The Biter Bit: Someone or somebody who has caused harm to other people in the past who has retrospectively been hurt big time by those he wished to harm in the first place. A quote from some famous geezer I can’t trace c 1650. Go Wilder: Track on an old Tenpole Tudor album. Sample excerpt of lyrics: “Go Wilder, scream […]
No cutting edge but, equally, we never looked like conceding. Just one of those
Back in the day there was an arcade game called Breakout. It emerged a couple of years after Space Invaders and the objective was simple: put your, 20p or whatever it was then, in the slot and try to batter down a brick wall with a paddle. If you got through the wall, you could wreak havoc from […]
Those elusive leaders are slowly starting to emerge. Three more against Burton and we really will be up and running.
“It’s important that I’m a leader on the pitch and a strong person for the young lads. I need to bring the fighting spirit out of them.” Timm Klose. Well Timm, you made a fair old fist of that on Saturday and it was terrific to welcome you back. And talking of parts of the […]
We all love ’em – players with mayfly-like ability to light the old place up and burn brightly
Everyone has their favourite chippy – and indeed their favourite footballers. No Ian Crook link intended. My old boy was a typical man of his era in that as much as he “loved” my mother there were (many) times he couldn’t wait to escape from her. Very early one sunny morning he said “come on […]
Old doubts starting to resurface for some? How much P word will it take?
Back in 1973 when most MFW readers and writers were in nappies, there was an ambitious band called Queen, previously known as Smile. They recruited Freddie Mercury (aka Bulsara), changed their name and released a single called Keep Yourself Alive. It bombed. A single from the second album Queen II – possibly the finest example of […]
Evolution takes time, as will the ‘Webberlution’. We have to stick with it
Back in the Dark Ages when I was at school, we had a science teacher called Graeme Penman. He was a Kiwi with a fantastic sense of humour and also the Junior Colts cricket coach. Nets with him were fun, and his lessons were more than bearable even if, like me, you were utter wallaby […]
Zimmers dominating, the artistry of Wessi & Maddison, and a confident Angus. What’s not to like?
Well, I thoroughly enjoyed last night – a well-marshalled defence in which Christoph Zimmermann was outstanding, the artistry of Wessi and James Maddison, a fantastic save by Angus Gunn from the irritant that is Jamie Mackie… …and the best atmosphere I can remember at The Carra in a long time. There was a superb pass […]
A few positives to cling onto but still plenty of hand wringing and furrowed brows
So the Black Cats got the cream – and for the simple reason my mate was the first around us to voice but we all knew: we had all the possession, they scored all the goals. All summer us on MFW and many others elsewhere have been advocating patience. We are a work in progress, […]
Sunderland Preview: Grabbs, that Sunday afternoon in March ’85, Larry Grayson and George Orwell
It’s the new season and City have a new management structure and a much-changed squad many of us have yet to see in serious action. In the spirit of progression, MFW has improved/updated its website and is introducing (imagine a fanfare, we don’t do audio – yet) match previews. With help from the admirable Colin […]
‘Celebration Day’ at the Cottage (of sorts) and early signs that ‘change’ is going to be exciting
The lead riff wriggles out of one’s hands before it can be grasped, just as another scattering riff comes bounding in over the top. When it all falls away for the isolated hook, it’s like taking a deep breath of fresh air … (Lester Bangs) Led Zeppelin brought out a controversial album in 1970 – Led […]
It may take a few windows for this squad to be fully revamped but now there’s a real mood of optimism
Well, that was certainly different, as we all expected it to be. The crowd of 12,907 could easily have been 12,906 thanks to the vagaries of Vauxhall engineering. Anyway without doing a Clarkson on engine management system “idiot lights”, I missed meeting up with my Brighton friends until after the game, and ended up “on […]
The new Carrow Road broom has swept clean the fields of Colney and the offices of ‘the Jarrold’!
Have any of you ever actively wanted to swerve a visit to Carrow Road – as in you would rather have been anywhere else but there that day? Sure, the possibility of ‘meeting’ some irritating Leeds fans or what constitutes Millwall on the road isn’t exactly appealing, but we all take that for what it […]
There have been one or two disasters along the way but it’s now hats off to the club’s PR machine
Well, it came on Saturday. As it usually does around this time of year. Sandwiched between a bank statement and an AA renewal letter. Don’t worry, I’ll be on to the AA very soon to waste 20 minutes on the phone to get the obligatory 40 per cent discount. As you (have to) do. John […]
Feet of Clay. Prompted no doubt by his agent but Jonny H’s final NCFC act did leave a bitter taste
Feet of clay. It’s an old phrase, often misunderstood in this day and age but it’s meaning is still relevant to any supporter of football, whichever that club may be. “A flaw or vulnerability of someone who is otherwise admirable. In the Bible’s Book of Daniel, King Nebuchadnezzar dreamed that he saw a statue made […]
A grotesque drain on football? A necessary evil? So, would football be a better place with no agents?
Okay class, sit up, pay attention and stop making silly noises on the desks with your rulers. Question one: What do Craig Revel Horwood, Keith Lemon and Cameron Jerome have in common? Question two: What links Russell Martin to John Bishop and Dawn French? Question three: What commodity do Ed Sheeran, JK Rowling and Nelson Oliviera all have […]
Time for the dreaded fitness tests. Let’s hope for a team that doesn’t run out of steam on 70 mins
Today our lot head back to the ranch for the dreaded fitness assessments. I wonder what is going through their minds. And I’m not sure I even want to know what has been going through their physical systems during that glorious “month off”. With money to burn, many of them must have been sunning themselves […]
Once a player yourself? Still one? Fancy sharing the good, the bad and the ugly with your MFW friends?
We all moan when CamJam blazes over from six yards and we’ve also known we have had a defence built on the foundations of a Rowntrees’ jelly for some time now. Michael McGovern scares the S out of me when he shapes up to take a place kick. Although all of that is surely about […]
Who should stay and who should go? Right now the Outs at NCFC are every bit as crucial as the Ins
Peaks and troughs. We’re all thoroughly aware of the concept and understand the implications. Indeed that great philosopher Ronnie Wood of Faces and Rolling Stones fame hit the nail smack on the head when he said: “Nobody likes a drought or a flood; we all want a gentle, warm rain”. Mind you, he was talking […]
Let’s dream… so who’s up for being the fan rep on the Norwich City FC board? There any takers out there?
Last week I read a great article by Steve Cook where he presented his “manifesto” for NCFC, included in which was an ostensibly sensible point about supporter representation on the Board. Steve suggested three re-electable supporters in the hot seats, which I will immediately shoot down by saying we’d be lucky to get one (if any). And […]
Second teams (Part 2): Martin P this time takes us to Mallorca and a whistle stop tour of the Balearics
The first time I stepped on Spanish soil was in the year 2000, in Mallorca. Two of my three uncles chose the early part of that year to snuff it, and my dad had been diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. I had left my wife and two wonderful children over an ill-fated liaison with a […]