As the criticism of Dean Smith’s Norwich intensifies, perhaps it’s natural that shots are fired back towards the dissenting voices.
There has been a narrative playing out in some quarters that City supporters are unappreciative, expecting too much, and acting like spoilt, petulant children.
That accusation is easy to shrug off when it comes from national broadcasters. A case of lazy journalism from those too far removed to fully understand. However, when it stems from local columnists or club legends interviewed on Radio Norfolk, it is less forgivable.
They should know better.
Because Norwich City is blessed with a fanbase that has demonstrated remarkable loyalty and genuinely knows its football. If the natives are getting restless, there are genuine and valid reasons.
Sure, there’s always a Canary Caller or Twitter account that strays into the realms of nonsense, but they are not reflective of the majority of supporters.
To gauge the mood of the masses, you simply have to sit among them at Carrow Road and witness an atmosphere that is as flat as the Fens and as enjoyable as being stuck in traffic on the A17.
But let’s address the accusation that we’re collectively throwing our toys out of the pram because we’re not p*ssing the league whilst playing ‘Champagne football’.
Firstly, there is a legitimate argument that supporters of a club, which has won successive Championship titles have every right to expect something similar.
Parachute payments and the experience of knowing what it takes to climb out of this league, are a huge advantage and failure to replicate the ‘yo’ in the ‘yo-yo’, would represent a significant regression in the club’s delivery of its long-term strategy and stated ambition.
However, the unrest was obvious when City were level on points at the top of the table and unbeaten in nine matches, so clearly something is wrong.
If your only barometer of fan engagement is high ticket sales, then you won’t see it, but I can assure our Finance Director that many of the fans feel disconnected.
And it’s not due to a sense of entitlement or unrealistic expectations (for the record, I predicted an 8th-place finish in MFW’s pre-season prediction piece). Personally, it boils down to this:
I don’t know what the plan is anymore.
I don’t know what Dean Smith is trying to get the players to do, and it appears that the players don’t either.
I don’t know what we would do differently if promotion was achieved, to avoid another season of ridicule and abject failure in the top flight.
I don’t know what the intent is behind Mark Attanasio’s investment and selection onto the board or what it means for the long-term future.
And yet, I’m expected to lend my full support to the club whilst being criticised (albeit mildly) for not doing enough to provoke some sort of reaction from the players on the pitch.
How can you unconditionally support an approach that you don’t fully understand?
The state of the nation’s politics demonstrates what happens when people blindly support something, rather than questioning the direction of travel and ultimate destination.
I’ll admit, I was later than some in signing up to the Webberlution. In his first year, I watched Daniel Farke’s side toil towards a mid-table finish and remained sceptical.
But we were repeatedly assured that this was a work in progress. That we were developing a new footballing blueprint and had to pay for the “sins of the past” before rebuilding the squad over several transfer windows.
The plan was clear and carefully explained.
We were implementing a new ‘sustainable’ model that required investment in the Academy to generate a conveyor belt of promising young players for future income. The development of a robust strategy that was built on succession planning and consistency to provide resilience against player sales and the inevitable departures of key management staff.
There was a refreshing openness from the club and a willingness to engage with the fanbase and media – illustrated perfectly by MFW’s Connor Southwell (before his transfer to Archant) being granted access to a candid and enlightening interview with the Sporting Director.
I bought into ‘the project’ completely and was rewarded with the most memorable and enjoyable title-winning season.
The conviction of the supporters meant that the sales of Maddison, Godfrey, and Lewis were accepted as being part of the plan. Relegation was met with disappointment, rather than anger or recrimination, and the togetherness that ran through the club resulted in further Championship success.
And then, the masterplan started to unravel.
There was the bizarre sponsorship deal with BK8, the departure of Head of Recruitment, Kieran Scott, the failure to replace Buendia and Skipp, and then the quotes and subsequent media fallout surrounding the Sporting Director’s future and extra-curricular activities.
But for many of us, the tipping point was the recruitment of Dean Smith as Farke’s successor. A man who was still employed by Villa when Daniel was relieved of his duties, which suggested a knee-jerk appointment rather than a carefully crafted transition.
Relegation, has been accompanied by a change in style which has left the team looking a shadow of its former self and the remaining crown jewels shining less brightly.
We currently look like an above-average Championship team that has become less than the sum of its parts and wholly reliant on rare moments of individual ability from players that we won’t be able to keep at the club without parachute payments.
Crucially, there is a deafening silence from those running the show. We’re restricted to a few scripted interviews from the in-house media team alongside Dean Smith’s post-match analysis, repeatedly telling us what went wrong, rather than what they’re doing about it.
If the club expects our unwavering support, it needs to give us reasons to provide it.
Be open and tell us what the plan is.
The deafening sound of nails being hit firmly on the head. Well said Steve.
More moaning!
A lot of good points here. I kind of feel sorry for the board in a way. Often accused of not being ruthless enough (hanging on to Hughton too long etc), finally they were ruthless in firing Farke, and the uptick hasn’t quite happened.
There are valid criticisms to be made about how the club is run, especially on the communication side, but seems to me none of that would really matter if the team was performing well, and it’s far from too late to turn this season around.
Hi Steve
It wasn’t that long ago that I bumped into you and your dad in the Barclay bar and I can vividly recall how much all three of us were looking forward to the game, although not who it was against!
FF a couple of seasons and that enthusiasm has gone, which says it all for me.
A good read – thanks.
Excellent piece Steve, my thoughts entirely and I couldn’t add anything to that if I tried.
So I won’t.
Well said. you covered it well. there is a case of party line blindness, we don’t see what you see so everything it OK We refuse to believe it.
I hope that the home games coming up, that the atmosphere leaves the club in no doubt that they are wrong. The supporters are needed all the time not just a season ticket renewal
It feels a lot like the Chase era. Fans and the club hierarchy are miles away from each other. Smith is the only voice we hear on a regular basis and he’s run out of things to say.
Great article. Would be good if this could be presented to the club as perfectly explains how I believe most fans feel
I never really reply to comments sections, especially not football ones anymore, as I find there’s already enough going on in the world to worry about and have an opinion about. But this article nails it. The togetherness that we experienced from the 2nd season onwards – the pride everyone had in the club and the players, the atmosphere at the ground (helped by the amazing efforts to improve things by Along Come Norwich and other groups), and yeah the communication from the club – especially from Webber – all made it feel different and special to be a Norwich fan.
But that all seems like its in the past, and we’re back to the dark ages that preceded it. I feel like the club is once again faceless, corporate and disconnected.
As so many have pointed out, the fact the club feels like its connecting to its fanbase by pushing out in-house produced video interviews is laughable. Anyone that has any clue about PR knows that in-house stuff is not taken seriously. It’s the easy way out and lacks credibility. It’s like a politician being interviewed by one of their fellow party members. An echo chamber.
I really hope those at the club read things outside of the club, read articles on sites like this, read the comments sections, and of course pay attention to the flat atmosphere in the ground. Because you are not connecting. See 2017 – 2020 – that’s how you do it.
My hope is Attanasio sees the problems and does things to improve it, as I believe he has done at his other sporting ventures.
Couldn’t agree more Steve.
The hasty appointment of Smith will always be a bit of a puzzle. Time and time again we heard the mantra that a succession plan was always in place & that a new coach would fit in and replicate what was already being done, that coaches and players were only ever temporary but a philosophy was forever.
Until Farke was sacked. There is no way Frank Lampard sat atop a list of potential successors and no way Dean Smith, especially as he was still in employment, sat at number 2 on the list.
OK, I'[l give a little. Maybe they were. I don’t know for certain. Only one man does. But lets just say it is, or was, exceedingly unlikely.
My guess is that the man the club secretly coveted was Steve Cooper. who was out of work in the summer of 2021 but ended up taking over at Forest on Sept 21st-about six weeks before we fired Farke.
Would he (Cooper) have been interested in the job at Norwich? Probably. Might he, informally, unofficially, have been sounded out about it in the summer of 2021? Not 100% unlikely. Did he get fed up with waiting, given we lost our fifth PL fixture on the trot three days before he took over at Forest & he still remained in the role ?
Hypothesis of course. I’ll leave it at that!
I haven’t watched the feature with the clubs bean counter in chief and won’t, especially as plenty have summarised what he said since. But I do find it odd that he is given the opportunity to publicly quote on matters that are of no relevance to his job.-the sort of issues and concerns that, I don’t know, you’d normally expect a Sporting Director to comment about maybe?
I bet Alex Neil hasn’t looked forward so much to an away game for ages.
Cooper and Webber are old buddies from their Wrexham days so would expect they talked about the job.
Maybe the local media should stop reporting on Norwich City until their childish stance against it changes? I would rather the BBC spend its time with Kings Lynn than focus on a club where it is so scared of criticism it can only do seedy ‘in house’ interviews.
What was it Hoolahan once said about Norwich City?
A lot of good points here. I kind of feel sorry for the board in a way. Often accused of not being ruthless enough (hanging on to Hughton too long etc), finally they were ruthless in firing Farke, and the uptick hasn’t quite happened.
There are valid criticisms to be made about how the club is run, especially on the communication side, but seems to me none of that would really matter if the team was performing well, and it’s far from too late to turn this season around.
Excellent article Steve.
If the Finance Director honestly believes the fans are happy with the current regime it’s the most alarming message to come from the board since they said we would attain premiership status under self funding.
The trouble at time with Norfolk people is they are too patient and reluctant to complain.
If our club was located in Newcastle, Manchester or Liverpool they would be under no illusion that the fans have had enough. The self funding plan has failed miserably in attaining premiership stability and the brand of football dealt up by the manager is devoid of any entertainment.
I agree that under Farke there was a clear plan and obviously Scott was a major figure in supplying the talent for that plan.
Now we have what appears to be a mindless shambles and the only hope is for new ownership.
Thanks all for taking the time to read and post your thoughts. Always nice to know you’re not alone!
I’m guessing everyone at the club, (owners, management, playing staff and supporters), are feeling a bit battered and bruised by what was a chastening experience in the Premier League. It’s hard for any of us to regain the enthusiasm and energy to ‘go again’ after successive top flight failures.
When times are tough, the club needs to rally together from top to bottom and I’d argue that the fans have showed their support and loyalty through season ticket renewals and the absence of widespread protests.
But we are not paid employees. It’s not our job to get a tune out of players who look demoralised at the prospect of playing Championship football. It’s not down to us to put an arm around the shoulders of those running the club and tell them it will all be OK.
It’s the role of the leaders at the club to provide a compelling vision and clearly set out how it will be achieved. That’s what’s currently missing.
Recent comments from club officials are tone deaf to the prevailing mood. By denying there is an issue and failing to address it, I suspect some fans will want to make their feelings clear and instead of the current flat atmosphere, things could turn hostile.
Nobody wants that.
Funny you think of more to say after you have commented.
Two things.
Funny how the fans were not present during the lockdown, was that quiet then, who did you blame then ?
In house video’s etc, Kim Jong-un has the same set-up
I once would stand an onslaught of abuse defending and praising my club, but not anymore, the powers of the club are getting what they deserve, on social media and hopefully the crowd will let them know for sure, Trouble is a win will smooth things over for some
Excellent article!
What a state we are in.
I’ll stick to my pre-season prediction of 8th ,outside the play-offs,and Smith to be gone before Christmas if we are to have any chance of winning the FA Cup this year. #OTBC
The comments from Dublin were hard to take from someone who you would think would have a high regard for our club. Basically saying there are bigger clubs in this division and we should be happy to remain in the top half. In fact he owes us an apology for suggesting that we think we have a divine right to want promotion and better things for our club. Not a legend for me any more, he should stick to DIY presenting. Sutton has sold out and I’m not interested in his paid opinions.
I can’t see our manager thinking any better of the club after leaving his dream job.
Great Article just a shame we have to write our concerns because the Club has gone Mutton Jeff.
I am concerned about the Quality of our Squad tbh, I hope like others have written it’s looking bad because of the coaching. Maybe like a friend at work says ‘ The guys have had been up and down before are just too scarred for another year in the Championship?
We look toothless as well as rudderless
I agree with everything you said Steve bar the criticism of the local media.
I think Conor, Paddy and Michael Bailey have been brilliant in their reporting of the state of affairs at Carrow Road. And really fair
Watch both Conor’s and Michael’s video blogs after the Burnley game.
Excellent summations and absolutely truthful to the problems at Norwich City FC
In no way have I heard them blame the fans.
What do Delia and Stuart expect?
They both blamed the fans for relegation from the EPL last season 🤬 Stuart said the recruitment was “alright” 🤔 perhaps in a parallel universe it was but not here.
Then to accuse the fans of “deserting” the club😱
And what a joke that is.
It wasn’t us who spent millions on untested youngsters for a relegation scrap.
You say yourself how difficult it is to visit Carrow Road at the moment.
It is perfectly understandable the muted atmosphere.
It’s the fear of, if we do well, it’s back to that lovely Premier League.
But it’s also at the boring football on show.
I backed Smith to get this right, but sadly he is struggling.
I still feel the onus is the players to get the crowd going not the other way round.
All it takes at Carrow Road is a great tackle to get us behind the team, we are not waiting for Barcelona mk 2.
You are so correct Steve, Webber came here with a great plan And explained it extremely well.
The trouble is he now knows that running a self funding club is an impossibility.
20 points
21 points
That is what we have got into seasons on EPL football. It is a disgrace.
No wonder we all “look forward” to a return to the Premier League.
And we also have found out this week that we are not self funding because we have borrowed all the parachute payments we are due over the next two years.
For continued success in the championship we need to gain promotion or it’s back to pre Farke.
And just like a new Tory PM the powers that be explain nothing. Nadder, Bu**ar all.
Delia and Michael have done a lot of good for the club but now run it like a personal fiefdom.
No apologies for the two dreadful EPL seasons, no apologies for the need to borrow all our incoming parachute payments.
Cmon Delia where are you!!! Your team need you!!!
I know we get some looney tunes on Canary Call who would ring up moaning and groaning if we lost a Champions League Final to Real Madrid on penalties but they are a minority.
And to be fair Rob and Mark Rivers keep those individuals in line and they too are balanced in their criticism of the club.
Some may say not critical enough. I prefer to say realistic.
All most Norwich fans want is some good football and their team to be competitive.
I said the other day, the club are in Robert Chase mode, singing lalalala with their fingers in their ears.
I am starting to worry that Dean Smith may not be the man for us, but my mate Marty ( Home and away supporter week in week out) rightly pointed out to me yesterday that whoever we bring in to coach the team will still have to work with all the above problems and with big financial restraints.
And he is 100% right. This goes beyond the coach and all the way to the top.
Hi Tim
Many thanks for the reply. Agree with so much of what you said.
Just for clarity, my comment regarding the criticism from ‘local columnists’ was not a reference to the guys from the press you mentioned. I’ve got nothing but respect for ‘our’ Connor, Michael and Paddy and how they’ve reported on the current situation, whilst balancing a working relationship with the club. It was a reaction to a couple of ‘fan columns’ that were recently published elsewhere, which I took exception to. I resisted the urge to ‘name and shame’ as we’re all entitled to our opinions and the NCFC community should be open to debating all perspectives and viewpoints. I’m sure it’s one of the reasons why MFW thrives in an increasingly crowded arena.
The club is stagnating. Riddled with smug self satisfaction and hubris, trumpeting their own successes, rotting from the head down.
Owners who contribute nothing to the club, a sporting director openly courting other clubs while Norwich City slide down the league table, protected by his wife, who sits in judgment above him on the board.
A manager who clearly thinks he is slumming it at Carrow Road who appears to have little or no idea how to set up a team with a worse winning record than Bryan Hamilton, a chuckleheaded spectre from delia smiths closet.
On top of that, some smarmy goon in a three piece suit apparently thinks its within his remit to tell paying customers that they are not performing to the required standard.
In spite of the glut of money washing into the club coffers we have somehow accrued a deficit of tension of millions of pounds and look set for another delia inspired downsizing next summer.
Death to self funding.