Aficionados of talkSPORT will know that the mid-morning slot once occupied by Colin Murray is now the home of one Jim White.
Yes, that Jim White.
Whether he is suited & booted and adorning that yellow tie as he chats to his ‘friends’ and guests will, for now, remain a mystery but until someone tells me otherwise I’m content to believe he is.
And he’s done a decent job. Murray was a tough act to follow and he’s getting there.
This week one of his fellow presenters was our own Dean Ashton and along with BT Sport’s Des Kelly they discussed, amongst other things, the subject of loyalty in football, specifically that of players.
Deano was, unsurprisingly, brutal in his assessment. ‘Player loyalty? There is none.’
And of course he is right. Players have a short career – sometimes much shorter than they intend, as Ashton can testify – and have a duty to their families to earn the best living possible.
And unless you’re Steven Gerrard or John Terry that means moving around in order to secure the best payday possible.
The trouble is, as fans, as folk who bleed green and yellow and who have time, money and emotion invested heavily in our football club, that’s a tricky one to reconcile.
How can they not love Norwich City as much as we do?
But, unless they’re ‘one of our own’ there’s no way that could possibly be the case. Why would they?
Yet by and large this is not an issue. As much as we’d love them to see Norwich City FC through our eyes there is a reluctant underlying acceptance that, while their kissing of the badge may sometimes seem a tad hollow, they’ll at the very least give their all for the club they’re representing. 100 per cent. Total commitment.
And while that’s occurring the marriage has legs. An acceptance on our part that they are here to earn some money and, while doing so, will try and bring some success to the club, and an appreciation on their part that they will give their absolute everything in pursuit of that success.
But the cracks start to appear if the players’ side of that deal is reneged upon. And that’s a little bit how it feels right now, hence the recent over-use of the word ‘toxic’.
And it’s because for us, to see anyone wearing the yellow shirt not give 100 per cent (sorry, I refuse to use 110 percent – I was once an accountant) is simply unforgivable. Unfathomable.
These guys have been handed a golden ticket. The chance to walk out on that Carrow Road turf, wearing the yellow shirt, in front of 26,000 adoring fans, tasked with representing our football club is literally the stuff of dreams. And to be paid handsomely to do so?
I’d offer up a limb to be offered that opportunity (albeit obviously that’d be counter-productive) yet some of our current crop, those who have been handed that honour, appear to scoff.
The body language screams ‘I’m a professional footballer, get me out of here’ and they go through the motions. To them, in their head, they’re still putting in a shift, chasing, putting in tackles etc, but it’s hollow and without heart.
And we’re not completely stupid. We can see it a mile off. They’ve been rumbled.
And I’m not just talking about our Irish left-back/midfielder, although his sprightly display for the Republic of Ireland last night did confirm there is still a good footballer in there somewhere. Others give off that same disdainful air.
You can be sure there are some agents who already are prepping for the January window – their clients having issued the ‘get me out of here’ instruction – but it’s an odd mindset that perceives downing tools as a preferable option to putting oneself in the shop window by performing well.
But, from the outside looking in, Alex Neil has a major job on his hands right now to bring harmony to a dressing room that appears fractured, dispirited and, in some cases, disinterested.
And there’s more…
Ed’s masterful piece of writing on Friday told of Theo Epstein’s role in transforming the Chicago Cubs from nobodies into World Series winners and how one of his golden rules was to only hire players who perceived playing for the club as a step up.
While there are clearly exceptions to this rule – Darren Huckerby being the most obvious – it is one that’s pertinent to Neil’s current conundrum.
There are players here who have taken very obvious steps down to be here, others sideways, who are slap bang in the middle of the current malaise; their half-heartedness the upshot of said ‘I’m doing you a favour by being here’ mindset.
And that’s another factor that’s playing out badly in the dressing room and is contributing to the tension between players and fans.
We’ve grown a little tired of hearing that they are hurting as much as we are and that they’re working their socks off on the fields of Colney to put things right. When those words are backed up by precisely zilch on the pitch they drift off into the ether as freely as one of Brady’s over-hit free-kicks.
Neil appears untouchable, given the tone of the Smith, Jones and Moxey interviews, so all we can hope for right now is that the Alex Neil of 2015 vintage dramatically reappears, grabs this dressing room by its wotsits and can somehow get his squad of capable technicians to re-engage.
And while I’m not holding my breath, let’s hope one or two have enough of a conscience to put in a proper shift and, in doing so, acknowledge how much this all means to the Yellow Army.
Because we won’t we going anywhere.
Pulling out of 50:50 tackles, as happened on more than one occasion against Leeds, is unforgivable – irrespective of the level of football.
And the point about Hucks, despite having done very well for himself prior to joining, and being 26, he still felt he had something to prove, if only to himself. How many modern day footballers feel the same? Not many, I’d suggest.
As another ex-accountant I agree 100% with you about 100%.
I don’t agree that Neil is untouchable – Moxey was never going to give much away in his interview. Delia by nature is loyal to her managers but if her new CEO strongly recommends a change she’ll listen.
As for players and our “26,000 adoring fans” there’s another side to that.
Supposing you are a player and your team is in the top 3, it has won 6 of the last 7 league games, and beaten a team from the division above in the Cup. You would rightly be expecting the fans to show their appreciation.
Instead a very substantial number are in fact slating you for not winning well enough. You might reasonably think “fan adoration” is as much a myth as “player loyalty”.
There’s been a slump of late. Let’s say that is ended at QPR and Derby – keeping you firmly in the top 6. As players would you feel confident that when you turn out against Brentford at the start of December you’ll get the backing of the fans? Given what went on in September and October I certainly wouldn’t.
You’ll know that one loose pass, one missed header, one snatched chance and the only thing you’ll hear are groans and jeers.
It seems to me that the atmosphere at Carrow Rd may be toxic when we are losing, but it’s not that much more positive when we are winning.
I’ll take the Jeff baton (proving my ‘let’s shut him down by giving his opinions a name because we don’t want to hear it’ thoery) and beat Neil with it. His preference for rewarding failure and cementing one player in certain positions has ruined squad morale. The players would care about norwich if they were given a fair shot. You play well and your shirt is removed. A a dreadful manager of a squad.
#3 Jeff: if “they” don’t want to hear your opinions, they’d hardly have invited mine.
I have no connections with MFW beyond the couple of articles I have contributed but found it a thoroughly pleasant experience to do so and I will certainly be doing it again.
Give it a go yourself mate. It’s painless.
# Gary Gowers: Yes, they have indeed been rumbled. Three or four of them, anyway.
3 – Jeff, whatever theories may be going through your mind, the opportunity to express your personal opinions, provided they’re not rude or offensive, has been offered to you on numerous occasions. The fact you’ve not so far chosen to take those opportunities to date is solely down to you.
No matter how badly the team plays, how little effort they give for their considerable wage, how often they disappoint. There will always be somebody who manages to blame the supporters for all the clubs ills. It makes me sick.
Can you give us an example (new) Jeff of where he has rewarded failure, and what the better option would have been?
Also how about an example of a player who has played well and been dropped? I can think of one or two who’ve made impressive cameos from the bench and not immediately been elevated to the starting eleven.
But as Pritchard has shown in the last two games it’s one thing looking good for 20 minutes when opponents are tiring, another to make an impact from the very start.
Footballers are just human beings, people win the lottery and end up depressed. They might seemingly be living the dream but like all of us if they are not enjoying their work they won’t perform regardless of reward.
From the outside it looks as though Alex Neil is a very intense manager and one wonders if the players are just lacking some enjoyment and fun out on the training pitch and in their daily routines.
As for the baseball analogy the big difference is the lack of promotion and relegation. Norwich’s problem is being caught between two very different divisions and therefore can’t plan long term. As a premiership side with no relegation we could go back to the kids and hope for a brighter future but English football doesn’t allow that.
It’s an unhappy workplace where short-termism is king.
#7 Keith B: I agree with you because I’ve seen little evidence of “failure” being “rewarded”, but I must admit I would hate to see Louis Thompson dropped for QPR.
He was the real deal for 97 minutes and Tettey should only come in for Dorrans, not Thompson.
It’s the manager’s call, not mine, but I really hope Thompson starts at Loftus Road.
Thanks, as ever, for taking the time to read MFW. Always appreciated.
Keith (2) – Point taken re ‘adoring’; clumsy wording on my part. And you’re right, the hostile starting point does no one any favours and engenders an atmosphere of fear rather than positivity.
Jeff (3) – Succinct as ever, but offering you 800+ words to argue your view is a pretty dumb way of trying to ‘shut you down’. The offer still stands.
Zico (8) – Completely agree; the players’ remuneration is irrelevant in this, and if I alluded to that I apologise. Not my intention. I also agree that there looks to be a lack of enjoyment, which has had a negative impact on performance levels. The point I was clumsily trying to make is that their footballing talent and subsequent opportunity to wear the shirt is something most of us can only dream of.
Having served in the armed forces , worked in industry & had my own small buisiness, , the question of motivation is an interesting one. While in the RN motivation didn’t really come into it , you did as you were told , regardless. Working for myself was completely different. The only motivation I needed was my bank statement & my customers.
Working in industry, &a I had plenty of different jobs , from working in a baked bean factory to running a multi million pound contract for a large multi national company. With these various jobs my motivation was directly related to the company & the people in charge. Get a good boss & you tend to go the extra mile. Get one you don’t rate & you go through the motions , doing just enough to get your pay packet. I suggest this is what is happening at Norwich city. If you work for someone who has his obvious favourites , gives them jobs they are not capable of , makes the same mistakes time & time again & then blames his work force. Couple that with a poor investment record & a lack of ambition from his superiors & there is no wonder some of the team have lost their drive & motivation. It’s not surprising thatsome of them seem to want out & most telling is the fact that many that have moved on are doing rather well.
I have to agree with Jeff. We have been rewarding failure, if not in the short term certainly in the long term. Jerome, Martin, Whitaker, Lafferty, Bassong all still at the club despite being considered not good enough or making a ton of mistakes yet having contracts extended.