I felt a certain amount of trepidation before this one as soon as it was confirmed that Mike Dean would be in charge of VAR. I was as disappointed with that as my Spurs mate Nicky would have been to see the name Serge Aurier on the teamsheet.
Factor in our woeful record in the Capital this century and, well, is it a real surprise that we lost? Certainly not. But when Jose Mourinho says nice things about you then you know you must be doing something right.
In truth, we could and quite possibly should have headed round the North Circular Road and back up the M11/A11 with a point. By all accounts we acquitted ourselves pretty well, except for a dodgy period just after half time, which prompted my mate Dave to text from inside the ground: “I can’t understand how we’re still in this. We keep giving the bl00dy ball away!”
Of course, it could be said there was an element of good fortune about the Tottenham winner, a header from Heung-Min Son courtesy of a wicked deflection off Christoph Zimmermann.
This sparked a mixture of relief and celebration among the Spurs fans. Nicky informs me that the Son song was sung.
For those readers who aren’t familiar with this slightly dubious ditty, it goes: “He’ll shoot he’ll score, he’ll eat your labrador – Heung-Min Son, Heung-Min Son”.
Even then we could have levelled it with Lukas Rupp [making his first start in place of Emi Buendia] catching an unfortunate if slight deflection off a Tottenham defender that was enough to push his shot wide.
But with no disrespect to Rupp whatsoever, how DO you replace Buendia? Get fit soon, Emi, please – your presence is equally vital to that of Teemu Pukki.
Just as it’s reported that our Jose is looking for a “more robust” right-back that Max Aarons, said Max turns in yet another consistent performance and wins the penalty for Pukki to convert after ages of contemplation by Mr Dean and Co. Audition passed.
In response to Mourinho saying that we deserve a happy ending – I’m guessing he meant to the season – Daniel Farke added in his usual candid way:
“We always play to win points and if we get beat then we are disappointed. We are all disappointed in the dressing room. But I can’t ask my lads for more. They left their heart out on the pitch.
“A fantastic away performance against Tottenham without Ben Godfrey or Emi Buendia. They can bring Dier and Fernandes on in the second half. Then it is difficult for a squad who is not able to bring quality players in for lots of money.
“We can be proud of the spirit of the lads and what they brought on the pitch.”
Farke also pointed out once again that we are the only self-financing club in the PL.
I’m loath to read things that aren’t there into statements such as that but he has said it more than once recently. I really hope he’s not getting so fed up with this situation that he might want to move on to somewhere with a bit more financial clout.
So now it’s on to the changed line-ups of Burnley and City on Saturday in the FA Cup.
Although it’s hardly the be-all and end-all right now, it would be good to have a decent Cup run for once so I hope that whoever is selected gives it a right good go.
Having said that there are one or two who would benefit from a break between now and Newcastle. Todd Cantwell and Grant Hanley for sure and quite possibly a few others.
*As we enter the final week of the transfer window I picked up this little gem the other day from t’internet.
This site [link] claimed that Pukki wasn’t in our top ten earners, and proceeded to present the weekly wages of ten or so of our players.
Apparently their expertise suggests that Sam Byram is on £30k a week while Cantwell gets “only” £1,500 a week. For what it’s worth they rate Pukki at £8k a week.
Now presuming they don’t have a direct line to Stuart Webber, I really wonder how they work this miracle of accuracy. It also would mean that Webber thinks Sam is 20 times more valuable than Todd.
If you should ever bump into Sam make sure you ask him to buy the drinks!
Given that most of last season’s squad got new contracts in the summer then those salary figures are ridiculous.
They gave it a good show but just came up short. Points difference still 6 points so no harm done but another game gone.
Aarons definitely put himself in the shop window and add a bit to his price.
0
The internet speculation about the weekly wages is quite amusing. By my calculation, that makes Sam’s annual salary twice his transfer fee !
0
Hi Colin.
I agree with you x3!
In the world we currently inhabit the Leicester-West Ham result did us no harm at all.
Thank you.
1
Hi Adrian.
Human error dictated that I sent my reply to Colin to you. Sorry!
The entire piece was amusing indeed – especially the concept of a £75ok right back earning £30k a week. I bet Todd will get some banter from his squadmates if one of them reads it!
Thank you.
0
The BBC had to publish the earnings of all that worked there including bonuses for the freedom of info act surely it would be similar for other companies ie football clubs???
0
Sounds simple but it isn’t. The BBC is supposedly accountable to the nation [don’t make me laugh] but within private organisations such as a football club there is no chance so folks feed on rumours.
If you know for sure what one player earns [maybe a slip-up or mouthing off in the pub] it’s fair game to guesstimate the rest.
But if we – or anybody else – have ever willingly issued these figures I’ve never heard them!
0
Thanks Martin
My reading of the freedom of information was off que then I just thought it was for all companies to declare what they paid, but then if you got the yearly accounts it would possibly be there, or would that be just put in as out going wages total????
0
I donated the few shares I had to the Canaries Trust a couple of years ago so I no longer receive accounts.
From reasonably reliable memory it was indeed all lumped together under a category something like “on-field expenses” and there was certainly never a further breakdown indicating who earns what.
I don’t think they’re obliged to declare that anyway tbh.
I do know what one under-23 player was on just a few years ago but only cos his dad told me without me asking!
That is why the Byram/Cantwell presumptions are so far from reality from a website that knows less than we do!
Like them I could make guesses and I probably wouldn’t be that far out in most cases but in truth it’s not my place to do so:-)
0
Marty, survival for us now requires each game to be played like a cup final, too big an ask for any squad. Too early for inquests and excuses but the truth is we just lack what ever it is to thrive in the Prem, Danny and his boys have done their best (mostly) and all teams have their off days, it’s like taking the holiday of your dreams and not having any spending money.
6
Hi Cutty.
Yes, spot on.
We’ve already got the excuses ready as in early season injuries and utter lack of spending by the powers that be and that won’t change during the inquests.
I think in this case the tour operators didn’t really want to be involved with your holiday in the first place. Normally you could complain to ATOL. but……..
Cheers.
2
‘But when Jose Mourinho says nice things about you then you know you must be doing something right.’ Call me a cynic but it means his team has won. The probability is that had we beaten Spurs we would have received no praise from Mourinho and heard masses of excuses. I saw the highlights…good perfomance but not quite good enough….the tale of the season. I just hope those younger players will have learnt massively from this season (especially mental toughness) and that most of them are still with us next. Cantwell in particular….how many times has he given the ball away and we’ve then conceded? Good analogy Herr Cutz….how I wish Delia had given more spending money at the beginning of the season – will she ever learn?
9
Hi Pablo.
You’re probably more of a realist than a cynic – I accept that. But as Mourinho said it I thought I’d repeat it!
No, Delia will never learn, as it were. Because she doesn’t want to.
She is the headmistress, and assistant head Mr Webber is working to her philosophy – such as it is.
He’s still done a damn fine job with what he’s achieved and PE teacher Mr Farke has excelled himself – particularly with the younger pupils.
Thank you.
[With apologies to MFW’s Andy Head].
9
Hard to see the where we go from here i.e the bigger picture if the worse becomes a realisation i think something would have to give but what ?!
In hindsight i cant believe we thought we could survive with what we already had a team that leaked alot of goals in the championship it makes me wonder about the whole hierarchy really and why do we only be able to play one formation i the prem hughton neil now farke they will not change . We are marmite !
3
Hi Jim
Farke’s 4-2-3-1 does seem immovable but this system must be ingrained to the players every single day of their working lives so how would it be easy to change it?
I dunno.
Some would call Farke stubborn while others would say when the system works it is truly wonderful to watch. But against the big boys?
Again, I dunno.
But you sure make some good points.
Thank you.
0
It is very disappointing that our team hasn’t won more matches after our owners lavished £750,000 on it at the beginning of this season.
I just hope Delia and Michael don’t become too dispirited and sell to a billionaire as I feel this would kill the community spirit.
I felt the full benefit of the community spirit this week as I paid premiership prices to watch championship football next year when I renewed my season tickets.
7
My understanding is that season ticket prices have been frozen for several years. so actually this season you are paying the same as last i.e. Championship prices to watch Premier League football.
0
Hi Keith
To me it means 23 games [Championship] instead of 19 [PL].
So when you factor in Blackburn, Barnsley, Charlton and Millwall as opposed to Liverpool, Spurs, Arsenal and Citeh I don’t really feel I’ve got a bargain.
I don’t really feel I’ve been financially ripped off tbh. It’s just that I know which standard of opposition Id rather watch.
That aspect is immaterial to Delia, of course.
Thanks.
3
‘I don’t really feel I’ve been financially ripped off tbh.’
Some of us members take a different view Martin though I am pleased, and I mean that sincerely, that you feel that you’re not getting ripped off.
3
Hi Dave.
No I don’t feel ripped off in the sense that I consider my ST reasonably priced but that being said the lack of investment means we’re ALL being done, whether St holders, members or the very few casuals who can get a matchday ticket these days.
I don’t reckon that £550 for an entire season of home games is that bad but my comment was made purely in that isolated context.
2
I recall a survey last year indicated that our prices were higher than several premier clubs.
It will be interesting to see how our prices compare with other championship clubs next year.
3
Yes – the data’s readily available but I don’t have time to check it.
I know Arsenal are ridiculously expensive but I think Burnley [even Citeh] and a few others are below us.
I still think I get reasonable value for money though – I’ve had a very good seat in the Barclay for yonks with loads of good folks around me.
We won’t be anywhere near the cheaper end of the Championship and that’s for sure.
2
Which surely just goes to prove how much we were all ripped off those 8 years ago??
O T B C
1
But nearly 22,000 of us cough up at every renewal point John which puts no pressure on the Board whatsoever.
And they trade on it.
If you don’t like your bank you can change it, but as NCFC supporters we don’t really have that option, do we?
It’s hard to give up a good seat with good company around you that you’ve had for years and years!
4
Totally agree Martin. I say that’s it, until Delia sells up I’m not going to renew for the long term benefit of the club but every season I weaken and return.
I also concur with your belief that we’re being taken for granted.
6
Well Martin, you make an EXCELLENT point re having a good seat and others around you with whom you can have a bit of banter on Home Match Days and I’m quite happy to stump up the money each Jan/Feb and being a few years older and sitting in the River End means my ST is slightly cheaper. 🙂
I’ve seen lots of comments both on here and on Social Media re not spending money in the summer – in my book, HAD we spent say £25M, we could have been around mid-table and looking to receive another windfall of umpteen £Ms, but no, we are almost certainties for the trapdoor.
With our style of play and a VERY young team,, we were always likely to concede a large number of goals and IF only our players had been more clinical, in front of goal, I feel we could have an extra 8 points and be relatively safe.
As we all know, so much will depend on how many of the current squad opt to leave at the end of the season and the transfer fees will most likely be sitting in a bank earning interest somewhere., rather than strengthening the squad.
Rant over!!
2
Hi if.
Yes you’re right on all accounts.
The money from players sold will indeed be held back for the future running of the club and very little of it will be spent on the pitch.
Going to Carrow Road is in itself a great experience. I love the pre-match atmosphere particularly – half time can get a bit heated sometimes!
We can – and do – talk about anything from rugby to the English Civil War. It verges on the Pythonesque at times.
Thank you.
1
Very, very true……
0
Hi John
I thought I could be dry and sarky [I can] but your first line actually made me LoL.
One of the dogs leapt up and came to see if I was OK – truthfully.
Wise words mate.
Thanks for the laugh.
3
So much ranting, weeping, blaming. I think we have to remember that we got promotion way ahead of schedule, and we achieved this, not by playing football that is “easy on the eye”, but by playing football that was – and mostly still is – an absolute joy to watch. We may well be in the Championship next season – so what? A chance for DF to consolidate and build on the impressive platform that has been created so far. And (who knows) with sufficient funds from a few sales and parachute payments- we can carry on in the same vein, maybe incentivise a few of our talented players to stay instead of leave, and get the added bonus of enjoying watching our team winning most games, and going back up stronger and more experienced.
That would be fine by me.
I’m actually proud we’re a self-funding club!
7
Nice post, John … but am intrigued to know the difference between ‘easy-on-the-eye’ (a term I used on Twitter earlier) and an ‘an absolute joy to watch’. 😉
0
Presumably “easy-on-the eye” is when we play well and lose, and “absolute joy to watch” is when we do so and win!
3
I’ll second that!
2
Being picky, hir me, “easy on the eye” is kinda dismissive, implying the playing style is ineffectual, If it is a joy to watch, it leaves us thrilled and smiling. 🙂🙂
0
A bit like yesterday!
0
Hi John.
We’ve had this conversation before and while I still agree that the concept of self-funding is very noble it’s still ultimately a cop-out.
My problem is that we have no guarantee that Farke will still be with us next season and no right to expect to bounce straight back up.
Even if there was only the rumoured £10 million available it should have been used.
We could have got a decent centre back and DM for that and who know where that might have led?
We throw away chance after chance to establish ourselves but with our joint majority shareholders we always fail and that will continue I’m afraid.
As Gary G says, nice comment:-)
7
Hello Martin. Regulation defeat against stuttering opposition that received the usual helping hand when they needed it.
This team will always find a way to lose. It’s become a nasty habit that will prove hard to shake.
The commentary highlighted once again the sloppiness in possession that characterises Norwich city, as per usual we were punished for making the same mistakes over and over again like Groundhog Day.
The affable Adrian Forbes, who knows his way around a football pitch was unusually scathing in his description of events. Pointing out the lack of desire from rupp and Duda on more than one occasion as well as the zonal marking at consecutive corners which allowed dier to stroll unmarked into the box, unseen by any defenders.
Having cashed in on the strangely supercharged performance of Aarons to equalise with a penalty we appeared on the verge of a decent point until captain cock up intervened yet again. Our defending is shocking and has been all season. Yet we don’t need a centre half.
Given six minutes of injury time to raise a late storm against off song Tottenham we frittered away all of that time effectively managing the game on spurs behalf. Goreham described a passage of play where a bunch of our defenders hung around their own half playing with themselves before coughing up possession instead of getting the damn thing forward and fighting for a point,
Then with seconds to go Farke lost whatever threads of the plot left by making a pointless substitution, which is surely what Mourinho would have done himself in the circumstances had he not introduced all of his subs when they could make some sort of impact on the game.
So sad.
9
Hi Chris.
It’s straight to zonal marking for me. I’ve never liked it and in my mind it has to go. Maybe it works at Championship level but against the big boys the way we operate it seems to almost always be exploited. I’m no coach but I really dislike it.
I haven’t heard or read Forbesy’s thoughts but I agree with you that that type of comment is so atypical of him.
The concept of Max and his audition is hard to ignore, granted.
Finally the idea of our defenders hanging around playing with themselves makes me think of the reputation of the late unlamented Tombland toilets so I won’t dwell on that one if you don’t mind.
Thanks as always.
2
Hello mate, any link you may construe between my reference to our defence and the importuning fraternity’s of olde tombland are entirely accidental. 😏
1
Ha!
0
Six points behind, and the worst gd. That’s 3 of the 14 games taken care of. So we just need 14 points from the 11 other games.. In total that’s 6 wins and thee draws. Simples. Ah , men in van with white coats outside.
2
Hi Bernie
To me it’s this simple: we need 21 points minimum from 14 games. With 42 said points up for grabs that means we have to average 1.6 points a match from hereon in – we won’t catch up he GD.
Although I quite literally learned most of my arithmetic from a dartboard and a snooker table I think I’ve got that right.
It’s too big an ask mate. Even win one lose one for the rest of the campaign wouldn’t be enough.
Regards to the diminutive woof-woofs.
0
From the very start I expected this season to be difficult, because apart from Liverpool and Man City it always looked to me that the rest of the big 6,all of whom are in some sort of transition period, could be beaten by mid-rank teams. Chelsea have done better than I expected, but the other 3 have been vulnerable at times.
As ever there is a big gap in the table but a difference of 30 points between 1st and 5th is unbelievable. Then it’s just 4 points between 5th and 14th! With 14 games to go and everyone from 14th upwards on 30 points or more it looks as though the final bottom three is already narrowed down to 6 clubs at most. It is normally more open than that at this stage, with anyone from about 8th and below looking over their shoulders. It’s not impossible of course for, say, Burnley or Palace to have the kind of run we had in early 1995, but it seems very unlikely.
0
Hi Keith.
I wouldn’t bank on Burnley getting drawn into the maelstrom. Within a few days they’ve turned over Leicester and Man Utd. Palace are too tough and streetwise to get dragged into it either.
The only ones we could possibly outstrip are Bournemouth, Villa, Watford, West Ham and Brighton. We still have to play three of them, the last two at home.
As for Newcastle, if they beat us next weekend I’d pretty much imagine they’re nailed on for safety.
Liverpool’s points tally this season has been incredible and I can’t recall anything quite like it in recent years.
Their visit next month won’t do our GD any good I promise!
Thanks as ever.
1
Actually I understand that the odds on us being the first to beat Liverpool in the league are currently 20-1.
Of course that’s a two-stage bet which could be lost in the next few hours as it assumes nobody else will beat them first, but they’re not bad odds in my view.
0
Ha!
Wouldn’t it be ironic if we did! It can’t happen in reality but it’s worth a fiver down the road with Joe Corals if they’re offering 20s too.
Both our cars are running a bit low on petrol so that would be a nice little win. Corals odds are invariably mean though so it will probably be about 12-1 with them and I don’t do online [sorry Dafabet and others].
Actually I rarely bet at all but this one’s tempting.
I owe you a beer if it comes in:-)
0
Well we must have been decent last night as even Alan Brazil on talksport was praising us wonders will never cease
0
Hi Kevin.
I met Brazil a couple of times when he ran the Blackadder in 1p5wich.
He’s actually a very decent bloke – as is his then golfing partner John Wark.
They ripped it out of me as soon as my Binner mate said I was Norwich but they were only playing to the gallery.
I think deep down he enjoyed himself more at Spurs – that’s how he came across anyway.
Thank you.
0
Sorry that you couldn’t make it last night Martin but as always, thanks for your appraisal. Just putting aside Manchester United’s abject Wednesday performance during which they were jeered by their own fans, half of whom had left the ground by the final whistle, my thoughts turned to the introduction of Christian Eriksen in the sixty second minute at White Hart Lane, my jaw dropped slightly as there were audible boos from sections of the home crowd. This may have gone unnoticed in the away end but there was no denying it by the opposite corner flag in block 109. Surely the man deserves better and you can’t help but feel that he has been made a scapegoat of late due to his teams’ less than convincing performances. I understand that amongs the punters, this is known as being ‘Spursy’, ‘a team who promises much but delivers little’.
‘Along come Norwich’, and at this point I would like to offer a plausible definition, at least for the duration of this response, ‘A team that promises nothing but continuously punches above its’ weight’, I know, there’s a bit of poetic licence in there, given that its not continuous, but let’s not be fickle here, we don’t want to end up like teams who boo their own, by all means brew your own in your swanky new bar, BUT, you get the gist…
Impressions: You get what you pay for;[unless you’re a closet Villa or West Ham admirer, brutal but true I’m afraid and the writing is undoubtedly on the wall. 2. Max did us all a favour and increased the price on his head, he’ll go for 25 mill come the summer and please not before 11pm next friday.
3. In time Cantwell will follow. 4. We missed Buendia.
And, just before I start to become morose, let it be said that the atmosphere in the City camp is far healthier than it is with some other premier league teams,[players were warmly applauded off the pitch] which given our precarious position, is something of a minor miracle in its own right, and also given the woeful lack of financial investment in the team.
I’ll give it a couple of years before my next appearance in N17 and I will get there a bit earlier next time, it really does look resplendent when bedecked in yellow and green. OTBC
0
Hi Dave.
From what I can gather Eriksen has wanted out for a while [even pre-Mourinho] and is not afraid to show it. But that’s Tottenham’s problem not ours- we’ve enough of our own.
As far as Max is concerned I’m sure we’ll wish him all the best on his soon-come departure just as we did with Madders. We’re quite a big-hearted lot really aren’t we?
If I were 22 I’d be as morose as a man who has had a miserable day at work, comes home and finds the gas has been cut off so there’s no hot water and he cannot cook his tea.
But as I’m 62 I realise that under the Delia regime an occasional season in the sun is all we can hope for. You, I and thousands of others have seen it all before.
Thanks for last night’s message – mail me any pictures you might have of the ground – I’d love to see them.
Cheers.
0
A very frustrating game. Just as we began to dominate, just as I started to believe we could win, just as the commentators began favoring us, we concede.
We remain in touching distance of safety, but the number of teams we can catch is dwindling. Probably from 15th down now.
On Delia, she has to believe this is going to work, because with Webber they played their last card. They have no other ideas.
7
Hi Dave.
Absolutely spot on.
I’ve no idea who actually recruited Stuart Webber [maybe it was Ed Balls?] but I’d put money on with Mr Coral that it wasn’t Delia.
Thanks.
7
I’m pretty certain that the recruitment of SW was a smart move by Ed and nephew Tom!! 😀
0
The problem is, everyone seems to be looking at 14 games to go. Out of those 14 games who may I ask are we going to beat? We cannot beat the teams around us with the exception of Bournemouth and these are the very points that will make the difference at the end of the season! The team are incapable of seeing a game out and the defending is Sunday League at times, how many defenders does it take to mark one player from the opposition, at Man Utd it took 5 and they still allowed him to score.
The transfer signings in January were very odd considering Farkes strategy to the game. We score 1 in 3 clear cut chances, on that basis and the amount of goals we have scored in the league surely you would change the personel in defence? If you are not adding goalscorers you need to make sure we are not conceding. I still am concerned the same problems are appearing every game and nothing is being done about it. The very definition of insanity is to make the same mistakes over and over again and expect a different outcome? It’s a great shame as we didn’t need to spend millions but a loan or two in the right areas and a change of Zonal marking it could have been so different. I feel sorry for the loyal fans who go week in and out knowing that the owners of the club have all the ambition of a grave yard.
11
The sound of a hammer hitting the nail squarely on the head.
7
Hi Greg.
All I will add to Chris’s apposite one-liner is this:
“I feel sorry for the loyal fans who go week in and out knowing that the owners of the club have all the ambition of a graveyard”
I have never heard a better expression of what so many of us feel.
Thanks for a great post.
9
Martin your point about cb and dm absolutely spot on in my opinion and its dissapointing a thought to be well run club couldnt see it .. . thats what gets me and the fact we not got any ambition anymore sad .
7
Hi again Jim.
Yes that mythical £10 million could have made a lot of difference as we agree.
I can’t remember when we ever had any ambition at Board level tbh.
As Chris said earlier: So Sad.
And we deserve better.
8
Hi Martin
Good read and plenty of varied but good replies.
As we discussed in a previous article city have their full complimentary of overseas players, Aaron still being under 21 counts as a youth player so that gives city 2 homegrown slots to fill possibly 1 loan and 1 permanent signing would be good just to bolster the numbers but the Pinkun has reported that Farke rules out any more incoming players but no comment of possibly out goings.
We really need another CB even if Klose is close to returning how long to be match fit, the other position a forward to help Pukki I just don’t think Idah is ready for the hustle of a premiership relegation fight he needs to go out on load for some tough lower league football and be ready for next season which ever league we end up in.
Yes it was good to hear nice remarks from Jose but as others have said would he have been so gallant if they had dropped points I doubt it.
Self financing is a great idea but for that you need greater income than city has so we can’t afford top class players and ground extension so it is a vicious circle of promotion and relegation and those in the poor millionaires seats free load with their celebrity friends, it reminds me of a spoilt child that shows what expensive toys he has but will not let anyone play with them just incase they prove more adapt with it than they are.
We still live in hope city can go on a miraculous run and stay up and like many other that Team Farke stays for a few more season to come, but the Farke out brigade were out and about in the Online report with Dave Freeze even with all the positives in the game they seem to focus on the negatives they must have a sad life.
Onwards and upwards
OTBC
1
Hi Alex
I don’t think the freeloading actually takes a truly significant amount of money from the Club so I’ll declare the joint majority shareholders innocent of larceny.
But the concept of it really gets on my nerves cos it seems to be more important to them than the actual football. Harsh? I don’t think so.
And your point about the toy[s] is spot on. It reminds me of the time I beat my old man at tennis when I was about 11. He did help me a bit but as soon as he lost that was it! He never played me again although he did take me to junior tournaments so I can’t knock him. Happy memories really.
Anyone wanting Farke to leave is frankly an eejit. I’m more worried that he might quit at the end of the season if a better offer comes his way. It wouldn’t surprise me.
I bet your sons enjoyed the result, if not the THFC performance itself!
Cheers mate.
1
Hi Martin
They all agreed that their luck held and they hope it continues for the rest of the season and will be rooting for city to stay up.
0