round was in full swing today with several players 'reported' to be on the verge of joining the Canaries.
One such player, Rangers attacking midfielder Alan Gow, was in Norfolk yesterday, according to his agent, discussing a possible move south of the border.
The 25-year-old boyhood Gers fan has not made an impression at Ibrox since his arrival from Falkirk in the summer of 2007. In fact, he has made only two appearances ? in …
Ex-Canary Craig Bellamy isn't exactly known for his charity. On the pitch, he certainly doesn't give his opponents an inch.
In fact, his reputation has been somewhat tarnished by stories of nightclub brawls and golf club attacks on team-mates. And there was, of course, that famous story of his coach toilet lock-in on the return leg of a trip to QPR in 1997 during his time at Carrow Road.
It's fair to say he's not the most popular of Premier League stars, …
It was one, small line that almost got lost in the midst of Friday's catch-up chat with the manager.
“There are not that many good players around,” said City boss Glenn Roeder, as he gently scolded the gathered Press for putting one or two potential deals in danger by alerting the world and his wife as to who the Canaries were interested in transfer-wise.
“I've seen more of the papers than I would normally do in the close season and plenty of you have hit the …
City boss Glenn Roeder is convinced that Norwich new-boy Sammy Clingan is made of the right stuff; that character-wise the Northern Ireland international ticks every box he's looking for.
With Scunthorpe United striker Martin Paterson now looking Burnley-bound after the Iron confirmed over the weekend that they had agreed a ?1.3 million fee with the Clarets for their transfer-seeking striker, for now Clingan remains City only summer signing.
Reports of Andrew Cole …
City boss Glenn Roeder has dropped another gauntlet at the feet of two of his own, home-grown talents – telling them to look and learn from the likes of Ryan Bertrand, Kieron Gibbs and Ched Evans.
The three Premiership youngsters all made an impact on their arrival on loan in Norfolk last season – Gibbs, arguably, more on the Colney training ground than the Carrow Road pitch.
Either way, and it is clear that Roeder will be fishing in a similar pool of borrowed teenage …
City boss Glenn Roeder this afternoon insisted that his transfer plans were “where he thought they would be” – and that patience would be the No1 virtue required this summer.
In a wide-ranging catch-up with the Press at Colney today, the Canary manager carefully side-stepped naming any names after weeks of idle speculation – the only and only positive confirmation came in the fact that Norwich had, indeed, had a nibble at Derry City winger Patrick McCourt before Celtic brought their …
Reading between the lines is always fraught with peril. And trust old Ferret here, but this afternoon's meeting with the gaffer offered more by way of smokes and mirrors than the Pleasure Beach.
But for those of you hoping for a bit more action after Sammy's arrival this week, might be in for some fun over the next few days.
Might.
“I wouldn't take the weekend off,” were Glenn's parting words.
“It's like fishing – you might get …
Norwich City's brief interest in securing the services of the mercurial Paddy McCourt look set to end before they ever really began after the 24-year-old was reported to be en route to Scotland and a medical with Celtic.
McCourt – a former Northern Ireland Under-21 team-mate of Norwich new-boy Sammy Clingan – had long been lined up for a switch to West Bromwich Albion after the Baggies agreed a ?150,000 fee plus friendly package with McCourt's current employers, Derry …
The Daily Mail were tonight busily insisting that long-time Canary strike target Shola Ameobi was “on the verge” of completing a ?3.5 million switch from Newcastle United to Norwich.
In a short, two paragraph report launched on the paper's website tonight, the Mail claimed that the long running transfer saga could, finally, be drawing to a close – that a man who, in Glenn Roeder's words, would “blitz” the Championship was on his way to Norfolk.
“Norwich are on …
City were today being linked with a eleventh hour swoop for Northern Ireland starlet Paddy McCourt ? just as everybody else was waiting for him to conclude his switch to Premier League outfit West Brom.
McCourt ? who had a trial spell with the Canaries in 2003 ? is one of the hottest properties in Ireland and after shining for Derry City, has long been tipped to showcase his talents in England.
On Saturday, it was reported that the winger was on the verge of a move …
As ever in these situations, you have to try and put two and two together. Find the 'hyper-link', as someone once told old Ferret.
Which, in Ferret's speak, is the same as saying: 'So, who's his mate?'
Which is where Paddy McCourt comes into it. Him and Mr Clingan. Cos Mr McCourt came from way out of the left-field; before today and the 24-year-old Derry winger was just a glint in Tony Mowbray's eye. And no more.
He was all set for …