When it comes to predicting the future I am normally about as much use as Catweazle without his familiar spirit, Touchwood the toad, and his sacred knife, Adamcos.
I attempted to go to a clairvoyant evening at Trimingham Village Hall one evening only to find the venue closed and a notice on the door saying “cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances”.
Even Nostrafarmus, aka the excellent Chris Sadler, has more credibility than me when it comes to fortune-telling. And at least when Chris S writes under the Nostrafarmus monicker we MFW readers know we’re in for a good laugh as well as a fair bit of genuine insight.
But after the Arsenal match, I wrote a piece that already looks to be proving prophetic in extremis, especially in some of my replies to you wonderful folks out there.
I considered who and what we might be able to field in the Championship next season and our line-up for the Crystal Palace match on Tuesday perfectly illustrated what resources we will have next season. We look painfully thin for that level let alone the Premier League.
It was a nigh-on perfect illustration of what our first XI could be like in 2022-23 as Mystic Martin*** predicted. While the future is no longer orange it won’t be yellow either. Consider for a moment, please. There will be no Mathias Normann, Ozan Kabak, Brandon Williams and almost definitely no Max Aarons, Todd Cantwell, Tim Krul or Teemu Pukki either.
If he chooses to stay with us, Dean Smith has one heck of a job on his plate during the summer to try and rebuild and create from which I am sorry to say currently appears to be a collection of misfits.
Take out Billy Gilmour and Tuesday’s offering could potentially be our starting team next season and frankly, Lord Elpus if it is.
Gilmour attracted bile from a section of our travelling support who suggested that he should “feck off back to Chelsea” in no uncertain terms. I think the only professional footballer I have ever hurled foul-mouthed personal abuse at was Kevin Muscat and certainly have never directed it at one of our own. I understand the frustration lads but that kind of behaviour really does not help anybody.
Thomas Tuchel will have picked up on the chanting and is fully entitled to allow his charge to escape from it if PL rules accept a recall.
And as for the eejit – I’m being kind with that choice of word – who chose to racially abuse Adam Idah on social media the other day I am really glad the Club knows who you are and have reported you to the Police. You deserve all you get. We do not need *supporters* like you and what is even worse is that you have given the rest of us a bad name. Lifetime ban? Fine by me.
I’ll gloss over the actual match at Selhurst Park but when it comes to getting the angles right Angus Gunn is a non-starter. Four angled drives through or past him in two games during which we have conceded eight goals.
Angus didn’t come cheaply from Southampton either and I must admit I felt more confident this time last year with Daniel Barden between the sticks – I’m sure you’ll all join me in wishing young Dan a complete recovery from the curse that is testicular cancer and look forward to welcoming him back when he is ready.
Lest we forget, Palace were shorn of their front line and were missing others too just as we were without half a dozen first choices as well. I’ve seen the Kenny McLean incident half a dozen times now and am not 100% convinced it was a penalty but equally it was hardly a clear and obvious error from referee Paul Tierney. I just dunno and nor does Dean Smith:
“The scoreline hurts. We have conceded a soft penalty, Ken [McLean] held his hands up, it might not be given in some games as he didn’t make contact in the air but when the lad plants his foot I can understand why it is. I have no complaints”.
One of my regular post-match correspondents [okay it was “Ed”] questioned whether or not Max Aarons and Todd Cantwell were omitted so they would not be susceptible to injury before the January sales have started. Smith said the absence was due to “illness and/or injury” so we’ll all have to interpret that thought in whichever way we choose.
I don’t need to be Old Mother Shipton and live in a cave to predict for absolutely certain that January will be a huge month for Norwich City Football Club. I didn’t say a pleasant month, merely a significant one.
***Sorry to rob your Mystic nomen for this article Kev – you can have it back now.
I will leave you with this – not because of the title or superb music with the Guns ‘n’ Roses outro – purely for the lyrics, not written by the band, for once.
Sad reality is that we called these dire realities in the summer. You need to figure proof the dspine before the sprinkling of stardust, we already has a too many young players, and we doubled those numbers.
Relegation is catastrophe and you can add Hanley to that list too. The guy has proven good enough to at least be a squad player for a Premier League team, and as a captain, he’s been the heartbeat and character of NCFC for a while.
S&S need to ensure he has a core suitable for next season before even considering adding to or replacing Pukki.
Hi Mike
Retrospectively I can only agree with you about the spine and the stardust.
At Palace we were without Krul, Hanley & Pukki so there was no spine as such. Olly Skipp is a vertebra that was never replaced, of course. There may have been some stardust but if there was I must have missed it.
Looking back the summer recruitment appears to have proved far worse than I thought at the time and apart from Gunn everybody was brought in for potential future profit with no thought for the here and now.
Cheers
I think (at least so far) it is one of the worst recruitment drives I can ever remember from the club (although summer 2019 wasn’t much better, but at least we didn’t spend nearly as much). We have players bought for positions we didn’t need, players not bought for areas that desperately needed cover, players no better than the ones we sold, and a key player brought in with a bad injury record (I was reliably told some time ago that Normann would struggle to see a full season through). However, I would still reserve judgement on Rashica as there were signs of him blossoming before his injury.
Perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised given that Webber has not had a hugely successful transfer window since the peak of his powers in summer 2018. The success of Olly Skipp last season masked the fact there were more hits than misses. Even though we won the title comfortably, the vast bulk of appearances came from players who were at the club during the first title tilt two seasons before. It makes me think more and more that Webber hit a golden patch in those first two years (including recruiting Daniel plus inheriting a crop of fine young players) and just hasn’t been able to replicate the hit rate ever since. Purple patches happen in football at all levels. Sometimes they can be recreated. Sometimes not, and I wonder if Webber is the latter.
Who of the summer signings is honestly going to fetch a profit? Even if they do well in the Championship we might be lucky enough to break even or make a tiny profit on top, but I’ve got a horrible feeling that the only way we’ll ever see that money recouped is either through fire sales of what is left of the crown jewels, or the inevitable parachute payments on going down. Worrying times.
Hi Jason
I agree with you at every turn. Webber said not so long ago that his next job may well be outside football.
The way things are going that will become a self-fulfilling prophesy.
Thanks – great comment.
(I should actually have said more misses than hits re 2020/21 – typo!)
It’s easily done mate – trust me 🙂
Yeah Martin, this making predictions mullarkey is seriously an abuse of one’s own self-esteem!
Although Covid 19 has dealt us several serious blows, and the blows I refer to are considerably more than ‘handbags’, I’m afraid I can no longer state with any conscious or confidence that…
1 – NCFC will stay up,
2 – Teemu Pukki will score 20 goals this season – there is actually a rumour going around that our esteemed Finnish striker is on a promise at PAOK Salonica – which would certainly be a balmy environment in which to complete his overseas career – sun, sand, ouzo and all stuff!
3- Todd Cantwell will make a great replacement for Emi Buendia!
Having thrashed myself across the back with a very fluffy shoelace to atone for each of these three afore-mentioned sins, I will make just one more prediction – after January we will have to steel ourselves for the run-in from February to May!
Thankyou and goodnight!
KevH
Hi Kev
For me it’s a case of mene mene tekel upharsin. I don’t speak Hebrew but I remember that phrase from school – the wrting’s on the wall, of course.
Gary’s picture choice this morning is quite ironic as if you look closely at Stuart Webber you can see one of those trite motivational phrases on the wall behind him.
*Enjoy your journey* I think it says.
I guess our supporters didn’t much enjoy theirs to Selhurst Park!
Fluffy shoelaces? That’s a new one on me 🙂
Cheers
Doom & Gloom, there does not look like it will be anything else, the production line of talent is drying up. last two available. I just wonder if Smithy will see a great deal of any monie’s raised ? Or will that disappear in black hole.
Personally O cannot see the S&S staying, signing up for a continued self funding life on championship. for the duration of their contract. No money to build his own team to put a stamp on. Someone will come calling. The Cook has her little Norwich stay in it,s place, not getting above it,s station. No investment, as long as her stipulations are in place. and Tommy-boy must be on the board.
I said on Gary,s excellent piece, I didn’t bother to watch the game on Amazon, preferring to watch something very similar, well in title The Walking Dead.
That funny old saying seems apt. If nothing changes, we’ll stay as we are. Also the chorus Lyrics from a Bastille song: Pompeii sort of fits.
But if you close your eyes
Does it almost feel like
Nothing changed at all?
And if you close your eyes
Does it almost feel like
You’ve been here before?
Hi Lad
I’m not going to comment on Auntie D beyond the fact that I still remain utterly frustrated with her continued presence as joint [ha ha!] majority shareholder.
One or two of my MFW colleagues have great expectations of Young Tom and I cannot say they are wrong in that respect but I remain unconvinced.
I know very little of Bastille so can’t place the song but it sounds like it’s worth a listen.
Give me a shout with the title sometime and I’ll give it a go.
Cheers
Title was there Mr P Pompeii
I should have spotted it in your text really!
Very enjoyable – not my favourite style by any means but that doesn’t mean I didn’t like it. I’m not one to be constricted by genre.
Expertly put as always Martin.
Yes; we appear to be a total bunch of misfits. S&S are copping it now, but why on earth would they have come if certain promises had not been made?
Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but if 2 seasons ago Farke was sent to war without a gun, this season Webber has surpassed himself by providing loads of ammunition, none of which is suitable for the battle scenario.
I exempt from that Rashica who was doing reasonably well prior to his injury, and Normann – but why did we rely so much on him when we hopefully were aware of his previous injury record??
For some reason Webber has created squads which can romp to the Championship title, but suitable for the PL?? He has a lot to answer for.
Oh; and personally I think, with the players left, next season in the Championship will be bl**dy hard!
Happy New Year!
O T B C
Hi John
I’m getting fed up with agreeing with everybody today but in your case I’ll have to grin and bear it as you’re right of course.
It seems like Webber’s guns & ammunition statements have come back to bite him on the bottom as it looks to me like a wartime stengun was more accurate than his pre-season recruitment.
And yes I have fired a sten – how, where, when & why I’ll keep to myself 🙂
Cheers
Disappointed to see one of our own getting abused by an idiot on social media, if the club know who it is I would like them to make the idiots name known to all. Guess we have to wait for plod to do their thing first. Then society can make a decision on whether said idiot should be working the xyz company. Didn’t another idiot lose a job as an estate agent after being an idiot at a Chelsea game.
As for the football , is it as bad as the England cricket team rolling over for a tummy tickle for the Aussies. ??
Hi Bernie
I got it slightly wrong as apparently the Club have ID’d the fool who abused players at Palace but not yet the tw*t who aimed similar at Adam Idah on social media.
Old Bill are specialising in fighting hate crime these days so hopefully they will identify the eejit at some point soon.
There was no need to make matters worse by mentioning the cricket 🙂
Cheers
Heck I forgot to add about the chanting directed at Billy, I have watched the video a few times, I am not 100% convinced. by it. I could make a video and add any sound I wanted, I saw no city colours, and those in shot didn’t appear to be singing. As I said sound can be added and misleading. I would like to hear from any fans present who can verify the chanting.
Also keep getting bad request errors on Chrome browser. anyone else
Yes, I keep getting bad request errors too. On different devices, but the problem seems to come and go.
Thanks for letting me know, guys. I’ll look into this.
The clip I’ve seen on Twitter [passed on by a mate] leaves me in no doubt whatsoever that the Gilmour chant came from a section of our crowd.
Sad to say that but I believe it is true and not overdubbed.
The original of the song was the theme from M.A.S.H. which was a comedy set in an army field hospital during the Korean War. The comedy was gained from the staff having to cope with various difficulties.
Well, NCFC cope with their difficulties in a comic manner, but I for one am not laughing. The lack of doing the very basics is one thing and it can be improved upon. What can’t be improved upon, unless we make signings, is that every other team seems to be collectively about 2 ft taller and 4 stone heavier. Our lack of physicality has been an issue for years; in the Championship our superior technique won us the league but in the prem, these big blokes are also blessed with great technique.
I’ll be interested to see what the Dean genie may come up with, perhaps the low scoring but physically imposing Keinan Davis may fancy a trip east, But why would anyone see playing for a team at rock bottom with no chance of staying up as an attractive idea?
As you say, January will be interesting. It’s unlikely to be enjoyable.
Hi Don
The story behind the Manics recording is interesting. The charity War Child had asked them to come up with a cover version of something well-known to include on a fund-raising album along with some other well known bands of the time.
Either Richie or Nicky volunteered *School’s Out* but James said no as they had already released *Under My Wheels* as a bonus track on the *Motorcycle Emptiness* CD and didn’t want MSP to become an Alice Cooper tribute band, hence this.
It was the only single to become a hit from the Warchild album and really put the Manics in the public eye – although that’s not why they originally recorded it. The lyrics were written by an old American guy called Harvey Mandel, about whom I know nothing whatsoever.
Right now it beats talking about the current state of NCFC.
Cheers mate and HNY.
Yep and painless was the nickname of the dentist who wanted out,!! Hence suicide is painless..
There was a rumour going around at the time that Robert Altman’s 13-y-o son wrote the words but there was a load of mystique about the show as publicists did a good job even back then.
I wonder if Kim Jong-un has ever seen an episode?
Morning Martin predicting 40 loss on present form prop be 10pts from 41prem games bloody ridiculous really can’t remember a time when felt so dejected as a Norwich fan maybe under Houghton so boring expected better this season I’m not one thinking pukki and krul will go after all there 35 and 32 maybe better to have big clear out as losing habit seems to be accepted by some have a good new year mate👍
Hi Kev
It’s too late to arrest the losing habit this season – it’s too deeply ingrained.
Nothing much will happen in January and I’m living in fear of who and what might appear on the pitch next season tbh.
On a different note – HNY to you and yours too!
Cheers
Hi Martin
I suffered the game on Amazon and couldn’t understand why Tierney never checked the monitor for the penalty and Will Hughes should be down for an Oscar with all his diving around but he is a good player with a borderline nasty streak.
Norwich have a history of buying injured players in recent years Eagle, Jarvis and Byram to name three and loaning in Normann with a pelvic injury for a PL season seems strange, Rostov must have had a big grin with his wages off the books and a loan fee to boot and city coughing up for surgery to repair the damage so if he goes back then they have a full fit player.
S&S I think will see start next season and hope for better luck, Sargent, Rashica, Tzolis, DG, Andrew O and Gibson plus a couple of others in the squad will give us a fighting chance if or when we go down.
My big worry is Gunny Jr he had a great season with city a while back and that got him a £13m chance at Southampton then 9 goals conceded V Loserpool and that’s the end of that a loan to Stoke that didn’t come off even playing most games. Could this be the last chance at the Delia saloon but Barden will hopefully soon be back in training and push him, lack of game time or just bad decision making or then a waste of money???
Some might say I am hard on Gunny but sentiment due to his dad’s connect with the club doesn’t work we could ship to many goals.
Hi Alex
No I don’t think you’re being too hard on Gunny Jnr tbh. Even in plain sight he fails to calculate the angles properly which Palace must have picked up on after Arsenal.
Normann was surely a bad gamble as a long-standing pelvic strain would have been picked up on a medical by my local GP, let alone the Club Doctor or whoever did the testing.
Maybe they thought it was a case of Alex Tettey’s knee issues as in *we can manage them* and if we don’t overwork him he’ll be fine.
It hasn’t worked out this time around though 🙁
Cheers
Interesting choice of photo by Gary and whilst everything’s going on, SW has been conspicuous by his silence. IMO, the time has come for him to ‘fail on his sword!!’. Two seasons ago he admitted that he sent DF ‘to war without a gun’. This time, he got over-priced raw recruits who can’t shoot straight and didn’t think to buy ammunition for the more senior players’ weapons!! I accept that there have been Covid/injury problems, but from what I’ve seen over the last 2 games, the ONLY player to show any pride or passion has been Rowe!!
SW deserves credit for upgrading the facilities at Colney and installing ‘Soccerbot 360’, but from the number of wayward passes that I’ve witnessed over the last few games is any indication of how useful it is, we should demand a refund!! 😕
I’m sure that most NCFC fans would agree with me when I say that all the excellent work achieved by DF and his backroom staff over
the last few seasons has flushed away, never to reappear. I’ve read several comments saying that we’ll struggle to even stay in the Championship and I can only agree!!
Obviously, the money that SW made by selling Buendia went to SW’s head and he thought he could repeat it with 2 or 3 of this season’s intake. He must have realised that that wasn’t likely to happen and rather than resign himself, threw DF and his coaches under a bus!! The many £Ms that we made from sales in recent years (all bought before SW arrived) has been squandered on a bunch of overpriced young players and I’ll be amazed if we sell ANY of them for a profit.
It will be interesting to see if S&S can repeat the feat with any of our raw recruits, but the early signs are not good.
McLean looked crestfallen after the defeat by Arsenal and Hughes needed nothing more to display his RADA skills to earn a penalty.
I’ll end by saying that the time has come for SW to resign and can he please take Delia and Michael with him?? 👍
Farke (rightly or wrongly) got the bullet. Webber got a new contract and a standing ovation at the AGM.
The former isn’t blameless. The latter certainly isn’t blame free.
(and yes, I do appreciate all the latter has done for the club in the past, but he’s been a complete liability in the present)
As somebody said on Gary’s article yesterday, Webber is very good when it comes to infrastructure – I’m still unconvinced by Soccerbot though!
Hi Ed
I’ve no idea if Gary chose the Webber picture because of what was on the wall behind his head but I just found it really ironic.
Soccerbot 360 might be a terrific piece of innovative tech or it could be a waste of £ like one of Sir Clive Sinclair’s creations. I’d guess the latter cos no other club has publicised buying one, which probably means they haven’t bought one.
SW will leave when he pleases but our joint majority shareholders will remain until their God decides it is their time to go. That will be the only thing to make them quit and while I kind of admire their tenacity I’m not sure it helps the greater good.
Cheers
Ha! If only I was that clever or subtle. I picked one of Webber as the “huge month” we described falls mainly on his shoulders. To be honest, I’ve lost the will to even try and decide what would constitute a good window for him and the club but (as has tended to be the case over the last few months) I simply fear the very worst and then anything other than a total unmitigated disaster is a bonus 🙂
And that’s why I’m glad I don’t write headlines or choose pics 🙂
You take that back. The ZX Spectrum was a masterpiece and I still have many cassettes to this day.
Hi Dave
You will never, ever top the original arcade Space Invaders in the pubic [no typo] bar of your local.
Asteroids came close but no cigar.
Difficult january transfer window waiting Norwich. To be realistic and sell players which can brings profit or stay unrealistic but not getting claimed as giving up. You have already been able to sell Lewis and Godfrey by huge profit, Lewis has been completely disaster based on how much Newcastle paid and Godfrey is 1 of the reasons why Everton just cant get better results. So far Buendia selling has been clearly overpriced business. So, very well done but at the same time player transfers in has been disaster.
Thanks to covid football transfer market is still very queit, majority of clubs keeps on loosing financially too much to be able to invest to new players, especially paying transfer fees. Premier league clubs are basically almost only ones who can.
Aarons have not played well at least his last games. In normal market there would not be much interest, but premier league is different to any other league. His main asset is that he is english, you have homegrown rule in premier league squads so yes if premier league would be international league without those kind of rules, forget it. If you get 20 million for him, I dont understand at all but like I said it does not matter because its premier league transfer market. Buying Todd Cantwell would be pure gamble to anyone even he also is english, but there is also other english players who plays regularly so why would some premier league be ready to buy him? He looks to be worst one in Norwich squad.
Hi 1×2
Yes we would struggle to get much for Cantwell. I really think it could be as low as £5 million and even then there would have to be somebody prepared to take him on.
Quite what his issues are I do not know but there are plenty of rumours just now but I do not know the truth from the fiction.
The trouble is with NCFC that even when we do sell a player for top money it never seems to be sensibly reinvested in terms of strenghening the squad.
We have Aarons for now and maybe Omobamidele in a couple of years to sell on but that is that – we have nobody else and there is little coming through from the under 23s.
Kiitos.
Despite being only 3 points off safety there is enough evidence that we are not in a position to stay up so January has to be about clearing the decks and raising funds. We can concentrate on the Cup which also gave us some joy in 2019. I hadn’t picked up on Pukki and Krul leaving because of their ages but looking at what we might have then the team could look like this. Gunn, Mumba, Giannoulis, Gibson, Hanley, Rupp, McLean, Dowell, Rashica, Placheta, Idah. With Sorensen, Byram, Barden (hopefully), Omobamidele, Tzolis, Lees-Melou and Sargent on the bench. We will face a massive rebuilding job and will not take the risk that we took last season. The players who leave would at best raise £30m so we could have to sell some of the above in order to raise funds to buy. The parachute money will enable us to break even but will not fund a rebuild beyond that £30m
Hi John
We can, as you so rightly say, attempt to raise funds both now and in the summer as I’m sure we will but we should accept the fact that this might be the last parachute payment we ever receive and that will punch the self funding concept straight to the canvas.
The Board have had so many chances to establish NCFC in the PL recently but have failed to do so abysmally every single time.
Some folks revile the *conspiracy theory* that Delia does not want us in the PL but the one thing I have learned this season is that the PL does not want us in IT!
Thanks – good comment.
As for the Cricket an ex player Neil Crompton 2012 to 2016 said putting the blame on Root is poor its the management above or Ashley Giles and his best mates down to Silverwood so yeah you can’t blame DF or S&S it’s the decision names from the owners to Webber and like Giles the owners have cushioned themselves from responsibility
Our owners cushioned? Jeez they had to pay extra for that in the old days when we all stood on the terraces – not that Delia or MWJ were there in those days of course.
I can’t disagree with much of this Martin!
For me, we identified lessons from the last relegation – the need for more physicality and, seemingly, that 4-2-3-1 didn’t work in the PL. Last season we enacted som of these, yet persisted with the supposedly unsuitable formation. Webber and Farke recruited to fit a 4-3-3, the priority being for wide players who could play through the middle, hence Rashica, Tzolis and Sargent. As such, the second row of three needed less of a true defensive midfielder and it appears the plan was to get the ball forward much more quickly. Critically, this formation seems to leave little opportunity for our creative players in Dowell and Cantwell…
With the CoVid disrupted pre-season, we looked woefully undercooked and never settled into the new formation. The players who were purchased to ‘develop’ never got a chance to settle in and quickly plan A was scrapped……which left us with a set of players far less suited to plans b-z……and then the injuries and CoVid hit.
So in a nutshell, we are now paying the price for our last relegation and failure to enact the lessons I.e. pick a team and formation in the championship that will flourish on promotion, not need re-inventing.
Hi James
It’s so difficult to write anything positive right now as I’m sure you well know.
A further problem I have is that when I look back at some of the Webber signings for the under 23s I am really starting to get a little bit concerned. People like Soto, Sinani, Adshead and so many others simply haven’t cut it. Too many gambles for me I’m afraid and the last one that *paid off* was Emi. although he was fast tracked into the first team squad of course.
Come August 2022 I think our starting line-up will look very different.
Cheers
Good morning Martin where do we start ?
I sound like a broken record on here. Too many young players recruited in the summer, too many players recruited late and now too many players recruited who cannot play two games a week or any for weeks or months to come.
But before we blame Stuart Webber alone for this debacle stand up Keiran Scott now of Middlesborough FC recruitment.
Now Mr Scott was partly responsible for the signings of Buendia, Pukki Vrancic etc so again in fairness he has a very decent record but Keiran what the hell happened this year ?
Personally I do not think one player has been a success. Rashica may blossom into one. Normann is out for weeks probably. And the club knew of his injury record just as they did Matt Jarvis before signing him.
Again the broken record, where is the physicality we were promised. Lees-Melou, Billy Gilmour and even our Kenny were swept aside by Palace like they were delicate flowers.
I thought Lees-Melou had been substituted at some point in the first half !
But I praise the away fans a lot on here but I thought the treatment of the players was understandable but not fair. It is a fact we had 10 starters out there and Lucas and Andrew would have played as well if they had been available.
Tzolis, Sorenson, Byram all have had no game time at all this season. Gilmour and Kabak played against Arsenal with temperature for goodness sake. This team are trying they are just not good enough or to be fair fit/well enough.
The irony is Placheta has looked our biggest threat, and I know that isn’t much, but again he is only just recovering from long covid.
We must remember 11 Norwich had covid at the start of the season which ruined preseason, that is a fact not an excuse. Poor Grant Hanley had no preseason at all.
We have talked on here a lot about self-funding and I stand by my opinion that it cannot work now for a EPL club. For all Webber and Scott’s mistakes they are operating in the bargain basement area for possible Premiership players.
Billy Gilmour has not been the player we hoped but he shouldn’t suffer just because he is not Olly Skipp which I think is what is happening to an certain extent. He needs to play further up the pitch for me, almost a no10 to really judge him.
This summer the club needed to replace Buendia and Skipp/Tettey. These players needed to be fairly experienced, not boys under 21, powerful athletes and it has to be said at a fair price.
Now that isn’t easy in our situation but two really good quality players along side Dimi and Ben rather than 6-7 potential youngsters was what was needed for a relegation fight surely ?
I feel the team has changed too much from the Championship winning side, we have come so far from the side that destroyed Huddersfield. And lets be honest that side would have given Brighton, Wolves, Burnley, Leeds a proper game. I think so.
Surely 2-3 players of quality would have been preferable from this muck spreading ?
My reasoning for Self-funding being impossible at this level is what we are now seeing, a catastrophic transfer window (The other being a poor managerial appointment) . Never did I think it would happen this quickly.
I am still pretty confident that S & S will turn this around next season. Unfortunately that will be in the Championship .( Sorry Marty ) And I was so encouraged to hear him say that we lacked physicality, hope for the future.
On to the club’s masters, Delia may well leave the club to young Tom, as we all call him like in some Charles Dicken’s novel, but I doubt he will have Delia’s stubbornness or massive self belief when it comes to an “irate” Carrow Road crowd.
I think he may become the shortest owner in Norwich City history.
Hi Tim
I have no idea how tall Tom Smith is but if he’s anything like Auntie D….. 🙂
Seriously I can only agree with you.
In all honesty if we as supporters, writers, commentors or whatever we like to call ourselves can see the mistakes and what will be coming down the tracks why can’t those at the top for year after year after year?
No way could we have replaced Emi on a like-for-like basis. Cantwell defending like Buendia did? Ha ha bl00dy ha. But Skippy could have been replaced but unfortunately that didn’t happen. I sincerely feel we fail to attract seasoned professionals because firstly we won’t pay for them without potential resale value and secondly they are not dumb enough to want to come here.
Jungle drums sound often in the football world. Maybe softly but loud enough for decent journrymen to hear.
That’s one of the reasons why I said it would be a tough old January – you cannot recruit those who do not wish to come.
Thanks – good comment.
Sobering piece Martin. All true of course. The kind of ineptitude on display this season was always going to have wider consequences. It would appear that the chickens are Coming home to roost.
Something has to change because we simply cannot carry on like this. There is a real and growing strength of feeling amongst the bulk of the support and it needs to be listened to and acted upon. It’s been patently clear for a long while that the football club is not being run for our enjoyment, but for that of others. The attitude has been pay up, turn up and shut up. No more.
With the frustration comes the inevitable lashing out, some acceptable, like the gallows humour, some not, like the social media nastiness. What is clear however, is that it will grow and fester until the boil bursts.
I’m sure that if gilmour always one of our own young lads far less would be made of his recurring. Poor performance. I see the abuse aimed at him as a backlash against the know nothing tools that can be found on the twitter stream that accompanies this page or thick as mince ex players such as agbonlahor, who despite working in some media outlet or other has an iq lower than our points tally.
Others are perhaps more culpable. Baden for instance is a much superior goalkeeper than Gunn, and but for unforeseen and awful circumstances I would have been happy enough for him to continue here. Hopefully the boy makes a fulsome recovery. Perhaps given the absolute garbage and lack of a deserving candidate we could give him the Barry butler award to boost his morale?
Yesterday I met an a old pal in the gym and we discussed Norwich city as usual. He laughs at my anti smith stance and has steadfastly refused to accept that she is the root cause of our ills. That is until yesterday, when he admitted to me that he has got it wrong. A browse of the aforementioned twitter feed will tell you that he by far from the only supporter coming to the same conclusion.
This season is gone. All we can hope for is to,avoid most of the embarrassing all time records we are currently threatening to break, I feel what takes place OFF the pitch is by far and away more important to the City’s future as a viable professional football club.
Hi Chris
That which you, I and several thousands of others would like to see happen at NCFC never will in our lifetime.
TH Lawrence wrote about Seven Pillars of Wisdom [which I’ve haven’t read as I’ve never felt the inclination to] but Delia has more than seven pillars of support so if you think she might quit you are in for a big surprise – even if she did the Club effectively passes to Young Tom.
The media like her, even if only in order to take the juice. A few influential sportswriters back her to the hilt. She is deservedly respected for her culinary career. She makes time for the fans. Nobody remembers her wearing an 1p5wich scarf [I do]. She *saved the Club*. To the best of my knowledge she does not decapitate Barbie dolls in a fit of frustration but instead goes to Church.
That’s my seven pillars of Deliadom and up against those us sans-culottes do not stand a feline in Hades chance of getting her out.
So we’re stuck with it and there’s nothing we can do to effect a change.
So what if the lady wears blinkers – surely it’s none of our lowly business to question?
Cheers and HNY to you and yours.
Thanks Martin, and the same to you. 👍🏻
Gosh it is sad when my usual offerings on here would sound like praise when placed against the above. We were too slow to sack Farke – fact! Our recruitment was worse than poor – fact! However, if you step back and look at it we just need a couple of tough old hands to get this group of players going forward and my guess is that S & S would not have taken the job unless some guarantees in that area were forthcoming. So I am not giving up yet.
People are picking out individuals for criticism without looking at the big picture. Sure Adam Idah has not provided a goal threat but then neither has Pukki. It is the assists that are missing. Our midfield relies on a Chelsea loanee who is so easily knocked off the ball but he needs the experience around him to thrive like he does for Scotland. Our defense has been decimated by injury and illness but Sorenson has again stepped up to fill the gap whereas for me he is the Skipp replacement.
So get your heads up and back S & S to give us a fighting chance – it aint over yet!
As for ‘Alas Smith & Jones’ its time for the supporters to raise the temperature to get them out but not at the expense of supporting the team.
Hi Terry
I quite understand your opening line. I am very loath to criticise individual players and while I obviously have my thoughts it’s very rare for me to put them in writing. Angus is probably the only one I have given stick so far this season!
Also I agree with you about Lungi but there may be a reason that neither Farke nor Smith have ever really used him in the Skipp role. Sure he isn’t quick, but neither is Skippy.
As for *raising the temperature* I certainly don’t want a reincarnation of the fall of Chase, but I would like Delia to take a good look in the mirror. She’s had a good innings but it’s time to go.
Surely none of us would deny a life vice-Presidency for her & MWJ.
Thanks – good comment.
Let’s pray that you are correct about Smith demanding some,leeway before agreeing to come, Terry. Although it does fly in the face of webbers insistence that we had no money to spend and no plans in that regard.
With regard to chance creation, although we miss Buendia and Cantwell one only has to look back and recall some of the glaring misses this season. The likes of Pukki, Sargent, Idah, Lees Melou, Sorensen, Tzolis among others have fluffed gilt edged chances to score. Some of these are serial offenders.
Cheers for the mention, Martin!
It had to be done 🙂