Managerial speculation, gossip and counter gossip.
It’s all a bit wearying. Especially that which is spouted by some of the more lowbrow media outlets with their endless references to their ‘sources’.
In other words, if they stick their grubby paws into the guessing game lucky dip and get it right, they can blag and boast about it for days afterwards. Whilst if they (invariably) get it wrong then they can blame their sources, deflecting the blame for their poor journalism onto someone, anyone else.
Remember how a certain man ‘in the know’ had Alan Pardew as nailed on, signed, sealed and delivered before Daniel Farke took the job? The same man who has now given two if not three different names as being ‘the one’ who will be our next manager?
Easy work if you can get it. And, sadly, a lot of them do.
It brings to mind the story behind another case of Canary yellow ‘The King Is Dead, Long Live The King.
Except this was back in November 1973.
Ron Saunders had, in 1969, been wooed sufficiently enough by the Norwich board to become the club’s new manager after the dismissal of Lol Morgan. He’d been at Oxford United for less than a year, taking charge for just a dozen games in which he saved them from what had previously looked like almost certain relegation to the old Third Division, a demonstration of managerial prowess that, unsurprisingly, meant that the U’s were more than a little reluctant to see their new man, one who was fast developing a reputation for himself as a strict disciplinarian who put fitness first, second and third in his list of player expectations.
Norwich, therefore, had to haggle with both club and Saunders, with the latter only agreeing to come to Norwich if he was given a salary that matched the best in the Second Division at that time, one that would, therefore, have been on a par with that enjoyed by the likes of Tommy Docherty (Aston Villa) and Frank O’Farrell (Leicester City).
It also made Saunders, by quite some considerable distance at the time, the most highly paid manager of Norwich City in the club’s history.
That didn’t come without some accordant pressure. The club was ambitious with a chairman and board of directors who believed that First Division football was not only feasible but immediately desirable.
So they gave Saunders three years to attain that goal. You can only imagine what might have happened had he not achieved it. But he did, albeit in the third and final season of that pre-ordained timeframe, guiding the Canaries to the Second Division title at the end of the 1971/72 season.
The club managed to stay up, albeit only just, by the end of their debut season in the top flight. This had been earnt by an unexpectedly good start to that campaign, one that had seen them, following a 2-1 win over Leicester City on October 21st, rise to 6th place in the First Divison table.
Three winless games followed before another win, this time by 2-0 at home to West Brom that, again, put the Canaries into the top six. Saunders was rapidly becoming footballing hot property and the speculation, inevitably, started about where he might head next, having more than proven himself at Norwich.
But then things turned a bit sour and Norwich failed to win another game until April 14th, a 1-0 home win over Chelsea that, for all the good it did Saunders and the Canaries, still left them rooted to the bottom of the First Divison table with just four games to go. The fact that we went on to survive, with two wins (against West Brom and Crystal Palace) in that last quartet of games was therefore little short of a footballing miracle, an unlikely second chance with the elite for a club that had, at one point, gone nineteen games without a win.
Saunders now had to build on that unlikely success story and look to push the club forward during the following campaign, aiming, as he would have been told for at least a mid-table finish and certainly no worries about getting wrapped up in another relegation battle.
If only. The 1973/74 season commenced with the resignation of popular and long-serving Chairman Sir Geoffrey Watling and didn’t get much better from that point onwards. By November 1973 the Canaries had only won two out of their opening sixteen matches, poor form that was now being accompanied by regular tabloid tittle-tattle claiming that Saunders was set to walk out of the club in order to take over at Manchester City.
It didn’t help that he and Watlings’ replacement, the bluff Sir Arthur South didn’t always see eye to eye, a fractious replacement that came to a fiery head after a home defeat to Everton. Saunders, who had remained focused on his job despite the overtures being sent his way from Maine Road, took rightful offence to South’s criticisms of the team’s performance and resigned on the spot, leaving the ground whilst some of his embattled players were still soaking the pains of the night away in the communal bath.
Desperate times in NR1. Norwich were in 20th place and had a tough run of league fixtures coming up, seven to be exact, between that Everton defeat and a visit by West Ham on New Year’s Day.
Speculation about who would replace Saunders included a few fairly predictable names. George Petchey had only just failed in his unlikely attempt to get Orient promoted to the First Division whist, up in Scotland, Eddie Turnbull had done well enough at Hibernian to end the season bisecting Celtic and Rangers in their First Division by ending it in 2nd place, a remarkable achievement.
But the man South wanted was making waves down at Bournemouth.
He was also, unlike Stuart Webber, a man who probably likes to keep under wraps what he had for his tea, very public about his and the club’s pursuit of Bond, announcing that he and Bond would be meeting up for formal discussions about the role on the afternoon of Sunday, November 25th.
The talks went well and, later that day, Bond formally accepted South’s offer and, typically, celebrated the moment with a glass of champagne before heading off to Bournemouth to secure his immediate release from his obligations at Dean Court in order to take training at Norwich the following day.
But Bournemouth were playing hardball, demanding a sum of £10,000 in order for Bond and Norwich to be able to join forces in Norfolk, a fee, it seemed, South wasn’t prepared to pay as, that Monday evening, the Bournemouth chairman, Harold Walker announced that Bond was not going to be released from his contract, leaving South to admit to his disappointment, adding that he would now return to some of the other names on his shortlist, all of whom, no doubt, would now be aware that they were the second, third or even fourth choice for a team that looked as if it was going to be relegated at the end of that season.
Then, a few hours later and quite unexpectedly, Walker rang South later that day and told him that, providing Norwich were prepared to pay the sum that they had originally asked for, they would, after all, release Bond from his contract.
South, originally very reluctant to sanction such a costly deal now realised he was caught between a rock and a hard place-he either had to go back on his original decision not to commit to that outlay and make it look like, in a game of footballing bluff, that Walker had bested him or he had to stand firm, pay the money and get the man who he’d wanted all along up to Norwich.
He chose the latter of course. Which, to this day, is probably the best £10,000 Norwich City have ever spent.
Splendidly simpler times. Two clubs and their respective chairmen haggling over a deal for a new manager between them. No agents and no trusted sources, just two elderly men and one manager and his ever-ready bottle of bubbly.
Ah, Bournemouth just put the extra dosh on the transfers of MacDougall, Boyer etc £10k on each one !!!
And both still absolute bargains 🙂
One without the other and no-one knows how it might have worked out.
Excellent stuff, Ed. Wasn’t aware of that story. John Bond was magnificent for us turning us from ‘grateful to be here’ to ‘we deserve to be here’. In many ways we’ve gone backwards.
Hi Ed
Thanks for that – I was only in my teens at the time so had no idea of how it all panned out. Can it really be fifty years ago???
Those were the days! The board had ambitions and speculated to achieve them.
Now we have a social club that everybody laughs at.
Very interesting, thanks for article! Dean Saunders I remember as a name, are they relatives?
Teemu Pukki told that they were in bus when they got info that Farke has been sacked. It changed the mood completely, happiness turned to shock and then to sadness. He appreciated Farke a lot and see him as important part of his career. He is hoping that Norwich finds new manager rather soon and of course tries to play his best for him.
Finland plays today against Bosnia away, its going to be fierce battle. Bosnians tried to deny finnish fans entry completely, but uefa finally gave decision that away fans should be welcomed. About 60 fans only have traveled to Bosnia. Anyway situation is overall strange because Bosnia is very close to having a civil war.
Hi 1X2,
Ron Saunders and Dean Saunders were not related to the best of my knowledge … don’t know much about Dean other than he was a good striker.
Ron Saunders, however, was an out-and-out gentleman, I met him in the early 70’s, he was a polite, smiling, well-dressed man who was happy to talk about football to a fan for a little while.
Can quite believe the effect Teemu Pukki says the news had on the team bus, glad to hear he is ready for our ‘tomorrow’.
Finland had a very good day in Bosnia Hertsogovinia, 3-1 full time, well done! Hope you’re wrong about another Bosnian civil war.
I doubt if Knutsen will come to Norwich. Boda/Glimt are top of the Eliteserien, 5 points ahead of Molde with four more games to play each. The Norwegian leagues finish at the end of November. As a manager Knutsen would surely want to see his team get back-to-back titles?
COYY !!
KevH, yes it was brilliant performance and Finland had to play over 60 minutes with 10 players after Raitala was sent off. Actually Finland played better with 10 players, Raitala was in problems all the time with Kolasinac and then he also injured Kolasinac with his red card tackle. Teemu also missed penalty which is very rare, but obviously it did have to happen. He played important role in 2 Finland goals and when he was substituted Bosnian fans gave him standing ovation and showed their appreciation. All midfielders were brilliant (Kamara, Schuller, Lod) and Kanerva decided finally drop all older central defenders which was also decisive Oshaughnessy, Ivanov and Leo Väisänen played all very good game as also Nicholas Hämäläinen as left wingback. My MOM was Kamara, but this time there were many other options too. Next and final qualification game is against France on tuesday.
Knutsen Bodo Glimt? I can guess main reason is Mourinho and honestly Jose is bad. Also conference league is something you cant take 100% seriously, its uefa cup game for weakest leagues so motivations are questionable. Basically best managers are usually national team managers, selection process includes all local coaches so for example Kanerva (finland), Andersson (sweden) and Hjulmand (denmark) are top nordic coaches. I could understand Tomasson (Malmö) because what Malmö has achieved is fantastic, to get to champions league group games is amazing! Im not saying that its not impossible to do very well in premier league no matter which league someone has coached. I suppose Dean Smith is next Norwich manager?
Well done to you anyway, and good luck against France – a tough fixture, you’ve got to win it to be safe, even if France have qualified it’s a hard one!
Cheers
The difference in approach between Saunders and Bond was unreal -Saunders roundhead to Bonds’ cavalier. The gasps of disbelief as Duncan Forbes charged over the halfway line with the ball at his feet.
If Bournemouth inflated the price of Boyer and MacDougall and then Benson and Machin the swop of Trevor Howard for Cosy Powell more than compensated.
Over the years managers have come and gone either sacked or left for bigger better opportunities.
Some as supporters were sadly missed which ever way they left my first real memory was Lol Morgan going and Ron Saunders arriving followed by him resigning after a disagreement with South and Bond coming in now that was a contrast in both men, style and management.
Hamilton, Rioch, and a few others came and went mostly without much fuss, Roeder really never suited the club but did stave of relegation in the Championship and disrespect players and supporters.
Worthington after seeing him manage up here in Blackpool I just thought it would be a big mess but he did get a premiership promotion then made a big mistake by ditching the backbone of the team.
Gunny should never have been give the job was that a cheap decision as it wasn’t thought out very well.
Lambert a roaring success down to a couple of players that were recruited by Gunny but coached by Culverhouse they got successive promotion and second season in the Premiership before bigger things and internal squabbles turned it sour and they left.
Incoming CH a journey man coach and manager had a good first season spent heavily for his second and it all went wrong.
A Neil similar to CH spent like a man with no arms ably assisted by Moxley and both went by the end of the season.
DF poor start great middle poor ending the question everyone will continue to ask after the first win was it all about to change for him and the club we will never know.
Now we are being told by every Rag Tag and bobtail social media outlet that after Lampard leaped from the short list it is going to be Dean Smith with Craig Shakespeare as his trusted assistant.
Will Smith and Shakespeare soon have their own song or can we see a last minute surprise from mainland Europe in a KK again only time will tell.
Will I be infused by the Smith appointment or disappointed that it wasn’t Lampard neither really excite me I think Lampard jumped prior to hearing someone else had got the job to save face to him it is all about appearances and getting turned down by city would look bad in the media.
Would I have preferred KK or one of 6 German names that were in the media melting pot even if it ment relegation and exciting football simply yes.
Maybe we will get a big surprise who knows but please get it done Social Media can then start picking holes in who ever gets the job and Webber will be up front defending said decision
I can still remember the disappointment I felt when it looked like John Bond wasn’t coming Edward.
I thought Sir Arthur had no choice to get Bond as he failed to back Ron Saunders in the transfer market and look how well Ron did at Villa.
I was gutted by that performance against Everton (we scored all their goals Forbes 2 and Stringer OG’s) but felt even worse hearing Saunders had gone.
I am extremely disappointed with the club at the moment.
Here we are a week after Farke’s sacking and no appointment.
I could have understood the haste in sacking Daniel if the club were worried that the identity of his replacement could have gotten out in the media.
But no, nothing just silence a week later.
It seems the players who were in fantastic spirits after that win were stunned by the news and that euphoria soon went.
I feel we are a laughing stock again.