Perspective is a swine at times like this.
A rotten performance against an average side, riddled with individual errors and set against the backdrop of a flawed team selection was bound to stir a reaction, but the toxic cocktail of Canary Call and Twitter was sufficient to send the Yellow Army into a Saturday night meltdown.
There were even ‘Alex Neil: should he stay or should he go’ polls. And all after one defeat in six.
Yet there is no sugar coating the paucity of yesterday’s performance and try explaining to members of the Yellow Army who made the trip that defeats of such ilk are ‘one of those things’ – even if they are.
Much of the venom was fired in the direction of the board and how their struggles to land Alex Neil’s transfer targets are finally biting us on the bum (more on that later) but there’s no doubt the manager did have sufficient tools at his disposal to beat Birmingham; if not to win to certainly produce a higher level of peformance.
Equally however, the collective gasp that greeted news of Steven Naismith leading the line told a story of its own. Kyle Lafferty, while clearly not in the manager’s long-term thoughts, would have offered a more conventional focal point for the afternoon; so too Carlton Morris.
There was little evidence to suggest that Naismith leading the line was going to work – and the general consensus at 2pm yesterday was, unfortunately, bang on the money. He’s looks, and is playing, like someone who’s unhappy in his current surroundings and is a shadow of the player we dreamed of when parting with £8 million.
That the ball didn’t stick and that City had no presence up front came as no surprise, and against that background it was incumbent on the midfield being organised yet creative and the back-four being solid and error-free.
Alas all four elements went missing for the afternoon.
Part of the aforementioned perspective is of course that Alex’s hand is currently being hindered by injuries to key players; in particular in the full-back positions, where Steven Whittaker’s afternoon was unworthy of description and Robbie Brady, along with an array of loose passing, had a watching brief for the Blues’ first goal.
Both are naturally capable of better, and have proved it many times in the past, but neither will be playing in those positions when Messrs Olsson and Pinto are fit.
Alex Tettey’s role in the third goal also needs no description but was symptomatic of his afternoon and the team in general: loose, lacking awareness, sloppy and lackadaisical. None of which have any place in the footballing maelstrom that is the Championship.
It’s a phrase I detest (partly because Worthy trotted it out so regularly), but at any level of football you really do have to earn the right to play, meaning the physical battle has to be won in order to offer yourself a platform to get the ball down and play.
Right now it feels a little as if we’re skipping that particular element and fast-forwarding to the pretty stuff. It worked against a very ordinary Blackburn; we just about got away with it against Wednesday, Bristol City and that lot, but we were found out yesterday.
There’s no fast-track to a win in the Championship; they have to be earned and more often than not in an ugly, brutal manner. Alex knows it – he was super-fast in his appraisal of the league’s requirements first time around – but it appears a message that’s still being processed elsewhere.
But – to paraphrase a fellow MFW columnist – the brown stuff does occasionally manifest itself and in a 46 game season there will be days when everything goes wrong and you look for all the world like a team of ill-equipped strangers. Under Neil Adams that day was away at Middlesbrough, when we got tonked 4-0.
Lessons of course have to be learned from the debris of St Andrew’s and while a wake up call should have been totally unnecessary, if it acts as one in a positive way then we just remember it as the shocker it was and move on.
But it can’t become a Premier League type habit.
***
I don’t consider it an over-exaggeration to suggest the next three days could make or break City’s season.
The summer-long search for a striker, or strikers, looks likely to bear fruit in the next 24 hours, with the signing of Nelson Oliveira, and the noises emanating from Nottingham – where he had a loan spell last season – appear promising. And, fingers crossed, there may be another new face appearing before the deadline.
There is absolutely no question that behind the scenes masses of work has been ongoing to bring in new faces – and the calls for Ed Balls to shelve Strictly and ‘get back behind that desk and sign someone’ are pure nonsense – but there is equally no questioning the club’s struggle to land the names on Alex Neil’s list of most wanted.
Oliveira sounds like a decent player and will no doubt offer something different to our attack but he isn’t the ’20-goal striker’ that we were reportedly in the market for. Neither, I suspect, was he anywhere near the top of said list.
Recruitment is a problem for us. Not through a lack of effort or a lack of desire but there is a problem.
Whether that problem relates to the depth of our pockets, unwillingness to delve sufficiently deep in the pockets, reputation, geography or setting unrealistic targets in the first place I have absolutely no idea, but it’s a system that is currently not delivering in the way we’d all like.
It’s failed consistently for some time now and with different individuals in situ. It appears, from the outside looking in, a systematic failure rather than one that boils down to individuals failing to deliver.
And, in order for this club to thrive, it’s a deficiency that has to be addressed.
Good luck Jez.
i feel that you are 100% correct, but do you feel that the manager is learning ? playing naismith upfront and whitaker at right back instead of russell martin ? just unbelievable !!
My take on this is as follows:
1) Why would any manager cut his chances of winning by not picking the best forward available to him as in Lafferty
2) I like Alex Neil but if you are Scottish then possibly you get more of a chance??
3) whats happened to the young french defender that can play at right back as well a Centre half
4) Dump the transfer committee and let Alex and Jez do what they are paid to do
5) Instead of lining his on pocket by appearing on Strictly get over to China and find some one that wants to buy a controlling interest in a club with very deep pockets to invest in city, find away to build above the city stand to increase capacity and revenue.
long like the king and Queen of carrow road but they will not be there for ever.
Follow up to previous comments:
Looking at any possible investments from China,
some of the clubs that have in recent times had investment or taken over by foreign owers haven’t always worked out also the clubs haven’t been in the best financial position, City are a stable club in all aspects.
I would like any city supporter like to stay locally owned but with it being a Global Game the club must look at the best places to get investments in, even Bournemouth with a ground capacity of 12k has a very rich Russian who is majority owner but leaves the previous owners to oversea the running can,t we find the same or is it that again location is the problem???
The calls for his head are not based on one result, that’s classic liberal ignorance of the facts in order to not face harsh decisions. I was so excited at his appointment, but AN is not learning, even the most dimwitted amongst us can see that. He is still making the same mistakes over and over and continues to relieve teams of unwanted records, something he relished in last season too. Then there is his style of play…people have been duped in to believing he is some sort of swashbuckling attacking manager. He is not. Other than Blackburn, we have laboured to hit the back of the net. The worst of all his mistakes is the lost opportunity to get the fans back on side. This summer was the opportunity to remove the deadwood and get city fans smiling again. Not only did he pass that opportunity up, he proceeded to offer contracts out to them as well. I am largely disappointed because Neil has surprised me in his weakness. When it comes to big decisions around contracts or match day, he is pathetic. He plays the big boys put of position and gives them new contracts because he’s scared of them. That’s the only answer and will be his downfall. I’m sick of hearing how he will be a top manager, its beyond moronic. Those same happy clappy fools were the ones saying Redmond will go to the very top. Good god.
Ps. The transfer issue is about money, that’s it. It surprises me you can even bring geography into it. If that was the case, Celtic, Newcastle, Sunderland etc etc would not have one player lining up for them! Its money and the fact we don’t want to spend it. I fully support the youth approach, which costs absolute millions to continue with but if he can’t use Morris in those situations where we have no striker, and need one with running and strength in him then it’s never going to bear fruit. Naismith for the RVW award anyone? I hear Carlo Nash can get here at 140mph if we need another square peg up front.
My frustration largely appears from the fact we have sooo many good players and AN still can’t get it right. That does not bode well. I’m pretty sure I could turn up with a fag in one hand and a frankfurter in the other on a Saturday and still get this team to score.
I agree with comment 1, how much more has Alex Neil got to learn !!!!!! Whitaker at right back when Russell Martin is fit, Lafferty had got to be better upfront than a poor Nasmith ….this is not hindsight or a learning curve it’s pretty obvious to the most clueless of fans, so why not Neil, oh I forgot he’s learning and these things are a wake up call.Yes the striker situation is not helping but a bigger problem is our “learning” manager, was his previous half a season championship success a flash in the pan? Maybe , maybe not and it’s difficult to tell but I for one am tired of hearing how he’s learning
Fans of other clubs reading this exchange (not to mention listening to Canarycall etc) must be shaking their heads in disbelief.
If every performance this season had been like yesterday, it would be understandable. But they haven’t been. Have we fulfilled our potential yet this season? Of course not. But yesterday was fundamentally different and unique; the kind of performance that can’t be accepted or excused, but that every team, even the most successful, has in every season.
Let’s start making judgements after ten games. That’s what I said after Blackburn, and I say it again now.
PS I think the answer about Lafferty was provided in his performance when he came on yesterday.
Ageography is irrelevant. To a chinaman Norwich, Weston super mare, bishops stortford, the isle of dogs whatever, they mean nothing. English football club, big support, growing city, top,flight pedigree, no debt, assets on the pitch. Yet still not even a sniff of investment, not even a tentative enquiry, nothing, zilch. Yeah, right.
Yesterday’s debacle was a combination of poor attitude/application (we’re Norwich and we’re better than you!), poor game plan (smother them and try and score a perfect goal) and poor transfer policy (still no strikers to cover CJ’s injury). AN clearly doesn’t want Lafferty in his team, that is the only explanation for him not starting yesterday, but how we’ve allowed ourselves to be in the position of having no striking options is quite beyond me. Every one of our rivals have managed to buy at least one if not two new strikers, whilst we appear to be satisfied with an ex-Nottm Forest loaned! Lack of investment cost us last year and if this season sees a repeat then the Board will lose any credibility it still has. You’re right Gary, three days to save our season and save the Board!
” English football club, big support, growing city, top,flight pedigree, no debt, assets on the pitch. Yet still not even a sniff of investment, not even a tentative enquiry, nothing, zilch.”
Interesting to hear that Chris (9). Who is providing you with this inside information?
Re. transfers, I wonder to what extent our insistence on relegation wage reductions is an issue.
Supposing we try to sign a player now on a 3-year deal. We will undoubtedly offer various rewards for promotion, including a substantial wage increase. All our rivals will be doing the same. In that 3 years we might get promoted and then relegated. Supposing though that others do not insist on future relegation clauses that might be applicable in a couple of years. Where’s the player going to want to go?
As fans we love the idea that if our team is relegated the players should be punished financially. But I sometimes wonder if these clauses are potential deal-breakers when we are trying to recruit.
I firmly believe one of the major problems here revolves around the word “cosy”.
I respect the writers – all of them – on this site as there’s always an excellent read on here. I never make vitriolic comments because there’s no need to: everybody is civilised and that’s great.
But NCFC itself is just a little too cosy for my liking. If you fit in with The Dynasty, you will be fine. Otherwise, you won’t be. I’m sorry, but that’s how I see it. And it is doing us no good whatsoever as a Football Club.
I fail to see how we can progress under the current Owners and, for the first time, I am beginning to doubt Alex Neil. I don’t want a random foreign takeover, but I despair for our future on the pitch under Delia, her family and her political allies.
It’s nothing to do with losing 3-0 away to the Bluenoses, I’ve felt like this for some time. If Delia truly loved the Club she’d pass it on to someone other than her nephew. If he’s in charge we will be in this situation for evermore.
I’m sure this will be an unpopular post, but it’s what I really think. Steve Bruce is out there.
re the transfer situation, it does seem astonishing that most other championship clubs seem able to attract new strikers. Newcastle have just signed Murphy from down the road…..he would have been ideal for us, and probably would not even have had to re-locate. Gayle is already there, with Mitrovic so there is no guarantee of a starting place. Oh; I forgot, he’s not Scottish so would have no chance of displacing Naismith – whose body language displays a marked lack of wishing to play for NCFC. Yesterday should also have been the final game for Whittaker in an NCFC shirt. He surely only gets to play by using the nationality card? Martin is a much more able/competent full back, and what about Godfrey’s cameo last Tuesday? OK, he’s young and Coventry were not Birmingham…but when will we give some of these youngsters a chance if not whilst the seniors are underperforming so badly?
John (13) – Just to mention that Russell Martin (criminally overlooked in your view) is also Scottish
Yesterday was clearly an exceptionally poor performance. It therefore says something that what bothered me more was listening to the bile coming out from some of the supporters around me. I see its continued here. Suggesting that Whittaker only plays because he’s Scottish is ridiculous. I agree that Martin should play instead but as he’s also Scottish, I don’t think nationality is an issue.
As I say, it was poor yesterday and perhaps the only player to come out with any credit was Jerome. He’s faced so much criticism over the past year but was clearly missed. Neil clearly doesn’t rate Lafferty and I’m happy to back him on that. I’ve seen nothing to doubt that decision.
I do question why some people bother to watch, they’re not happy when we win, draw or lose it seems.
Can’t believe any manager even a football manager with veri little experience can set the team up the way Alex Neil did yesterday beggars believe .this man needs to go before our season gets unrepairable .i have seen the comments of playing Scottish players in preference to other better players who are not Scottish and have to totally agree this is happening .the simple fact of yesterday’s debacle which I still hAvent got over it wAs quite comical to think he set the team up this way but coupled with the fact Stephen Whittaker was chosen above the usual premier league season right back Russell Martin what’s that all about . A bigger bigger question is why have Whittaker and Micheal turner got new contracts . The only thing what is sensible and to save our season is to get rid of Alex Neil and bring in Steve Bruce .
Hi all
Loads of great comments, but the problem are the same as always.
1) The board have said on numerous occasions that they are looking into getting fresh investments for the club, at one time they even mentioned they had outsourced this to a firm that has experience in the field over the years there has never been any up date on this search, if the likes of Cardiff, Leicester, Sheff Wed, Fulham can find overseas investors why can,t Norwich possible the one factor that put 3 out of the 4 named is Manadric he purchased all except Fulham and sold them on once he had stabilised them.
City don’t need stabilising so he possibly wouldn’t be interested in an investment but could possibly help to find someone who might be interested.
El dingo, your post isn’t as unpopular as you think. You hit the nil on the head. The direction the club has taken over the last few years is disturbing, not inclusive. The politicisation of the club, the jumping on populist liberal bandwagons, the aligning with labourite policies and politicians, “let’s be avin EU” and all that stuff is distasteful to a proportion of the clubs support and insulting. Politics has no place in football, for ninety minutes we are all on the same side. I am amazed that the augmentation of the board with pro Delia allies has never been challenged. Our club appears to have been promised to a man about whom we know nothing at all, other than he has no great accomplishment or knowledge of business or football and probably relatively little money. Football is a changing landscape and our family ownership model is bucking a trend. Is the rest of the world wrong? This is so insular it defies belief. The infiltration of ed balls following his political nosedive smacks of a one sided arrangement. He is clearly trying to reinvent himself in a variety of public roles, his baking, and more recently his dancing on prime time to. Quite what the arrangement brings to Norwich city I really don’t know. Darren Eadie recently stated on radio Norfolk he personally knows of a potential investor who was given the brush off when approach s were made. Chris Sutton is a critic of the board. Both these men have impeccable Norwich city credentials and extensive contacts within the game and the wider media. Anybody raising his head above the parapet and criticising the decisions, failures and manner of the board risks abuse online, Apparently it is impossible to support Norwich city,without being a fully paid up member of the Delia smith fan club and swallowing every utterance from the board hook line and sinker. This is a conversation that needs to be had.
Chris 18. You make some interesting points but there is an irrationality in the centre of your argument. It is not our club.
The club no more belongs to us than our favourite pub, beach or supermarket. Rick Waghorn once described fans as “emotional shareholders” and that wonderful phrase sums it up. Just as the collective body of City fans can have an opinion or whether you should sell your house or your car and to whom you should leave your estate when you die but it is your business and yours alone.
This notion that Michael and Delia somehow hold the club in trust for the fans and are servants of our collective will (not that City fans ever have a collective will as on every issue views range from the delusional at each end to the rational in the centre) is a dream. No owner of a football club does that. The fact we have benign owners who are fans and not an autocrat billionaire is detail not principle. If I want to leave my business to my nephew that is my decision and not that of my customers. Similarly, if Michael and Delia want to pass the club to their nephew then only their views matter and the rest of us must like it or lump it. Sad perhaps but there we are
I really am in a minority here but I do not accept that the lineup on Saturday was wrong in principle. It didn’t work out. That is undeniable but it was not obviously wrong.
With the midfield scoring power and aggression of Canos and Jacob as shown on Tuesday and the general ability and appetite of Wes and Howson, playing a ball player up front who could bring in the others and both start and support attacks across the field was a bold move. Looking at Wes and Naismith’s goals against Blackburn and several on Tuesay, Neil picked a team who could unlock defences and make chances.
Now, the execution was woeful but the tactical intentions behind the selections were sound if not inspired.
Andrew, I take your point. It’s entirely accurate to say that Delia smith and her family own the fabric of the club. We may indeed differ on whether this arrangement is benign. I believe as time passes and the club struggles more and more to compete with even average teams in terms of finance the support will turn against smith and her nephew in such a way as has not been seen so,far. You are right, we can like it or lump it. That won’t make for a pleasant scenario for anybody in the long term. Football clubs are an emotive subject as Robert chase found to his cost when his style of ownership came into conflict with the support. My own personal view is that the future of Norwich city is not best served by having Delia smith as sole owner, due to the lack of investment, the litany of chronically bad decisions over twenty years and the image and direction of the club. I truly believe that Norwich city can become a top flight club and enjoy big gates and moderate success if given its freedom and a chance to grow. Perhaps even, an FA cup final? As I said, supporting Norwich city is an emotive undertaking.
Chris (18) and Andrew (19) I enjoyed your comments very much and you both make some great points.
The only one I take issue with is Andrew’s use of the word “benign”. I am really not sure that is the right word as I do not see these folks in that light, although many people still do.
IMO, the Club appears to have become politicised, and that cannot, surely, be to our collective benefit under any circumstances. And no, I’m not a Tory for what it’s worth, I just find semi-closed cliques abhorrant.
Supporting NCFC is a very subjective matter and we all see things in our own ways.
Anyway, good original article and debate.
I find it interesting how many people want to gamble what we have for a mystery foreign owner. This is despite the football league being littered with former Premier clubs, some with foreign owners who would swap places with us in an instant. Alex B (17) of the clubs you mention, I would say we’re in a better place than all but Leicester. With regards to China, I suspect any future investment would go into their league rather than ours.
Andrew (20) I thought the same as you about the team selection but yes, we are in the minority!
Investment is only a gamble if the current model is working and will continue to do so. We all know there are a lot of clubs with investors tHat have not fared so well, it’s because there are so many clubs with investment now it is becoming the norm. They can’t all succeed. It is the laziest of arguments to drone on about Leeds or Portsmouth when the antithesis is there to see. If you want a truer picture of how our little old family owned concern fares against foreign or British for that matter, investment, look at last seasons abject failure. How many of the invested clubs did we finish above? We came 19th out of 20 if I recall and currently sit 11th this season. The only a foreign owned club we bettered last term is currently spending the pants of us in an attempt to effect an immediate return.
Thanks Chris. Forgive me for droning on but my point is that there are a number of clubs and fans that would think our model is working to some degree. However, I’m not focusing entirely on the Premier and it may well be the case that to be completely established we need the investment. However, there is risk attached to it and it is a gamble, I don’t see it as a lazy argument as its true, although the two examples you gave I believe to be more about mis-management than poor investment.
Wasn’t inferring you were droning on Dave h. You didn’t mention those clubs at all in your response. It has to be said though, that those are the two clubs always pushed forward when trying to make the point. Leeds are a total basket case, I wouldn’t want to entertain such a man at carrow road, of course I wouldn’t. Investment hasn’t hurt Bournemouth, Leicester, Swansea, hull etc. All smaller clubs than us, all benefitting from a significant injection of funds allowing them to Lord it up in the premier league while we languish. I think with our big support, lack of debt, off field assets and potential for growth combined with top flight pedigree we are an obvious contender for quality investment. It’s not enough to exist, I want the club to thrive. I don’t believe it will under the current regime.
Thanks again Chris, you make a good argument. I personally think we’re doing better than just existing. I actually don’t think we’re too far away but I accept your point that under the present format we may not get closer than that. However, I’m not sure I would take the gamble of being a Swansea, Bournemouth or Hull for fear of being a Blackburn, Birmingham or Cardiff. I am aware I left Leicester off that list!