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19 December 2016
Dear Alex
I wrote this letter three nights ago, but held off from posting it. It was penned in the aftermath of our defeat to Huddersfield; I wondered, as the raw disappointment subsided, whether I might feel differently.
I don’t.
I’ve taken considerable flak for defending you through 2016. No regrets about that: you were dealt a weak hand to play in the Premier League, and in my view your sensational impact here two years ago earned you time – and the benefit of the doubt – for the first months of this season.
I still believe you have exceptional qualities, and potentially a long and successful managerial career in front of you. Moreover, I admire your reluctance to quit.
However, life sometimes puts us in situations where – without any need for rancour or bitterness – the right thing to say is “this just isn’t working”. Situations where the best thing, for both parties, is to go separate ways.
This season has been a strange one. The greatest challenge of managing a relegated side is to shift the mentality from a losing one to a winning one. It seemed City had overcome that hurdle, with a set of results that saw us second after 14 games.
The confidence and mental resilience which should have flowed from those results, though, never materialised. We had the quality to get two goals ahead at places like Fulham and Newcastle – for which you should perhaps have received more credit – but we lacked character and conviction to defend those leads.
That character and conviction is an essential quality (I’m pretty sure you’d agree) in a team that wants promotion. For whatever reason, you are not able to inspire it in this group of players at this time.
Why have I come off the fence after Friday night? I think it was the stark contrast between Huddersfield and ourselves. Huddersfield’s players are no better than ours, but they were a far better team. They played with an energy, verve and belief that we couldn’t match, and in truth haven’t matched all season.
I’m no psychologist, but at times your judgement suggests to me a bit of fatigue. The way Barnsley or Huddersfield approach a game is no secret – yet you sent out teams neither tactically nor physically equipped to deal with them. The choice of Josh Murphy to replace Steven Naismith at Barnsley was bizarre, as was the withdrawal of Nelson Oliveira on Friday.
Yes, the players should take their share of responsibility for under-performance but tactics and team selection are in your hands, and your decisions have not been as sure-footed as we (or you) would want.
You’ve been under intense pressure for the past twelve months. The way you’ve conducted yourself has been, in my view, admirable. But being the proud man you are, you may be the last to recognise that a break would benefit you.
Time is on your side and I believe you’ll come back stronger; you’ve left us great memories and we’ll wish you every success. Trying to continue as we are now, though, is not going to help either you or us.
Best wishes
Stewart
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19 December 2016
Dear Jez
First, a belated welcome to Norwich. You’re steeped in football, and you will be well aware of the club’s values and traditions that remain important for many of us.
As is our desire to be in the top division. I’ve no reason to think you’re anything but sincere when you say your objective is “promotion, promotion, promotion”. That’s our objective too.
But if you will the end, you must will the means. I think my letter to Alex shows I understand why you wanted him to succeed, and believed he might. However, you’ve witnessed what the rest of us have witnessed. The view that most City fans have come to – some quickly and others, like me, slowly – is surely now an inescapable one.
You are closer to the club than we are, and have some special sources such as the players. I find it hard to believe, though, that they tell you anything different from the evidence of your eyes watching our 22 games.
You know that challenging for promotion will be more difficult with each succeeding season; we must give it the best shot we can this year. To do that, we need a run of strong results that Alex just isn’t capable of inspiring.
Like me, you face a decision that you hoped you wouldn’t have to face. Easy for me: all I have to do is admit I’ve changed my mind. Your responsibility is bigger and action harder. But it’s what you’re paid for.
I, and all City fans, wish you well.
Stewart
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Finally, let me wish a heart-felt Happy Christmas and Prosperous New Year to everyone associated with Norwich City Football Club. And to everyone associated with this site: writers, commenters (whether or not we’ve agreed!), and above all to Gary whose sterling efforts keep the site going and give us enjoyment throughout the year.
OTBC
Dear Alex – I don’t feel the least bit sorry for you and your one chance in English football is over and you don’t have any “exceptional qualities” aso you haven’t learned a thing since coming here, whereas I have and I’m not a football manager. Therefore, in Mr Lewis’ eyes (some chap who can’t see the rotten wood for the happy smiling trees), I’m the new Jose. Now go away. Ta
Dear jez – stop saying yes. Also, please go away. Ta
That must have bee difficult to write but I’m with you all the way.
Its so galling to see teams in the Championship playing good football in half empty home stadiums and then see what is being served up to a full house at Carrow Road.Yet for how much longer?.
The drift away has started and like many others I have reached the stage where for the first time in years,I don’t really care if I miss a home game.
We have been treated like mugs for long enough and its not a nice feeling.
Well said. If everyone could take that approach instead of the increasing nastiness creeping into being a ‘fan’ of this club perhaps supporting the team would be a lot easier. It doesn’t wash that ‘the board aren’t sorting the situation so I have a right to say what I want’ means hurling abuse at people. So. Let’s hope this is read and acted upon by board and fan alike.
Merry Christmas? Not yet.
I would “countersign” both of Stewart’s excellent letters if I could, and suspect many readers of this site would join me.
Maybe, just maybe, the “recipients” might this time somehow be made aware of their existence and read them. I sincerely hope so.
Fantastic article and I admire the restraint and balance while the ultimate points are made in such a solid fashion.
Merry Christmas to all on Stewart’s list from me also.
I’m in a similar position in that I felt I was defending Alex Neil longer than most. However for me, the Leeds game represented the point of no return. I believed he was our best chance of going back up and in many ways, I still think that was the case, but we do need to make a change.
What more can be said after Paddy Davitt’s article today and now Stewart’s leap from the fence.
Just a shame the Board seem to be the last people (again) who cannot see or face the fact of when the ‘writing is on the wall’
I agree been a city fan for years hardly missed a match but also getting to the point where i cant be bothered to go to the match to watch the ribbish display we are given.
Delia maybe a believer but its time she stepped aside and let somebody else take control and bring the passion and desire to win back. (Not her nephew) new blood that can bring fresh faces willing to play
I came to the same conclusion on Friday night. I hate the way some of our supporters behave – booing the team off at half time, making easy judgments from the sidelines when they are not the ones making the decisions. I really want it to work but we have to face facts. It’s not working and something has to change. There are two excellent managers available at the moment (Rowett and Alladyce) who would give the club a real chance this season but we need to act now – not wait until it’s too late.
I agree with the above getting to the stage where i am fed up spending money on away games and not bothered about the home gàmes as its always dissapointing.
Time for a change in management and the board.
A lot of the fans feel its time for delia and her husband to step aside before we end up relegated from this league as well.
#7 pab: You make a good point about the Paddy Davitt article. Seems like he was writing with a bit of freedom for a change and he was spot on in just about every respect.
If you lose the fans and what is a traditionally very loyal local Press, you’re going downhill like a runaway toboggan.
But they still don’t appear to want to listen.
Well done Stewart. It is a well known fact that, for the sake of the club, I would have changed the manager last January as it was clear to me that he had taken a step too far so early in his managerial career. I know others had a different view and, Stewart, you were one of them. Had we seen progress in tactics, team selection and use of the undoubted talent at his disposal I would have been more supportive but there has been none. So I like you wish him well in his career in the future but not at the expense of our club. Let’s hope Delia et al will now put the club first too. Tough times I know but if you can’t take the heat ……
Dear Alex,
Stick to your principles, do not resign. If the Board are going to let themselves be swayed by fan power (again) and decide that it is time to let you go, then force them to sack you, but I hope that they too stand their ground, and continue to support you. This club is turning into another Leeds Utd, and it´s all the worse for it, where fans in particular seem to think we have some sort of god-given right to be in the Premier League, and are still day-dreaming about (van)Goss and the Bayern Munich times. If it´s any consolation, Chris Hughton was put under exactly the same sort of pressure as you´re being put under now, and unfortunately at that time the Board buckled under and replaced him with a complete novice, if they hadn´t, we might have been in the Premier League to this day. It´s also interesting to note, that with a fan base that actually gets behind him, Chris Hughton can do quite well (Newcastle, Birmingham and now Brighton will attest to that).
yours sincerely…….
Thanks for everyone’s comments, kind and otherwise.
Many fans, I suspect, want to remove AN but with as much sorrow as anger. Meanwhile there’s a complete spectrum of views, exemplified by Jeff and George.
We have every right to that range of opinions, and I’m delighted this is a forum where they can be shared with a minimum of abuse.
Best wishes to all.
Takes some balls to change sides of the fence in such a public and honest fashion.
I always favoured giving Alex until Christmas with the credit he still had in the ‘bank’ from a 6-month promotion. Top 6 was vital, so now the bank is bust alas.
Interesting though that all of Swansea’s current travails seem to stem from losing patience with a young manager going through a bad spell? 99% of managers have bad runs – Alex is not a bad manager now, but he and us are in need of a fresh approach/challenge.
I don’t blame the owners for showing loyalty to someone, but there comes a point when the facts have to take precedence.
George .
I’d be happy to support Leeds Utd at present.
1.Manager knows what he’s doing (would have been an excellent fit for Norwich I believe)
2 The team has a good solid spine and opportunity is given for youth to shine .
3 If your philosophy prevails,Leeds are more likely than us to be in the Championship next season,
Dear George, Go and support Leeds as everything written above is what the majority of sensible supporters are thinking.
To save our season we need to get rid of AN. He has ran out of steam as much as the system he continually uses and plainly no longer works!
When will NCFC supporters stop whinging. As a Canary Fan who has not been able to attend home matches but many away games I am tired of the so called knowledge of those so called fans who turn whenever a match is lost, or even won!
The owners own the club. The manager manages the club and the true supporters, support the club. End off
Dear John, Supported the lads through thick and thin (and a lot of thin!) over the past 50+ years. When the owners have cleared off and the manager been sacked I’ll still (God willing) be here supporting the team. It’s not about a single match but about 18 months of a downhill spiral which has exposed our manager (great bloke – poor tactician). I will continue to give full support during matches to our dispirited, rudderless, poorly-coached team but, like many above, reserve the right to comment on what is happening. I’m now well past whinging….now I’m just embarrassed!
Got to agree with Mr. Lewis, as I generally do. The recent two home games were last chance saloon time for me, and I was really encouraged by the Villa performance as the team dug in and really looked like they wanted it. But they don’t seem to understand that you have to do that in EVERY game or you won’t get anywhere.
Did we have any kind of game plan vs Huddersfield? Does Neil really think our back line that day was good enough to pass it out of defense against a high press? Does he really think Jerome and Bassong up front in a last throw of the dice is better than Jerome and Oliveira? Lets be fair to Bassong though, he saved two certain goals with last ditch interventions – it could have been much worse.
We aren’t even doing the basics right. FINALLY we managed to put in a decent corner and a yellow head on it, but no one was in front of the keeper so an easy tap in became an easy claim.
The shambolic nature of the performance was summed up in one moment for me. Late in the game Olsson (did he make ONE decent cross) backs out of an attempted throw in the opposition half, but backs out of it halfway through bcause if a lack of movement, and the ball slips from his hands. He’s wearing gloves in 8 degree weather. These players just don’t want it bad enough, and aren’t well organised enough, and Alex Neil’s time is surely up.
John (18): Not sure if you’re including me among the whingers who “turn whenever a match is lost”.
I suspect the majority of readers will think that, like some of City’s defenders, I’ve been too slow to turn.
After eight defeats in ten to call supporter unrest “whinging” simply defies belief and logic. Encapsulated for all to see is the problem in a nutshell,
Excellent article Stuart. Now how about a letter to Delia & co e.g.
As supporters we only see what is going on at our beloved club from the terraces or via the media. You as owner & thus decision maker have privy to a lot of information & control of circumstances than we do not. For that reasons I have always given you the benefit of the doubt when the flak is flying around . I have however been a fierce critic of our manager for the past 12 months. His faults & failures are laid bare out on the pitch , no need to give the benefit of the doubt there.
You may have had very good reasons not to change the management structure this past few months BUT I think the time has come where you must rule with your head rather than your heart. Alex Neil lost a large section of supporters last season. It would appear that he has lost ( part ) of the dressing room this season which I’m sure you were able to turn a deaf ear to . How ever it would appear these past few weeks that Alex Neil has now lost the PRESS As Ed ( as an ex politician ) will tell you , this invariably makes the position impossible .
I therefore suggest that you bow to the inevitable & act NOW.
Give Alex the usual thanks & send him on his way . I