• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

My Football Writer

My Football Writer Norwich City news… comment… analysis

Norwich City – news, comment and analysis

Find the best betting sites
  • Home
  • About us
  • The Team
  • Archives Index
  • Patreon
  • ADVERTISE
  • Contact us

Gunn signs in again well aware that the doubters are out there. Results will be his judge and jury.

13th May 2009 By Latest News Leave a Comment

Please share

City boss Byan Gunn this evening started a second, full tour of duty all too well aware that the sceptics were out there lurking in the long grass.

The 45-year-old lacks the experience to guide the Canaries back out of League One is one claim; he was simply the cheap and easy option for a rudderless board is another.

He should have gone straight after that gutless Charlton 'performance' would be a third – just as Nigel Worthington should have been shown the door post-Fulham. All three will, you suspect, be aired at tomorrow night's NCISA-chaired 'emergency' public meeting with its chairman John Tilson having already tied his colours to that particular mast. 'Great guy, but…'

But with chairman Roger Munby and chief executive Neil Doncaster already gone and Gunn, Ian Butterworth and Ian Crook now all confirmed in their roles for another full season, the board have pre-empted many of the supporters' demands. Two heads have been delivered on a platter; a third will not be forthcoming.

Decision made, how many of their doubting number will now rally behind the Gunn flag remains to be seen. As ever, results will be his judge and jury. Of that he is well aware.

Those are the rules of the game – do well and you're a hero; today's decision to re-appoint the man who failed to save the Canaries from the drop in his initial 19 games in charge was a bold and an inspired move by the now three-person board.

Fail to deliver the required results in the third tier of English football and his appointment back at the helm will just be another damning charge to lay at the board's door after the ill-fated regimes of Messrs Grant and Roeder tipped the Norfolk side ever nearer the drop.

That's the high wire act the City boss faces. But then he was never one to shirk a challenge…

“My message would be: Get behind the team – and get behind the new management team that have been given the opportunity to take the club forward,” he said simply, after the Canaries this afternoon confirmed Gunn's appointment as manager for another full season.

It would not be Steve Coppell after all. Or Mr Boothroyd. Or Mr Robins.

The doubts will linger. Accusation and recrimination remains thick in the air after Norwich's fall from Championship grace.

“They will obviously have their negativity, but its down to all of us behind the scenes to try and get as many of those people back on our side as possible – and we'll only do that by getting results on the pitch. That and bringing players in that will be committed to the jersey.”

The fact that the likes of a Chrissy Martin and Michael Spillane will be returning from their year-long sabbatical at Kenilworth Road to a face and a voice that they are wholly at home with as opposed to being faced with a whole new set of names and faces after another summer of bloodshed at Colney was a big string to the 'Team Gunn' bow; somehow, at some stage, Norwich have to establish some sense of continuity to their managerial structure.

The kids need stability and assurance if they are to flourish.

“The board of directors have made a decision; they own the football club; now we've got the opportunity to make the most of it,” he said, hopeful that the boardroom would also see some fresh arrivals. Bearing some kind of cash, ideally.

Another reason, he hoped, for the supporters to stay onside and add their full weight to the forthcoming campaign.

“Hopefully, there'll be new investment as well which will be a big help to the playing budget and with that extra support it could make all the difference between a successful season in League One or not.”

As for his own emotions on the back of such a roller-coaster ride of late, they were a very mixed bag. He was very, very raw in that heated Open Day forum; that he cares very deeply about both the football club and the fortunes of his adopted county is, in fairness, never in doubt.

“Relief; determination – but then there's always been determination,” he said, the pain of over-seeing relegation only just starting to ease on the back of this afternoon's news.

“The gut-wrenching feeling that I had last week has gone away with the excitement of looking forward to next season now.

“And to be given the opportunity now to put a wrong right – that's important to me.

“The board have given me the opportunity; they believe in me; they believe in Ian Butterworth and Ian Crook; John Deehan; Paul Crichton – all the people we took in in January – and we all have the opportunity now to build a squad, develop young players at the training ground and compete at the highest level we can in League One.”

He has, at least, been through the mill; the last four months have delivered the kind of experience he never wants to repeat. But it is experience, nevertheless.

“When we came in in January, we felt we could complete that mission and stay in the Championship – and we failed over the last five games.

“And that's an ever-lasting memory for me now. That's a bad experience which I never want to experience again and I really want to focus on the positive going forward and build a team and a back room staff that will help us compete in a very difficult league.

“We now it's not going to be easy, but we have to get together a squad of players that are proud to wear the Norwich City jersey.”


Please share

Filed Under: Latest news

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

FIND MY FOOTBALL WRITER ON

As featured on NewsNow: Norwich City news” style=

Norwich City News 24/7

#NCFC LATEST

footiespr5687 S.P.R sports stats (Simon) @footiespr5687 ·
35m

Norwich City Vs Burnley FC

Norwich City have won 1 of last 10 at Carrow Road and host a Clarets side 17 points ahead of 3rd place Middlesbrough and on the verge of a swift return to top flight

Prediction = 1-2
@NorwichCityFC @BurnleyOfficial #NCFC #burnleyfc

Reply on Twitter 1621655855027425283 Retweet on Twitter 1621655855027425283 Like on Twitter 1621655855027425283 Twitter 1621655855027425283
jgraver7 James @jgraver7 ·
51m

Nice to see Núñez on here. Still has something different to offer for us from our other options and should get a lot of minutes in the run in. #ncfc

Reply on Twitter 1621651717077991427 Retweet on Twitter 1621651717077991427 Like on Twitter 1621651717077991427 1 Twitter 1621651717077991427
stonesey88 Chris Stones @stonesey88 ·
56m

Even though all we do is take the piss out of each other on a daily basis I just wanna take the chance to wish @JStewart_15 the best tommorow on the tampa bay challenge! If your there support him! The lad deserves the holiday! #ncfc

Reply on Twitter 1621650585387687940 Retweet on Twitter 1621650585387687940 Like on Twitter 1621650585387687940 Twitter 1621650585387687940
huckerbysbarber Huckerbysbarber @huckerbysbarber ·
1h

Love this!! -28 with the windchill this end so you ain’t missing anything. #ncfc enjoy the game @TorontoCanaries

Reply on Twitter 1621647602956615681 Retweet on Twitter 1621647602956615681 Like on Twitter 1621647602956615681 Twitter 1621647602956615681
gldavey73 gary davey @gldavey73 ·
1h

Best night in our history? #NCFC @NorwichCityFC

Reply on Twitter 1621645767545966592 Retweet on Twitter 1621645767545966592 Like on Twitter 1621645767545966592 Twitter 1621645767545966592
Load More...

Copyright © 2023 21VC Ltd | All rights reserved | Not to be reproduced without prior permission.

Disclaimer: The information on this website consists of personal opinions. Whilst we have taken all reasonable steps to ensure that the information contained on these Web pages is accurate and correct at the time of writing we do not accept any liability whatsover for any loss or damage caused by reliance on this information.

We do not accept any responsibility for information contained in other websites to which this site links. We strongly advise users to check any information before acting or relying on it.

Developed and Hosted by