I know I shouldn’t harp on, but is anyone else a little envious of those teams for whom January is an opportunity to strengthen their squad?
When it’s those against whom you are battling to stay in the Premier League who are making signings it stings a bit.
Like the cool kids at school with rich parents who get new, even cooler trainers, even though their existing ones are pretty much pristine, while you have to soldier on with an already knackered pair because your parents insist on living within their means.
There’s no alternative (unless they decide to sell some family silver) and you know in the circumstances it’s the right approach but it still grates – doubly so when you come face-to-face with said cool kids and they’re poncing around in their new Jordans looking all super-cool and fluffed up, while you’re left feeling a bit cr.@p and untrendy.
On Friday night we go to Watford – the same Watford whose line-up will likely include three new signings.
It wouldn’t irk quite as much if City didn’t need some fresh faces, but when you’ve been bottom of the league for most of the season and have been continually derided for having a squad that is simply not good enough, you really do.
So far, Watford have coughed up a relatively modest £15million on those for signings but if one of those four has a positive impact on performances and results in the next few months, then Claudio Ranieri and Gino Pozzo will consider it dosh well spent.
And yet Dean Smith, manager of the worst team in the division yet which remarkably is not yet set adrift and which still has more than just a mathematical chance of survival, is not going to be permitted to make a single signing.
Smith, as you would expect of a new manager, has trotted out the official line of it being a squad that’s already bloated, but it’s a squad that’s bloated because it contains a lot of players who are nowhere near good enough to consistently play Premier League football.
Do we seriously think that Dean and Craig Shakespeare, if asked by Stuart Webber if they would like to be able to strengthen in two or three key areas would respond with a, “no, we’re fine, Stu, really happy to go with what we’ve got”.
Of course they wouldn’t.
Do we really think that in a private moment in Dean’s office, the pair of them won’t be mulling over how they could make this team better and the players, or type of player, it would take to do that?
Of course they do.
But no, in true Norwich City fashion, we soldier on, ploughing our own lone furrow… because we have no choice.
We sit tight, press our noses against the window and watch as others try to give themselves a better chance of staying up, while doing absolutely nothing… because we have no choice.
I’m guessing Dean and Shakey are okay with this, as Daniel Farke was before them, because that’s what they signed up to, but please don’t tell me they, also like Daniel before them, would have pooh-poohed the opportunity to spend a bit money or, in Dean and Shakey’s case, some money.
When human nature kicks in, being a have-not can be a source of frustration. And just because we’re used to it doesn’t mean we like it.
January is obviously a notoriously difficult month in which to trade and we know Webber’s thoughts on how it provides little by way of value for money – our winter transfer window of 2020 was a perfect example – but it does nevertheless offer the chance to those who need it to attempt to make their teams better.
I say attempt because every new signing comes loaded with peril but there are plenty of examples of those who have been able to get it right in January and who benefitted accordingly.
But we’re not even giving ourselves that chance.
I do understand though that our situation is such that spending big sums, even if we had them, may be an overly-costly and futile exercise, and also that it would have made no sense to hold back money from last summer’s pot to spend in January, yet last Saturday showed us that there is still some belief and fight in this group.
But before anyone accuses me of moaning for the sake of moaning, I do appreciate we’re in this position for all the right reasons – namely that we have no magic money tree – but it just feels a little wrong that while others take every opportunity to make themselves better, one of the routes available to those others is closed off to Norwich City.
Like I said, it’s not [in the words of a ruddy-faced Scot] as if this group couldn’t go with some help.
I’ll shush now. Just needed to get that off my chest.
Hopefully, what we have will prove to be good enough and my whining will (again) be rendered nonsensical.
Hi Gary
You’re 100% spot on here mate.
There won’t be a latter-day equivalent of Dean Ashton coming over the hills this time around and that is for sure. No dedicated defensive midfielder either I’m afraid.
With a bit of help from *research assistant* Alex B I’ll be along with an article next week which will examine just how good Stuart Webber’s recruitment for the under 23s has been and it won’t make for pretty reading.
A January signing for the first team squad is the stuff of fantasy I am afraid.
Hi Gary
The question is do we really need to spend big or any money at all with DS&SS plus Webbers contacts surely there are one or two players that haven’t got a club that would be willing to kick-start there flagging careers.
I know some will say there’s reasons these players haven’t been picked up.
Age, Injury and wages/signing fee could be the problems or then personal problems in many disguises.
Jermaine Defoe scored 32 in 74 for rangers and sky says he is taking to 2 premiership clubs he has openly said he will retire at the end of the season so possibly a choice as a superset.
Bolaise says he’s looking for a fresh start or even Sturridge wage demands might be a problem but it would put them in the shop window for next season and a new club so would the gamble be worth it they all have premiership experience.
We are Schrödinger’s canary.
There are too many teams with too many games in hand, plus teams splashing the cash, to know if our league position is accurate. In the mini league around us Watford could be 7 points ahead (10 if they beat us), Newcastle 2 points ahead (plus a plethora of signings) and Burnley could be 10 ahead.
While not all of those teams will win all those games, we do need them ALL to fail to survive. So despite not being cut adrift as the league stands, theoretically we could be.
So unlike in past years, where I’ve shouted for investment, this year I think our position is so precarious, it would be throwing good money after bad. Which is a sad sentence to type.
Excellent column Gary.
What is blindingly obvious is that Watford are shopping in totally different areas to us…..in their case, none of this 8m for a young and relatively unproven player with potential…..
They go out and pay what, (to me at least), seem reasonable fees of up to 4m for players who are able to do a job for them in the PL from the outset.
I believe they played their 3 new boys last Saturday, and they fitted into their team rather well.
Much will be known by around 10pm on Friday; in the words of the aforementioned Scot, ” if you can’t win, make sure you don’t lose”.
O T B C
Disappointing, not that O want to see large sums (well Norwich large sums ) but an odd deal would not have broke the bank plus showed us long suffers, they do mean business. A punt on Conor Hourihane, would have been very good move for me, that’s if Villa would play ball.
A swop for Hugill for QPR’s Lyndon Dykes seeing as they loved Hugill. not huge deals but could make a difference, especially Hourihane.b
There must be a free agent out there somewhere – a diamond in the rough as they say, who could offer striker support to our current front line, or defensive midfield cover, till the season ends?
There must also be an older player at one or two Prem teams who can expect to be released on the basis of cost-cutting for their current club.
I realise that bringing in a foreign player on that basis is probably not going to happen due to the time it takes to get clearance to play in this country, but surely we could bring in one useful signing!
If this offers us 10 more, or 10 less, goals, why not try it?
BIG game on Friday versus Watford – COYYs !!
I enjoyed reading your article Gary as usual. It throws up some interesting points and some good responses.
Thar we are currently situated in 18th place with our eyes fixed on 17th as a final destination it speaks volumes that this board prefers to sit on its hands.
“Self funding” defeatist, glass ceiling, penny pinching self serving claptrap, which has turned football into a handicap competition. With us carrying the most lead in our saddle.
Hull City Purchased by the Simon Cowell of Turkey £30m they own their training facilities but the ground is owned by the local council and shared with the rugby club.
In an interview he said that his aim was to originally buy a Premiership club but the ones he tried to invest in refused his approaches so started looking at clubs that he could take to that level..
Last night on Sky he was asked what his aims where for this season and he said playoffs and money was available to strengthen the squad but said not silly money possibly up to £20m then would look at the.
I just wonder what club he approached to invest in but Turkey isn’t in Norfolk
By a process of elimination we can whittle it down to about two possible clubs
Webber is just as bad as Smith. They have one thing in common – they only think about themselves and take the club for granted and treat the supporters who supply their income like mushrooms – keep them in the dark etc
Please don’t mistake Norwich City – and that I mean Delia & MWJ – for a club that wants to stay up – They don’t.