It’s guest blog time again and not for the first time, the MFW floor is handed over to ‘youth’. Today it’s the turn of George Devo, who says out loud what many City fans are thinking. All yours George…
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Twelve matches. 1,080 minutes of football. 64,800 seconds. Take your pick. That’s how long the Yellows have to maintain the most prized position in the English football pyramid outside of the Premier League.
The optimistic among the Canaries’ faithful will begin (and may already have begun) to dream of seeing Daniel Farke lifting the Championship trophy above his head as the victory bus glides through ‘the fine city’.
The pessimists’ anxiety levels will continue to rise as the club’s success prolongs, with their fear of City’s failure directly proportional to City’s probability of promotion; an irrational yet understandable fear. To them, the twelve remaining games seem like nothing more than twelve separate opportunities to self-destruct.
The pragmatists meanwhile, who I always try to emulate despite naturally being more optimistic (probably part of a subconscious effort to preserve my sanity), are slowly beginning to accept the mantle of promotion favorites, whilst simultaneously staring daggers at any fan brave enough to speak of the PL (‘Promised Land’ in Sky Sports speak).
There are two uniting beliefs for City fans that smooth over the aforementioned groups’ psychological borders: firstly, that our club’s state of affairs were never meant to be this good – this period of footballing brilliance was not expected by anyone – and secondly, promotion to the Premier League is a good thing.
The second of those viewpoints may seem too obvious to require mentioning in this article but in fact, it is that very statement that I’m going to discuss.
It allows me to ask my core question: do we, as Norwich City supporters, really want to get promoted this season?
That may seem like trying to hide simple provocation under the guise of intellectual debate but bear with me because you will, without a doubt, agree with, at least one of my following points.
The Premier League is the wealthiest division in the world and arguably the best in terms of depth of quality when taking account of all the 20 clubs. Guardiola, Pochettino and Klopp all manage within it. De Bruyne, Kante and Hazard all play in it.
Unfortunately, all this quality comes at a cost, because alongside this rising quality of football comes the growth of the organisation as a world-dominating brand. Subsequently, and similarly to other huge products, it has lost its way morally.
As Apple, Nike or even Sports Direct have demonstrated, there comes a point in the progression of a big organisation where profit starts to outweigh people, and a corporation grows too large to be contained – or even bothered – by naïve and non-literal notions such as decency or fairness.
An example of this is Amazon’s purchasing of the rights to stream 20 Premier League matches a season, starting from 2019-20 and continuing for the subsequent two years. The League allowed this transaction to be made with the age-old money-making defence that ‘competition is good for consumers’, when really we all know, in this case at least, it isn’t.
Tickets, club food and merchandise are more extortionate than ever, so pretending that by separating televised matches into three separate fee-paying subscription sites it benefits the average football fan is frankly offensive to our collective intellect. The only clear beneficiaries are the owners of Premier League clubs and the TV executives.
Alongside this, regardless of how hard campaigners have worked (such as supporters of the aptly-named ‘twenty’s plenty’ campaign to cap all tickets at £20), the only concession that the league has made towards fans so far, is to introduce a league-wide price cap of £30 covering solely away tickets. £10 above the affordable £20 asked for once more patronises football fans and takes for granted and exploits their powerful support for the team they love.
Moreover, the level of genuine competition within the division is diminishing rapidly. This is largely due to the broken distribution system of the TV revenue; money is not shared equally between the clubs.
A team will earn more money the more frequently they are chosen to be beamed into living rooms by Sky and BT executives. This results in previously richer clubs just becoming ever wealthier – as they are seen as more watchable than the poorer teams – and the inequality gap simply grows.
The net effect is that the Premier League becomes nothing more than the boring nine-month-long tussle between ‘the big six’ that we have seen this season (the ten-point gap between sixth and seventh shows that the disparity has never been worse).
Would we want Norwich to be subjected to a bottom fourteen dogfight for as long as they can survive, with no real prospect of achieving any lingering success? Wouldn’t it just be better to win the league and refuse promotion?
Nevertheless, despite all of this raging against the powers-that-be I’d love to see our club’s name up in the bright lights of the Premier League, our matches being picked apart on BBC One every Saturday night by Team Lineker and Daniel Farke’s men, in general, receiving a hell of a lot more national coverage than we would if our promotion project were to fail.
That’s the scary thing.
The fact I know, despite the increasing boredom of the league and indifference to supporter’s well-being it displays, I desperately want my beloved Norwich City to get promoted – thus answering the question I posed earlier in the article.
It’s the exact same feeling that any follower of an EFL club experiences every season.
So maybe scary isn’t the best word for our situation – maybe the word is terrifying.
It is as if football fans are stuck in an unhealthy relationship with the Premier League that they cannot get out of. In other words, the bond between division and fan is toxic because, as the dominant and overbearing other-half, the league knows how to manipulate supporters to make them feel a deep need to remain in the competition for as long as possible.
The Premier League is not a force for good in this world – but Norwich are increasingly becoming one.
We have owners who are genuine fans of the club and feel the exact same emotions as any other supporter. The Community Sports Foundation does incredible work across Norfolk, and the Barclay End Project and Along Come Norwich initiatives have received the backing of Stuart Webber, showing how intertwined our fans are with the board for a club of our size.
The scheme where £1 of every East-Anglian derby program sold went to the Along Come Norwich coffers – along with all the money made from the £5 “All Together Now” scarves sold by Norwich – was particularly brilliant.
At the risk of sounding self-righteous (although that ship might have long since sailed) we need to hold onto that moral compass that has become so integral to our identity. Unsurprisingly, I trust Delia Smith and Michael Wynn-Jones to not disappoint me on that front.
To end on a burst of optimism – in a time where Norwich needs to be more united than ever, it is important to remember that the aforementioned twelve matches have a number of divergent meanings.
Twelve more “On the Ball City’s” to be bellowed from the stands of Carrow Road and elsewhere when the referee whistles. 1,080 more minutes of football for Teemu Pukki to score in. And, most importantly, twelve more separate periods of 64,800 seconds where the county of Norfolk stops and unites around one shared love.
One badge.
One City.
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Many thanks.
Hi George
A very well-balanced article indeed and I love your concept of us winning the League and declining promotion. I’d never thought of that angle before!
For me it’s PL every time – for several years we were a well-established First Division/PL club until it all went Pete Tong under Chase. I’d rather watch Arsenal at the Carra than Rotherham.
In 50 years of support and 31 consecutive ST’s I’ve never seen us this united either and fair play to SW, DF and indeed the Board for that.
A fine read.
Great article George. I’ve long felt that I’d love us to win to the league this year but stay where we are, away from the over-paid, over-hyped, over-blown, boringly predictable yawn-fest that is the Premier League. Best league in the world? It’s not even the best league in the country.
I hope that, in the event of us being there next season, that we don’t lose sight of what we are & that dropping out of it again is not the end of the world.
Good read, to be honest I detest the way the Premier league is run, screened, and looked upon by the media.
But hell fire if you love your club then there is only one place to be. The money despite being a tad unfairly doled out, it is still more than we can expect to receive from the championship. Forgetting the top six clubs, (as Leciester did) we do have less teams to beat and to gain the points, to get another potion of unfairly doled out cash.
Some of the games will be seen as uphill damage limitation, while others will be on a more level field. It is a fact of life in the beast that is the Premiership.
Come on you Yellows,
A very interesting read George and a dilemma that most City fans have probably thought about with some trepidation.
For my part I’ve always wanted to see City in the top league not only because it would enable me to see some of the best players in the world but also for the boost to the local economy and prestige of being a premier league city.
It was always the final part of the Webber Farke plan and I’m sure they are planning ahead should we be successful.y
I’m at the opposite end of the life spectrum to you and one lesson I’ve learnt from life is the moment you stop progressing you start to stagnate and decline.
Success does create difficult problems and I totally agree with your views regarding the premier league.
The people with the hardest decisions will be our current owners who may have to reassess their position and in this regard I’ve been reassured by their recent statements on this subject.
At the end of the day, like it or not, if successful we have no opt out option and if unsuccessful we will be well rewarded.
A good read George, I’m sure we all share your fears to some extent. Whilst we’re all desperate for City to keep this going there’s definitely an element of turkeys voting for Christmas thrown in there as well. Sadly the Premier League hasn’t been a level playing field for some time and as for the ‘so called’ Financial Fair Play just don’t get me started on that subject. I think we’re just going to have to accept that it’s a league of 14 clubs that we’re trying to join and to accept the fact that we may have to take the odd beating from the others along the way.
Having said that, the team that we have now play the style of football that could compete already with some of the PL teams and I’m confident that Stuart and Daniel will add wisely in the summer given the funds. Bring it on!
Great article. We really want to be there, and we know we’ll hate it when we are there, desperate not to lose! Seeing our heroes bruised and battered by teams that have been assembled at vastly greater expense. And it really appears that the two edged sword that is Prem Football may well be ours again soon. Ah, well.
OTBC
Good question.
There are several ways of looking at it. First the money from the PL would be great.
We would not have such exciting matches at Carrow Road, eg. Great comebacks, late goals, etc.. and on the road it would be a long hard grind.
We may get to keep some of our young talent for longer and also increase their value when they leave to achieve trophies with the bigger PL clubs.
It would cost fans more for less matches, less excitement, less atmosphere.
We would be in the spotlight more.
So you have to weigh up what is more important to you and everyone will have a different view.
Its a very thoughtful read George thanks… I sort of fall into the Pessimist corner though I have yet to see the Normal “along Came Norwich Epic Fail’ whenever a banana skin might appear. I would like to see us in the PL strutting our stuff but fear that in so doing we might be likely to come straight down. As we have discovered in the past you need to change your playing methodology to stop conceding goals (and boy did we concede at times) Just look at Huddersfield this year. I’m hoping that we can follow Bournemouth and Southampton’s model and at least stay up for a few seasons
The question of money is obviously a thorny one.. you get a load you invest if it all goes well then brilliant.. if it doesn’t you’re back in those murky waters worrying about parachute payments whilst your best players disappear as do your hopes of promotion again
Ans so the circle continues
Well done on putting into words what every fan is feeling! But looking at it pragmatically, the big money that comes with promotion will help secure the club into the future. It may also help us keep hold of some of our eye catching young players. The Premier League is not the Promised Land, but I’ll bet there isn’t one of our squad who doesn’t want the chance to test themselves there, and I’d far rather that be with the Canaries!
Good thought provoking article George. I’m with Colin Bland (who’s namesake was a cricketing hero from my youth) and Jill Waters on this.
I believe that the SW/DF project will continue and that the funds from the PL will help us consolidate our youth approach. Leaving us in the enviable position of not having to sell our best players to survive but if the silly money comes……
Let’s look at it another way, in business and the professions, coming from Oxbridge almost guarantees you success, and from what I can ascertain, coming from the likes of Eton almost guarantees you an Oxbridge place. So if the top 6 in the PL are the equivalent to Oxbridge, then I see a perfectly valid business case for us to try and be the Eton!
However, dipping into the PL every now and then just to “top up” our funds – well, it just seems rude not to!
Solution: Let’s take our eyes off the prize and just enjoy the journey.
The guys are putting so much into this season from top to bottom. It’s always the journey that is the most satisfying part of any worthwhile achievement.. If we find ourselves at the new White Hart Lane, St James’ Park and Old Trafford next season then they will be great occasions for us win, lose or draw. Our unique brand of footy tested against the best, ask our Manager and players where they would rather be… only one answer!
Of course what we have currently will all change. DF, Jamal, Max, Mo, Mario, Teemu, Onel, Marco, Ben, Christoph, Tim, Todd & Tom etc will all move on perhaps sooner rather than later and good luck to them all when they do because they are giving us in footy terms the very best of times and it’s happening now before our very eyes.
So, as I say enjoy the journey over the next 12 games and let the prize, whatever that may be look after itself.
I really enjoyed reading that comment Colin.
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times – what the Dickens is that all about::-)
My only qualifying statement would be that there is no tangible guarantee that St James’ Park will be a PL destination next season or that Christoph for one will move on.
If we do achieve promotion I for one will get well Oliver Twist.
And I thought it was ‘Brahms and List!!!!’
Whatever, IF (and with each hurdle safely cleared, it is becoming more likely and I fully accept that we will stumble over a few of the remaining 12!!!) that we do achieve the aim of ‘dining at the top table’, I’m confident that SW/DF will recruit wisely ‘to give the lads a hand’ (I think I may have heard that phrase used somewhere in recent years); without spending extortionate prices for players in ‘the twilight of their careers’.
Indeed, I hope that we retain as much of the current squad as possible and I think I’m right in saying that only Cantwell, Klose and Pinto are out of contract this summer. If Cantwell/his manager are playing ‘hard-ball’, then I’m certain they’ve chosen the wrong opponent in SW.
The value of our emerging youth players will be increased enormously and let’s all hope we can indeed stay at ‘the top table’ for several seasons and disprove the theory that you can only stay there when bolstered by wealthy owners
A fine speech Ed.
Of course it was usually Brahms and Lizst but as a genuine b&b Cockney I can confirm the term “Olivered” was also in use if you fell over..
As was elephant’s (trunk), Harry (Monk) and “he’s on the snake’s (hiss)”
Norfolk has been my home for well over 30 years and there is nothing I miss about London whatsoever. But the language of my youth was unique.
…………. Yeh, me too Martin, then we can all ‘ave a right old ‘Russell Harty!
It’s a pity some of that premier league cash can’t cascade down to the championship, so we could just have 2 far more equal leagues. Perhaps with 6 teams relegated from the top league & 6 promoted from the second one. Can’t happen & won’t of course, but it would be so much better than the crazy inequality between the 2 leagues.
Thanks for reading the article John, I agree but I’d possibly go further. I’d love to see all prem and championship money split across all 4 leagues. So, for example, you could have 40% divided equally between prem clubs, 30% championship, 20% League 1 & 10% league 2. And maybe all cup competition revenue could go to grassroots/non-league/Sunday league football (or possibly even a smaller section of TV money). Essentially I think it’d be nice to see all 4 leagues more competitive & similar in quality to each other, however the combination of the top six’s record of greed almost definitely renders this impossible. Shame really. All ideas that should be considered (however drastic a change) but that’s very very unlikely unfortunately.
If we’re not promoted our business model is “produce and sell 2-3 Max Aaron’s per season”. I’m not sure that’s sustainable in the long term. Although should we fail to achieve promotion this year we do have desirable (and desired) players.
Premier League please.
If we do go up, I’m pretty sure that Webber/Farke will just come out and say that we are going to stick to the plan – continue with the players we have; keep promoting the youngsters and keep the unit together. Of course we will need to change some – I don’t expect McGovern or Marshall to stay, but I hope Klose and Rhodes would, even if not guaranteed games.
The way we are capable of playing will be enough to give us a chance.
Good stuff George. This totally encapsulates the worries that I’m sure many of us have regarding the Premier League.
Yes; the top 6 of the Premier league are probably just that. As for the rest, with a current gap of 10 points between 6th and 7th, which could increase to 12 if Chelski win their game in hand, I’m not sure it’s too different to the top of the Championship.
The financial incentive is (unfortunately) so great that, yes, it’s definitely the place to be. However, as you point out, that’s only because they now have 3 separate income streams for those who watch the games from the comfort of their own homes.
The one certainty for NCFC is that when we are there next season, the riches of the additional monies will not under Stuart Webber be in Stuart Webber’s words “pi$$ed away” as they were last time we graced those echelons.
It’s the hope that kills you, but if we can go up and keep the core of this current group, under the current leaders, I really do think we could be there for rather longer than we have been recently.
O T B C
Fantastic Article.
I have always thought that Promotion to the highest standard possible is the way to go. The exposure for the club would be more than it is now and the money from the league would help us to build for the future.
At the moment, I want Norwich to become a team like Watford, have the odd cup run and be safe in the security of being a middling PL Club! I know that sounds boring in comparison to the 7-goal thrillers and back-to-back-to-back wins. But these are against the likes of Rotherham, Bolton and Reading (no offence to these clubs).
I want Norwich to become a club that every fan in the world has at least heard of – you don’t get that in the Championship. I want to wear my scarf and shirt in pride at the Emirates, rather than at Pride Park.
I understand the point being made – but the PL is the only way for me!
Yes please, take the promotion…
…but on the complete understanding that our natural place in the order of things is as a yo-yo club.
Every year there’s 10 or so teams of which 3 will go down. And one year that will be us. And I accept that in advance.
For the sake of mitigating angst in advance, it’s far easier to think of a league of 20 fairly equal teams, 10 of which are getting a financial advantage, but also the likelihood of be dicked regularly in the season and the peril of losing that financial advantage. Equally there’s another 10 teams in the league trying to be one of the 10 getting that financial advantage, but with the advantage of some entertaiing football.
Imaagine a closed league of the following…
Burnley, Palace, Southampton, Cardiff, Huddersfield, Fulham, Brighton, Bournemouth (poss Wolves)
NCFC, Leeds, Sheff Utd, MIddlesborough, West Brom, Forest, Derby, Villa, Stoke, Bristol City (poss Sheff Wed)
I would probably be in that pragmatic category but I am dreaming of winning promotion at Stoke with a massive away following and then a trip to Villa to sing “We’ll meet again” much like they did to us in 1995 and then a celebratory match for Russ and Wes (fresh from clinching second place), so feel free to dream too! The club finances are such that we have to be promoted. At the AGM we were given a forecast of a £20m loss (funded by profit from the previous season). It has been good to watch Norwich this season but there is no guarantee that staying down would be followed by another good season. In a way having owners with big pockets takes away the urgency for promotion and maybe due to our more limited resources we have to get it right and therefore do. What can we achieve in the PL? Well a comfortable 12th place and a cup run would be good. The myth about the PL teams needing to be knocked out of the cup has been put to bed once and for all this season with Watford, Wolves and Palace going strong and Leicester sacking Puel after his Cup debacles caused a League slump. Even Hughton has got the message. A stylish 12th place with a couple of tweaks to our squad plus a cup win and an U23 victory at Portman Road in the EFL Trophy would be lovely, see I can still dream
Interesting thoughts, George.
Of course there are unattractive aspects to the PL and the forces which have driven it. But I’m pleased you’ve ended up on the side of wanting us to be there. I want us to playing the best every week, and specifically in our present case, I’d love to see Stuart Webber and Daniel Farke being given a crack at it.
One other point that hasn’t been mentioned. Being in the Premier League gives a significant boost to the local economy. We could use that right now.
“Wouldn’t it just be better to win the league and refuse promotion?” Yes, great idea! I love the roller coaster of the Championship as we have the potential to win every game almost as much as I dislike the drudge of seeking a game that we stand half a chance in in the PL.
Others have made valid points about the need for a periodic injection of capital to our yo-yo club, the linked ability to hold on to our younger (and older) stars, etc. – all of which are entirely valid. I just wish that we could do that while circumventing the tedium of another, at best, marginally competitive season in the PL.
Oh, and don’t get me started on the business ethics of the EPL and most of its constituent clubs!
There are and always will be some Norwich fans who do not want promotion, but as much as I do not like the EPL, you have to go for it. Wanting to stay safe in the same league is defeatist and one I’ve often criticised our majority shareholders for as they never seemed overly comfortable with it.
Where Norwich City have gone wrong when they have previously been promoted is losing the edge that got them promoted in the first place, coupled with filling the squad of mediocrity on high wages, which I detest. We cannot afford to do that again.
It is imperative that we get promoted, because we would have done it on the (very) cheap. Otherwise players will get picked off one by one and it might not only end with the squad.
I actually think we could do rather well in there EPL if we stick to the philosophy that got us there. That means no more journeyman who have nothing to prove on big money. Youth has made the difference this year and why should it stop there?
If we refuse promotion (lets win it first) many players would be sold or move. I think it would be great if current team could be matched against PL sides if promotion is achieved.
Promotion – simply because I would love to see how Webber and Farke do.
Our previous promotions under Worthington, Lambert/Hughton and Neil all failed because of the poor recruitment.
With Webber (and his team!) at the helm, I am much more confident that we can unearth more gems with the substantially greater resources available to us.
That – and the fact that we won’t have to lose Aarons, Lewis and Buendia in the summer!
Many things for, but many, many against.
If we were now in the PL, how many of our great youngsters would have been given a chance of first team football……..none, we would have bought instead.
Less excitement, as we would get beaten on a regular basis.
Money is the god in the PL, the most un even league.
Our bigger spending in the PL, has been wasted.
One plus is seeing some of the very best players in the world gracing Carrow Road.
its got to be promotion, from that fall all our ills or pleasures, tis no point in dreaming of being a big fish in a small pond for it soon loses its lustre, and then you have the same again please . The memory of the old boy in the corner who has had his brown and mild every day for a millenia, never having the suprise of Henry Westons best or the joy of a good landlord; no the same again becomes a chore . promote your dreams to ones of splendour.
we simply have to strive to be the best Norwich City we can be. Yes, the premier league would be a hard battle for us but surely we are All intrigued to see what Webber and Farke can make of it?
As far as entertainment is concerned, this season battling it out with the rest of the big boys that inhabit the championship in front of big crowds it won’t be beaten. Particularly when taking on outfits such as Bournemouth and the like. If there is a chance, we have to go for it.
The competitiveness we currently enjoy is bankrolled by premier league residue, with no rich owner to help, the plunder of our best assets again may not be so easily overcome.
There’s definitely some merit to staying in the championship BUT it would be better to go up this year, reward our players but DO NOT spend on players in the summer.
Keep the money to grow the stadium, the infrastructure. Make Norwich the best and most secure championship club.
Presuming we go back down of course.
A Very good article George.
There is only one answer really and that’s promotion. And that is for all sorts of reasons, income, keeping players at the club, excitement levels rise for the calibre of opponent, Norwich on the world stage etc.
However there are things I hate about the premiership, clubs like Leicester fielding weakened teams in cup games when it is obvious they wont get relegated, lesser matches and the favouritism shown by referees to the big clubs.
I often cast my mind back to the late 60’s & 70’s, the appointment of Ron Saunders changed this club forever and other than a long spell in the second tier in the mid 90’s to Nigel’s arrival it has been a roller coaster of promotion/relegation. I loved those old days when every match, league cup, FA cup and league were all of equal importance .( I won’t mention NORWICH 0 HULL 3 !!! 1972)
For many of those years there were quite a few cup finals and semi finals in the fa cup & league cup for us, in the mid seventies 3 successive league cup semi finals.
The premier league has become all about money, that’s why as I say clubs like Leicester de-fraud their supporters, all they are interested in the status quo of being a premier league club. But our Milk Cup winning team of 1985 have reunions to celebrate that day, would they all get together for finishing 15th season after season ? I know that team did get relegated , but would i swop winning that day for getting relegated personally I wouldn’t.
Strangely enough this team is playing some of the best football we have ever seen and it maybe more suited to the premier league. There is however a warning, just look at Fulham and Huddersfield no one would argue over the last 3 seasons they have been among the best teams in our league and look what has happened to them. I am sure that Farke/ Webber won’t make those mistakes ie signing too many players and upsetting the team spirit. But we will make mistakes of our own.
But there is no doubt if we do not go up we will HAVE to sell maybe 2-3 players so for that reason alone we must go for promotion.