While it wasn’t exactly death by a thousand cuts, in the end it did feel like a good three or four hundred.
As painful as it was to endure yesterday afternoon’s slow walk to relegation, there was an overriding feeling of relief. Relief that what had slowly and cruelly turned into a footballing nightmare was over.
That the board appear to be acting quickly with regard to appointing a new manager indicates they are as keen to draw a line under this season and move on as the fans. And that has to be the right way to go.
David McNally, in conversation with BBC Radio Norfolk earlier today, has clearly already taken a long hard look at his own, and the board’s, failings this season and spoke bullishly of his desire to right the wrongs of 2013/14.
Appointing the right manager is obviously vital in rehabilitating Norwich City Football Club but to do so without learning the harsh lessons learned over the last ten months would be a disaster. But McNally is a shrewd operator and I expect him to.
In the same interview he declared his love for the football club and, quite rightly, indicated that he didn’t think it would be in anyone’s best interests if he were to walk away now. And I agree.
Having unwisely compared the prospect of relegation to being ‘worse than death’, and now with a relegation on his CV, the chief executive will be hurting as much as the rest of us right now. He won’t want to suffer this pain again any time soon and he certainly won’t wish to see all the good work of his five-year tenure unravel in less than one.
And his next move in the chess game that is running this football club will be one that ultimately defines whether or not that happens.
Whoever comes in will have a tricky job on their hands. Neil Adams’ no-nonsense approach to one or two senior individuals in the squad suggests that all was not rosy behind the scenes. Or, adversely, perhaps a little too cosy. Either way the names omitted from squad over the last few games tell a story all of their own and indicates that some big names will be heading out of the door over the next few weeks.
The squad needs rebuilding; there little doubt about that. While I’m not expecting a mass exodus there will clearly be those who, for all the right reasons, will want to stay in the Premier League and have earned that right.
Others who are less deserving will also be wanting away hoping to keep their noses in the Premier league trough.
No need to name names. The next few weeks will reveal all.
But, on the assumption the new manager and probably a director of football will be in situ before next weekend, the sooner they can address the deficiencies in the squad and re-shape it the better. I hesitate to use the L word but we all loved the way he went about getting his transfer business ‘done early’.
It would be good if Mr X and Mr Y had the same approach.
But let’s not forget there will still be a decent nucleus with which to have a decent crack at the Championship, even before we see some new faces. Once said clear-out has occurred the new manager will be left with those who still have the fight and desire, and a group of youngsters who, one year on from winning youth football’s biggest prize, will be chomping at the bit for a crack at first-team football.
That, to me, sounds like a decent start.
The challenge will be then to bolt on some players who will enhance that group and make it one equipped for the rigours of the Championship – which, when compared to the Premier League, is almost a different sport.
The differences between the top and second tier have been well documented – and are all too obvious – and it’s crystal clear that what’s needed to get promotion and to survive in the Premier League are two very different things.
For that reason I don’t envy the position McNally and the board now find themselves. Our friends down the road have kissed several frogs before they finally found a prince to take them to the edge of the play-offs – but still it’s thirteen seasons and counting.
With a balance sheet that shows zero level of external debt and their best crop of youngsters for thirty years the scene should be set for giving it a go – and if we’re still having this conversation in thirteen years time I’ll be mortified – but let’s not kid ourselves into thinking it’s going to be anything other than a slog.
Season 2010/11 was a one-off. The planets were in perfect alignment and we spent ten months in Utopia. If we expect more of the same I fear it’s only going to end in disappointment.
But, in the words of Steven Gerrard, ‘we go again’. We have a summer of upheaval ahead but out of that one hopes will rise a Norwich City to make us proud again.
We’re a resilient bunch – we’ll bounce back – but there are a few players who clearly ‘didn’t fancy it’ this season. If we’re to move forward and embrace a new improved iteration of our club it’s best for all concerned that they don’t hang around.
I’ve never joined in with the proverbial, ‘you’re not fit to wear the shirt’, but there have been several occasions this season when that sentiment has flicked through the mind. I really hope that the class of 2014/15 will wear it with pride. That’s the least we should expect.
Tick that particular box, brace ourselves for a slog, and who knows…
I’ve never understood the people calling for McNally’s head. He set out a plan that included a relegation. Everyone was on board with it and the time to speak up would have been at the start. No one did as any sort of PL football would have been seen as a great achievement.
If we don’t go back up in the next season or two, then maybe we need a fresh head. But right now McNally’s still got enough klout to sort us out in the coming months.
Care to name names Gary on who you think might not have quite made the effort this season? I’m guessing not, it never seems to be the convention to do so even following Fulham away in 2005. But I can’t really see why not … what have we got to lose? And who exactly are we protecting, and why?
I never understand people criticising McNally for his honesty. And I admire him for his honesty, even when he was admitting it would be silly not to have other managers in mind. Because we’d all have criticised him had he not.
Let’s not forget we were pretty unanimous in our support for the appointment of Hughton.
My one fear is what happened after our last relegation – that, if after six games we’re not top of the league by ten points, a fair few fans will start on the new man because they think we have some god-given right to be winning very game 3-0.
Hopefully that experience wasn’t so long ago that we’ve learned to have a bit more patience this time around. Let’s see. OTBC
Dave B: I think McNally’s “7 year plan”, which included a relegation, was significantly modified a year ago when the money in the Premiership was significantly increased – I think the plan then became “stay in the Premiership”.
Sage: I don’t mind naming names – for a start, Bassong hasn’t looked interested (or match fit) for months.
Snodgrass has been committed, but has failed to provide the sort of service that the strikers need. He’s been too predictable for full-backs, always wanting to come inside on to his left foot.
Fer has blown hot and cold, van Wolfswinkle has made some good movement, but tends to sulk, particularly when he is substituted.
Hoolahan might have been the man to provide a spark, but seemed to have his head turned by Lambert’s so-called offer for him in January.
Hooper didn’t really live up to the hype.
On the more positive side, Bradley Johnson has bust a gut in the cause, Redmond shows promise, Howson is one we must hang on to, Turner has mostly been solid, and there are some promising youngsters coming through. I was particularly impressed with Loza on Sunday.
2). Was based no inside information or anything of that ilk. Simply my own interpretation of the changes made by Adams and those who have found themselves completely out of the picture – who he clearly thought were detrimental to matters on and off the pitch.
I hope McNally is hearing our support for him. A couple of idiots near me yesterday held up a critical banner – I can only think they don’t remember our situation in summer 2009 when David arrived.
Without labouring the point – and I recognise the number of disappointing performances this season – we actually did well to survive into a third Premiership season with the level of resources and spending at our disposal. In particular, it was critically important that we stayed in the top flight into the 2013-14 season and were part of the expanded TV deal.
Our fans are once again doing themselves proud, turning their energies away from recrimination and towards next season. The Club statement and McNally’s interview were well judged and should help. Cityfan’s point about patience is salient, though.
Perhaps the most disappointing player for me in recent weeks is Fer. In the first couple of months he showed his ability to dominate midfield – the kind of player we’ve been missing for a decade. But when the going got tough, his will seemed to fade. Maybe that’s harsh, but he doesn’t strike me as one who’d fancy a rainy February Tuesday night at Middlesbrough.
The likes of young Ricky ‘the Wolf’ we’ll not again see,
Left out, he huffed and he puffed and then decided to flee,
One goal on the opening day,
Eye watering wages to pay,
We’ve got to re-build big time – but is Malky the key?
I can understand Adams omitting Ricky on Sunday to protect him from the embarrassment of the ‘lap of honour’. Knowing it would realistically be his last game in charge though, it was a massive let down to see Elmander start as a lone striker – the fans needed something to hang on to going into the summer and that wasn’t it. Hooper has under-achieved but there is at least a sniff of a goal threat with him.
Stewart(6) – a little harsh on Leroy. He never got his mojo back after the injury – a few more games and he might have been back to earlier season form. To be fair, no one in their right mind would fancy Middlesbrough on a Feb. mid-week evening!
The broom of change is being prepared for action.
Rick (7): OK, maybe we should give Leroy some benefit of the doubt. But Middlesbrough on Tuesday night in Feb is a fair test: Gary and Grant Holt would both have fancied it, and I suspect Turner and Bradley Johnson would too. We’ll need a good core of those players. OTBC