However poorly timed, ill-judged and bloody annoying this international break may be – and it’s all of those things – it does permit those of us who write about the club the chance to draw breath, take a step back and survey the lie of the land ahead of the run-in.
The Wednesday-Saturday relentlessness of any given Championship season is world-renowned but the intensity of this concertinaed season has been something else. From an editor’s perspective, the thought pieces that follow the Saturday game, for example, are still live and attracting comments way beyond the posting of the preview piece for the next game.
The community that is MFW’s readership can (almost) always be relied upon to discuss with grace and courtesy, the talking points of the day; those points being brought to them by a team of great writers that I’m lucky enough to have at my disposal.
I’ll try my best to spare their blushes but in terms of regular contributors, Martin Penney and Samuel Seaman currently make my job a very easy one; Martin with his own, very personal, beautifully observed take on proceedings and Sam with his analytical eye for the nuances of Farkeball that belie his tender years.
In addition, Andy Head’s headteacher reports and match previews – in which he does actual research – and Chris Sadler’s well-researched and, occasionally, quizzical contributions help, add to what, hopefully, is a variety of NCFC views expressed in different styles and in different voices.
And so, with apologies to anyone I may have missed, I also need to thank Allan Kemp, James Colman, Kathy Blake, James Eddy, Dave Cole, Cat Prior-Holt, Ed Couzens-Lake, Stewart Lewis, Mike Taylor, Mick Dennis, Alfie Britcher and Thom Belk; all of whom have contributed to MFW in 2021 in their own inimitable way.
A string of erudite and entertaining guest bloggers also should be mentioned – guest blogs being an important part from my perspective – alongside the two men without whom I, or none of us, would be here at all: Rick Waghorn and Stuart Bartram, between them, are to me what Michael Wynn-Jones and Delia Smith are to Norwich City Football Club and what Grant Hanley and Ben Gibson have been to the City team.
Heroes all.
(Sorry about all the thank yous… but as we never [quite rightly] win any awards, I never get the chance 🙂 )
But I digress. What I really intended to do today, under the guise of the ‘lie of the NCFC land’, was to have a quick look at the transformation this club has undergone since the arrival of one Mr. Stuart Webber.
Only by taking a step back does the magnitude of the change, and in such a short time, become clear (to me anyway).
It was on April 6, 2017, that a statement from then-chairman Ed Balls unveiled Webber as our sporting director. His was seen as a pivotal appointment in a “new footballing and executive structure”, one that at that time included Alan Irvine (Caretaker Manager), Ricky Martin (Technical Director), and Richard Money (Academy Manager).
At the time, we didn’t know exactly what this brave new world would look like but we did know one was needed. The end of the Alex Neil era was a miserable time with a group of under-performing players who were stuck in a similar-sized rut as the one in which the club found itself.
In the midst of a poorly-worded and not-very-good MFW rant following City’s implosion away at Rotherham in the final throes of the Neil era, I somehow stumbled upon a line that, I think, possibly summed up the club at that time.
“In the age of super-fast broadband and digital downloads, Norwich City persists with dial-up and vinyl.”
The rest of the rant, if you’re interested, is here:
The direction of travel was of an Ipswich Town hue but behind the scenes, unbeknown to most of us, plans were afoot to not just tinker with the status quo but to rip it up and start again… at least from below boardroom level.
The story of how Stuart Webber was identified is not completely clear but the change in structure and ethos was reportedly first mooted when a replacement was being sought for David McNally. Following discussions with former Liverpool director of football Damien Comolli, a sporting director type model was discussed but was met with resistance at that time from Alex Neil. Instead of a new model, we ended up with the old one with one Jez Moxey as the CEO.
Luckily for everyone, Moxey and Norwich City were unhappy bedfellows and once he and Alex Neil had departed, the coast was clear for Balls and co, with Delia and Michael’s blessing, to deliver their plan. And with Delia and Michael going nowhere, it was a new structure and ethos that was always going to have to be cost-neutral, and which to work would realistically need regular injections of Premier League money.
That Stuart Webber has been able to deliver said dollops of Premier League cash while overseeing a transformation on and off the pitch and, most crucially of all, to the collective mindset, has been an achievement of gargantuan proportions. Against a financial backdrop of penny-pinching and cost-saving, to have achieved what he has will, literally, go down in the annals of this football club.
The legacy of which he speaks is already in place. Whatever happens in the short, medium and long term, the direction of travel is clear. There is now a ‘Norwich City way’, and it’s one to be proud of; a golden thread that runs through from the youngest academy teams to the first XI. The style is distinctive. Ours.
Pre-Webber, we spoke of it but I couldn’t, hand on heart, tell you what style of football we were aiming for. With every new manager came a different style and within that manager’s era, the style flipped and flopped depending on the situation and the opposition.
Not any more.
But while Webber quite rightly gets the plaudits, it still relies on outstanding recruitment to enact the plan and which is why in the early years of the Webberlution there were casualties aplenty. Hard decisions had to be made; sometimes due to the cutting of the cloth, other times due to there being no room for non-believers. Never was there (and is there) a greater need for everyone to be pulling in the same direction.
Having the right person with the right qualities in the right post with the appropriate level of freedom of expression goes way beyond just the playing staff. For this to work, especially within said constraints, recruitment is King. And taking of kings… just how good does the appointment of Borussia Dortmund II’s coach look now? Is there another head coach in the world we would swap him with?
And the infrastructure. Wow.
Anyone who’s been lucky enough to see Colney in its current form, will know exactly what I mean. From a few pitches of varying quality, a ‘clubhouse’, a makeshift gym and a network of Portakabins to a futuristic-looking arena fit to house and hone elite 21st-century athletes. And the eye for detail is astounding.
Few stones are left unturned at the Lotus Training Centre.
And so here we are. In the space of just under four years we find ourselves with a club completely transformed and on the cusp of our second crack at the richest league in the world. As many around us flounder, both on and off the pitch, even our failures feel like part of a journey that’s every bit as important as the ultimate destination.
The coming weeks may bring some glory, should bring some in fact, but even if the unlikeliest of implosions were to occur, there will remain a football club that is now comfortable in its own skin, being run by people whose raison dêtre is to ensure it is the very best it can possibly be. And as supporters, that’s all we ask.
That two of those people have contracts that expire in June 2022 is another discussion for another day.
Well written Gary
I think you should cut & paste it and send it to the MOTD presenters, Talksport presenters and Sky. Pundits!! Send a recorded delivery copy to Don Goodman and Robbie Savage!!
#priceless
Especially regarding Mr Savage!! 🤣
Great Piece Gary.
A year on from the Covid lockdown, I think it is time to thank all of the contributors on Myfootballwriter. You have helped so many of us to endure this awful time. So thank you one and all.
I was a Daniel Farke convert from the start. I remember a very disappointing 0-0- draw with Burton early in his reign at Carrow Road. As you can imagine the natives were restless after that one but as I said to my mate Marty who was on holiday, don’t worry, I was really encouraged by what I saw.
Josh Murphy missed an absolute sitter had that gone in I feel it would have been a comfortable home win.
His ruthless disposal after Millwall 4 Norwich 0 of Martin, Franke and Husband was just what was needed. He is a lovely guy, but don’t be fooled when it comes to the team he is as merciless as any manager we have ever had at Carrow Road.
A lot of credit must go to that well known dancer and former politician Ed Balls for having the foresight to go in this direction. As I have said on here before this self-funding model will not always work, a bad coaching or bad sporting director will derail this. But it is the future as things stand and it must be the way for the future.
It is interesting to to hear about Farkeball as a revolution and to a certain extent it is.
But Norwich City have played attractive, ball on the ground football for years
And Tin Hat on time, to me it is the West Ham way. The Great Ron Saunders inherited a very average second division team and fashioned a hard working, super-fit team to get us into the First Division for the first time in our history.
Young fans of today do not realise just how astounding that was in 1972. But it wasn’t until John Bond/Ken Brown/Martin Peters all ex West Ham came to the club that a certain way of playing was installed at the club.
Especially under Brown, Stringer and Walker we were a top 6 club for some years playing some wonderful football at the highest level.
That’s why I thought the Farkeball of the Championship winning 2018/19 would flourish in the Premier league. But the Premier League has changed, too often we weren’t solid at the back, strong enough or fast enough.
It looks like Daniel Farke is working on those deficiencies already.
Thank god the EFL have listened to common sense and changed the date for the Preston game, it will now be on Thursday 1st April. I think that says it all.
I hope that final comment was tongue in cheek, and an early April Fool joke. Thursday 1 April would be very appropriate, even if it is a day earlier than originally scheduled.
Yes Jim it is I got caught good and proper this morning !!!
Towards the end of last season I put my head in my hands and prayed that it would soon be over. What I didn’t pray for was for heads to roll. As a MOG over the years I’ve had a few moans and the occasional rant, this time it was just disappointment. I’m a firm believer in the Norwich revolution, things don’t always go according to plan, at 77 I’ve had plans a plenty so I know the form, been there, done that, got the T shirt. And so it is with City, some lessons learnt, a few tweaks no major fall outs and hey presto the Canaries are flying again. There’ll be more problems along the way, so I’ll still be able to have the occasional moan, but the club is in safe hands. So thanks to all who’ve contributed, the long the short and the tall, jobs a good ‘un, and we’re a duin.
Nicely put, Gary. The Webber/Farke era – apart from the waste of space that was 2019/20 – has been one of the most positive and exciting periods in the club’s history. The pity is we are further behind the top teams now than we were under Ron Saunders, because the multi-billionaires have taken over the asylum. For example, Man City’s owners are not 10 times richer than Norwich City’s; they’re not even a 100 times richer; they’re a 1,000 times richer! (£20Bn v £20M) Sadly that is surely an unsurmountable gap. A quick look through football owners’ estimated net worth on Wiki puts NCFC somewhere around 70th in the English football rich list. 70th! On that basis NCFC is massively over-achieving and – cripes, oh lawks – should even be looking upwards to Ipswich Town! I don;t know what the answer is but ultimately though there is a famous quote on the subject: Q: ‘How do you make a small fortune running a football club?’ A: ‘Start with a large one…’
Let’s just enjoy the good times, eh…
You hit the nail on the head Chris, we are over-achieving.
I cannot help but laugh when the Ipswich versions of Jack Reeve or Connor Southwell say the trouble with Marcus Evans is he doesn’t invest in the club !!!
Good grief boys he has put in millions, it’s just been wasted by clinging to an outdated amateurish way their club has been run.
For instance their recruitment of Agent Lambert, professional or amateur.
Answer, amateur. Just ask any of us if you go for Lambert for goodness sake get Ian Culverhouse, the brains behind the partnership.
Whatever happens from now on I just our club continues its professional manner in appointing a coach or sporting director. Not the way Ipswich have gone about things nor like Delia giving Gunny the job because he is popular lovely chap.
Which he is, but he isn’t a manager or a coach.
Keep writing like that Gary and you will be heading for the Athletic. I assume your succession plan will promote the excellent Mr Penney to editor in chief.
Seriously though cannot disagree with a single word of your column today.
Very interesting, Gary, to steal a line from Roman and Martin’s Laugh In. I believe Webber is committed to helping identify his successor, in which case I am confident things will continue to go well for the club. Whether Herr Farke can be persuaded to extend his current contract I’m not sure, but I would love him to do so. I haven’t had such confidence in a manager/coach since the days of Brown, Stringer and Walker, all of whom played the sort of football I like to watch.
Agent Cook seems to be doing a satisfactory job down the road as well. The future is bright, the future is green and yellow!
Correction. That was Rowan and Martin’s Laugh In. B****** auto correct!
Fabulous piece Gary.
I’ve said it here before, for me proffesional sport is packed with inflated egos which are poisonous especially in team sport. Such people think they are better than they are, suffer insecurity and blame others for failure. When I look at our club I see no one suffering from an ego affliction. Certainly those in charge dont, may be Todd and Emi did early in the season, not now. Remember Nelson Oliveira, bet D F ‘loved him’!
For me this is a crucial ingredient for success.
Hi Gary
A great read and summary on cities progress since SW took over.
My concern is that it might fall once he and his cohorts leave as he recruited them from his previous clubs so might decide to take them to his next club.
Onwards and upwards
OTBC
Stay safe and Stay Healthy
Yes, it’s been a transformation and it’s not finished yet.
We do obviously need to be aware of that June 2022 date but I get the feeling that if things go well next season, the architects of this may just want to stick around a little longer.
Interestingly, I read a piece on The Athletic regarding Huddersfield. There was not a single mention of Stuart Webber.
Excellent Gary;
I’m sure you’ve put into the most eloquent of prose what many of us have been feeling, but are unable to convert into a series of logical expressions.
Whilst I was fully supportive of Stuart Webber’s appointment, when I heard we were going for the coach of Borussia Dortmund II it was a shade underwhelming to say the least.
I cannot be the only one to have been surprised, no, even shocked by how good he has been, and our beloved club have become.
The Webberlution and Farkeball v.2/3/4 or whatever….long may they reign!
O T B C
A great article Gary and an excellent read on this dull and breezy afternoon and a great heading
I’m sure we all remember after narrow defeats by Bournemouth and Derby early in the season, a few disgruntled natives were congregating in the Lidl car park in North Walsham armed with pitchforks ready to remove DF as our Head Coach.
They disappeared (along with those demanding the removal of Delia and Michael) like ‘snaw aff a dyke’ (Google it if you can’t work out the transaction!!)
SW ‘went out on a limb’ when he recruited DF, as opposed to plucking a name from the ever-increasing list of failed managers, as do many clubs have done.
DF has instilled a style of play into the squad and even if a player is missing for whatever reason, the style of play does not change in the slightest.
Incoming players are recruited to fit that and obviously, there will be mistakes made along the way, but thankfully none in the scale of Steven Naismith. I may be mistaken, but I think AN signed Maddison and Godfrey in the same window!!
Who could have foreseen our rise from a 3-0 defeat by the ‘MIGHTY’ Leeds early in the 17-18 season that we would go on to win not only promotion, but the title!! Sadly, there will be no repeat of ‘the Mayor’ (drinking his ‘orange juice!!) appearing on City Hall Balcony and the thousands of fans lining the streets at the end of this season.
We had our wobble starting with Colin setting up his Boro team to thwart us and then he and his coaches goaded the referee to get Buendia sent off, so that he missed 2 games. Would we have beaten Swansea had he been playing – we’ll never know the answer to that question?
Our ‘wobble’ only cost us 5 points, whereas those suffered by both Brentford and Swansea in recent weeks have cost them far more.
I was reading an article yesterday saying that the Swansea players were performing below their best, due to the relentless number of games that they are forced to play, but as I see it, we’re ‘all in the same boat’. Hats off to Chris Domogella and his staff for ensuring that NCFC players do not suffer the same fate.
You mentioned the upgrade to the facilities at Colney. My granddaughter is part of the NCFC Academy and a few weeks ago they had a Zoom call with the head of nutrition – I can’t remember how many full-time chefs are now employed there.
We have been fortunate to witness the development of the likes of Maddison (apparently, Alex Neil wanted him to go back to Aberdeen!!) Lewis and Godfrey – not to mention those currently on the ‘conveyor belt’. OK, not all of them will make it and I well remember Glenn Middleton who was an incredible player in our under 23s, but DF didn’t see any further for him, so he went off to Glasgow Rangers. I believe he is now playing for one of the lesser teams in the SPL!!
As far as I can see, the future’s bright at NCFC and I’m confident that we’ll mount a more serious challenge in the PL next season (some bookies have us at 200 to 1 ON for us to achieve promotion!!).
I’ll end by saying that I’m quietly confident that DF will extend his contract beyond next year, but SW may depart for pastures new. I am also confidentt that his successor has already been identified, that is the succession planning that now exists at NR1.
Long may it last.
Great reply Ed , Middleton thought the grass was greener obviously not , the Academy has now got the number two from the 1st team kitchen, they did originally have 3 chefs , but COVID saw him lose his job which was sad as he was a nice guy
Great article Gary. Can’t add anything new to what others have said above. All l would say is let’s hope we can hang on to DF beyond 2022 and some of the “stars” in our current team.
I would like to add my thanks too to all the MFW writers. You have helped me to rekindle my love of football. The last live game I saw was Rangers v Bayer Leverkusen in the Europa League. My son-in-law’s company treated us to a hospitality package. Little did I realise that over a year later I haven’t been to another live game. I felt that Project Restart was wrong in the Pandemic and it was reckless and self serving by football club owners worried about their businesses. I lost interest in football just as the NCFC team lost match after match. However, it was this season’s team and the MFW team that has got me back into football. So thank you all.
Turning specifically to Stuart Webber. I have never met him but everything I see, hear and read about him impresses me. His values are what set him apart and they align with the way I ran my organisation until I retired about ten years ago. He recruits the best people he can afford and then trusts them to perform. He develops his staff and motivates them to better themselves. He recruits young ambitious people. He is a great planner and sees the inter-relationship between things, the Colney training centre is a prime example. He realises that you are only as good as your team so treat them well and you get so much more back, and I don’t just mean the team on the pitch.
Herr Farke is a breath of fresh air. He has worked out a style of play and he truly believes in out so much so that he does not deviate from it because all the players at the club are schooled in it. He is often criticised for not having a plan B but if you teach your pupils to speak English then it is no good asking them to speak Japanese.
There is a coherence at the club from top to bottom. There is continuity too. We can’t afford to keep chopping and changing personnel as many clubs do. It wastes some of the relatively small financial resources we have. Far better to make the right appointments first time and stick with them.
I think this is a golden age for Norwich City FC and I feel privileged as a fan to be part of it. I feel engrossed in it and I feel invested in it. Hopefully it will go on beyond next June.
Fully agree with the thanks to all the contributors. Unfortunately I’ve not seen a single game since around Christmas, as I’m currently in the process of selling house and moving 1500 miles, mid pandemic.
Keep up the good work.