My old man was a great lover of both westerns and epics such as Ben Hur and the one about Moses. These always had either Charlton Heston or Kirk Douglas in them – and no I don’t mean Spartacus. The Moses one was called something else I cannot now remember.
One of these aforementioned epics the old boy thoroughly enjoyed was about the Trojan War. It featured a battle between triremes and lesser vessels.
As the triremes descended on Piraeus, or wherever, there was a close-up of a really meaty fella banging the drum at the back of the boat who looked exactly like Andy Ruiz Jr minus the tattoos and shouted “ramming speed”. The trireme oars were put up and the smaller boats were blistered to shreds.
And that’s exactly what happened to us on Sunday and served to outline our immediate footballing future. We were annihilated in five minutes. There was no coming back on matchday and I’m really sorry to say there will be no extrication from the abyss at season’s end.
We simply don’t have the physical capability to survive in the Premier League. We really don’t. I cannot pick anybody who played particularly badly [and I wouldn’t if I could] but let’s be honest: the rocket from Chris Wilder addressed to certain backsides at half time did its stuff. For the Blades, not us.
I guess we have to look at it the awkward way now. Eleven points from how many games? Errm I guess that’s season over although other MFW folks might feel differently to me.
Emi Buendia had his best game for ages, Tim Krul was as excellent as ever and it was great to see Mario Vrancic back.
But to counterbalance that, the Blades [at times] toyed with us as our terriers do with a rat. Or in our particular case sometimes a cardboard tube [the dogs are non-selective], but the point remains.
I was one of the biggest advocates of our doubtless undeniable PL survival this season before a ball was even kicked. Hands up it was me. And several more of you!
But it ain’t working out, so realistically we now have a stark choice.
We waste a lot of kite in January [relax, it ain’t gonna happen] or accept our fate with as much dignity as we can muster.
Self-sustainment will never work and we are the living, breathing proof of it. Spend money on players? No m’dears we won’t be doing that. Not in my relatively short remaining lifetime anyway.
I expect a lot of flak for giving the season up as lost on December 10 and I’d love to hear from all you good folks who think I’m wrong. But I do wonder what’s going on when you’ve got a game potentially won and then basically sling it away.
Which is exactly what we contrived to achieve on Sunday.
And as for the old films my Dad loved, I reckon there’s one line from one of them that describes us accurately just now: James Cagney sobbing “I coulda been a contender, Ma” in White Heat in 1949.
But that quote isn’t strictly for City and its supporters. Circumstances dictate that we cannot be a contender. Shame.
We’re close, yet so far away. Too far away.
Very fair précis Martin, as one of those who is totally committed to the current set up and forward direction of the club I agree with most of your article. However the financial balance of football in general isn’t going to change anytime soon. Our lot in football is currently to be a member of the inbetweeners and that for a small rural city without the backing of laundered Russian money or dodgy Middle Eastern finance is probably as good as it gets. So enjoy the ups like last season which in my opinion was the highlight of my city supporting career and accept that the premier league gift to us is the. funding cycle, oh and the occasional game like the Man City one.
Hi Andy
Yeah sure we must enjoy the ups – I quite agree with you on that one!
I’m still not sure how to rate my three most enjoyable seasons. I loved last season’s campaign and the Lambert era probably about equally but THAT Mike Walker season was probably my most enjoyable as I got to go away a lot during that time which I rarely have been able to do recently.
“The financial balance of football in general isn’t going to change anytime soon” sums it up pretty well and deep down we all know that it’s true.
Thank you.
No flak from me. Called it as you and I see it. Wonder if that’a the earliest a club has been relegated. Not defeatist just realistic..Just hope we can beat Derby’s lowest points total!
Hi Tim
No, we won’t break the Derby record but at this rate we might come close!
I think realism has recently been installed in very many of us.
Thank you.
What a pathetic 2nd half display from the same players who played so well last Sunday, but as you say, that was more down to the improvement of the opposition pressing us more. I guess if I’m honest, we never looked like scoring in the 2nd half though I felt we deserved to be better than winning 1-0 at half time.
Why don’t the players try more shots from outside the box, so that we’re not always trying to thread the ball through a packed defence????
I was looking to the changes DF had made to the starting 11, but in the end, it wasn’t enough.
I was reading an article by a Leicester fan yesterday and he said – ‘After 29 games we were bottom – 7 points adrift with 19 points. We won 7 of the last 9 and the following season everyone knows what happened!!’ The difference is that they had a solid defence, whereas ours …..
I was just discussing with a fellow fan how our GA total at the end of each season has been much higher than many of the teams around us for many seasons – even when Paul Lambert was in charge.
At least if we are relegated, VAR isn’t used in the Championship and I’m seeing a growing number of fans who are wishing us to be free of the curse of the dreadful system. How can a game that until this season been decided on split second decisions by officials, suddenly take several minutes looking at endless replays???
Ticket for my forthcoming trip to the King Power received and train travel booked – luckily not travelling with Greater Anglia. I’ll give my thoughts on the game next Monday!! 🙂
Hi Ed
I independently took the same approach as Gary G did yesterday on VAR. It’s faults seem so obvious to all of us that it’s not really worth banging on about.
The Blades had been singing “F VAR” before there was an incident involving it and when the Barclay sparked up with “It’s not football any more” they joined in with us. Says it all.
I’ve supported us “in the flesh” [as in hardly ever missing a home match] for well over 30 years now and I cannot remember us ever being a side to shoot from range. Bradley Johnson, Youssef Safri and even [once but memorably] Gary Holt were exceptions of course.
The GA train issue is all over the EDP and has been for some time now. But that’s another story, of course.
I’ll look forward to hearing from you on Monday – thanks!
This is a good article Martin because unlike the political scene at the moment it deals in FACTS. However I believe we could survive even at this late stage if we faced up to one further fact that the manager is so blinded by his philosophy ( like Labour with nationalisation and Tories with privatisation) that he is unable to change tack. What is required is to set up the team not to lose the game and when the opportunity arises then turn on the flowing play. Zonal marking has failed to prevent goals from set play – change it!
I remember posting a comment at this time of year that we had a choice between keeping Alex Neil or be relegated. Now the choice is modify the philosophy or be relegated!!
I would rather play like Sheffield United and stay up than play pretty football in the chump! And for those who think we can bounce straight back – look at the facts of how difficult it is to get out of the chump (Leeds, Derby, Forest et al)
Hi Cyprus.
I totally agree with your first par. In terms of the dreaded politics that makes us both very much “remainers” as in the PL rather than the EU!
For what it’s worth in the political sense I’d like to remain with a very much reformed deal that dumps the ECoHR the ECoJ. I’d also like an old skool non-Momentum centric Labour party who I could cheerfully vote for – there you drew me out.
Your second par is more chillingly accurate. What makes any of us think we will bounce straight back when our joint majority shareholders are on record as saying they “don’t like the Premier League”.
Sometimes I despair.
Thank you – great comment.
Hi Martin, great article as ever. I can’t remember the name of the Moses film, but I do recall Yul Bryner in one of the roles?
Article is spot on – and do you know what – I literally don’t care. Don’t perceive that as apathy, quite the contrary – it’s more that, last season was just so stupendously, outrageously, shout from the rooftops glorious; with promotion being so unexpected, that each and every premier league game is a blessing.
If you’d asked me at any point throughout the first few months of last season – would we be promoted? I would have unquestionably answered in the negative. As such, last season brought such unbridled glee, that I’m just enjoying every second of this premier league journey with all the hiccups, bumps and bruises that it brings.
For every Watford, Sheff Utd and Southampton – there’s a Man City and an Arsenal.
I don’t want us to buy Naismith, Jarvis et al again. Goodness knows how long Webber has spent unpicking that debacle. If we go down, we go down our way. Yes we’ll lose a few – but there will be new hero’s to sing and adore.
Is it over? Are we finished? Of course not. It’s never over until she of demonstrable size decides to sing….
Hi Martin.
The film was “The Ten Commandments” which I googled after I’d written the article, which was penned the moment a very disappointed me returned from the game. I wasn’t into research just in that moment as I was feeling uncomfortably numb. I don’t look much up anyway – I’m a lazy $od tbh.
I’ll cheekily adapt your poignant and totally apposite words thus:
“Last season was just so stupendously, outrageously, shout from the rooftops glorious; with promotion being so unexpected, that each and every premier league game is” invariably a missed opportunity to replicate next season due to our lack of investment in the summer.
Terrific post – thanks.
Haha! Touché!
You must have seen my ‘prudence with ambition’ t-shirt!
It was indeed the 10 Commandments…
I need to pen my next article for here, I’ve missed writing, but toddlers and work keep getting in the way.
Yeah toddlers are awkward – one will be 31 on Christmas Day and the other is 27. Tempus fugit and all that.
Our trouble is we now have an excellent Patterdale who will be five next week and a rescue Russell who is three. I blame Mrs P for the latter – it’s crazy on occasions. And so is the dog.
We’d appreciate an article when you can get around to it.
Cheers.
If we sell a godfrey or lewis for big money we can sort the squad out a bit more like we did after maddison left …so its not all doom and gloom thats what our youth players are for now i suppose …bigger picture .
Hi Jim.
Oh blimey, no mate – or not from where I’m standing anyway!
Say we do get mega money for Ben G and Max. Maybe Jamal too although his stock has faded a little this season. Possibly [most likely] Teemu might deservedly earn a decent final contract somewhere else – Lig 1 in Turkey seems a reasonable bet just now.
But none, and I mean NONE, of that money will be reinvested in the squad while alas Smith and Jones are at the helm. I will not say they are after profit for themselves because there is no evidence of that and with their champagne Socialist principles that theory doesn’t sit well with me although there are folks who would disagree on that point.
We are the only PL Club whose directors openly admit we don’t want to be there!!!
Thank you.
Therein lies the real ‘crux of the problem – ‘We are the only PL Club whose directors openly admit we don’t want to be there!!!’ 🙁
Unless we somehow succeed in gaining a few more points by the time we all drunkenly sing ‘Auld Lang Syne’, I fully expect Godfrey and perhaps a few others to be asking for a transfer in January and who can blame them???
I’m sure that even SW won’t get close to the £50M figure I’ve seen quoted – £20M to £25M perhaps and where will that money go is anyone’s guess, but I’ll be incredibly surprised if we see more than 50% of any fee reinvested in buying new players.
Well, last season was IMMENSELY enjoyable and beating Man City will live long in the memory.
At least it looks as though we’ll have the opportunity to extend our run of being undefeated against Ipswich.
Yeah I think “where will the money go is anyone’s guess” says it all really.
Accountants are amazing but incredibly expensive people to have on tap. I should know as I have the curse [I mean the gift] of one. Sorry CJP, I don’t mean it. Yes I do, really.
We could sell, say, Todd Cantwell for £150 million. How much would be spent on his replacement?
Oh hang on, let’s have a yell over at Colney. “Oy Smiffy, you’re in the first team squad. £400 a week”.
Problem “solved”.
I can’t help thinking that DF and SW should unleash their inner Ron Saunders and sign a real midfield snotter in the mould of Trevor Hockey; someone who can break up the opposition’s play, get the ball and give it to one of the many players we have who are comfortable with it.
I love what this team did last season and they have tons of goodwill left in the bank, I won’t be knocking them. As far as the self funding model is concerned, I think it can work for a while. I don’t know who owns Burnley but they seem to be a club that only uses the money generated, turns a profit and stays in the PL. West Brom, under Jeremy Peace, were self funded and run on tight budgets. They took a few years of being a yo-yo club before becoming established in the PL for about 7 years-they were relegated not long after being sold to richer investors.
Absolutely agree re Saunders and Hockey. His team would never surrender like this one did. But as Martin said about a political party in his reply to me above why can’t we have a combination of nice ball players and some who “bite yer legs” ? A big centre forward wouldn’t go amiss either.
Hi Don
I get where you’re coming from, I really do. Rich investors [especially those with dubious motives] are no guarantee of lasting success.
We ALL loved last season which is probably why we don’t like to behold this one turning into poop in our hands. As I said in the original article, I wouldn’t have singled out any of ours for criticism. We all still respect the squad that got us up last time around.
I’m not sure about Burnley either but they couldn’t be more different from us in a footballing sense – they’re hard as nails and Sean Dych reflects that and is obviously doing a good job for them. And WBA will probably be back in the PL come May.
Gimme a shout next time you’re at the Carra – cheers.
Have to say it Martin but I have to agree with your analysis.
Even my mate Marty ( the optimist) conceded on Sunday that we are on our way back to the championship sadly. Nick the realist called it right from the start, not enough investment, even me the pessimist felt we had a very decent chance of staying up.
So much has been said as to why we are in this situation to me it is definitely the injuries, Manchester City lose one defender in LaPorte and look what has happened there. I think I am right in saying Sheffield United have had their back 5 available for practically every match this season.
With the injuries next came poor results then the inevitable loss of confidence. Proof of this was on Sunday once we went 1-2 down we never looked like scoring, Cantwell’s effort being the exception, compare that to last season when we never gave up. Forest for instance ?
It was interesting to hear Rafa Benitez on Sky last night saying in the championship he played a back 4 but due to the need to be so much tighter against far more gifted players in the Premiership he changed to 5 at the back. With Daniel Farke’s comments in pre-season, that he would have played with a back 5 a lot more in the friendlies had everyone been fit it would have been very interesting to see how our season may have gone very differently.
Sadly we will never know.
Hi Tim
As I seem to be saying to everybody today you make some really good points.
I’ll address the one about playing a back three/five if I may. We don’t have the centre backs to do it tbh. Klose, Godfrey and Zimbo maybe. The alternative of Hanley in that system [even if he were fit] doesn’t bear thinking about.
Godfrey has been horribly exposed and it hasn’t been good to watch. Max and Jamal are treading water at best, even if not actually going backwards.
And poor old Klose is finished. Not his fault – he was excellent when he joined – but his race is run due to successive injuries. The Bashams, Baldocks and the Stevens of this world do not go missing for months on end. Cos they’re hard ba$tards and Chris Wilder knows and appreciates that.
We have very little sinew stitching us together and I fear for us next season as much as I do this. I’m really disappointed as I expected so much more.
Thank you.
Excellent as always Mr P, and cannot disagree with any of it.
I also agree with Martin MacB above……..at the start of last season I would NEVER have believed that our ultra-modest investments would have given us such a memorable time. So, for me, this is really a season of “free hits”. That, however, is not to say that capitulations like Sunday’s don’t really grate. We were really in the driving seat at half time, so were our coaching staff the only people in Carrow Road who didn’t think Chris Wilder would berate his players. They were out early for the second half doing a proper warm up whilst we ambled out like a Sunday pub team – and boy oh boy didn’t it show in the first 10 minutes or so. That seems to be the problem; that our opponents only need to play at 95% for 10 minutes to leave us floundering for the other 80.
It’s not all over yet, but will take everything Lazarus has ever given to survive!!
No way will we be splashing what little cash we might have in January, and if this form continues how many of “Farke’s Fledglings” will even be in demand when the inevitable is confirmed?
I feel their careers would be enhanced by another season here but no doubt their agents will demand otherwise.
O T B C
Hi John.
Here I am agreeing again!
I’ll go straight for your Farke’s fledglings point. If they [Ben, Max, Jamal and maybe Todd] don’t go in this window or in the summer their value will decrease. They are playing in a relegation side and too much, too soon has been put upon them.
There has been a quite ridiculous level of expectation put on that quartet tbh although they have largely responded admirably.
As for pub teams? I played for one for most of the 1980s and the gob that went on was truly unbelievable. If our given opponents were truly OOO they’d get done somehow even if we lost the game. Juvenile and pathetic I know but it’s how it was then at that lowly level.
NCFC seems to be lacking too much in the fight zone and all other teams know it.
Thank you.
With regards to the long term I don’t quite share the collective pessimism. With this seasons PL money combined with the sale of some of our stars will potentially give Webber and Farke quite the war chest to mould our squad to not only be ready for the championship, but evolved to be better for the leap to the PL. Don references Burnley and they are the model financially that perhaps we can follow.
Burnleys spend over the last few years was as follows:
Pre-12/13 Naff all
12/13 Champ: £0 spend £0 profit/loss after sales
13/14 Champ: £0 spend +£4m
14/15 PL: £5.5m spend -£2m
15/16 Champ: £15.05m spend – £15.05m
16/17 PL: £31.5m spend – £31.5m
17/18 PL: £33m spend +£3.5m
18/19 PL: £29.5m spend – £29.5m
If our no frills attempt to stay up this season mirrors theirs in 14/15 and we too can spend and build better for the Farke way then our next season in the PL might well be better.
OK we might sell our best but, Webber can build and improve us with a decent war chest.
If its that hard to get out of the championship, how do we keep doing it?
Bah!
Hi General – good to see you back and thanks for explaining the Burnley situation – I’m sure Don will be as grateful for that as I am.
But I’m afraid that for us there will be no war chest. It will be siphoned off somewhere rather than be spent on squad rebuilding.
Where exactly is somewhere? You and I don’t know but it WON’T be spent on the pitch, you can trust me on that.
And please don’t assume we will continue to emerge from the Championship into the PL.
Delia wouldn’t like that.
Cheers.
A few unconnected thoughts…
– We’re still just 4pts behind. All is not lost!
– We have to stop fooling ourselves that returning players will make the difference. Regardless of who is on the pitch we ship about 2 per game.
– We are not self-funded. That’s a marketing gimmick. Norwich will take money from fans, kit sponsors, the premier league, anyone with a wallet – except the owners. This is as close to political spin as you can get. Up is down. Black is White, Cats and Dogs living together.
– We can’t keep using Jarvis and Naismith as an excuse to never buy people. You will always have a mix of good and bad signings.
Hi David
If I agree with many more folks today I’ll feel like a politician!
We don’t any longer have anyone significant to return. Klose is shot and I suspect Hanley quite probably is as well. Not their fault any more than it was that of Matt Jarvis.
I am seriously struggling to assimilate where the money goes. Sure we take it from anywhere we can [except from a source that might diminish the power of Delia] but the accounts baffle me. Both my son and a good mate are accountancy qualified big style and neither of them see full disclosure in our books.
The problem is that Naismith was purely a mercenary and a stupid, ridiculous signing.
I hope we don’t waste money next month but I continue to ponder: who exactly are “we”, where is the money and who benefits from it. I’m generally slow to suspicion but I am starting to have serious doubts.
I cannot believe an overtly Christian champagne socialist who is nearly 80 years of age would want any money out of the Club for herself, I genuinely can’t. Quite a few other folks would probably disagree with me just now, of course.
Cats and dogs? Rule our terriers Geezer and Minnie out of that one – my money wouldn’t be on the cats in terms of short-term survival!
Thank you.
I’m sorry Martin … here’s where you and I disagree. We share similar thoughts on Delia and Michael’s reticence to look too far afield for investment or external funding but I don’t think for one second the money goes anywhere other into the football club’s coffers. That’s not to say it hasn’t been misspent in the not too distant past but conspiracy theories around money floating off to places it shouldn’t are, in my opinion, daft.
Champagne socialist? We’d like everybody (if they want) to be able to drink champagne 😉
Hi GG
I didn’t actually say that money has gone where it “shouldn’t” and I truly believe that Delia and Michael are above getting involved in tawdry practices.
I just questioned where NCFC’s money has gone in a very general sense. I would never accuse Delia and Michael of misappropriation, I would have no evidence to do so because there ostensibly isn’t any.
The champagne socialist dig related to Delia paying for buses to ferry activists to locations in London – easy to do when you’re sitting on your butt just outside Stowmarket with a few bob in your handbag.
We’ll all wake up on Friday morning [to good or ill].
Ha! Yes mate … we will indeed 🙂
Martin, you’re not wrong to question the books. Not the accuracy, but the transparency.
I will forever and a day point people to my guest blog from 2017 – https://norwichcity.myfootballwriter.com/2017/12/14/guest-blog-in-transition-patience-the-key-or-is-the-simple-truth-were-out-of-money-and-out-of-time/
It clearly shows that our expenses before players and coaches are paid cost 30-40M.
People (who have continued to claim that the books were balanced last season) have never answered this simple question.
Q) If Championship revenues (without parachute payments) are approximately 30M and it costs 30-40M to run our club BEFORE a single player/stagg wage has been paid, how will we ever become sustainable in The Championship?
I would be very interested to know why it costs 30M to run the club (excluding players). What is so special about our club AND how do other clubs ever stay afloat if their costs are similar?
Hi David
I deal only in words, not in figures. If I hadn’t have played darts my arithmetic would have been pretty poor too [not strictly true but I have literally no comprehension of mathematics].
If anybody dares to discuss the Club accounts inside or outside of the AGM they are vilified, ridiculed or accused of being thick.
In financial terminology I am as thick as the proverbial pig$hit but I know when something isn’t quite right. I don’t know what it precisely is but all is not in kilter. The differential is too large, to my limited mind.
I guess we’ll never know the truth.
Hi Martin
An extremely good article and some excellent replies.
Serious matter I would like to send my condolences to the Saunders family sad time but I read he had been ill will dementia or the other one for a while, reading about him on line it seems his career only started when he was at Villa no mentionof his Oxford days or his getting city their first promotion to League 1 in 72 when it was the top league not the 3rd league.
If city as being quoted want £50m for Godfrey then any sell on and England Caps can you see the clubs we try and get a replacement from suddenly all fee’s would double also with the current Squad and league position we would have to pay more than some other clubs but the biggest hurdles would be convincing players to join a relegation fight.
Agents would have seen the Smith’s last screwed up interview on Sky and think why would I want my clients to go to a club with a board that lacks ambition and now at the last AGM we hear they gave purchased land behind the Barclay and South Stands.
We are also told they will do a study on increasing capacity at CR surely the study should have been done first, then they say they will take control of Carrow Rd so how will traffic get over the Bridge.
On the above too little too late the stadium improvement and capacity should have been done prior to self financing to give it a chance of success.
We are not down and out yet but the grave diggers are ready to cut the first sod of earth and each week the hole will get bigger and the vultures are ready to pick the best of the bones unless Farke and Webber can find a miracle or two, it’s not about injuries anymore to me it is all about turning up for 90mins each game not for ether the first or second half.
Moans and groans over
Onwards and upwards
OTBC
I agree with you that it is not all over yet but it soon will be unless Farke starts to learn some lessons. Stop demotivating the team by repeatedly talking us down to twentieth position would be a start.
I think it’s “just his way” Cyprus. It wouldn’t be mine but it’s Daniel’s.
Hi Alex
It’s my own fault but there’s been a bit too much politics going on today so let’s [gratefully] get back to the football.
I missed most of the Saunders tenure as I was in London during his era but nevertheless I understand the fantastic job he did for us.
Jumping forward the most salient point you make is “who would want to come here” just now. Not many players of any real worth which is why I would rather keep the money in Delia’s handbag.
Of course it’s not over but I saw enough on Sunday to make me think it is if you see what I mean. We’re too physically weak and every team we play knows it.
Oh, well done Blackpool [again].
Cheers mate.
Thanks Martin
Joey Barton stirred things up before the game in the local press he is quoted as saying that the 2 clubs are on a par and blackpool has a poor history it’s like deniging the Blue nose won a title once a upon a time lol
Excellent article and comments. I would add a couple of things.
Firstly, defending is a real problem for us exacerbated by the attacking roles of the two fullbacks and zonal methods. The Blades first goal came from a cross which perhaps could have been prevented. Man United’s second no one was within a mile of Rashford for the long cross from James. I should check back to be sure but how many times are we conceding from set pieces?
My second point is around being naive and also inconsistent. Perhaps it is the youth and inexperience that we have and now the drop in confidence. The odd games like Bournemouth and the one at Goodison recently we never seemed like losing and kept at it the whole game. At other times for ten minutes or so we turn off or we are not at the races when we should be out of the blocks and fighting – second half against Sheffield was so utterly predictable after Wilder wielding the hair-dryer and sending them out for a warm up.
We should spend a few bob not just on players but for a decent defensive coach e.g. Martin Keown could be useful just to put the fear of God into our youngsters up close and personal. He does me and he’s only on the telly. Memorably foamed at the mouth about Arsenal’s defending when both CBs were drawn over to Pukki!
Hi Roger
Archant’s Paul Chesterton took an excellent still of Enda Stevens rising above Aarons. It sums it up – I’m only 5’9″ but Max is shorter than me and didn’t stand a chance of getting to the ball.
Zonal? Not for me as I’ve said many times before here on MFW.
It would be easy to say Everton gifted us that result because their players wanted Marco Silva out but put it this way, they definitely didn’t try too hard for him.
And yes, Martin Keown scares me too – but he’s a very articulate gentleman who I have actually grown to quite admire.
Thank you.
Great stuff Martin. The abject failure to be anything approaching competitive this season is tarnishing last seasons achievement,
Given that the powers that be ran up a vast loss in the championship in spite of a selling spree, one wonders at what level Smith will actually be happy with when the dust settles. The total lack of any sort of funding, be it “self” or otherwise this season is an embarrassment and we are being routinely shown up on the field of play as a result. When the bell tolls and realisation sets in, the atmosphere at the ground will turn again. What a complete and utter waste of yet another opportunity.
Hi Chris
It’s always best to save your finest phrase for last and you did.
“What a complete and utter waste of yet another opportunity.” Oh yeah. Spot on. Regrettably.
The atmosphere in the ground has already changed. In the Upper Barclay anyway, which is the only stand I can truly vouch for as it’s where I dwell. The Lower ain’t too happy either.
I can only add that when you have joint majority shareholders who consider occupancy of the Premier League an irritant, where can you go?
Thanks mate.
Sorry Martin, but you deserve any flak that does come your way if you give up now.
4 points off safety with over half a season still to go is not “giving up” territory for me. I admit it looks bleak and this last week has been a damaging one but don’t forget we did actually play 2 good halves of football in those games. Shame they weren’t both in the same one!
Unlike some, I do expect to some new faces in January. SW & DF can see we are struggling and I doubt either will go down with a whimper. Obviously, they won’t be big money signings and will be bought mainly with an eye to the future but they could just freshen things up.
I’ve said it before that if the players gave up now, we would hammer them and quite rightly. Our job as supporters now is to give them us much encouragement as we can and not give up on them. They need us now more than ever.
Hi Derek – any flak welcomed as I said. But yours is polite and gentle flak thus extra welcome!
I really don’t think we’ll spend Jack in January. We’ve already acquired several players for the future but noticeably no strikers or central defenders. Surely we don’t need any more of this ilk?
When it comes to Stuart Webber [a man I totally admire and respect] he will go when he wants, not when we want him to.
He didn’t stay at Huddersfield and he won’t stay with us.
I don’t mind his ambition btw – in fact I wish him all the very best when he inevitably leaves.
Thank you.
Great read as usual Martin and some brilliant responses too.
My threepenneth.
We acquired a squad to play Farkeball. Technically good players, comfortable with the ball, quick control, good passing accuracy but didn’t consider their physicality as it was less important and would have cost us more in transfer fees.
We cannot adopt different tactics as our squad aren’t equipped for anything other than Farkeball. It would need expensive wholesale changes. We could lump the ball forward, oh no we don’t have a tall forward who is good in the air. We could play 5-3-2 with 3 big centre backs but we only have 2 fit centre backs. And so on.
We might have some physicality in the academy teams but i’m not sure.
It would need a miracle for us to survive this season. We had our miracle season last year.
I’m sure we will lose quite a few players either in January or in the Summer. Webber and Farke need to decide what type of football we will play in the Championship but as importantly what type of player we need if we were of get promoted again. I don’t know if it was fortuitous but Sheffield United acquired players that have taken them through from League 1 to the Premier League and they don’t look out of place.
If we aren’t to play Farkeball again then, I hate saying this as I like the guy, we need to recruit a manager who can implement different tactics.
Like you I don’t believe there has been misappropriation in the club as the auditors should have found it. I suspect we have wasted a lot of money with poor decisions and some very poor signings.
Whilst we as fans were mainly optimistic about this season, I think the players would have been too. I worked for over 40 years and enjoyed 99% of it. I can’t imagine our squad are enjoying their work this season. When things go wrong it is hard to keep the cohesion of the team together. Someone’s mistake could be seen as costing the squad their lucrative Premier League enhanced salaries, for example.
Hi Colin
Yet another fine comment I agree with.
Our squad is indeed suited to Farkeball and that alone. In terms of physicality in the academy I don’t know either but I saw about six minutes of the highlights from the U-23s v Swansea yesterday and can safely say that only centre back Famewo came close.
Maybe we could get Holty on a short-term loan from Wroxham in January:-)
As far as the money side of thing is concerned, yes we might just have wasted it. I’m sure nothing sinister has occurred but I’d love to know exactly where it all went!
There’s nothing worse than having a job you don’t enjoy. Like you I was happy 99% of the time so I really hope our coaching staff and players aren’t too down. I thought Daniel was a little bit tetchy after Sunday but I guess he was entitled to be.
Thanks as always.
Farke only knows one way sadly. I like the guy too but you have to have a plan B.
No politics martin , well not blue or red from me, my biggest fear is the selling in January followed by four more in the summer , replacements sought at bargain championship prices and a real struggle next season .
When’s the cricket season start.
Hi Bernie
In terms of “we’ve seen it all before and how can we expect anything to be any better this time around” I fear you’ve nailed it.
Thank you.