Miracles rarely happen in football. Not in 2022.
Invariably, those with the most money and the best players end up winning the big prizes, although Leicester City’s Premier League triumph of 2016 did admittedly edge into miracle territory. That was good.
But the point is they’re very rare.
Yet, another occurred yesterday morning.
If you’re unaware, that was when the Premier League fixtures for next season were released.
And guess what … the random fixture generator handed Liverpool – media/pundit/Premier League darlings extraordinaire – their fourth consecutive opening day fixture against the winners of the previous season’s Championship.
A bona fide sporting miracle.
By some rudimentary maths (and using an accumulator calculator) that equates to a 159,999/1 shot.
The Premier League will, of course, deny anything untoward occurring, citing their super-computer being set certain parameters based on policing requirements, etc, but then allocating the remainder of fixtures randomly.
But you don’t have to be Columbo (one for the youngsters) to smell a rat here.
And it’s not as if Klopp’s men need any advantages thrown up by the fixture list.
Oh well… not our problem anymore.
***
That Isaac Hayden seems a good sort. A piece in the EDP by our Connor, in which he reports on a chat our new signing had recently with Newcastle Fans TV, threw up a few interesting lines.
Aside from confirming that Hayden is indeed a thoroughly decent bloke who will have sailed through Stuart Webber’s no- d@#h%ad test, he broke with the norm of citing a desire to take ‘one season at a time’ and instead came up with this…
“I want to go there, help them get promoted and try to make it more of a stable club rather than what it has been, a yo-yo club.”
Given that the initial deal is just for a season-long loan, for the player to look beyond the end of next season is encouraging and refreshing in itself. And for him to have recognised that this club desperately needs to do something different to lose its yo-yo tag is just what we all want to hear.
Words, of course, are nothing if they’re not backed up by actions, but the mentality shown by Master Hayden before a ball has been kicked is a far cry from the ‘little, lucky-to-be-here Norwich’ mindset we’ve become used to.
***
On the flip side of Hayden’s desire to make this club better is Milot Rashica’s desire to be anywhere but Norwich City.
Reports emanating from Germany suggest that his agent is working overtime to try and find a Bundesliga home for his client, with Schalke 04 – who I was led to believe were virtually skint – apparently looking at ways of getting a deal over the line.
A return to Werder Bremen has also been mooted after Die Werderaner were promoted back to the Bundesliga after just one season in 2.Bundesliga.
Either way, I’m guessing any deal will need to see the Club recoup the £9.4m we were reported to have spent on the player in the first place, either as a transfer fee now or, more likely, as an agreed fee at the end of a successful loan spell.
It seems Master Rashica did not fall in love with Norwich and its environs as so many before him have done.
And to think, all those hours spent by some of our brethren tracking those flights from Germany to Norwich as we anxiously awaited the arrival of one who we desperately hoped was going to keep us in the Premier League.
Now there’ll be plenty of offers to drive him to Norwich airport.
***
This World Cup in November/December lark is going to take some getting used to.
By normal convention, we’d already be well ensconced in the group stages and the early strains of Football’s Coming Home would already be audible, assuming the World Cup would have got a better tune out of Gareth Southgate’s men than the Nations League did.
Equally, some Nations League-type performances and the flags would already be coming down and instead of Football’s Coming Home the songs would be based on Southgate coming home… on his own… preferably to be replaced by Graham Potter.
What did surprise me though was that, while the Premier League is shutting down for almost six weeks between November 14 and December 25, there is no such arrangement for the Championship.
Instead, while the break will begin in line with the Premier League’s, we will resume hostilities on December 10, once the group stages are complete.
So, there is a chance that City games could coincide with live games, possibly involving England, and all while the nation prepares itself for Christmas.
It’s going to be a funny ol’ month.
***
Finally, for once I actually put some thought into the header image that accompanies this piece.
In case you weren’t aware, today – June 17, 2022 – is the day the club has designated brand relaunch day. The Dauphin font, looking resplendent at the top of this piece adorning the City stand, as of today no more.
Instead, we’ll have a new look and a new font, one that’s already been partly leaked as the rebranding of the outside of the stadium takes place. But today it becomes official.
Does it really matter?
Well to some it does, to some it doesn’t, but if it helps streamline the operation from a technical perspective and adds to the much-needed summer refresh, it’s one the Luddites will have to take on the chin.
So, farewell old friend, it’s been a blast… some of the time. And welcome.
I had a little bet with my son, that Liverpool would feature in the first games of the newly promoted sides., something certainly does have a little aroma emanating from it, still not as bad as what City faced last time. Had Fulham faced a similar opening fixture as we did, I think you could with some justification believe that the powers at Premiership towers were marking another yo-yo club.
As for our want-away winger, I could see a crowdfund being started to help him with travel costs. He was a major disappointment for me, apart from the odd flash here and there, he was no better than Hernandez.. Perhaps a tad not so good.
I am not sure this season loan with view to buy hinging on certain criteria being met, any club seemingly doesn’t have to still go ahead with any purchase. Cantwell being a classic example. The position this club has been ground down to, means they need the money to be falling into the till even if like many transfers in staged amounts and times.
As for Mr Hayden, after watching several youtube videos etc, he looks like a very good fit, as to what players say when joining a new club, I take with a pinch of salt. Many of them are helped by the PR dept. No offence to the lad, he may well have concocted the whole interview himself. is so my apologies Isaac, I am an old cynic.
After trying to watch England in the Nations league, gave up turning over to watch anything else. The World Cup doesn’t hold that much of a pull to me. Whole thing smacks of very large backhanders to FIFA officials to stage the tournament from the oil-rich Qatarians (if that is a word)
To change globally football leagues etc for one country, there must have been a considerable amount of dollars splashed around.
As to the new branding, which I guess is important in today’s age, being one of the old-timers I don’t know a great deal nor to be honest care too much. All I see is money being spent on stripes on a building and a new bit of stitching on a shirt when the squad needs new players.
Also I bet that whoever designed this new logo didn’t get just a tenner either. The project had taken two years and that the club had listened to feedback from supporters, I do not know or heard of anyone I am in contact with who was listened to.
Personally, I could not see what was really wrong with what is now the old crest, perhaps made the Lion look a lot more like one. Also, a yo-yo could have possibly been incorporated in there somewhere.. I hope to gawds sake I am not a Luddite, I can take a PC apart and put back together without a pile of screws left
I was expecting to see a motto around the bottom as in Delia’s Kitchen.
I’m going to risk looking a bit of an idiot to challenge your math.
There are 20 teams in the PL minus Liverpool that leaves 19.
Each seasons fixture selection is independent, meaning it is like rolling a dice or flipping a coin
So the odds of Liverpool being picked to play last season’s championship winner in any one season is 1/19
The odds of it happening 4 times in a row is 1/19*1/19*1/19*1/19
Which is approximately 1 in 130,000 so while still quite a rare occurrence it is almost twice as likely as you originally thought.
For reference
Throwing 17 heads in a row is about 131,000
Rolling 6 sixes in a row is 1 in 46000
So then we just have to account for these extra policing considerations which probably increase the likelihood of a small team playing a big team
You’re right! Although we still come to a different answer 🙂 For a reason unknown I was using 22 teams in the PL and so 21 potential opponents. A four-way accumulator at 19/1 offers a return of 159,999.
I’ll change it, although it’s probably still wrong.
The point is, it’s a very big number. 😀
@Belgrade, You saved me the trouble! 1 in 130,321 to be exact and that is correct, Gary!
Yeah farewell to the scary lion spectre, and hello to the short tailed Canary.
Morning Gary
Good call on Isaac Hayden – I’ve been feeling the same way about him and so have quite a few of my NCFC friends, one of whom sees him already as future captain material even before he’s kicked a ball while wearing a yellow shirt.
My Arsenal mate Dave still thinks the Gooners were crazy to offload him all those years ago and reckons we’ve got a diamond IF he remains relatively injury free.
As for the badge I didn’t like it at first but have really turned 180 degrees on it and quite like it now – I just hope it’s still embroidered and not printed directly on to the shirt but until the NCFC official home kit launch we will not know that for sure.
Some folks are hoping for said launch today but I understand that is unlikely.
Hi Gary
A Geordie supporter told me rumours of him leaving were circulating a couple of months prior to the breaking news and that it was after their last visit to Carrow Rd the deal was complete.
Rashica could be a big hit here next season but is it just agent talk to get interest in him – only time will tell.
He could be Alex only if he learns to play for 90mins instead of being the 20min man as he was last season think Springet may keep him out of team if he stays Keep well mate.
Ah, the new badge, it’s fine I guess, could have been a Dodo, our football became extinct by February!
With a short close season and a World Cup to come next season in the P L could be a strange one with the big team players suffering from burn out, sadly we wont benefit.
Not much bothered about Milot Rashica his departure will afford opportunity for someone who’s committed to the cause.
Let’s hope Liverpool continue with the trend and have Norwich visiting them in 23/24. If we get promoted we have to play there at some point. It also means we go up as champions, again.
I’m not usually a conspiracy believer, but does anyone now think our first 4 fixtures last season was just bad luck ?
How about just the first 2 ?
I just get the feeling we are not very welcome in the EPL.
As for England’s World Cup chances, I told my son and grandson a couple of weeks ago that they won’t get out of the group stage. It’ll be Wales and one of USA or Iran, and we could be treated to the sight of Harry Kane on a plane home, while Josh Sargent carries on in the tournament!