It’s just not fun anymore, is it?
But then it wasn’t exactly a barrel of laughs for much of the time between 1995 and 2008, barring a couple of years under Nigel Worthington.
So why, despite sitting fifth in the table – which we’d have killed for in most of those seasons – is it all so miserable?
For the first time since I bought a season ticket just shy of 35 years ago, on Saturday I thought long and hard about whether to haul myself out into the cold to go and watch Norwich.
In the end, I did it for three reasons – habit, to see my mate who I’ve been sitting (or standing) with for all of those years, and the faint hope that maybe, just maybe, we’d see Dean Smith’s ‘different animal’.
Thousands of others chose the opposite, with whole families who sit near me, and who live in Norwich (so no trains to catch), opting to watch it in the warm at home, in a pub, or not at all. [see header image].
A few hundred more left at halftime, an unprecedented walk-out given we were only 1-0 down and would have gone third with a comeback win.
Belief, already at a low ebb, drained away from fans after Blackburn’s 3rd-minute goal quicker than Stuart Webber can don his crampons.
Here are three of the main reasons Norwich fans are so unhappy.
Dean Smith
Obviously.
Smith got pretty much a free pass last season, despite failing to improve a side that was already rooted to the foot of the Premier League when he arrived.
Back in the Championship, we hoped to see some of the ‘total football’ his Walsall side apparently played, or the hard-running attacking of his Brentford side.
I have some qualms about his spell at Villa, who were in freefall in the Championship until Britain’s most expensive footballer returned from injury and propelled them to a 10-game winning run – aided by the likes of Tammy Abraham, Tyrone Mings, and John McGinn.
So what did we actually get? A complete mess of a team with no clear ideology, no identifiable patterns of play, no embedded system, and no consistency of selection in the attacking areas in particular.
Our laughable attempts to beat Blackburn’s press drew jeers, and not because Norwich fans wanted the ball lumped forward, but because they could see four players knocking the ball about, gradually getting hemmed in with their colleagues motionless 30 or 40 yards away.
This is a poorly-coached side, especially with the ball, with many of our two-time title winners regressing rapidly and others barely getting a kick or, in Todd Cantwell’s case, getting more joy from delivering Christmas presents than playing football.
Much is made of Smith’s lack of connection with the fans, but would you really give a sh*t that he doesn’t give it the Farke-style ole’s if he was producing more fluent, attacking football? I wouldn’t.
However, when it does matter is when the chips are down, when he needs the benefit of the doubt, when he needs support in testing times.
It’s what got Daniel Farke through a difficult first season, and the start of his ultimately triumphant second – and it’s what ensured there was never a single Farke out chant inside Carrow Road even through one and a bit disastrous Premier League campaigns.
Smith has no goodwill in the bank, either through results, performances, or in engaging fans with a clear vision, or any vision at all.
This is probably the first time in his managerial career he’s had to deal with the kind of hostile chanting that greeted him on Saturday, and his ill-judged post-match comments to Chris Goreham spoke to that lack of experience.
While most fans had Smith down as a nice bloke underperforming, for many there are now Roeder levels of dislike.
He should have been gone by Sunday evening. Which brings us on to…
Stuart Webber
The breakdown in Stuart Webber’s relationship with many fans and the local media appears to be at the root of a them and us mentality within the club, which may well have fed into Smith’s clumsy comments.
When there is a pervasive atmosphere within an organisation that everyone is against them, it’s probably no surprise when it seeps out in a moment of frustration.
Throw in the finance director, of all people, taking a pop at the fans, and Webber and co’s antipathy to the paying customer could not be more clear.
It’s also a far cry from the way he breezed into Carrow Road promising and delivering, openness, transparency and honesty.
For example, in an interview with Along Come Norwich, he said: “We have to be really open-minded as a club, and I’ve said this to the board, ‘Let’s strip it all back – anything goes, let’s be open-minded, let’s interact with the people who matter – the supporters out there.’ They’re the stakeholders in this and we have to listen.”
Yet when the club did listen, over the BK8 debacle, he could not conceal his disdain of being robbed of maybe £3m by woke crusaders. It turns out £3m would have made no difference to our survival hopes.
Then came the reaction to the Everest interviews, when his words could have been more carefully chosen, the extreme umbrage taken at the subsequent local media reporting, the angry exchanges with fans outside the ground, the so-called ‘breach of trust’ surrounding the breaking of the Attanasio story, and the shutters came crashing down.
“We don’t need the media” is the refrain from inside Carrow Road, and not just from Webber himself. Well, yes and no.
You can put out your video Q&As via club channels direct to fans, but it smacks of propaganda and allows no follow-up questions to either vague or – in Anthony Richens’ case – inflammatory answers.
You can publish your accounts and have your AGM without the media but, unless you’re a shareholder, you’re a second-class fan with no right to hear answers to the challenging questions journalists might ask.
Those journalists who have dared to criticise the club in any way, shape, or form become non-persons, with Webber behaving like a poundshop Xi Jinping.
I spent more than 20 years working in communications and PR, and you antagonise or shut out the media at your peril. Even if you disagree with them, you work with them, you build (or rebuild) relationships – one day, you’ll need them on your side.
Webber has isolated himself, and by proxy the club, from the fans and the media, and that road only goes one way.
When Michael Bailey, so careful with his words, says that removing Dean Smith will not fix the club, it’s clear what he’s referring to – the thin-skinned autocrat who has been given complete control of the football club despite admitting a year ago he was ‘ready to walk away’.
The Stuart Webber of 2017 would hate the Norwich City of today.
Post-traumatic Premier League disorder
Do you really want to go back there? Do you really want to go back there with Dean Smith in charge, should he somehow haul us up in the play offs?
The futility of life in the Premier League as a Norwich City fan, and the legacy of gloom from last season has undoubtedly spilled over into this.
That’s probably partly true for the players too, given many of them are the same ones subjected to sarcastic chanting at times last season, with a smattering of boos at the end of season lap of appreciation.
Given eight (I think) of our players are out of contract, several others are simply not good enough for the Premier League, and the cost of buying those that are, there’s little appetite among some fans for a re-run – a deep ennui about our position within the football pyramid itself, at least under the current ownership.
Personally, the sinking feeling of a goal conceded is no longer there, and I celebrate our goals with much more restraint than those heady days of 2018/19 when anything seemed possible.
I do still want promotion, but mainly to safeguard the short-term financial future of the club and not for the dubious ‘thrill’ of taking on the best on the pitch. And not with Dean Smith as manager – that really would be an exercise in futility.
Defeatist? Maybe. But realistic too.
Perfect expression of where we’re at without having to resort to rose tinted glasses. The fire alarm should be ringing at Colney and Carrow Road
It would be a shame after the successful years for Webber to leave us in a worse position than when he arrived. This is looking likely due to poor management and coaching.
Hi Matt
The perfect *yang* to Mick D’s earlier *ying* to give MFW a well-balanced day 🙂
I really enjoyed reading that and you make some great points that I heartily agree with.
More please!
Just a shout out to Rachel Brister (Match Day Hospitality Manager) who refunded my purchase of the ‘Celebration’ package even though she said it is non refundable as – true story – my son had to cancel having a burst pipe and ceiling down up in Hexham. The Burnley game is the day after my birthday and three days before my son’s. The last time we got together was March 2020 at White Hart Lane (yes he is a Spurs supporter). That was when Drmic scored the equaliser and we beat them in the Cup on pens. A far cry from now three years later both on and off the pitch, Todd Cantwell doing keepy ups before his penalty nonchalently high into the net. Being in amongst Spurs fans I was steaming at the seams trying to keep a straight face in case someone decided to rearrange it oo er.
A absolutely excellent write, very well put sir. I have nothing to add, perfect counter as Mr P says
A perfect appraisal of what the majority of us think Matt, well said.
Hi Matt
A good read.
I wasn’t overly happy with Webber recruitment of Smith never really thought his record was that great, Walsall was his own build and got lucky with loans from the top 6 clubs to get promotion
Brentford was a good squad assembled by Warburton and the recruitment team and the next lot of potential signings already earmarked by the club.
Villa was built by Bruce who had his best players out injured when he went on a poor run and lost his job just as Smith gets the job all the injuries clear up and he sneaks a lucky Wembley win for his second promotion.
He then went on a spending spree £100m+ in his first summer and more in the January window again luck came his way with a Ref decision that relegated Sheff U and kept Villa up, The owners then gave him an open cheque bookagain £140m+ that summer and he got the sack a week after we let Farke go.
I read that Webber had tried to sign Smith for Huddersfield but lost out to Brentford, now a conspiracy theorist might say that Webbers old Loserpool boss the CEO at Villa just might have forewarned him that Smith was about to be sacked so pulled the plug on DF.
Now who would believe a story like that
I think you have also forgotten that the club has stagnated at the top. We can all see a new leader in waiting but from the outside it looks like those with the majority shareholding don’t want to let go, but haven’t really got the fight to rebuild the club all over again, and certainly can’t convert us into a club that can spend more than one season in the top flight.
It just feels like we are waiting, and waiting and waiting….
I don’t think the breach of trust refers to the Attanasio story. That’s not the case, I believe. Certainly there was no mention of the usual code: “We contacted the club but they refused to comment.”
Completely incorrect.
It was confirmed on a podcast that it was a “breach of trust”. Which is ludicrous.
See TCN, starting at 7:00 : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9QL08AsSrTs
The story is that Pinkun went to the club about what the knew and asked for comment. The club asked them not to run it. They did, because they are not beholden to the club in any fashion and were not under NDA. Plus the club were silly enough to parade the potential owners on the pitch infront of the press.
The club have called this a ‘breach of trust’. Yet never gave the media anything to be trusted with. They figured it out.
Nonsense line from the club. Nonsense line from Mick.
That was certainly Paddy’s reading of the ‘breach of trust’ situation.
Sorry on this one Mick I for one just think the Journalists were doing their jobs.
The club were shall we say unwise (kind words) to parade the American investors in the Main Stand for the Spurs game. Sport is a world wide thing nowadays.
If you do not want it to get out be just more circumspect.
I do agree with you regarding foolish headlines from the new Archant editor. That also did no one any favours.
You make a very good point about having no appetite for the EPL.
Why would the fans look forward to going up . Webber has got it badly wrong twice. Smith couldn’t improve us and it became an embarrassment by the end of last season.
There are no positives in the last year since smith has been here .
Because of our last two recent poor relegations (one with some caveats the other with none) relegations from the EPL Mick do you think the board are re-thinking Self-funding?
I actually agree with you on that and Matt above, I do think these players have a big EPL hangover.
Going up and doing the same thing year in year out regarding recruitment must play on the players minds.
The only cure, if that is the right word is more financial support. I am not stupid, even with the new investors I know it will still be a form of “Moneyball” but one closer to a Brentford type scenario with just that bit more money and look how well they have done in the EPL. (I know it is for now)
Vintage canary.
Well ive been seeing this coming for a good few years. The crucks of the matter has been the same old sameold. Not up to par players that are not in the class of the premier league taken there bat home and obviusely not working for their manager.
We all know who they are the old school at the back and a certain midfielder.
As a hockey player and captain for 15years you went on the attack from the first min and kept it up.
The set up was a back diamond of 4 two advancing half backs two skillfull inside forwards switching up and down two wide wingers that cut in and a roving hit man across the D
Or in football the box the ball never ever went backwards its a sin you lose ground gained by good play and more than likely possesion and preasure on the defence I cringe at back playing tactics.
So the old school didnt like the manager and silently undermined his confidence its easy done.
The headmasters head firmly in the sand with his female partners head too.
Meanwhile the man from Milwakee is the only
soluition he has built two famous sports teams on fan based philosophy.
Come to the rescue Italian Stallion.
Vintage canary
I ment to add that qoute from Olive Reed to Russell Crowe in gladiator .( win the crowd)
Thats the most important thing in football.
After all carrow road is the modern day Collisium
Do the Hierarchy really worry about how the Club is doing ?
They cosy up together on match days more for a social activity than a sporting event.
And really, what qualifications / experience do any of the Board have in running a £M’s business, in an aggresive environment ?
If you have underperforming staff you get rid of them
Was Smith given targets when he was employed? What was his last staff appraisal like.?
All Delia will be remebered for are some cookery books …(now freely available in Charity shops at give away prices ) AND “Let’s be ‘avin you” …………..what a legacy
If we have any decision makers at the Club stand up and be recognised
Not completely sure but that header shot looks to be Block A Barclay Lower just a few rows back from where I sit/stand. I didn’t go last Saturday for many non-football reasons but I think I would have surmounted those if the football this season was better. I will be back for Luton and the Watford and Reading matches. I’ve shaken the cold from earlier this month, my son will be attending and the dreaded traffic problems that hit the bus service in the build up to Xmas would have gone. I am also inclined to renew our season tickets, not in response to the football but in recognition that we tend to give these up for non-football reasons. I share your thoughts about the PL, seeing ordinary teams race into 3 goal leads was not fun but we do need the cash. Agree about Smith too, he should have gone by now
It was, and admittedly it was in the 87th minute, but the row was half empty from the start.
As others have said, a very good read and one I hoped I would never have to read as it is all depressingly true.
As a supporter for near on 60yrs , through some bad times as well as good I can honestly say I am more depressed about the standard and type of football that we are playing than I have ever been and wihile DS and SW remain I cannot see any improvement.
If by some miracle we make the play offs and go back in to the PL I cannot see anything other than a financial windfall off the pitch and humiliation on it.
Our only hope would seem to be some major American investment if we get promoted ( Can’t see it if we don’t ) .
I can also see a mass exodus of players we might want to keep at cut price fees or frees whilst being stuck with players we don’t want to keep.
A root and branch rebuild is required , what ever happens and whilst we have so much to thank Michael and Delia for , times and finances have changed and the best thing they could do for the good of the club they love and for the fans is to pass the mantle on to someone else with the same vision that they had when they took over but with access to the financial muscle and business acumen that they cannot match
Well said Matt sums up the club perfectly for where we now find ourselves and is exactly how I feel after so many years of following this club through thick and thin. Dean Smith and Webber will be gone at some point but we’ll still be here. Webbers intransigence will be his downfall. The sooner they have both gone the better. Having said that the trouble initially will be having nobody left who knows about the modern game of football except perhaps Neil Adams? I’m presuming Mrs Webber will be off at the same time as her husband. Will need someone strong minded to battle the “in it for themselves” suits that now seem to inhabit the club (as Kathy mentioned) and a Manager/Coach who can ignore the club noise while concentrating on getting a talented squad back playing a modern brand of high press attacking football.
Personally, I would like to see Webber gone. I will never forgive him for sacking Farke when it was clear to all the problem was recruitment. I don’t totally blame him for the recruitment as he partly had his hands tied by our lack of resources, but it was the way he turned on Farke to save his own skin that so annoyed and upset me. I would really like to see Neil Adams given a shot at the sporting director role with Webber out of the picture. Neil has a massive amount of footballing knowledge. He can clearly spot young footballing talent and knows how to nurture it. His experience working with local media means he has a clear idea of how to tread the line between openness and diplomacy and he was a very popular figure with fans because he showed real passion for the club. I think he has the skill set to build bridges with the fans. Whilst I believe time is probably up for S and S, if I could choose only one pair to ditch for now it would be Webber and Ward. I think Neil Adams would be an admirable replacement.
pretty much all has been said 100% agree. managers should be paid a low salary and paid like so much for a win draw then I’m sure mangers would be under no elution. thr problems with managers is they get sacked take the money and move to another club . its crazy football .
Enjoy the prawn sandwiches and the rusty seats
So here’s why I’m fed up. 12/9/19 Norwich are beating Man City 2-0 with about a minute to go in the first half. Aguero scores in the 45th minute and we go in at half time leading by a goal. I said to my wife that we were probably going to lose 7-2, but what a brilliant performance. That we won 3-2 is a testament to the players, to Farke and to the belief the team had in itself. If the current iteration of our team happened to be beating Man City 2-1 at half time I’d bet the mortgage on them losing 7-2.