If you have a puppy and it craps on the inside doormat instead of making it into the garden, if your drains are blocked or if for some reason the neighbours’ dustbin hasn’t been emptied for three weeks in the summer, what do you get?
A very bad smell.
Stagger downstairs with a hangover and sniff the whiff of last night’s tandoori chicken lingering in the kitchen… it doesn’t make you feel too good.
And Carrow Road stank on Friday night, it really did. From the kick-off to the 75-minute mark, when I left. Many had departed before me.
Apart from a one-minute burst in the first half during which we contrived to miss three consecutive chances, we were collectively rank.
Surely this is as low as it gets?
Unfortunately, I don’t think so – we have the capacity to become even worse. Dangerously worse.
The very best of fair play to Brentford. They carved us apart twice for their well-merited goals and but for the reactions of Angus Gunn it could have been one hell of a lot worse. Their boy Sawyers took the juice and we basically allowed him to. Disgraceful.
Half time in the Upper Barclay bar was, erm, interesting.
We always stand behind the minimum wager who dispenses the fizzy stuff from what looks like a decorator’s paste table in order to avoid the crush. But it’s a great observation point and oh boy, the comments were vitriolic. Without exception, seemingly. People were so frustrated they were arguing with each other and for once the replay screens were working and we could all relive the ease with which Brentford unlocked the door.
Our half-time chat revolved around who was the worst player on the pitch, and nobody in a red and white shirt came into contention.
The second half? Brentford contained an empty threat. End of, really.
Except that quite a few of us in the UB joined in with the “Delia Out” chants. To the point that the intensely annoying “happy clapper” unfortunately recently sat next to me who views the entire game through binoculars put his fingers in his ears. Literally.
The “Sack the Board” song is irrelevant and pointless, we all know that. But it was sung nevertheless.
And then Brentford gave it the “should have gone Christmas shopping” one. We sang back in agreement. Oh boy… again.
Feelings are running high just now. The Board have backed themselves into a corner – their Brave New World (aka downsizing) is not working out. For them or us. Yes, there IS a divide.
Many people say things in the heat of a moment (I am often guilty of that type of behaviour myself) but the current consensus is nailed on that there will be less season ticket renewals this January than in a very long time.
I don’t do social media, but the missus does and quite a few people are apparently spitting the old blowpipe at Ed Balls. It’s utterly incomprehensible that he might be at fault, beyond guilt by association of course. It’s descending into farce.
I started by contemplating smells, so I shall end in the same vein.
This Club stinks just now and not just on the pitch.
If you love somebody set them free. Go on Delia, you know it’s the right thing to do.
***
A very Merry Christmas to our readers, writers and all NCFC supporters everywhere.
The best item so far about the state of our club.
Somebody badly needs to convince Delia that it’s time to go.
As someone who has supported the club for donkeys years the current climate is worse than I recall under the final stages of Chases reign.
Thanks John.
I don’t yet feel it’s quite as toxic as the last days of Chase but it’s sure getting there. No police horses, no orchestrated campaigns: Delia possesses (still, just) a small but influential, immovable body of support that Robert Chase never had.
He wasn’t quite the same type of character as her, of course.
But he never took us down to League One. And Delia already has previous for that achievement.
Police horses were only deployed due to the orchestrated campaign. This situation is worse than under chase, but norwich fans are too weak to do anything about it now. They would rather watch the club drown.
Don’t be so sure about that Jeff. I’m not ready for drowning…
Martin you are seemingly as angry as I was but sadly you don’t get the same relief shouting at the TV screen. Delia has indeed painted herself into a corner from which there is no escape but she is not the immediate problem.
When things are not working in any area of life you change something. When my driver insists on slicing the ball (nothing to with me of course) I leave it in the bag and use another club. City have lost 7 from 10 but there has been no tactical change at all. Stop the bleeding – put Trybull and Tettey back in midfield, play on the break and at least get some draws. That is down to Farke who even after this latest debacle spoke about how we improved after the break. Get rid of this clown first then move on to the board later when we are safe from the R word!
I 100 percent agree. I don’t think Farke’s a clown however. Out of his depth yes, but a clown definitely not. Unfortunately, Webber has to take culpability with this one. Lightening doesn’t strike twice and his worn avenue to Borussia Dortmund 2 hasn’t provided dividends this time. Huddersfield were hardly the model to emulate anyway, they scraped into the Premier League via the play offs on back to back penalty shoot outs. Hardly the swashbuckling tear up the Championship the media painted. However in hindsight, look at Gary Rowett. We had that chance and it went begging, Derby are 3rd. Again, you’re right, for Delia to leave now would be erroneous and add further hassle to the already fractious atmosphere. For now, Farke takes the hit, and Webber must do his homework. The Delia question, unfortunately, will have to wait.
Sorry Hilary you are of course correct ( I was in a bad mood). Farke is an honest and likeable chap who has a vision of the type of football he wants to play. However, AN was a young man experimenting with football management at our considerable cost and I don’t think we can afford another one. You are correct it is time for Webber to own up to his error and make a change.
To Cyprus and Hilary, thank you both.
If Delia won’t go and Stuart Webber cannot sort out Farke & Co what can we do?
We cannot afford to sack yet another coaching team, surely?
The annoyance and frustration of supporters emerges because we are largely powerless to do anything about anything.
If we were comfortably in mid-table and going nowhere I could understand and wait for hopefully better things next season.
But we are too close to the drop zone and there are precious little signs of improvement on the pitch. Worrying times.
I don’t disagree with your article, but there is certainly a part of me which prefers the ‘Better the devil you know’ argument. There could be a Mike Ashley nightmare, a Saudi Prince who doesn’t even know that he owns us or a Thai billionaire who helps us win the Prem. Delia and co will probably only sell to the third option, and for that I applaud them
Thanks Geoff.
When you couch it in those terms I can see where you’re coming from.
But when it’s appeared in The Times that even a benevolent Thai billionaire would be rejected out of hand, I struggle to get my head around the Smiths, I really do.
Leave her alone Mr. Penney, she´s done more for this Club, and spent more on this Club, than most of us put together. She deserves credit and respect for what she´s done, not the criticism and condemnation she regularly gets on this forum.
Friday night´s farce had very little to do with her, and was totally down to an incompetent head coach and a bunch of players who have no idea what they are doing, as they´ve shown on countless other occasions this season. Webber is equally as guilty for appointing him in the first place, but I don´t hear his head being called for.
This sheep-like jumping on the ´outside investment bandwagon´ is also becoming ridiculous, as if that´s guaranteed to solve any problems. Equally as many who take that route, end up failing and in ruin, as they do, succeeding.
Everyone keeps telling me we´ve got the players to walk this league, so presumably the reason we´re not, is either because everyone is wrong, or because those leading and guiding the players, are incapable, and if so, any calls for leaving the Club should be directed at them, not our two majority shareholders.
The problem is George that they saved the club many years ago but since then they seem to have made so many mistakes in the appointments they have made that the goodwill they earned then has long since expired. I agree (as I said above) the current issue is a very pleasant, well meaning head coach who is in above his head but then again who appointed him? Delia out is not the current issue an underperforming team is. She needs to act now before it is too late and if she had done that with Neil we would possibly still be in the top flight.
Delia DID NOT ‘save the club’. It simply is not true.
It’s like saying the world is flat and still believing the world is flat despite you knowing the world isn’t flat.
Delia saw an opportunity and took it. And I don’t blame her for that. However the way she obtained two seats and overall control has cost this club very dear.
Trouble is, she was then and is now and amateur. Football has moved on considerably, yet she has the last word on everything in a world where she completely out of her depth.
The Times article – which Delia must deeply regret in hindsight – showed she has the classic double whammy of arrogance and naivety and you never want anyone like that running any business, whether you are talking anything from a football club to a night club.
The majority shareholders now have their trousers down and relied on the extremely and over generous support of the fans for too long.
They should sell up with dignity, as I see no way back for them.
They may not realise it yet, but they are finished.
Sorry to say but the are completely blinkered and still look to the Watlinsand such owners in a period where the owners were from the Gentlemens clubs and all business was done behind closed doors.
The news papers changed all that for better or worst depending on how you look at it, Delia advocates not keepi g things past there sell by date and she and hubby have well exceeded theirs.
The club is on the chronic decline and people can still bring themselves to spout moronic support. I genuienly wonder what s
Delia would have to do to change their mind?! She has turned from a wonderfully dedicated fan into a dictator. A common ailment of those that get a sniff of power.
Cyprus – I beg to differ with your inferring that Delia appointed Farke. Webber went looking for, and found Farke, after consultation with his former manager, Wagner. That´s the story I heard,and I see no reason to disbelieve it, it makes perfect sense. No doubt he then went to Delia, asking her to sanction it, and what else exactly, is she supposed to do? – when your experienced and supposedly knowledgeable Director of Football comes to you and says ” I´ve found just the man we need”, if she´d said ” Never heard of him, go and find someone else” her Director of Football immediately resigns. In fact, personally, I wish she had opposed him, and he had resigned, because I don´t think he ´s a scrap of good, but that´s another matter altogether.
No – I´m afraid Farke and all his deficiencies, has to layed solely at Webber´s door.
This must be mick in disguise
George are you Nepotism Tom? or Ed ‘Buffoon’ Balls? If you cannot see the problem that is so obvious in front of you I genuinely feel sorry for you. The article is brutal but it is well written and reflects the views of what is rapidly becoming a majority of supporters. Unfortunately there is a divide now between those who want to see the club advance or even compete on an equal footing with others or go into administration with the majority shareholders who do not have the ambition or the money to take us further. As for the devil you know argument, have you looked at the league table recently? We are a short hop from League One now where even there they have owners with ambition and deeper pockets. We are not paying money to sponsor Delia’s convivial parties with her friends. We are supporting a football club which matters to Norwich and has an effect on the Norfolk economy beyond. Delia still has some support from people like yourself and she would do well to walk away while she still has some dignity.
I’m not sure, Suffcan. George may well not be nepotism Tom or the rt. Hon mr Balls. For all I know he might even be Zippy or Bungle.
I’m sure of one thing however, he is a fully paid up member of the Flat Earth Society.
Sorry George, the person responsible for this mess is the owner, Delia.
She made the appointments, she carries the can now it has gone wrong.
George your comment is just as welcome as everybody else’s.
Leave her alone? I just write about NCFC and by doing so offer an honest opinion you are free to disagree with, as you have done and so you should if that’s how you feel.
Criticism yes. Condemnation? Read the articles and comments more closely and you might feel a little differently.
For what it’s worth I agree with all the respondents to your post, but if you believe Delia should continue to enjoy credit and respect that’s just fine by me. There are still quite a few people about who agree with you and all folks are equal on MFW:-)
That’s really strong stuff Martin, thanks for being honest, not a nice picture , must be even worse to be in. I remember the Chase Out days, being charged down by horse, swear I still have back problem from being caught by this enormous black horse. Heaven forbid we get to that again,
I was founder of the Worthy Out campaign organised the first and only really demo, I got hot coffee, a cup of piss thrown over me, pushed and jostled in the disabled area where I sat. I wanted at that time to include the Stowmarket Two in that as well, when they had finally seen sense and Worthy was dispatched, I wanted to carry on and on to get them to see sense.
Now years on we face the same situation again, we have limped from manager to manager, disaster to disaster, with a small rest byte in between , when they had a a manager who could and did do something remarkable , something was put in his way.
Was he getting bigger than the celebrity who was in house ? Being honest I do not know what to think.
It is just one balls up after another , I listed the managers they have employed in another one of these ramblings. So cutting my inane drivel shorter, the only common denominator over all the seasons is the Stowmarket duo. Everything else has changed, Managers, Backroom staff, Players CEO, Chairman’s and even fans. and being honest what has changed ?
I gave up going for several reasons the main being McNasty the ceo (not going over that again) I fell out with many people because of my views over the way the club has been ran, until I thought sod this , this isn’t worth it, the football is terrible, the fans around me are as volatile as shaking a can of nitroglycerin .
I seem to end up always appearing to shot the Stomarket Duo in what looks being ungrateful, but believe me I am not, I was more that grateful and happy for them to take over from Chase. But that was way back , a lot of water has gone under Carrow Bridge since then. Yes they saved the club then. Loans have been paid back or taken in shares, further strengthening their hold on the ownership. People still feel indebted to them for that action back in the 1990’s , christ that is a long time ago , the credit has since been long used up.
Now after that time where are we as a club, not too far from being where we were, when she took over I can’t prove that, but it sure feels like it to me, Are we better off now . there is no land to sell on to help. the roller coaster rides have been good on the high points and low as they can get in the down times. but there seems to be more low times.
I do not doubt Delia & Co love this club, but there are many ways of expressing that , but holding on to something that you can no longer help grow and develop is controlling for the wrong reason, as is having the inability or unwillingness to ever hear a different point of view .
It isn’t the family friendly club they portray , the feeling of it being my club are long gone.
Spot on. Succinctly put. And this is exactly the point- we’ve changed players, managers, directors and what has changed. If other fans can’t see this then they’re part of the problem. So many errors at top level so many times and now the elephant in the room came out wearing its platform boots and disco jumpsuit at the agm when we all saw what a pigs ear they’d made of attempting to stay in the PL.
I really enjoyed those comments, Lad and Hilary.
Let’s hope more influential people than me get to read them,
Sorry. I forgot to add . Wishing you Martin and all the writers have a really great Christmas and look forward to a happy and successful New Year. And spare thought of those alone and with no home to feel safe in
Yeah Delia may need to set the club free but she was not responsible for Friday evening’s loss. That can be put down to Farke’s crap team selection and inappropriate tactics. Early in the season he showed he could learn and adapt, but now he seems to have forgotten those lessons and become stubborn instead. He – and Webber – need to rethink urgently his selections and team tactics. That’s the immediate step needed before anything else. Anything else needs a cooler more reflective moment, and that’s not right now.
Fair point Michael.
Some width would be nice, for instance.
They say Christmas is a great time for reflection. We’ll see.
Our problem is not lack of investment by the board but lack of performance by the players. If Watkins had scored with a very simple header when the game was still 0-0 it might have been a different result.
Our build up is too slow and lacks width. last season we had scored 38 goals by Christmas, this season 22. We have nothing left to play for this season; let’s change the tactics, be more attacking and develop a style which will be more successful in 2018/19.
Cheers for the comment Max.
If only we had a few more points on the board I would agree with you 100%,
Unfortunately it looks like we DO have something to play for this season, aka Championship survival.
Hi Martin
A great read.
As for the smell I grew up in GT Yarmouth in the 50’s and can remember all the fish guts being turned in to fertiliser, then in the 80’s moved to Blackpool and took my wife to Fleetwood Docks and there was an awful smell she asked what it was and it took me back to my childhood fertiliser again.
From reading the comments in the Pinkun during the game it seems city had a few chances but were as usual not up to taking them and that can be very fustrating.
Now our beloved owner sitting in their PASTRY TOWER lording it over everone is gauling to take and yes there has been as many good as bad take overs and when we as supporters see clubs like Barnsley getting investment it shows that our owners have lost the plot.
We all know tough love and except it has its place and time but city at this moment needs financial help and the Delia pack don’t have that to give no one want to get into a situation of protests and go the way the Oystons have at Blackpool but all it needs is for a bunch of share holders to to feel they have a case and go to court then all the good they have done is washed away.
Please let the board find an amicable way to either bring in fresh blood with financial clout to help the club or dig deep into their own pockets again they have always got it back one way or another.
Thanks Alex.
There will be no digging into their own pockets, of that I am sure. When Tom inherits, that concept would probably become a thing of the past anyway – I am sure Trust Fund directors will be in place to enforce already-written conditions upon him.
Nope, what we’ve got is what we’re left with. The Smith Legacy.
ps I once had a student holiday job bagging up fish blood ‘n’bone.. The landlord of the local agreed to serve us on our dinner break but only through the offy hatch and we had to drink outside. You’ll know why!
Thanks Martin
Have a good festive time and the family and may all you hopes come true.
Happy Christmas Martin and commenters. As usual your article puts a smile on my canary-wary face.
I didn’t expect you to be taken to task after reading the article but alas to some, Saint Delia can indeed do no wrong. The buck should always stop at the top of any organisation and if the managers are failing in their task then you have to look at the people employing them. Time and time again.
Whilst it is true that there is no guarantee that fresh (any) investment would bring about success we can be pretty sure that the no investment or to give it its ridiculous politically correct euphemism “self funded model” will carry on pretty much in the same vein in which it has started its life. The idea should have been strangled at birth. We all know who really foots the bill for self funding and it ain’t self!
It’s a straight choice, possibility of success based on keeping our better players for a longer period or the guarantee of failure with us selling players to,fill the investment void and pay the bills before we get the best from them.
Perhaps the club could turn some of the seats to,face the directors box so that the happy clappers can spend Saturday afternoon gazing in awe and wonder at the beautiful visage of the assembled smith family and their pals Ed and Foulger and don’t forget mister Phillips as some do.
They clearly hold more interest for some than events on that green rectangle that the rest of us peer at through our fingers in varying degrees of discomfort,
Our football club is not a family heirloom to be jealously passed around Suffolk. There are a great many supporters who,despise the downsizing and belittling of the club and can see only selfish motives for this most unnecessary act of vandalism.
Well, you can’t say fairer than that.
Merry Xmas mate.
Perfect.
Excellent summation as always Mr Penney.
In some 50 years of following City I cannot honestly ever remember feeling so low and ambivalent about them.
There are enough comments about the Stowmarket two above which pretty much sum up how I feel, so I give you a couple of other points to ponder……..
We sat through all of Friday’s turgid performance, so at least we did see a pacy burst on the right wing, followed by an excellent cross which was duly dispatched by our centre forward. The problem here being that said right winger was actually a central defender signed on a free transfer from the German fourth division. I guess that just confirms that perhaps Herr Farke really does need some help to understand the vagaries of the most competitive league in the world since although we have the players, not one other team in this division plays as narrow as we do.
As stated by others, if we’re being turned over so easily by teams such as Brentford and Millwall (and no disrespect to either) then we have to be looking down rather than up….
My other point relates to season tickets…..given the current level of entertainment (or rather lack of it) at Carrow Road, how will they price the renewals??? At the current match prices, it will be far less costly for me next season to pay a membership and then buy tickets on a match by match basis. OK, you lose the cameraderie of those always around you, but this is football, and all of a yellow and green persuasion should be there for the same reason…
At the moment the fans feel alienated and divided from the club, and even divided from each other.
Not a happy situation to be in at this time of year.
Yes, we all know it was to be a season of transition but surely we could have expected to see some signs of progress by now…..
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all writers and commenters on this excellent site.
O T B C
Thanks a bunch John – your comment about the site will be much appreciated by Gary our Editor and all the writers here, I am more than sure.
Personally I’m sticking with my ST for now as I pay monthly and will probably limp on until the end of the season.
If May 2018 means League One and a member of the Smith clan remaining at the helm, I’ll be off quicker than a terrier stung by a wasp (I’ve seen it happen – that’s true speed, and I don’t mean the wasp).
After exactly 30 consecutive STs during which I’ve missed just four matches. I believe that’s my right as a supporter.
I must be about the same age as you so I certainly understand exactly how you feel:-)
63 for me……..
I too am a monthly payer, and will be there until May (at least)
As for the terrier, I totally understand…..we had to have ours put to sleep 4 weeks ago. The hole in our lives is huge, so we collect our new first puppy (we’ve always had rescue dogs before) next weekend. Consequently he cannot be left for long which means my wife has offered to do the house training with him for the foreseeable future- so no football for her for now.
I’m wondering who has got the best deal out of it!!!!
O T B C
I’m 60, Geezer the P(r)atterdale is three and Mrs P took in a privately rescued Russell last Feb called Minnie which is around 15 months now and a pain in the butt tbh. But all Russells are as my old boy told me over 40 years ago: “Never trust a Russell” he said. Wise words Dad:-)
Training the pup from “new” will occasionally be a seesaw ride but fantastic fun for you, your wife and of course the dog itself.
Let me know what type he is in a future post!
OTBC
Food for thought.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/dec/24/who-pays-for-manchester-city-beautiful-game
So an article about football turns into an anti-Brexit/pro-Corbyn piece within a paragraph or so!
The Guardian eh?
Yeah well worth a look. Brilliant article from a journo I’ve not come across before as I don’t read The Guardian. Far too one-way political for me.
In the case of “be careful what you wish for”, it certainly strikes a chord and on a personal moral level I would probably be disturbed as well. No not probably, definitely.
But it’s the modern world and I doubt too many MCFC supporters are actively complaining.
That link is a great way to make your point – I still think due diligence properly applied could avoid that type of scenario though.
A great and original comment – thank you.
Excellent article about an issue that we should all be very concerned about. How someone interpreted it as an anti-Brexit and pro-Corbyn article is completely beyond me. If anything it is anti-Corbyn but certainly does not take a stance on Brexit. What it does is make comparisons related to speaking out against what one believes is wrong using those two as examples.
Being able to read the individual words is rather limiting if you cannot actually interpret their collective meaning and the author’s intent! A bit like all of this who voted for Brexit and then had to look up the EU on Google the day after.,
Good article Mr Penney
As you know Martin, I’ve made my feelings very clear regarding our majority shareholders many times. So I think you know which side of the fence I’m on.
All I’ll add on this occasion is happy Christmas to you and yours along with all the people at MFW.
Keep up the good work and I hope the new year brings a shake up of NCFC on and off the green stuff!!
Cheers Chris – have a good one!
I must admit that even my long standing preference for our ‘community model’ begins to wear thin and the article is obviously concerned with throwing light on an extreme example of ‘supping with the devil.’
‘Stick or twist?’ – depends how bad you think your current hand is. Which always depends on the last three results almost regardless of league position.
Maybe I’ll get a very long spoon for Christmas!
As usual not one iota of an idea as to how we go forward, just the same crowing clowns.