What do Gary’s Field and Gowers, Stewart Lewis, Dave Bowers and many of our readers and other writers have in common? Apart from the bleedin’ obvious as in being NCFC diehards, they all know a lot more about finance, particularly footy finance, than I do.
However, the sale of Alex Pritchard for an “eight-figure sum” (we’ll never know the exact figure) has led me to stick my ill-educated neck out and take a look at this self-sustainability malarkey from a layman’s point of view.
It stinks. From top to bottom.
If we have to sell off a Pritchard and a Maddison every season just to stay afloat (e.g. achieve a £20 million ingress of funding every season from here to eternity) can you imagine how much pressure that puts on an Academy that was only very recently rated as “not fit for purpose”?
And then, let’s look at what appears to interest the Board not one jot: what happens on the pitch.
Just as Pritchard, Madders and Josh looked like they could create something up top against Chelsea, of all sides, without a recognised striker, whoops! One of them is gone. Now what does that do for the remaining two? It p*ss*s them off, that’s what.
Only last week Daniel Farke told us we do not need to sell and how much he was looking forward to working with Pritchard in the future. Pull the other one mate, it’s got a whole peal of bells on it. Weddings by arrangement.
All this stuff about a conveyor belt of talent coming through is a thread of unpredictable nonsense, a farrago, a charade.
Because all hope of any real on-field continuity is gone. And no upwardly-mobile player will want to come to a club with no more ambition than to sell them on at a profit, especially if they work out that one day soon their best bud on (and quite possibly off) the pitch would not be there anymore. Almost overnight, perhaps. Players like camaraderie and fun, y’know.
Don’t get me wrong, I want the best for Alex Pritchard. He could have done better than Huddersfield, but he’s chosen PL over stagnation here and fair play to the boy. I want the optimum for Madders as well – I realise we couldn’t keep him forever even if we were PL. But shouldn’t we at least get some value from him in game time first?
He might not go in January (I doubt even our Board would alienate us supporters that much) but he’ll certainly be off in the summer.
Interestingly, Wolves are saying (in January fer Chrissakes) that they are only looking to sign players who could do a job in next season’s PL. Now that’s what I call ambition and intent. A million miles away from where we stand.
Stuart Webber and his policy of open communication? You’ve gone a bit quiet pal, haven’t you?
I really fell for the restructuring of NCFC and thought it was great at the time. Every passing day tells me I’ve been conned. It’s only Delia downsizing behind smoke and mirrors.
And to those saying, “let’s see who we sign with the Pritchard money before you verbally beat up the Directors” I would only add this: How much of that figure do you really think will be made available? Not a lot, believe me.
Everything NCFC is doing just now is simply dedicated to reducing the wage bill – the loan of Yanic Wildschut to Cardiff surely proves that.
He’s good enough for Colin but not good enough for us? Where are they in the table and where are we? Pull the other one once more.
Surely those at the top can see the way the wind is blowing. If as supporters all we have to look forward to is consolidation in the lower echelons of the Championship (or worse, as several predict) then I think we’ve got a bum deal.
I remember my dad telling me that at the end of WWII all the steam engines, pig sheds, even I believe some cars were painted in battleship grey – the paint surplus the wartime Government had accumulated for its warships but luckily didn’t need to use for that purpose any longer so gave it away exceptionally cheaply to all-comers.
That was around 1947 and called Austerity.
It took ten years to come out of it…
Excellent piece. Shame about the pic above which annoyed me immediately! We need urgent change and new investment at the club if we are to even compete. If Delia going meant owners who do not socialise with fans so be it. A price worth paying. We haven’t heard from anyone at board level since they sold our best player so no change there. We can all see this is not going to work unless Webber is a magician.
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The pic was my doing mate … not Martin’s. Sorry if it irked. Just felt somehow appropriate.
2
It made me laugh – and gag at the same time.
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Come on Chris – you’ve always had an excellent sense of humour!
My reaction too – I just (really) sent Editor Gary a thanks for his perfect choice:-)
3
Hi Martin yes another very good read and you used the cursed word again investment that will not happen while the smiths are in charge and it show how far we are behind for investors looking as another well known football out post that over the years have won every conceivable trophy has just about been taken over and that is CHESTERFIELD
10
O please get shot of the picture . it is awful to have to see a wrinkled prune
6
Give her a crown and sceptre and the photo will be complete
4
Simply the best column on MFW ever!! Echoes everything a large (mainly silent) majority feel about NCFC currently. Do players wish to come to club with no ambition to progress – No. Will D&M put any money into the club to support the £20m+ that needs to be found EACH YEAR (!) – No. Will D&M seek external investment to assist with the £20m+ – No. Will supporters “Happy Clap” their way to Division 3 and beyond – in all likelihood Yes. Sad times………………..
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Thanks for your comment mate.
That runaway train is comin’ down the track.
And it ain’t never coming back.
3
Great article and definitely my thoughts on the club at the moment. Unfortunately we have too many happy clappers, both on the board, and in the fanbase, that simply have no ambition for us to be anything more than we are. They’re happy to turn up every week whatever, even if the quality of football is gradually getting worse. Norwich City will never be anything more than a middling Championship club until we seek fresh investment, and owners with a real drive and ambtion to improve the club as a whole. Our current model is heavily relying on us unearthing hidden gems on a budget or produce from academy. And, unless we’re lucky or recruitment is top notch it’ll be a massive struggle to compete in this division, or worse. I predict we’re in for a very long haul in League One/The Championship
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Thanks Christopher.
I wish I could disagree with you but I can’t.
Two hidden gems a year to sell off at massive profit? Yeah maybe. I won’t hold my breath.
1
Austerity looks like turning the local derby into a fixture with Kings Lynn, until they rise above us.
The current set up looks more desperate with each passing day.
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I apologise for the austerity reference – it’s something Dad once told me that somehow stuck.
But of course he thought he was coming back to a bright future after what he and so very many others had done in Normandy and elsewhere.
His future was just fine – after a 10-year wait for it to begin.
Of course I shouldn’t equate football to that stuff, but I do see a comparison nonetheless.
1
Your comparison is spot on.
Once all the silver has gone how is the board going to make up an annual shortfall of at least £7 million?
3
Great piece Martin, like you I am pizzed off totally, I remember some words from years ago and they are still ringing in my ears today. A Mr Keith Larke ” believes changes are needed at Carrow Road and the club cannot continue to treat its fans with arrogant contempt.”
This came with a legal case against NCFC by Leisure Accessories for the £12k they paid for a box, after Delia Smith had given them a categorical assurance’ that the star player would not be sold.
Craig Bellamy left to Coventry City for £6.5 million . 18 years later it is still happening, despite the bullshit we hear of not having to sell. any players. That is almost like the kiss of death for a manager when assured of 100% support.
The only reason Maddison might not be sold is Season Ticket renewal time is just on the corner, but you wait until the summer.
Delia was once a Labour voter but starting to sound like a tory screaming Austerity . I am glad I gave up, as when and if there is new ownership and I am still kicking about I’ll try and get another ST. Until then no way will I grace Carrow Road, I’ll still do my picked away games.
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Thanks Lad.
I still attend every home match – for now. I understand why you don’t – there used to be nearly ten of us, now it’s me, Keith and Tony if he can be bothered. Which isn’t that often but all three of us still give them the revenue in terms of retaining our STs.
No comment from me on Delia’s politics beyond this: keep it away from the pitch, the stadium and the club. But not her, she wants the full load: champagne socialism or bust.
Well as much as I genuinely dislike the Tories, if anyone has put me off voting Labour more than Jeremy Corbyn it’s Delia Smith.
Ed Balls, Stephen Fry etc – do me a favour, we’re not thick. ‘cept she thinks we are!
10
Let’s cut to the chase. Time for Norwich City F.C to call it a day and go into administration. . It’s just not fair on those loyal supporters, ,some 26,000 of them, who dig deep into their pockets to support a club every home game, aside from those travelling supporters who brave the elements and travel far and wide at great expense. It’s clear that the club’s directors have a policy of selling their best players for whatever they can get without any serious thought or ambition to challenge for entry to the Premier League. No more let’s be having you, let’s have some honesty!.
4
Brilliantly summed and yet unfortunately true.
I fear we are at the start of a barren period when even hope is stripped from us. Yet hope is the thing that drives us all often at the expense of reality every season.
For our wish to become a community, self funded club, we therefore become unpaid shareholders. However it is clear that for all the boards words it has become more like a socialist dictatorship….you will be rationed, you will do as we say, i will live in luxury at your expense……but you will be happy with it.
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Great comment – I recently donated my few NCFC shares to the Canaries Trust because they are of no use to me any more.
I’m worth Jack – the Club doesn’t want people like me. They don’t even deserve me as a supporter.
Really enjoyed the Orwellian aspect of your post.
Regards, Private Walker (my fave as he always had a fag on and knew where to get a beer!)
0
Wow Martin! clearly like the rest of us you’re grieving the loss of Alex Pritchard and, like all fans, are worrying what this ultimately will all mean for our club but I think a bit of time to reflect and see where we are at the end of January is necessary before letting this torrent of negativity spill over so prematurely. Are you really surprised that Yanic has been loaned out? From all I have seen he is too predictable even at championship level with his repeated barrelling past a couple of defenders before taking a heavy touch or making a poor pass or decision in the final third. The bottom line is that we were all made aware of the financial implications of relegation before it even happened so a season and a half down the line we cannot be too shocked now the reality is upon us.
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Yeah I agree with your Yanic comments plus a lot of your following stuff too.
You are not “wrong”, none of us is, any more than we are “right”.
I just don’t get why they allowed AN to spend all those millions on him.
Hopefully those days – for good or ill – are gone
0
Thanks all for the fantastic – universally fantastic – comments. I’ll reply individually after I’ve taken the dogs out. Terriers wait for no man, or indeed football club.
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Good article Martin. Am I surprised that Pritchard has gone – no, simply because when it was clear that this season wasn’t going to result in a promotion challenge why would he stick around if an appropriate offer came along. Like many, I’m a little surprised that NCFC didn’t wait until the summer because as others have mentioned I’m sure his value would have only gone up between now and the end of the season.
As for the trimming of the wage bill, given the tidal wave linked to the termination of PL parachute payments that is going to hit during the summer you can see the logic of wanting to take the opportunity to get the ball rolling when suitable opportunities arise. Wildshut is one player that for me has never lived up to his price tag and despite the obvious energy and work rate his inconsistent performances have never really justified a real run in the team.
At the end of the day, players simply have to provide ‘value for money’ relative to their transfer fee and especially wages that they command – if they don’t perform and deliver then quite simply you have to move them on. Most of the players that we are trying to shift I suspect fall into the category of being very expensive ‘bench warmers’ and ‘non-delivers’. The club are absolutely doing the right thing in trying to move them on.
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I cannot disagree with a single word you say!
Martin, Naismith, McGovern and Jarvis moved on?
Let’s see if Stuart Webber can snap on the sandals and transverse the Wensum.
1
The player wanted to leave.
I realise this doesn’t fit a narrative, but…
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Would he have wanted to leave now if there was even a hint of ambition coming from the hierarchy? It’s possible to provide an environment which people want to be part of
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Great article Martin, but as things stand we cannot compete with Wolves.
The real question is, is Delia deliberately turning away investors ? or is their just no one who wants to invest ? My problem is that Barnsley have found someone !!!
Massive mistakes were made by the board, the “transfer committee” and Alex Neil .
Naismith on £46,000 per week with no relegation clause ….. madness, I could go on.
The trouble is we have no choice but to “cut our cloth”unless Delia goes, but its not like sacking a manager or chief executive the only way would be a return to the Chase days of supporter protests.
10
Wow! I had to take this in a few times to appreciate it properly. Great comment,
I did not know the precise figure for Naismith’s wages but I’m sure you are spot on. I actually thought it was slightly north of that but I’ll happily go with what you say.
Madness is indeed the word and by God how we’re paying for it now.
Like one of the Johns, Don and several others of us on this site I was a prominent part of the Chase Out campaign. I don’t suppose any of us from my generation want a kicking from Police horses on loan from the Met any more.
We just have to roll over and let The Smiths steal our club. Or do we?
4
Best article I’ve read on MFW for a long time. I think this sums up the feelings of many. I have friends and family who have been season ticket holders, as have I for many years, paying top dollar to watch our club disintegrate through lack of leadership and being used as a poor millionaire’s hobby. I await with interest for my season ticket renewal to land on my mat.
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Thank you Graham.
I think the problem is that when that renewal drops on the mat you’ll be too concerned not to renew, so you will. Renew. Old habits indeed die hard.
I pay mine by DD – I could cancel at any point and if they get rid of Madders in this window I will certainly do so. And will they care? No.
Anyway, great comment and thanks.
1
Great article.
I totally agree with this. I have attended for 47 years and have never felt so demotivated and disinterested in going to watch Norwich play. The football is sterile and predictable and the reduction in the wage bill seems to be the only ambition the new set up has . Does Steve Stone set them all KPIs for their annual review, and entertainment and league position don’t feature, but wage bill and possession statistics do. If Maddison is sold every match will be like the 0-0 draws with Burton or the defeat to mighty Brentford. We still have parachute money this year surely we should be trying to achive promotion, not consolidation. It seems as if we are in for another Peter Grant Glenn Roeder era. This is an insult to those of us who currently purchase season tickets. I am seriously considering cancelling mine.
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I could have cut and pasted a reply to you Outnumbered, but oh no!
I think old-stagers like myself who have seen it all before and will hopefully see a bit more of NCFC before we croak would say thus:
We are in bottom level mode. I do not care what they tell us, we are. We’re not going down this season, wait for next. If the kids come through and do a job, yeah maybe a couple more seasons in the Championship. At the very best. Cos of course, any youngster who performs well will be sold.
And when Tom inherits from Auntie, we are well and truly inside a Christmas cracker without an exit chamber.
10
I am going to the voice of dissent here. There are so many holes in this argument and the general hysteria on Twitter etc at the moment. Perhaps a deep breath and a rational moment of reflection would help. I doubt it. I am probably just setting myself up but here goes…….
Despite everyone who “knows” that Pritchard wanted to stay here and that his departure is part of a deep plot to defraud season ticket holders and that it was a joke valuation and that Delia is cackling at her bank balance as we speak, in fact, we know very little.
The deal went through so quickly that it strongly suggests that the player wanted the move. If it was an undervalue sale, then why did no other club come in with a bid? Deals are hijacked all the time now but no one else has been linked with Pritchard. All the evidence is at least open to if not, totally suggestive that the player wanted to go and we got the best available offer.
As for Wildschut, the suggestion that he has gone for financial reasons alone would be far more credible if he had been playing. He is so far from getting on the pitch that Farke seems to want to play anyone but Yanic. How Murphy stayed in the team through his recent poor spell when Yanic could not even get on the bench sometimes and could rarely get off to play is beyond mysterious. Farke clearly does not want Yanic and does not rate him. The loan has financial benefits but is clearly football related. It is fascinating that a player whose signing was met with bewilderment, who regularly appears in lists of players who need to be replaced and who can’t get in the team is now the great lost hope. The Becchio/Lafferty syndrome.
City has always been a selling club. There was a great line in Peaky Blinders “Big f***s small”. I’ll give you Ron Davies, Kevin Reeves, Chris Sutton ad nauseum. Even Barcelona had to sell Neymar. We should stop taking this all so personally. All clubs are predated on by richer clubs. If we have a billionaire owner, we will still be preyed upon by clubs with multibillionaire owners. The Club is what it is and every player has a price.
Finally, it is not in Martin’s article but a constant refrain is that we sell at an undervalue. I challenge you to name anyone we have sold at an undervalue in the last five years. Redmond, Brady, Fer et al have not changed hands since for more than we sold them. That strongly suggests that the price was a good one. Will Jacob move on for more than £12m in this window? Even Bradley was not such a bargain at £6m that a Prem club has come in to snap him up and put him to work where he belongs.
I would rather we had kept Pritchard. It is not though, the beginning of the apocalypse that a talented young player has moved to another club. I do not agree with Martin. Madders and Josh will do everything they can when they put on the shirts tomorrow as good professionals doing their job. For both of them, Pritchard going creates a vacancy and an opportunity. That is football.
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Great response Andrew – a voice of logic, common sense and reason!
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That is a good article, Andrew. Things not always black and white and
that is a good counter argument
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Yes Andrew I too think that’s a fair response and you make some good points. Twitter hysteria? not me. Don’t use the wretched thing.
What I don’t get is how people can defend the Board selling off our best players. I’m not saying getting that figure for Alex Pritchard was that bad – but…
It IS the Board you know. Nobody else, despite what you might hear elsewhere.
And for “the Board” read one person. NCFC is controlled by one person and one alone.
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Excellent well rounded reply
0
Very good response Andrew. The only point I’d make is that Pritchard wanted to move on as he knew it was pointless staying here. He wanted to play in the Prem – that’s why he came in the first place, he thought we were a better option than Brighton. He knew there were no prospects & that is the fault of the board due to mismanagement over many years.
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So, Alex Pritchard has gone and, as is so predictable, suddenly we are relegation candidates, no ambition, going nowhere but down etc
Reality is every Club is a selling club if the price is right. Just ask Southampton, Liverpool etc.
He wanted Premiership football and, as we all know, these days Players and Agents dictate what happens. The Club, in my opinion, had no option than to try and obtain the best fee possible. And with just one bidder, I think they’ve done OK.
Life goes on. We’ve sold bigger and better players than him in the past and we will certainly do so again in the future, whatever Division we are in.
People really do need to take a reality check sometimes.
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So Liverpool who got the Lord knows what for Coutinho from Barca and then roughly spent £75million on Virgil Van Dijk are a selling club?
Slight ermm from me:-)
At one point we could have bought Van Dijk. And Toby Alderwereild. But it was us so we stuffed both deals up. And ended up with Bassong and Martin. Good God.
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Whoa here. This might be a good time for pessimists, but I’m not going to join this ship. It was expected that Pritchard was likely to leave, and once the player himself clearly expresses his desire to do so, it is difficult to keep him onside once an offer of +£10m is made.
Is this an alarming time for City? Yes. Is this the end of the world as we know it for City? No. Are they Board and Owners not going to be worried as to what is transpiring and the grumbles amongst supporters? Hell yes they are, especially if season ticket sales are affected. And because they do want to see the club challenging for promotion. (It is in their interest, whatever way you want to look at it).
So there has to be a response from City this window to these two transfers today, and there needs to be a public reaction from at least Stuart Webber. What else is likely to happen? Well as we know already, Naismith is looking to go out, which would be great, and potentially Martin too. Is Maddison going to go this window. No, not unless the Board really does have a death wish. And there have to be incomings too. Farke needs replacements, a fact that will be as obvious to the owners as to the rest of us.
City are still looking for a balanced financial strategy, and that is required with or without new investment. We are still in a transitional period, where next season will be a better marker than this. But it will be important that we can be competitive next season, ie push for a top 6 finish, and that will be an aim of Webber, Farke and Stone. By early next season we will have a better idea of whether the Smiths really are embracing a Tory version of austerity. Since supporters increasingly won’t go for it, I suspect if pushed to it, they will not either.
For the moment, let’s wait and see what happens the rest of this window. It is not over yet.
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You think this is a good time?
4
As editor of MFW I’m obviously happy that Martin’s excellent and passionate piece has triggered a reaction on both sides of the fence!
For what it’s worth, I’m a little surprised that Pritchard and the club did the deal with the first bidder. It seemed clear that if the club could instigate an auction the they would push the price up but – as has been pointed out to me – the need to get cash in *now* was greater than the need to push the fee up by a couple of mill. But, it seems Pritchard was very keen on the move very quickly and as soon as he made this known then the landscape changed. With no other bidders playing their hand it simply became a matter of getting the best fee possible.
I initially scoffed at “Huddersfield” but I guess a Premier League club is a Premier League club. To judge Huddersfield on where they were as opposed to where they are now makes me no better than james Nursey! The Terrier are there are there by right and for a while at least we are destined to be in their shadow. For Pritch, their money is as good as anyone else’s.
So… that Pritch is a goner is disappointing but – returning to Martin’s piece – I’m not sure this in itself is a sign of impending doom. That he wanted to depart was key and I don’t see any scenario right now that would have seen him stay. Interestingly, Daniel Farke was unable to contain his disappointment at losing one of his leading lights at today’s presser. Not a happy man by all accounts.
But… and this is where I feel Martin’s pain, I’m not sure there is a will from boardroom level to halt this slide. And what happens when there are no prized assets to sell to plug the financial hole, or at least not enough? We mock Ipswich and the Marcus Evans relationship but annually he plugs their financial black hole to the tune of a few million (hence their debt to him going up year-on-year). If the sale of assets doesn’t plug said black hole in Norwich, then what?
It’s a long wait for June 2019, when our decks will be technically clear of the big contracts… and I dread to think what the landscape here will look like by then. But hey … what do I know.
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I agree with the basis and sentiments of the article. If there’s ‘no need to sell’ then why do it now and not the end of the season (assuming we hadn’t been promoted, unlikely, I know). I was enjoying Pritchard and Maddison together – there’s not been a lot to cheer about this season.
Why haven’t we heard from Webber? All the information I’ve seen has come from Huddersfield..
As much as I have liked having local owners, I feel they have missed a trick each time that we were promoted. To establish ourselves we needed to spend more (and more wisely)– but then it’s not my money.
With the expansion of the city and sell outs most weeks for a while there is (or was, unless we can get back to the Premiership again) clearly the potential to expand the stadium too (and thus the matchday income). But sadly, to do more than survive I think we have to look at outside investment – it’s difficult to believe that no one is interested in putting more money into our club (whoops her club) and much easier to believe that Delia is not interested in selling even a share, let alone a significant share. Still sale comes with risks too. For every human rights abusing Arab regime who appear to have done things properly here there are also owners like the Venkys.
I feel disappointed and let down by Pritchard’s transfer. I can only hope that we do find good replacements, that Webber is as good as his hype and that Farke can learn to vary our usually ponderous ‘possession’ game and get good replacements. As for next season’s season ticket – well I get pensioner rates for the first time so I might just hang in there even if it is by default.
6
As stated in a previous article, Ambition is not within the Stowmarket Polit bureau’s latest 5 year plan I’m afraid….
all I have my head at the moment is the beginning of the film Oliver and the song food glorious food. As a Norwich supporter I feel like one of the workhouse boys marching in time to receive my gruel from Mr and Mrs Bumble. On the way we glimpse a massive spread in another room which is being feasted on by the ‘haves’ knowing all we’re going to be getting is a bowl of grey liquid mush that we better be thankful for.
All the while being told how lucky we are and to expect more is a cardinal sin.
10
Mr and Mrs Bumble, now that has a definite ring to it, doesn’t it:-)
And at a stretch, Madders bears a resemblance to Mark Lester (Oliver in the version I was forced to endure part of over Christmas).
I really hope Stuart Webber is as lucky as Micawber (different novel, I know!)
1
You are sadly correct in your assessment Martin, the owners seem only to be exceptional in their inability to make football decisions promptly and to manipulate Archant so that supporters are invited to say how much Pritchard should be sold for.
The current model is almost guaranteed to see us either perpetually battling against relegation in the championship or trying to get our act together sufficiently well on L1 to mount a promotion challenge. The only way we will have any chance of sustained future success is to attract the right kind of wealthy foreign investor or country fund that has the desire for a long term project. That they do exist is undoubted.
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Hi MW and thanks for your input.
The manipulation of Archant (the only local media outlet of any significance, due to its inclusivity rather than any form of journalistic ability) is tightly controlled. Now who is on the NCFC Board with influence in that direction I wonder?
Michael Bailey’s a great writer and I enjoy reading his stuff, I really do. He’s a genuine fan and as such must find his job slightly awkward at times. I feel for him.
As for the rest of that crowd, well I’m sure they tick along and collect their wages. It’s nothing to do with me anyway.
There are indeed investors out there – but don’t tell MFW, tell Delia:-)
6
Hi Martin
Hope you remember my quote about the Smiths in their so called PASTRY TOWER and them being the same as us other retires but with loads of money they still have it being the board all the seats, food and other benifits they receive from the club are paid for by either the sponsors or the ST holders never a penny leaves their pocket.
Pritchard is a disappointment city have seen him through a couple of long injuries and due to only just proving his fitness would have been expected to continue his recovery at city till the end of the season, as there was no other bidders have Huddersfield taken a slight risk or where other clubs being causous in waiting to see him prove it over a longer period.
Wildshunt will not be a miss and I am not seeing much breaking news on Naismith going to Hearts.
As a club we have to stick with what we have and just hope that Webber/Farke are given time and a penny or two before the window closes.
0
Hi Alex
As I said in the article, I’m not really disappointed in Pritchard – he’s accepted a better-paid job from what is arguably a bigger “company”, and I bet most of us have done something similar in our lives – I know I have:-)
Your point about the Smiths is valid of course. I don’t think it’s the financial value of the perks they crave, merely that feeling of “ooh, look at me” you subconsciously get when you buy a new car. The trouble is they have proved themselves incapable of driving said car.
I have never believed they take any more from the club than they are legally allowed to and dishonesty is something I would never accuse them of, although some (who strangely never seem to comment under their real names) do of course.
Yes we’ll get one or two in this window. Combined outlay of under £2m would be my guess.
1
Hi Martin
I agree they are not taking what theyvare not entitled to but just make sure they get their share before it all goes.
If as they say they love city then cut the blinkers off and see what investment is available as before the Chinese are now buying chesterfield and that puts them above city in the pecking order.
2
I too am sorry to see Pritchard depart for greener pastures, but Huddersfield are currently Premier League, and with our “work in progress”, it seems that they have a better chance of being there next season than we do….If they survive then there is second season syndrome, but it appears their Mr Hoyle is more generous benefactor to them than Delia is to us…..
What really irks me is the very real possibility that had we not gone to Cambridge for THAT pre-season friendly, then we could/would have been in a much better position to challenge for promotion this season than we are. If Huddersfield were prepared to shell out for a Pritchard who has only been playing since November, how much might he have been worth at the end of the season, and we’d have had Klose fit from the start as well. .
Bearing in mind that we supposedly didn’t have to sell ANYBODY this month, it all smacks of fear from the bean counters that season ticket sales could fall off the proverbial cliff.
I’m still undecided about renewing, but having done the maths, I could save a decent sum by taking a membership and then buying tickets on-spec. OK, you don’t get to sit at every match with those you get to know during the season but at least you don’t feel compelled to go because you have paid in advance.
Last Saturday was the first game for years I have intentionally missed/not bothered with, and I have to admit the pain of not going was nothing like as bad as I thought it would be (and no, I did not watch it on TV). We have a new puppy who needs training, and I fear that could well be where my loyalties now lie!
Any guidance much appreciated
O T B C
1
Yeah – I’d rather talk about the pup tbh.
When he or she is around four months old and the vets’ jabs have settled, get the little beasty into the park or wherever to socialise with some older dogs. Within a fortnight he or she will be running with them off the lead if you allow it. Dogs learn from fellow dogs more than us humans!
As for the footy I wrote this on a whim and Gary published it early – shucks it sums up how I feel!
1
now derby said to have offered £8 million for oliveria
0
Super stuff Martin as ever. Rattled a few cages!
The replies give further proof if any was needed that at smith really is Teflon coated. It appears some would give her the green light to do anything.
Whether or not Pritchard wanted to go is immaterial – it’s just more bad news amid a tidal wave of the stuff.
We now face two seriously tough away games with a depleted squad with morale through the floor and the mood getting darker amongst the support. Sheffield United next Saturday is starting to look like another fun day out.
Perhaps it’s needed, these buffoons are going to continue with operation asset strip regardless.
Many talk of years of championship drudgery. Under smith that is highly optimistic. I can see this ending with the loss of football league status unless this is cut out of our club.
I used to think the smiths were just well intentioned incompetents. Now I doubt their intentions are in keeping with the best interest of anyone but themselves.
It’s time for Dexit.
16
Dexit! ? ?
11
I should use the Samsung more – it looks better with emoticons:-)
2
For me the big question is this – does Delia truly believe that she’s doing what’s best for the club?
Rather than risk the club failing under new owners, she’s stripping the club of talent so that it almost certainly will fail under her.
The trouble is, I don’t believe she sees it as failure.
10
The only person who can answer the “big question” is the lady herself.
And following her experience with and fallout from The Times, I doubt she’ll be making a comment anytime soon.
For what it’s worth I too believe a sign on the door saying “family run, open for business” equates to success in her mind’s eye, even if the café plies its trade in League Two.
2
I intend to write about this at greater length sometime soon. For now, I understand the frustrations but a couple of points:
. players like Pritchard did not emerge from our Academy or the sands of Yarmouth beach – we spent big on them, reflecting our ambition and the resources we had as a result of that ambition (our Suffolk neighbours, despite the much-vaunted money of their owner, have not been in a position to buy such players)
. in a similar vein, we did not ‘stuff up’ deals to bring Van Dijk and Alderweireld to Norwich. We pursued those deals, offering as much as we could and more – so much for the myth of lacking ambition) – but they chose to go to clubs they considered bigger and more established in the PL.
It’s certainly true that we mis-spent money in the Premier League. And last season’s ambitious gamble backfired, creating the current situation.
8
Hi Stewart – thanks for an excellent comment.
I accept “stuff up” is an emotive phrase, but in defence of it: nobody can blame TA for choosing Spurs over us. But had we gone in quick and hard in the first place then who knows what his decision might have been.
VVD chose Southampton at a time when we had just finished #12 in the PL and had every opportunity to consolidate. If we’d put a couple of extra bob on the table as sweeteners for him and therefore indirectly his agent we may well have got him. And be enjoying all that lovely Liverpudlian money right now!
The bottom line is both players were talked up and neither arrived. That’s football of course, but I sometimes feel our unwillingness to go that extra yard in deals has repeatedly seen a lot of quality slip through our fingers.
I look forward to reading your take on the same subject – it’ll probably be less emotive than mine and doubtless contain far more common sense:-)
4
While Pritchard has been one of the few bright sparks in a season rare in memorable moments, it is worth remembering that he was a player who we never should have signed in the first place and it’s for that reason I don’t feel as upset as some on here. We could live without him.
We had far more pressing priortities at the time he arrived as we’d already shelled out for Naismith, Jarvis and Maddison in the January transfer window that year (amongst others) but rather than telling the manger he needed to make do with what he already had in such positions (or better still, removing him), the Board then allowed him to go on a further spending spree which saw Pritchard and Canos arrive and then he barely played either of them. And then he signed Wildschut too. We simply ended up with a very, very expensive bench, or rather treatment room.
I’m reassured that the major irritation in the comments is reserved for Delia and the Board, but I’m prepared to cut Webber and Farke some slack for now as they deal with the aftermath of those catastrophic purchases and the financial restriant imposed upon them by a Board who’ve done nothing to seek progression or succession.
For a while yet they will have to sell who they can for what they can and I only hope that doesn’t mean Maddison in this window or heaven knows where we’ll get any further goals from this season.
6
They often say save the best until last – excellent comment, Robert.
As pessimistic as I am, I nonetheless agree with you about Webber and Farke. Should Webber put his papers in we will be in deep doo-doo.
1
Pritchard is such a strange case. It’s easy to forget that this time last year there were many who felt that we should sell Pritchard as we shouldn’t have signed him in the first place. For me, I was happy to sign him as, while not a positional need, he was arguably the best player available we could buy. However, for whatever reason Neill wouldn’t play him so it then made it a poor signing.
Then this season his injury enabled Maddison to come through – we’ll never know how much he would have played if AP stayed fit.
Now we’re left with Maddison, Wes & hopefully the emergence of Cantwell (I’m clinging on to a glimmer of hope!)
2
I love that word – Buffoon. I believe it was a singularly male preserve back in the first Elizabethan era, and in fact a position of some status – if you were good at being a buffoon (slapstick clown and court jester) you could enjoy royal patronage, free and copious victuals and drink plus a bit of silver in your purse while your originality (and thus popularity) lasted.
To be honest any self-respecting Sixteenth Century buffoon would distance himself from what’s going on in NR1 just now. Baldrick included.
1
I watched the u 18’s last night overcome a strong Derby U 18 side in a rivetting game which had everything including 15 mins of injury time before extra time was played. Players on both sides gave 100% and were going down like ninepins with cramp towards the end
I had forgotten what whole – hearted commitment and endeavour throughout a team looked like and went home cold but happy that I had identified at least 3 players who might make our first team -in addition to Middleton who has the pace trickery and silky skills to be in the first team now .(he will probably go on loan for the rest of the season!)
Reading Martin’s article this morning has brought me back to the stark realism that,
somehow NCFC will mis- manage the future fortunes of these youngsters as they always do, and that some other clubs will realise their full potential while we bring in the likes of Husband, ,Watkins, Wildshutt etc etc
Its time for the Club to show some real b…s and give these youngsters a chance .I don’t go with “we must wait until they are ready” nonsense .It doesn’t stop Liverpool, Tottenham or Everton blooding youngsters when considered ready. We should be taking advantage of their “young and hungry” period -viz Godfrey who should be here and not at Shrewsbury. Will Norwich get the benefit of his potential -I somehow think not.
If the Club is as skint as we are led to believe we must see signs that youth is being given a chance and not mis-managed. Who is going to plug the hole left by Pritchard -Watkins, the lacklustre Steiferman , or Cantwell .?I know who I would bet on and he doesn’t come from Dereham.
Where exactly is the hope and expectation that supporters must have to continue coming.?.
Time for messrs Webber and Weaver to communicate!
Fans who are kept in the dark for too long will wither and die!
3
Thanks MftS.
I haven’t seen our current crop of under-18s, although I do get to see the under-23s now and again.
Me (and Mrs P too) went to several of the Adams-led Youth Cup matches, including Forest at home and both Chelseas in the final) and it is so sad to see how few actually came through from there, the Bros Murphy aside.
I had Cameron McGeehan nailed on as a future NCFC captain, so that must be the original “what do I know”!
Carlton is just about still with us but in essence that’s it.
Jamal Lewis gives me hope.
We simply have to let this management limp on until the end of this season and see what they might achieve next.
While expecting little, anything is possible and I don’t think Webber & Farke are fools.
What a bloody (if maybe necessary) waste of a season.
2
Well said. I haven’t been along to the under 21 or youth fixtures this season, partly due to the arrangement of games on a Sunday instead of the early midweek kick off.
Couldn’t face Norwich city last night, but from what I understand it was the best football match at carrow road this season.
How many of these players will we get to see in the first team before loans or transfers claim them for somebody else?
1
What an utter load of nonsense, half truths supported by nothing. I could take each paragraph to pieces, but I cannot be bothered because, unfortunately, Martin you strike me as one of life’s naysayers… only really happy being cynical and whining and thinking that you know best.
2
Cynical, whining and thinking I know best?
Cynical, sure. It comes from 60 years of experience.
Whining? I only want NCFC to be the best it can be, so I’ll strike that one off the charge sheet straight away.
Thinking I know best? Not at all – that’s why I publish my thoughts via MFW so our readers can collectively discuss them. My comments to all the posters above should confirm that I (as all our writers are) am very happy to keep an open mind and actively welcome the opinions of others. It’s what MFW does.
If you would care to offer your opinion on the paragraphs within my article rather than offering a psychological analysis of a person you have never met I would be delighted to engage with you, on football-related matters at least.
Go for it!
17
I can’t be bothered normally means they can’t. That gem comes from 17 years of building, being an admin and writing on NCFC
8
This article sums up for me why the atmosphere at the club is so toxic at the moment. The idea that the directors don’t care what happens on the pitch is quite frankly childish
Fans of this club seem to forget that Delia and Michael saved us from extinction. If you want to be angry with someone be angry with the premier league who’s failure to share the tv spoils down the pyramid is why City’s finances are where they are. Sure we’ve bought some rubbish players (who managers and not Delia wanted to sign) and yes decisions the board have made have cost money (Neil and Moxey pay offs) but it’s amazing we don’t have loads of Norwich fan millionaires given that they clearly never make any mistakes in life!
Open your eyes and look at clubs with rich owners who don’t care about the club (Blackburn, Blackpool) and even those that do and mess it up (Birmingham, Leeds). What the board are trying to do now is build something sustainable. Ask a Southampton fan how many of their favourite players over the last 5 years are still at the club. The same could be said of Liverpool. As Hucks has said 95% of clubs are selling clubs
We have directors who support the club and genuinely want what is best for it. Give Farke and Webber a chance and stop vilifying Delia and Michael.
Anyone remember the spirit of Wembley?
4
Thanks for the comment Ben.
Childish? No, just perception from a fully-formed adult I’m afraid.
We must all accept that opinion on Delia and her attitudes and actions are and forever will be divided. You could be right when you say the Directors genuinely want what is best for NCFC. I will agree with you to the extent that they doubtless want what is best for the club in their eyes.
The oft-repeated “they saved us from extinction” canon is a little outdated I feel. Does it give them the right to carry on in a certain manner in perpetuity? Maybe. Maybe not.
Anyway thanks for a polite and erudite contrary opinion – it’s what MFW does best:-)
10
It’s as if Geoffrey watling never existed. I can’t think of one club that has actually gone to the wall. Maidstone and Accrington tried it but are still kicking around. To suggest a club of our size would be dead is ridiculous and false.
But it doesn’t fit the “narrative”.
9
Thanks Martin.
I think that people can legitimately say that Delia and Co have made lots of mistakes. I think it would also be fair to say that they tend to err on the side of caution and that is perhaps because they know how close the club has come to going bust on occasion.
My biggest issue is with people saying they don’t have the best interests of the club at heart. That is what I think can’t be questioned. I agree with you though that what they think is best for the club isn’t want all fans think is best for the club.
I do however happen to think that with Webber and Farke we are on to something good if we can stick with it for a season or two.
On a separate point I think we are past the point where a bank wouldn’t allow a club to go under. City were forced to sell lots of land in the last recession by the bank in order to stay afloat. They therefore got a fraction of the money they would have if they had sold the land once the economy picked up.
1
If anyone saved us from ‘extinction’ it was Bowkett and his ability to hold the banks off while Delia, Michael and the previous Board were sat like rabbits in front of the advancing headlights.
You go onto acknowledge their mistakes and there are many more I could add, but it isn’t just the manager’s fault that we signed so many “rubbish players” though. With Bowkett no longer at the helm, it wasn’t so much prudence with ambition as imprudence with no real ambition.
All the time Alex Neil was given the sort of blind support that we read of in the Times article, Delia and Michael weren’t really that bothered about the Premier League anyway and their attentions were elsewhere secretly planning their nephew’s inheritance. the support for Neil (and McNally) should never have been granted to such an extent and certainly not after we’d come back down again. “He’s very clever you know” so nobody thought to ask him why he needed four number 10s as he carried on signing the dross that is now bleeding this club dry. Saved us from extinction my….
On a lighter note, one of my favourite pastimes at the present is name checking the clubs used by posters to evidence their opinions on where Norwich City stand and here we have a terrific mix. While the anti Delia brigade will cite Huddersfield, Bournemouth, Brighton and so on (a lot of rich owners do care about their clubs) we’ll regularly see the likes of Blackpool and Blackburn to tick off the pro Delia bingo card and, quickly followed by Birmingham City, this comment only misses out on Portsmouth for all four corners to be filled.
First time I’ve seen Southampton raised by someone in the Delia camp though. This is a club prepared to sack someone like Niget Atkins while in a similar position we held on too long to both Alex Neil and Chris Hughton. It has the flourishing Academy we can only dream of, producing player after player sold on for the profit that enables them to reinvest in the team while we seek a sustainability of an altogether different type. I do know some Southamption fans who are disappointed when certain players leave but they get the club’s strategy and have had a prolonged stay in the top flight the length of which we can only dream of.
6
I endorse, and am glad to see highlighted, the important role that Alan Bowkett played in our recovery from the depths of 2009.
Let’s be factual, though. Rather than being “rabbits in the headlights” at that critical time, Delia & Michael recognised their limitations and on the basis of recommendations (notably from Roy Hodgson) brought in David McNally as Chief Executive. It was for McNally’s plan that Bowkett bought time from our institutional creditors.
2
For “realised their limitations” read “in mounting debt trouble and bottom of the third division”.
Perhaps it’s time for them to realise those limitations haven’t altered over the last few years.
2
I’m pretty sure that Maddison will be disappointed “at best” by loss of Pritchard with whom a partnership was blossoming (even though they often appeared in the same part of the pitch) I’m also pretty sure that should someone like Spurs come knocking he’d been keen to go with the increased salary etc and Premier League football promise..
If we say no then he might throw in a transfer request We don’t have to run with it but it creates another disgruntled player and in all likelihood as (if not already a sure thing) he’d be off in the summer, He appears to be a stud, a star and sadly those guys don’t hang around with teams like the current Norwich Organisation, which, has got itself into a pickle. The best we can hope for is that any PL team will loan him back if he goes in the next 3 weeks.
There is a general bemoaning of loss of parachute payments with comments like “we must get promotion” but the team has underperformed at times (especially at home and in certain meltdown away games). Therefore for all intents and purposes its gonna be a near impossible task this year. The only way to get anywhere near that promotion desire would appear to be invest in players who could help but we’ve been told thats a no go “without selling”
Looking at the u23s there are some starlets but the Coach doesn’t seem to want to give them a chance
Its all a bit catch 22.. Back in December when we were on that bad run we looked at Pritchard as “the new signing” when he came back from injury, now he’s gone, so are we destined to revert to that bad run? Who’s the saviour? The defence looks stronger now maybe we can play 3-2-4-1 with Pinto/Lewis/Murphy/Maddison as the 4.
Trybull is injured for at least today maybe beyond.. arrgh!
0
You make great points, particularly re Pritchard-Maddison.
If you lose someone you used to trust and respect alongside you on the pitch it can rip your heart out.
Whatever level you might have played at it’s true, You sulk, unless you have that special mentality that enables you to discard your real feelings and “help the new guy along”.
But if the “new guy”‘s an old duffer it ain’t gonna happen. Hi Mario.
1
Great piece.
It is not so much the sale of Pritchard, but what it represents.
Alex came to the club with ambitions of EPL and that Norwich City harboured the same. Unfortunately, Delia had already abandoned the ‘West Brom’ model, so the player signed for a club whose owner had no intention of NCFC playing EPL football again, because our majority shareholder lacks the belief that we can stay there. Fact.
Pritchard wanted EPL football, Norwich City do not. .
The self-funding model is delusional if we are to harbour any ambitions. As pointed out in this article, this will place severe pressure on the youth system to keep providing golden eggs. That is not realistic. Money is and will continue to be thrown in The Championship as it slowly becomes a de facto EPL2, so if Delia refuses to sell, we will basically become a better supported Crewe Alexandra.
Our club was, is and will continue to be downsized.
I’ve never understood the Delia love in. At all. It is a relief that more fans are slowing seeing through her, but every day she remains at this club more damage is being done. Her type of football and how it is run is firmly stuck in the past, therefore Norwich City is stuck in the past.
I remember the Chase days very well and the riots that ensued at the end of his tenure. For all his faults in his latter years, there was a degree of democracy at Carrow Road back then – he could and was outvoted on occasion – but the Norwich City of today is ruled by one person and one person alone. If she doesn’t like it, then the infamous ‘Delia Veto’ is played.
The club is all about Championship consolidation, not about Promotion. So as I’ve said before, what Norwich City do you want?
10
Blimey, you’ve put it better than I ever could.
The Delia Veto is denied by all her acolytes and attendants, but the more perceptive of us understand that it exists.
It’s basically why we’re screwed. In perpetuity.
I genuinely hate it that when so many excellent NCFC supporters who comment on MFW are split at about 30:70 on this woman that she is still in ABSOLUTE control of our club and there is sod all we can individually or collectively do about it.
What Norwich City do I want? A better one than Delia offers and that’s for sure.
A great comment.
10
It’s also never brought up that to get around the clubs articles, whereby no one person should control more than half the shares, (chase owned 31 percent) they purchased their shares in separate names.
Thus, they bypassed the club rule.
Still, they talk to fans in restaurants you know,
10
Chase relied on a couple of key boardroom allies to “prosecute his business” – he was married to neither!
All canned peas ‘n’ donkey rides, if you get my meaning.
When he went, they went with him.
Now we must assume that Delia and Michael will remain a cohesive unit until it’s Tom’s turn.
I’m sure the Articles will accommodate the passing down of two sets of shares, one way or another.
Oh Gawd.
1
Is that 70% for her or against?
I don’t just want to blame her though, it’s Delia and Michael as Chris has rightly pointed out.
TBH I’ve had enough of hearing “they saved the club” it’s becoming as tiresome to me as probably my view point is to others.
I bet Geoffrey Watling is turning in his grave…
5
I think you can safely assume your individual interpretation of the ratio will be correct:-)
People tend to forget (or are too young to remember) exactly what Mr Watling did for this Club. Excellent point.
2
Oh.. and sell NOBODY to Wolves
2
Not even Naismith?
1
Or Jarvis?
1
Interesting that after 83 comments only a couple mention Webber, the man responsible for transfers presumably, as director of football. I really hate this ridiculous model of director and coach that we have landed ourselves with. Anyhow I have banged on about that enough on this site. Interesting that views on Delia are so polarised. Mistakes certainly with setting up this stupid model instead of appointing a serious experienced manager but the risks of selling to a new owner are huge and, I think, underestimated
0
I’d normally leave the comments alone after an excellent if slightly fortuitous win at BCFC but once I’ve had my tea I might well make an exception this time around.
Boot, I really understand your point about polarisation – for every comment I make I get an equal retort coming back at me. Delia still has a lot of support out there – not from me, although a few of the MFW writers still back her to the hilt, as they should if they feel it’s the right thing to do. That’s why it’s such a great site to write for – we all think differently about the thing we love, as in NCFC!
John Mortimer who wrote Rumpole of the Bailey amongst other works coined the phrase “She Who Must Be Obeyed”.
Now THAT’S my problem…
4
Martin: I assume I’m in your category of “backing her to the hilt”. That’s not how I think of it. It’s more a case that I’m 100% convinced she’s a benevolent owner, I don’t believe she’d stand in the way of any legitimate and decent takeover (despite her clumsy and misquoted comments in the Times interview), and I give her credit for relinquishing control rather than clinging to it when change is needed (eg to McNally in 2009, to Webber and Stone now).
She’s been party to mistakes and is open to criticism, no doubt, but also party to some good decisions. The number of Premier League seasons we’ve had under her tenure doesn’t seem to me to warrant the accusations of failure and letting the club down.
I’d describe it as a balanced view. No doubt others will call it something else….
PS Congratulations for sparking such a fine debate!
1
Thanks Stewart.!
Of course it’s a balanced view.
I can’t help but feeling that Times piece, even if clumsy and maybe (?) misquoted , was pivotal in turning a lot of people away from a previous sense of personal loyalty towards her.
Benevolent? Most people nowadays associate that word with financial generosity alone, not originally its true meaning. In terms of money made available to the Club she isn’t worth enough to do anything significant. Not her fault, of course.
Most importantly she’s certainly not malevolent, and quite a few supporters of other clubs would settle for that:-)
My assessment of “failure” is our failure to consolidate in the PL when we’ve twice had a realistic chance. I can see where those who theorise that we don’t even want to be in the PL are coming from.
As for being amenable to decent investment, if you add MWJ’s “we don’t even listen” comment to the Tom Smith succession plan, it requires a Wordsworthian willing suspension of disbelief that I do not possess!
Looking forward to your piece later – the debate must go on:-)
1
Right, we could end up with people who refuse to help fund the club.
2
The lack of ambition and sense of entitlement is palpable. We have no ingrained right to be any highier in the league table than Lincoln, Grimsby, Luton, Plymouth, or any other locality. In terms of the history of Norwich City we are well placed to kick on. The hungry and ambitious know one can progress with the correct ingredients and plan, hard work can produce results and is preferable to being spoilt by being showered by ‘investment’ from a foreign franchise. Mind you I am upset with the Board for selling Kevin Reeves.
2
Lovely last sentence about Kevin Reeves.
Sure, “No Reeves no Fans no Future” didn’t quite work out that way and NCFC life does indeed go on.
But is it as good as it could (and probably should) be?
0