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Judge this man by the company he keeps and the players he brings in…

30th October 2007 By Rick Waghorn Leave a Comment

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For anyone seeking a reference point re Glenn Roeder, you could do a lot worse than think a younger Bruce Rioch.

Two people drew that comparison this morning – both of whom knew the ex-Canary boss inside out.

And now having met him for the first time at Carrow Road this morning, you can see the similarities.

Upright, decent, solid individuals, Roeder and Rioch are probably exactly the kind of steady hands at the tiller that the Canaries need right now.

Do either men bring the instant 'Wow!' factor to the party? No, probably not. Does the TV camera instinctively love them? Probably not.

But having long since made the decision – rightly or wrongly – that anyone of a foreign ilk would be a leap too far in terms of their Championship experience, so the next question is a simple one: How many 'Wow!' candidates were actually out there?

Answer: One, probably.

And he was on holiday until Sunday.

And as it became increasingly obvious that Mr Jewell might have more than one iron in the fire and might be more than happy to just sit and wait and see what else develops, so Norwich's hand was being forced. They couldn't afford to sit and play his games – they didn't have enough games to play with to do that.

Not with Ipswich fast looming on the horizon. And with both Messrs Duffy and Cureton demanding that the whole situation be sorted ASAP.

Would money have talked long and loud enough with Jewell? Well, you suspect he wouldn't have left Wigan a poor man. And then, as ever, there was geography; there were kids; there were schools.

And then there was Norwich's position in the league.

And is Roeder's cv that shabby? Anyone who can twice take a side to seventh in the Premiership from somewhere near its nether reaches must have something about him – even if the fates and Freddy Shepherd then conspired against him thereafter.

But for me, one of the more interesting ways to judge a man is by the company he keeps.

Particularly when, by and large, the only way to get out of the current mess Norwich are in is by bringing in decent players.

So if Harry Redknapp appoints you as his Youth Academy coach in 1999 and entrusts you with the development of Michael Carrick and Joe Cole, you expect there to be a relationship there.

OK, a lot of fuss has been made linking Roeder to a potential new role at the Emirates Stadium as Arsene Wenger's own 'Director of Football'; and while the job may never have materialised, neither it seems did the role itself.

But again, judge the man by the company he keeps. And over this summer – and, indeed, on many a Saturday this season – Roeder could be found rubbing shoulders with the great and the good at the Emirates.

Just as much as results will always decide his fate, the first benchmark for the new Canary boss to reach will be in terms of the players he brings to Carrow Road – either via the 'emergency' loan route in the next few weeks or once the transfer window re-opens full-time in January.

Because as much as giving the current set of Canary players a simple set of instructions to follow will get Roeder somewhere further up the table, getting Norwich out of the mire entirely will come down to the calibre of players that the new man attracts to this football club.

And, as has been mentioned before, it is in their recruitment policies as much as in their tactical nous that the great managers earn their spurs.

After all, how complicated can it be getting 11 blokes to stand in a certain formation before kick-off and, roughly, run about in that formation for the next hour and a half?

The difference is in the players; the difference in Norwich's case will be getting someone different to play alongside Darel Russell in central midfield; the difference won't come in ripping up the 4-4-2 rule book and starting again.

Were there other alternatives out there? Yes, Martin Allen principal amongst them.

If Jewell might be seen as your 'Wow!' candidate; so 'Mad Dog' was clearly the risk one.

And probably City's fast detiorating league position did for the ex-Brentford and MK Dons chief.

He has, quite clearly, got something. To achieve what he has at that level, twice, he must have.

And to judge any man on three months and three games under Milan Mandaric is a mug's game; who knows what on earth kicked off at the Walkers Stadium.

But right know, whether Allen's 'In yer face..' working style is just what Norwich need must be a moot point.

It either goes very, very right – or very, very wrong. And you do sense that the balance of power in the bigger, more expensively-assembled dressing rooms has changed over the last few years; maybe not for the better.

In fact, definitely not for the better. The players rule, OK? And when you're investing ?12,000 per week in that individual and he can all but down tools in an instant, boy does player power rule.

And that will be the next test for Allen, to take his clear and direct motivational methods on and up into the next levels of English football.

And the best of luck to him; ruffling the odd, pampered player feather is no bad thing – and, from a distance, might have been hugely amusing to watch.

But it would only have come with huge risks; Norwich have neither the time nor the points to play with for that.

All of which ensured that late yesterday afternoon, the debate came back to Roeder.

That he was the best man to lead Norwich out of this 24-carat crisis and back into the relative calm of mid-table mediocrity.

How he then pushes on from there is a question for the future – next August in every likelihood.

For now Roeder's task is far more straight-forward – to pull the Norfolk club right out of this relegation fire. Do that and the 51-year-old's appointment today will have worked; fail and his appointment will have failed.

It is, when all is said and done, as simple and straight-forward as that.


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