During the course of the season we have regularly heard the passionate thoughts of Yellow Army foot soldier, Anita Byrne-Phillips. And so for the final time in 2015/16, take it away ABP…
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I have had a season-ticket for 17 years – OK there was a short break in the middle, married someone who hated football [big mistake], divorced and renewed season ticket [great decision] – and I have witnessed a few relegations.
Unfortunately they just don’t get any easier to endure and I’m sure I wasn’t the only person to shed a tear last Wednesday night.
But I’m sure I’m not alone – in football you’re never alone – and I am positive there have been a fair few grown men over the course of time supporting their team who have done the same.
But it’s been a tough one.
Villa away: This was my worst away-day to date. I stood, the rain pelting down my face, with a small child standing on his chair facing me rather than the pitch who preceded for almost the full 90 mins to scream “kick it, kick it” into my left ear.
And if that wasn’t painful enough there was the game itself. And it was afterwards that it dawned we didn’t have the quality or perhaps even the desire to stay in the Premier League.
Aston Villa had been awful all season and we couldn’t even grind out a result away against them. Perhaps that was the start of #alongcamenorwich.
And that became the theme of the season.
If the opposition had a striker not hitting the target, had had a bad few games or a run of bad luck just throw little ol’ Norwich in as their next game.
But that aside we simply didn’t find the necessary quality in attack and, put simply, our lack of goals meant a lack of points. And we have now slid back to the Championship.
Last Wednesday, in a week that made Norwich fans question everything from the team to behind the scenes, I feared the atmosphere would be one of impending doom.
There were even rumours of protests, fans calling for all the board to resign, for Alex Neil to be sacked, and questions asked of who was worthy of wearing our shirt.
I wondered if the ground would be half-full and it was with trepidation that I entered the turnstile and made my way straight to the empty bar for some Dutch courage.
What transpired though surprised me. Despite fans being divided by the marmite McNally and what could be round the corner, we saw a great game of football.
There was initially a Great Escape backdrop but even as it became clear there wasn’t going to be one and with the Watford celebrating the Sunderland goals, the chants notched up to a fever pitch.
We were in this together. United we stood.
We may have gone down in footballing terms but we were uplifted, standing proud, singing loud, voices in unison, arms aloft.
This is our club, this is where our loyalties lie. We may disagree about the CEO, the best striking partnership or the back-four, but we have a sense of belonging.
And we all have one thing in common: a love for our club. We fill Carrow Road week in week out. We are one big family.
So let’s remember that atmosphere. It was intense. It may have just kept our manager here. It humbled him. It even made newspaper columns.
We didn’t get relegated demonstrating against owners, we held our heads high. We did our club proud.
I think we know we have got what it takes to be a bigger club. Colney will be undergoing a refurbishment in the summer and we have now appointed a head of recruitment, which I feel is where our failure to strengthen lies.
Our scouting network also needs addressing; all part of the same issue of failing in the transfer market.
We have to just hope whoever comes in can put that into place. McNally has laid the groundwork – turning us from a club on the brink of administration to a financially sound business – but we are not a commodity.
We proved last Wednesday that as fans and we are dedicated and without fans there is no football.
So let’s see if we can put ourselves through it all again. Look out Championship we’re coming for you….!
City Till I Die
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Thanks again Anita. I’m sure we’ll hear from her again once the Championship campaign is up and running.
Stirring words Anita. It’s going to hurt for a while yet, but once England have failed miserably in France, we can all start looking forward to scrapping it out in the Championship.
I disagree slightly with your view that a lack of goals in the PL was our undoing. More would have been great but we did score more than West Brom and the same as Palace. It was the fatal combination of problems at both ends (including inconsistent goalkeeping) which did for us.
Last time, we had a player (Bradderz) who seemed to epitomise the qualities necessary to pull his team mates through tricky games and score crucial goals in the Champ. We badly need to find a replacement hero for that vital role.
I just hope that the verbal clappers don’t start flying at the first sign of problems next season. Brighton went unbeaten for the first 22 games but look like they will still miss out. Patience and a lack of entitlement is crucial on the pitch and off it.
Have a great summer NCFC boys and girls.
Anita, good stuff again. Benefit of marrying non footy fan is they just laugh at you and actually after the stress laughing is good!
We are so lucky to have the club we have. As a fan we support the team whichever league or competition we are in. One of the best experiences we’ve had last May 25 wouldn’t have been without relegation.
The atmosphere at home against Watford said it all just as you witnessed Anita.
I’ve been in San Francisco visiting my first grandson and so missed the final indignity of relegation. But I am happy to have renewed my season ticket for next season.
What we need is the development of two or three of our young players – the Murphys, James Madison, Ben Godfrey, Harry Toffolo etc – to be able to grow into top class players. Of the present squad only Olsson, Bennett, Klose, Howson, and Redmond look long term bets and how many of those will be lining up in August!
I remember the infamous sweatshirts “on loan to the Endsleigh League. Let us hope for another quick return but we cannot count on it.
Good luck with the rebuilding. OTBC
Yes, Watford was a strange night indeed. You’re so right about the trepidation. I’ve got a mate who is a Steward and I always talk with him briefly before disappearing into the bowels of the Barclay. He’d heard the same rumours we all had and, frankly, wasn’t looking forward to his night’s work. However, “being Norwich” it turned out the way it did. Quite unbelievable really:-)