When I look back at Glenn Roeder’s tenure as Norwich manager, I don’t have many fond memories. I’m far from alone on that front.
From the arrogant dismissal of the opinions of fans, journalists, even staff, on a routine basis, to the sub-par football, to the miserly manner in which he concluded the Norwich careers of Messrs Dublin and Huckerby, it’s fair to say we won’t be erecting a bronze statue of Roeder on Canary Way anytime soon.
One moment that does stand out in the memory for a positive reason however, came in the wake of Huckerby being ushered unceremoniously out the door.
Roeder issued a rallying cry announcing that it was “time for new heroes” and in the weeks that followed an unassuming young Irishman was ushered quietly into Colney, with a reputation as an up-and-comer with a lovely left foot.
If we thank Glenn Roeder for nothing else, we can thank him for Wes Hoolahan.
Although he had an inauspicious first season, stranded out on the left-wing where his lack of pace was derided by the more cerebrally-challenged as the sign of a poor player, Paul Lambert retooled the mercurial Dubliner as an attacking play-maker.
Great things followed.
After nine seasons and over 300 games, Hoolahan earned himself a place in the Football League’s Championship Team of the Decade, and a slot in the Norwich City Hall of Fame. He is, without a doubt, one of the most successful, talented and popular Norwich City players ever to have graced Carrow Road.
When Alex Neil was dismissed, one of the rumours that flew around was that he had decided to bring an end to the Hoolahan era at the close of this season and this was reportedly one of the factors that had tipped the board’s hand.
Whether you believe this or not, the idea of Wes not being here was an alien concept for many fans to get their heads around. Throughout all the ups and downs, from the dark days of Roeder and Gunn, to the wonder years under Lambert, the personal despair of being sidelined by Hughton, and a renaissance under Neil, Wes has been a constant for the fans.
The first name on the team sheet for many.
But is it time for a player who will, no matter how much he has given, be 35 in May, to pass on the baton to a new generation? Saturday’s virtuoso by Alex Pritchard has prompted calls, although on the day Wes matched him blow for blow.
It can’t be denied that the demands of a 46 game Championship season, playing Saturdays and Tuesdays, (while still playing for the Republic of Ireland in every international break) are catching up with the wee man. As much as we may want him to, he can’t go on forever.
So, is it now time for new heroes once more?
The sentimental answer is of course, a resounding No. With his tenth season approaching and a “Westimonial” in the offing, nobody wants to see number 14 wave his magician’s wand goodbye in an anticlimactic fashion after this dismal season.
Wes has been the on-field architect of so many of our turnaround successes that to try and attempt a return to form without him next season seems incongruous.
The pragmatic answer is undoubtedly less palatable. At his age, and with Pritchard and James Maddison ready-made like-for-like replacements already waiting in the wings, the rumoured Neil plan appears logical.
Both players are desperately in need of more first-team starts; burgeoning careers stalling since arriving at Carrow Road.
Is Wes’s presence a contributing factor? Undoubtedly. A quote from Alex Ferguson, when there was talk of him being a Director of Football to help David Moyes after retiring himself as manager does come to mind: “If you’re still in the road, you’re in the way”.
As we’ve found this season, it’s easy to get overrun in the physically imposing world of the Championship with players the size of Pritchard, Maddison, the Murphy’s and Hoolahan playing together.
Whilst in an Alex Neil 4-2-3-1 there were occasions where Pritchard and Hoolahan have blossomed together (Saturday being the obvious and best example), there have been other times, such as Barnsley away, where we’ve been battered by inferior, more robust teams. By continuing with Wes are we sentimentally shoe-horning him in to the detriment of the team?
To turn the argument back again, although physically Wes may be tiring, I genuinely don’t think he’s declining in terms of quality. In fact, in terms of his overall performance per game I’d argue that this has been one of Wes’s best seasons.
Buoyed on by his virtuoso displays for Ireland last summer Wes’s form has been the reason why Pritchard has struggled to get a game. Neil was obviously planning to get more from his £9m summer signing but it’s impossible to drop a player of Hoolahan’s quality when he’s still creator-in-chief for a team that is scoring more goals than all but four sides in Europe.
In my 30-odd years of following Norwich I can think of only two players whose very presence on the team sheet forces the opposition to have to build their defensive plans around them: Darren Huckerby and Wesley Hoolahan.
As much as I love both Pritchard and Maddison, neither are at that level yet, and may never be. What Wes also does is he leads.
My favourite Wes moments aren’t the tricks and flicks, the sublime through-balls, the teasing drag-backs. It’s when the team are trying to raise the tempo, and all 5ft 6 of Wesley Hoolahan is haranguing giant centre-backs like a fly bouncing on a lion’s nose.
He may get swatted aside, but he comes back and does it again. And again. And again. And eventually we force an error and get the ball back.
It’s not always Wes that wins it, but when he starts pressing high the rest follow. He’s not shouting and ordering his team mates around. He’s leading by example. I would hate to lose that too soon.
Personally, I don’t think it’s the end of our time with Wes but I’m unashamedly biased and there are certainly several sides to the argument. Like the enigma himself, it is a debate that will run and run.
Reality is he won’t be able to play every game, but should still be around to guide the new generation and have cameos. Always a fine line though, would be sad to see him end on an awful season, so next season should be the last.
Before Lambert ‘retooled’ Hoolahan, remember this?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/n/norwich/8230245.stm
In my recollection rather than retooling Wes, Lambert almost stumbled upon his threat at the tip of the diamond when we were struggling to break down 10-man Leyton Orient after a run of games without a win. Wes got moved to the middle as we went all out attack with about 25 to go. 4 goals later we had a new formation and a new star.
History could have been so different. Thank goodness it wasn’t and we’ve had the chance to watch Wes for nearly a decade.
I find selective memory very interesting, myself as guilty at most. Huckerby had become ever lazier, Dury was being vilified by the fans weekly, largely because Huckerby absolutely refused to track back and defend and provide any support. Roeder was the only person to stand up to Huckerby and up his work rate. For 6 months he played the best football of his career. Then he got lazy again and I think people forget just how ineffective he was at the end of that season. Huckerby had the chance for a big money end of career payday over the water and to their immense credit neither Roeder nor the club stood in his way. There are 3 sides to every story, yours, mine and the truth. Journalists and fans would do well to remember that.
I’ve “written off Wes” before – the articles are out there to prove it – and, I hasten to add, I’ve been delighted he’s proved me wrong.
As long as he (and all players for that matter) are picked on merit, rather than reputation or favouritism, I’ve no issue with him continuing for a season or two.
I also am a great Wes fan. The only player I can recall of similar skills, playing in the same position…….Tommy Bryceland. Of course only the old folk like me would have had the pleasure of watching this Scottish wee man.
Wes has been infuriating and ineffective more times than almost any other player I can think of.
But it’ll be a very sad day indeed when his City career ends. Just as those old enough (like Ken) to have seen Tommy Bryceland still talk about him, today’s younger fans will say in 40 years’ time that they saw Wesley Hoolahan.
Andy: that’s a fine appreciation of our Wesley.
Most of us love him – I know I do – but because he brings something so unique to the team he can obviously be infuriating at times, as #6 Stewart says.
I really hope he gets his testimonial.
The last player to get one was Adam Drury; I know, I was there. But I’m struggling to think of the player before.
I know I could Google it, but if anyone wants to tell me (no search engines please) it would brighten up a dull Wednesday dinner time.
I’ve just had a conversation on Twitter along the lines of “If we can get Hoolahan and Pritchard playing together, with Maddison coming off the bench or starting for Wes when he needs a breather, how many teams could live with us?” If we can keep these three, with the attacking edge of Oliviera, Jerome and the Murphy’s we can really hurt teams. How we balance that with the defence is the million dollar question. When Webber spoke about transforming Huddersfield by simply buying better players he talked of transforming the whole team. Here, he only has to do half the work.
Well Ken (5) I did see Tommy Bryceland but was far too young to understand the subtleties of the game then – all I knew was that Ron Davies scored most of the goals, Kevin Keelan made a lot of great saves, and Mal Lucas often seemed to have cushions thrown at him from the City stand, which was quite amusing. I’m afraid the contributions of the likes of Bryceland, Bill “less hair than the ball” Punton, or Dave Stringer weren’t really appreciated by me in those days.
Huckerby? One of the few things Roeder got right was not offering him a new contract. He was succumbing to injury too often by then – keeping him on would have been an expensive gamble.
At Hillsborough on the last day everyone knew for certain that it was Dublin’s final game. We suspected, but did not know for sure, that it would be Huckerby’s too – fine, these things can’t always be decided in time for a public farewell.
But subsequently the club handled the decision appallingly – and that’s surely as much down to the likes of Joe Ferrari as the manager. As far as I recall he was, and still is, our PR guru, although you would never know it. To this day “Invisible Man” seems a more appropriate title.
Tommy Bryceland’s career at Norwich came to a close under Ron Saunders’ reign and many people then we’re calling for him to continue but there comes a time to move on to “New heroes”. Now is the time to begin to phase Wes out of the picture and if we are going to play two creative midfielders as we did successfully last weekend then he should give way to Maddison after an hour. That way you move seamlessly from the old to the new and the team is refreshed. I am not sure if this is “yours, mine or the truth” though ( good comment that one Tony#3).
Keith B #9: One of the rules of being a media relations/PR man is that you shouldn’t become the story. Clearly no-one told Mr Spicer.
If he’s invisible to us, Joe Ferrari is doing his job. I’d guess, by the way, that Hucks’ final game was before his time in the media role.
Keith (9) I’m sure the decision was made well in advance of that game & the total disrespect shown to Huckerby & the fans says all you need to know about Roeder. I’m not surprised he hasn’t managed since.
In terms of Wes, while he’s still having a positive impact on the team, keep him going!