Blimey… where to start.
And all in a week when not a single football has been kicked in anger.
But talking of anger, there appears to be a lot of it about, not to mention apoplectic rage, seething resentment and undiluted fury. And all in the name of Norwich City FC.
First things first – the summer transfer window clearly didn’t go as Alex had dreamt it, and to enter September with a squad that’s unquestioningly light in the striking department was, while maybe not a complete disaster, edging it’s way into cock-up territory.
The squad isn’t without talent – certainly by Championship standards – but it is without balance.
A plethora of quality midfielders doesn’t compensate for a lack of firepower, however we try and dress it up, and much now rests on the broad shoulders of Nelson Oliveira if we are to enter the next transfer window in decent fettle – especially if the rumours that surround Cameron Jerome’s injury prove to be true.
The alternatives either appear unfit for purpose (from the manager’s perspective), in the midst of a Norfolk nightmare that he’s desperately trying to escape from or, in the the case of Master Chamakh – which is looking increasingly unlikely – simply unfit.
Of course a 20-goal striker isn’t the be all and end all of a promotion bid and others have proved that goals from all four corners of a squad can atone for not having a Ross McCormack or a Jordan Rhodes (just two names off the top of my head) but two seasons ago a squad that looked not dissimilar to this one relied heavily on Gary Hooper, Lewis Grabban and, from midfield, Bradley Johnson to supplement Jerome’s contribution.
It may all work out fine and the goals will flow freely but there is no escaping the manager wanted another striker in the group and didn’t get one.
A penny for his thoughts on Thursday morning.
But, as is invariably the case, from the outside looking in it all looks very simple. When you’re in the inner sanctum it’s anything but.
Jez Moxey explained on Friday exactly why Deadline Day (oh how I hate having to capitalise those two words) was fruitless in terms of incoming players and, while it was a fairly brutal and joyless, it was a message that simply has to be taken on the chin.
Although it wasn’t obvious to us all – but maybe should have been – Deadline Day was only going to offer up a new face if one of the big names departed; a Robbie Brady or a Steven Naismith most likely. That neither did meant Alex’s desire to land a striker was, it seems, without funding.
So, while we found ourselves linked with what felt like dozens of names – and which gave rise to the ‘scatter-gun’ accusations – in truth I suspect very few had any substance at all, and were simply fodder for Jim White et al.
And, on that subject, it’s an oddity that a club’s transfer window success, or otherwise, is measured by it’s activity on said Deadline Day, almost penalising those who ‘get their business done early’.
That City did neither is probably part of the problem but it remains easy to overlook that we did secure the services of two exciting midfield talents, a keeper who caught the eye of millions in the Euros and managed to retain all of last season’s squad minus Nathan Redmond.
Throw a Nakhi Wells or a Jonathan Kodjia into that mix and most would have taken it, albeit while still muttering about being striker short. Instead we have Nelson Oliveira, whose goals to games ratio has not set the collective pulse racing. But we’ll see… there is no other option.
***
And then of course there’s Timm Klose – the new darling of Carrow Road – who appears to have got the hump.
Early on in the window the EDP exclusively revealed that Timm has declared himself up for the fight and was already digging the trenches for the battle that lies ahead, which at the time came as a surprise and a bonus.
Everything that’s occurred since has led us to believe that his love of Norfolk and the club was genuine – and it probably is – and so therefore to learn that he was in fact angling for a move back to the Prem felt a bit like a blow to the wotsits.
How could he? Dear old Timm, him of the Snapchat tour of Norfolk’s beauty spots, actually wants out.
It could of course just be that his international manager has suggested he would be better off (in every way) playing in the Premier League and, not unreasonably, the player wants to be playing at the highest level. It was just the fact we’ve taken Timm to our hearts that made that particular news item hard to swallow.
But, in the same interview, he did assure us all that he’d continue to give his all for the City cause and right now that’s all we can ask – even if it does leave a slightly bitter taste.
With Naismith also making no secret of his desire to return to the Prem it does offer the impression of a not particularly happy little ship when they regroup at Colney later this week and there is work for Alex and co to do in order to reunite what appears splintered group of players.
It’s odd though. Given we appear to have so many players who see the Premier League as their rightful place how did we manage to get relegated in the first place?
***
And finally, aside from the general grumblings around Moxley’s honest appraisal of the club’s financial limitations in this window, he did throw in a phrase that sent another mini-tsunami thundering around the Broads:
“This club is not for sale.”
Naturally the investment conversation was instantly reignited and we all have differing views on what the future should hold for Norwich City – my own being that the current model will only ever support at best a yo-yo club – but some of the venom thrown at Delia and Michael as a result of their ‘refusal to sell’ goes way beyond the pale.
As Moxey rightly pointed out, if there were investors out there interested in a stake of our club they would naturally expect a degree of control. And right now it appears that any control relinquished by Delia will be retained in-house and passed on to her nephew, Tom.
That’s her and Michael’s prerogative.
We can moan, groan, protest, even stop supporting, but until about ten of us win the EuroMillions there’s not a thing we can do to change it.
So perhaps for now we should just be thankful we have owners who care enough to have saved the club from extinction and get fully behind them and the team.
Now, where’s that tin hat.
International managers always want their players playing at the highest level, and in the team every week (some suggest a move for players to get regular football). I think it’s good: I want us to have players who are hungry to return to the Prem.
And fans can be contrary at times: any striker who isn’t playing is clearly the answer to a goal drought. A player who we didn’t want, and then doesn’t sign, is one we missed. If we have an experienced manager then we need someone young. If we have someone young who is learning, then we really need someone more experienced. And a foreign owner is the answer. (Except if you’re Blackburn, or any number of others we could mention…).
There’s probably a whole article on the subject of contrariness…!
1 – Timm Klose never once said himself he was here to stay. Alex Neil did and everyone went in to fever pitch.
2 – Totally agree with your comment about “if these players see their rightful place in the prem, why did we get relegated?” That means there’s a problem with the manager. He is incapable of getting prem players up for them prem. Its pretty simple…he’s just not good enough.
3 – It isn’t delias and Michaels prerogative. The fans are the driving force and always will be. Delia and Michael are now regressive left dictators, clinging on to power under the guise of, “but we love the club and have it at our hearts.” If that was true, they would seek someone to take our club forward. Its way too common to excuse poor behaviour in society as long as its deemed to be carried out with positive connotations. Its just a shame this politically correct nonsensical skullduggery has seeped into every level of society, including the catharsis or social outlet that is football. They are ruining our club and I have relinquished my season ticket for next year because this is miserable to watch unfold on and off the pitch. The last few years really have tainted my love for the game and its only going to get worse.
Agree with Jeff’s comments re: Klose. The player never came out and said he was staying. I can’t help but think Alex Neil used the press to manipulate that situation and make it harder for Timm to leave.
“This club is not for sale” is, perhaps, only partly correct and, probably, an unwise choice of words. Certainly, Delia and Michael having no immediate wish to sell their shares is probably unsurprising, especially with nephew Tom now on the Board.
What, however, is overlooked, is that since 2010, there have been 1,000,000 ordinary shares made available for new investment in the Club. That option was renewed for a further five years at the last AGM and, were there any takers, would clearly give the purchaser a majority holding in the Club.
Good point Gaz (4) – should have made reference to that. Does therefore suggest that, right now, we’re short of offers
Jeff (2) & Leon (3) – Take your point re Klose and how it was Alex Neil who ‘confirmed’ his desire to stay. As you say, perhaps a ploy on the manager’s part to keep one of his most prized assets.
Oh dear Jeff (2, point 3).
“Totally agree with your comment about “if these players see their rightful place in the prem, why did we get relegated?” That means there’s a problem with the manager.”
No Jeff, it means they are simply deluded about their own ability, or perhaps it is their agents’ version of their ability.
And as for point 3:
Firstly it most certainly is Delia and Michael’s prerogative – they own the majority shares and what they are running is their club, not yours or mine. It never was “your” club even when you had a season ticket.
“I have relinquished my season ticket for next year because this is miserable to watch unfold on and off the pitch. The last few years really have tainted my love for the game and its only going to get worse.”
It’s sad to hear that but in that case as well as putting yourself out of the misery of going to games could you also please stop trying to make the rest of us even more miserable with your depressing negative whingeing – much of which seems to uninformed anyway.
Instead why not give us some positive ideas about who you would like to buy the club, who you want as manager, who you want us to buy, and above all tell us what it will take to persuade you to buy a season ticket again?
Gary (5) we’ve had the “looking for new investment” comment in the past, with the suggestion that there were (then) no takers. I’d guess we’ll never know whether they’re still pushing that one hard or not, although I did recently get the comment, “if there are no takers, they must be asking too much.”
Jeff (2) – You do get a little carried away, don’t you?
The positive tone of Timm Klose’s social media comments certainly seemed to confirm AN’s assertion that he was happy to stay. The truth – trying to take the entirety of his comments into account, rather than just cherry-picking – seems to be that he’d have liked to enhance his international prospects by staying in the Premier League, but is reconciled to being here. The situation is helped by the fact that he likes Norwich and enjoys playing for us.
Not sure about the idea that “if these players..how come we got relegated?” You’re talking about Naismith and Klose, both of whom arrived in January. Klose made a positive difference (we could arguably have stayed up had he not got injured at Palace); Naismith was disappointing.
By any objective reckoning, we had the most modest squad in the Premier League last year. AN made errors, but to put our relegation at his door is a bit strange.
Delia and Michael are majority owners of the club. Whatever you think of their values and criteria for passing it on, it IS their prerogative. Just as it’s our prerogative to decide about houses, cars or whatever else we own (even if our friends and neighbours wouldn’t make the same decisions).
Good article, we all would have liked a couple of big marquee striker signings, but in truth we’ve been priced out of it and without new investment that’she only going to get worse. It does beg the question why we’re shopping in waitrose when we can only afford asda, at least we’re not in aldi or lidl yet.
My concern is more with AN. I don’t think his history and stature in the game command respect from players who frankly are all better than he was. Sad but true.
Also it is Delia and Michael’s prerogative. They own the club as much as us fans think we do, we don’t. That’s just the way it is.
#10 Craig Bailey: you make some excellent points. I’ll respond to the one about AN: However good you were as a player, and whoever you played for, whatever Trophies you might have won, it means potentially nothing.
Jose Mourinho, Sir Alex Ferguson and to an extent even Sam Allardyce come to mind. Not one of them was exactly a star player.
But all three of them know their team selections, tactics and how to change the course of a game if it’s going threepennies up.
And THAT is where AN has to prove himself. And a bit on the quick side, I believe. Despite all the moans, he’s still got an excellent squad at his disposal. Time he sorted the pieces into a whole. I guess he knows that too. Wait and see for a while…
I think its important to consider that the club “is not for sale” doesn’t mean a sale wouldn’t be considered if a good offer was made.
Putting something up for sale suggests there is a reason for doing so-and that reason is, you want rid.
If someone put their house on the market today then nearly every single person that showed an interest would not offer the asking price. If the latter is £500,00 then they’ll get offers of £460,000, £470,000 etc. Because the power is with the buyer. The vendor wants to sell, has a reason for doing so, is maybe very much motivated to do so-so may well, and most do, accept a lower option.
If you don’t make your asset seem vulnerable or your possession of same-to the buyer, the value of it, mentally, goes up and they will have, if they want to buy, almost certainly pay more than any asking price or what the property is worth.
Saying, publicly, the club “is not for sale” is clever-it gives it value and makes the business seem strong. “We have a going concern here, why on earth would we want to sell it?”
Now, if JM was to say…
“The club is for sale”. It pricks up the ears of the canny investor. Why is that club for sale, whats wrong, what is happening there for them to want to see it, are they in trouble?
If you want to make any asset seem valuble and worth having, the last thing you say is that it is for sale.
Ed (12) – Spot on.
Same reason the club says “we don’t need to sell any of our players”. We usually expect to sell one or two, if only to fund new acquisitions. But why advertise you’re keen to sell?
When Delia and Michael decide to sell, they´ll sell to young Tom, that´s why he was brought onto the board – good on ´em, makes sense to me, keep it in the ´Family´.
The difficulty we (again) had, in encouraging players to the Club in this window, just emphasises the fact that we are no longer the attractive proposition, some fans would like us to be. And as for some players who see the Premier League as their rightful place, they need to wake up and realise that they were simply not good enough to keep us there, and that their ´rightful place´, if indeed there is such a thing, is mid- Championship, because up until now, they haven´t proved they´re any better.