Back in 1973 when most MFW readers and writers were in nappies, there was an ambitious band called Queen, previously known as Smile.
They recruited Freddie Mercury (aka Bulsara), changed their name and released a single called Keep Yourself Alive. It bombed.
A single from the second album Queen II – possibly the finest example of heavy, semi-progressive rock you’ll ever find – instigated their breakthrough.
Dressed in outfits by Zandra Rhodes, they performed Seven Seas of Rhye on Top of the Pops. It charted and got them the attention they wanted.
Now I like early Queen – anything after Sheer Heart Attack is anathema to me. We Are The Champions? shove it. Bicycle Race? don’t even go there.
The B-side of Seven Seas of Rhye was called See What A Fool I’ve Been, as in the original 7-inch vinyl format.
It was a 12-bar blues that allowed Freddie to be camper than a row of tents and Brian May to show off his guitar skills long before he developed a love for badgers. It’s such a comical track, please seek it out if you can.
See What A Fool I’ve Been seems about right to me just now – for publicly backing the new structure. We’ve just lost 4-0 to bloody Millwall.
And it ain’t funny.
I only had the radio for company and was totally distraught by the end.
Listening to Daniel Farke afterwards, uninspired I was indeed. Poor man, he had nothing constructive he could possibly have said.
Previously I, like so many others, have backed the new structure to the veritable hilt.
But after a result like that?
All my old doubts are starting to resurface.
I am sure there will be quite a few folks saying “don’t worry, calm down, typical Norwich, it’ll all end well and the Board and their staff should enjoy their strawberry shortcake and champagne for a job well done”.
Well, somewhat akin to a bowl of stale mussels , I may be soon on the turn.
Like that theoretical mollusc assemblage, this result – and more particularly the performance – was very hard to stomach.
These Are The Days Of Our Lives.
You have summed up my feelings exactly Martin. We must be patient and give the system a chance but it is getting very difficult to do so. If anyone saw the Liverpool game yesterday I would say would you rather play like Liverpool or Arsenal?
I have been concerned by Farke’s post match interviews after games where he has insisted we dominated possession and were the better team but sadly we got stuffed. At least he didn’t use that one this time. Ten more games before we can evaluate the revolution but at my age I can do without the stress.
I’m still with you on the patience issue, I really am.
But this was just so demoralising – if we feel the way I’m sure we all do, then surely the players must feel it too. And in a confidence-based game, that’s far from ideal.
As you say, far too early for an evaluation of the revolution – but thus far I am less than impressed.
And apparently Tettey’s up for grabs…
If they are intending to let Tettey go why loan Godfrey Out? I am looking for a structured plan here and cannot find one
The Tettey rumours all seem to go back to a one liner in the Daily Mirror! No real substantiation there, although that would fit the bill as presumably he will be on Premiership wages. The Daily Mail reports that we are in for Bristol City Centre Back Aden Flint for whom a Birmingham City offer of £5M was rejected as ‘derisory’ earlier in the summer. Shows what they know!
They also mention us going back for Toni Leistner, but as I recall he signed a new contract at Union Berlin and publicly stated that he wanted to stay. I know that what footballers say and what they actually do can be two different things but that one did seem pretty dead in the water.
Interesting post from a Huddersfield fan on the Pinkun under the thread ‘Will we hear from Webber this week’. Of course the views of one supporter are that, we all have different views. In the words of another rock icon Johnny Rotten ‘ever get the feeling you’ve been cheated’?
And there’s a line somewhere on Sheer Heart Attack that ends a track with “Baby You’ve Been Had”. Hopefully not in our collective case!
For what it’s worth I doubt we will hear from Stuart Webber over the international break, although those with more insight than me might well feel differently.
It’s not toys out time yet, but that result and display reeked of capitulation, something few supporters are prepared to forgive.
If you go back to that post it seems to be from a more regular contributor who is giving the gist of a presumed conversation with a Huddersfield fan, not directly the Huddersfield fan.
It would be interesting to hear Webber’s thoughts on our start to the season,maybe his song would be the Who’s I can’t explain!
I would prefer that Webber kept his mind on building the team and addressing its deficiencies.
Reading this with Queen’s ‘Night at the Opera’ playing in the background.
Plenty of discussion topics from Martin’s piece. I’ll hold off till you’ve seen my next (imminent) column!
I can’t abide A Night At The Opera – possibly the most commercially successful thing they ever did – so it shows how much I really know about music!
That track “White Man” sends me spark out – a little like our defence, it’s well dodgy.
Looking forward to reading your current take on things.
Martin: Without wanting to get bogged down in non-football issues, a bit of Queen clarification. “White Man”, whatever its merits or otherwise, was on A Day at the Races. A Night at the Opera begins with “Death on Two Legs” and ends with “Bohemian Rhapsody”. Pedantic, perhaps…
Spot on indeed. I was referring to the wrong album- I’m to lazy to research properly, as anybody who reads my stuff will have worked out by now .
I meant The Prophet’s Song. It’s like listening to wallpaper paste drying. You can’t really hear it as it works from the inside out.
And as for Death on Two Legs, I guess the Queen boys weren’t really happy with one of their ex-managers.
Oh dear, back to football!
Regarding the poor start to the season I think by the January free for all we could possibly lose klose, pritchard, and olivier if we continue to play this type of football.you might get away with if in the 4th tier of the German league but not here.I do not think the German players are up for a long gruelling season
It seems we already are planning for perhaps relegation with all the youngsters we are signing to fill the places of our outing high wage earners .perhaps the board would be satisfied with us in league 1 with a small wage bill or we could apply to e ter the 4th tier of the German league
I rarely deal in rumour, but I’m by no means positive Nelson will still be here in September, let alone January.
A very jaundiced (appropriate colour for us Canaries) view, but I really get where you’re coming from. This morning’s Tettey stuff didn’t exactly fill me with optimism; I had no idea he was being touted for an exit when I wrote the article on Saturday evening.
After being bullied and over-ran at Millwall we want to sell Alex Tettey? Big hmmm…
Losing Nelson now would be a complete disaster – no cover for Jerome who seems to be getting off to a slow start to the season in any case. I am certainly not convinced by Watkins in the main attacking role.
I think perhaps, Anthony Newley’s, “Why”, might be apt?
In nappies in 1973? Nah! Walking down ‘my’ memory lane requires being on your feet for a long, long time! City then sported regularly, black shorts. Division 3 (South)?
Ha!
I guess along with one or two others of a similar vintage (Hi Mick, Hi Stewart) I’m up for the unwanted accolade of the oldest writer on this site.
Luckily we also have some sprightly youngsters (Hi Will, Hi Connor) and several in between.
I remember happily standing and would return to doing so if it were possible, but that’s another story for another day.
Having established your vintage I’d quote Marvin Gaye: “What’s Goin’ On”:-)
In a couple of previous comments I asked if anyone new how cities recruitment plan worked ?
1) Was SW buying players that he wanted and within cities price range
2) Does Farke have any say in the final recruitment
3) Will there be a rethink on the statement no more in this window
4) Keep Tettey and Oliveria
5) Get another old fashion CB
6) Sell Naismith and sign another striker
Patient is a virture and at the moment it is waring very thin and the R word is being used to easy at the moment, I am hopeful of a very large change in luck soon but I can also see comparison to Huddersfield last season SW got lucky with his recruitment and must have thought he had found the receipt for success whole sale changes with an untried coach.
Farke come across as a nice person but has he the steel to succeed in this league or is he being short changed by SW and the board.
From reading previous interviews from SW, he leads on recruitment but the Head Coach (DF) is very much involved in the process.
He isn’t leading very well at the moment
Who would take Naismith off us for the wages he would want?
Farke clearly has a say in recruitment – why else would we be signing so many from Germany?
But the issue is NOT in my view the structure. The point of the structure is that Farke can get on with coaching the team over the next few days, whilst IF there is any recruitment to be done others can get on with it.
The reason for conceding too many goals is not that we now have a Sporting Director any more than last year we did so because we didn’t have one.
Still smarting from Saturday Martin? Good read, if slightly grumpy!
Good comments from all below, realism has set in very early it seems and that can only help. This episode has all the hallmarks of the emperors new clothes. A former colleague of mine, a well known commenter on social media of all matters Norwich city chuckled when we met pre season at the club function involving the three new head honchos. My slight apprehension, mixed with hope that farke and co. We’re the real deal was met with the usual comments around negativity etc. My fears appear well founded. If anything villa and millwall Plummer deeper depths than I thought possible!
The negative view of Norwich City is one that refuses to believe that any person of wealth would find our club attractive, that we support the only club in the top two divisions that is uninvestable. That we must always be outbid by the likes of Middlesbrough, reading, et al. We will never enjoy a cup final, or the thrill of watching international footballers, lasting beyond January in the FA cup. We are the little boy that Santa Claus forgot, pressing his nose against the glass of the toy shop while all the other kids get the train sets.
Our support is relatively huge in comparison to 75 percent of all other English teams. We are in a growing area, with room for expansion. I believe my club is as awesome as it was when I first saw those bright yellow shirts with the huge canary badge and Graham Paddon was belting in thirty yarders.
I do not share the vision of this ownership and their cronies, I do not buy into the “self funding” garbage and if they dare to flog off Nelson Oliveira to reading on Thursday they can bloody well join him in Berkshire.
His name should be ringing round the ground on Saturday week if this happens. We will be a busted flush.
Chris: I’m sure I’ll get stick for it, but I LOVE your comment.
Great comments and I think there are investors out there wanting to take a slice of the Canary Banoffee pie but are told by the current bun of a board thanks but no thanks as they don’t want to lose their toy.
As Delia has stated in many programmes thing goes stale and that must be recognised at some stage and put aside, When oh when we she take her own advise and get an investor in.
Even the badtimes are good
“… and if they dare to flog off Nelson Oliveira to reading on Thursday they can bloody well join him in Berkshire.” AGREED, COMPLETELY!
We clearly don’t have a plan regarding who is sold. If another club makes a good offer for anyone they will be sold. Unfortunately several of the highest earners are unsellable because they are injured (Klose and Jarvis) or out of form and on ridiculous wages (Naismith).
This is what concerns me about any notion of a “long term plan” because we are not financially stable enough to have a long term squad. Loans will return each season and the best players are likely to be sold – making long term squad building difficult.
On Friday night I got in touch with my thespian side by watching a performance of Twelfth Night. Whilst I enjoy a bit of the Bard, I am by no means an expert. Therefore my ears pricked up as Viola said ‘ She pined in thought, and with a green and yellow melancholy She sat like patience on a monument’
Green and yellow melancholy kept me awake; surely this wasn’t an omen for an afternoon in Bermondsay.
Looking through Sparknotes on Saturday morning the meaning of this passage was given, more or less, as smiling through sadness. By 5.00 pm, with friends due round for a night of food and drink, this became imperative. Luckily (!), as a Norwich fan, it’s something I’ve had plenty of opportunity to perfect over the years. It didn’t help that 2 of the Millwall scorers were ex Wolves players as I was reminded frequently during the night.
We look lightweight in the extreme. I can’t imagine that if the next 5 games produce the results that the first 5 have the crowd won’t turn. I won’t say what we need as it’s so bloody obvious and has been said so often that there’s no point in adding to it..
Turning to that other master of the English language, Joe Strummer said ‘I’m proud of all our songs, even the crap ones’ Perhaps the Queen songwriters (they all had a go) concur with that. I’ll smile through the sadness and always be proud of NCFC, even when they’re crap.
I’d rather own London Calling than everything Queen ever did.
But pre-Clash, there was Jimi, Cream, Zep, Sabbath and the excitement Queen created was quite a revelation – I was still only 17 in 1973.
To go back to NCFC the worst Clash album I ever heard was Cut The Crap. I thought that as a football club we had done just that but it looks like I was wrong.
I had no idea you were a Shakespearo Don: the closest I ever got to those circles was having a mate who looked and acted like Falstaff: Naturally, with no coaching required: -)
Another quote from Twelfth Night is the one about greatness that everyone can paraphrase. I think with DF we as fans have been fed the line that he was born great and we have, up until mid-August at least,thrust greatness upon him. What we need is for him to do his bit and achieve greatness. I’m not a Shakespearo (good reference) but I do like to dabble outside my comfort zone. Your friend who looks like Falstaff could have it worse. Like NCFC, he could be Bottom.
I would rather have London Calling, Give ‘Em Enough Rope, the first Clash album or just the memory of hearing White Man In Hammersmith Palais than ANYTHING by Queen who were nothing more than a pantomime parody of a rock band.
I was only 9 in 1973 and was getting into trouble for fighting with people calling me Donny as I knew that the Osmond one wasn’t someone I wanted anything to do with.
A good read as usual and I must commend you on your excellent taste in music! As a pimply faced youth Sheer Heart Attack was the first album I ever purchased. I started to lose interest in Queen’s music after A Night at the Opera, as with most bands I think they focused on commercial success after this.
Anyway as for Saturday’s result it is clearly a setback particularly as there are the same defensive problems in the Sunderland, Villa and now Millwall games, Now Farke and Webber have two weeks to find solutions to our ‘back line’ frailties. My hope is that these two characters are pragmatic in their decisions and not idealists. Millwall should be proof that a team can score 4 goals whilst only having the ball for 28% of the time! Procession should not be a holy grail and I’m not advocating hoofball but I think good football teams are capable of adapting the way they play to suit the opposition in front of them (i.e. Liverpool v Arsenal yesterday?). If they don’t find a solution through some further recruitment and/ or adapting the master plan to suit the ability of the players at their disposal we could veer towards a season that resembles Peter Grant’s Scottish experiment very quickly!
We are still only 5 games into the season, DF and SW have to be given more time to find their solution. At the end of last season we the fans demanded change and that’s what we have got!
A great footballing comment and thanks for the musical nod also: I’m very much Zeppelin and Sabbath while turning to The Faces, Mott the Hoople and Roxy Music.
Add The Clash, The Rich Kids and Manic Street Preachers – that’s me. Thanks again.
The Rich Kids? Midge Ure’s finest moment (or was that Slick?) Mind you Mr Matlock was ok
A bit too much bo!!ox of Music references for me, but I’ll comment in my own way.
Saturday’s performance was poor, as was what I witnessed at Villa. Sunderland caught us out on major counter attacking (as was their plan).
5 games into the season is NO reason to be posting such articles Martin. Webber took over Huddersfield in a poor state. His first full season in charge saw them lose something like their first 4 games. Everything steadied AFTER the window shut. I expect that to happen here at Norwich.
We have another window in 4 months to finally settle down the squad, including Raggett in the squad.
I see nothing to being over dramatic with frankly. The problem with Norwich supporters is that they’ve been gifted with success and abject failure for now on a decade probably. NCFC fans have not been exposed to ITFC fans experiences and expectations.
NCFC fans’ minds are simply running away with themselves.
I’ll be there at Sheffield United and ALL the other away games because I support my team . . . . . through thick and thin.
Fair points indeed and well put. Believe me, my opinion is quite mild compared to some of the nonsense being spouted in the usual places.
Being hit for four in two consecutive away matches is enough to let me begin to entertain some doubts, even at this early stage. I hope these doubts are unfounded and everything does turn out tickety-boo. I’ve written enough in support of the new set-up, continue to support it and of course I want it to succeed,
As for the music, I’m sorry if it hit a sour note. Thanks a lot for the comment.