Oh, Dean, you’ve done it now haven’t you?
If the post-match comments after the Blackburn defeat weren’t enough, then the ones he made in his pre-match presser this morning have taken Old Yeller (or should I say Old Yellow?) behind the woodshed and put us out of our misery.
Except, the misery remains for Norwich fans because we still have to endure the same poor football every week.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m all for scrappy wins where we’re mainly on the back foot, but there are only so many you can take before they themselves become boring. Against Blackburn, we were equally as bland but we got punished. Twice.
So what excuses did he come out with to try and pacify and regain the bit of dignity he had left with the fans? What was his war cry to get everyone back on board and to get them fully behind the boys?
“There was never any intent in my comments after the game because the be all end all is we need the fans, we all need to be together”.
Deary me. I’d suggest that is probably the worst thing Smith could’ve said. I understand you need the fans, but don’t lie to them. If there was no ‘intent’ in the comments then why make them in the first place?
If you’re desperate for everyone to be together, then at least act like it and give us good reason to support you. Because very few people now do, as was evident with the chants ringing around Carrow Road in the last 20 minutes of Saturday’s disaster.
He was asked if he regretted his comments made after the Blackburn game:
“No, no regrets at all. I’ve got no apologies to make for what I said after the game. But my intention was not to drive a wedge, my intention is always to bring the place together.”
Just when you thought it couldn’t get any worse…
That for me just puts the nail in the coffin. How can you confidently say something that will cause even more disconnect between yourself and the fans, then have the nerve to say you were ‘trying to bring the place together’?
I am struggling to comprehend how anything Smith has said can bring us together and make us back each individual at the club, whether it be the players or the ones higher up the chain who I thought Dave Cole summed up brilliantly in his “Us and Them” article. It perfectly captured how most Norwich fans are feeling right now.
The worst part is, there’s so little evidence to give Smith even a tiny bit of praise and try to make out where he’s helped the club in his one-year tenure (which has felt more like a century). His Norwich City CV consists of a Premier League relegation and a win rate of just over 30% across 54 games.
It makes you wonder how he is still considered the right man for the job.
Plus, there are so few players that have genuinely improved in performances since his arrival. Especially when we were in the Premier League getting turned over every week even before his arrival. The only name that springs to mind is Josh Sargent, but there are still issues with how he is used by Smith.
We heard from the man himself that Sarge is better through the middle than out wide – proven by his nine goals this season – but you’ll never guess where he was deployed against Swansea and Blackburn. This just angers me beyond the point of frustration, because it is so obvious yet it continues every single game and won’t change. Which is a very common theme since Smith arrived.
I’m not going to bore you with what I think of the football we play, because almost every other member of the MFW team has already done that and I agree with every word of it.
I’ll throw in one more quote from Smith’s presser that I thought stood out among the others, mainly because we hear the same thing every single week:
“I’m as frustrated as they are because we want to see fast-flowing football, we want to see us winning football games.”
If that genuinely is the case, then why do you feel the need to say it every single time? Not a single person affiliated with the club has seen this ‘fast-flowing football’ since it was mentioned a few months ago.
And, like many others, I am sick of hearing it and don’t think with Smith at the helm of this talented squad it will ever be let loose or be able to reinvent itself as a completely different animal.
So, have you lost it with Dean Smith yet? And, if you have, who do you think is the right man to steady what appears a ship that’s taking on water?
Equally, if you think Smith is still the right man and needs the other 23 games to showcase it, let us know in the comment box below.
OTBC.
Pretty much agree with all of that, as does every single person I speak to. The win rate alone is enough to mark Smiths card, but the decline in the stock of virtually every single player at the club should be the coup de grace.
The infernal tactic of,playing Sargent, possibly the best centre forward in this league as a winger is cretinous and self destructive. Why? Just Why?
With regard to smiths post match faux pas, I know of not one single supporter, not one, who attends carrow road eagerly anticipating a dismal home defeat to Blackburn or Middlesbrough, or Luton, or Preston sodding north end. To suggest that attendees were gleefully lapping up Saturdays shower of total shite is an insult. There are much easier ways to spend 600 quid a year if masochism is your bag.
Whatever my misgivings surrounding the clubs ownership and boy, do I have misgivings, the one thing you can bet your Crown Jewels on is that at 3pm on Saturday afternoon I am fully invested in cheering, shouting and yes, swearing my way through until full time in order to,effect a home victory. End of.
The only thing to me to show no intent would have been an apology and better explanation than he gave.
quote ” No, no regrets at all. I’ve got no apologies to make for what I said after the game” Onwards he goes digging a bigger hole for himself ” But my intention was not to drive a wedge, my intention is always to bring the place together.”
He didn’t want to drive a wedge, what the bloody hell did he think it would do ? when coupled with other remarks we have had leveled at us from the club. In my eyes the wedge has just got a helluva lot bigger.
He is as frustrated as we are. Yet he believes he plays attacking progressive football. someone stick a pin in his ar*e he needs to come out of dreamland. He doesn’t pay his hard-earned cash to watch his drivel. He gets paid handsomely, making more easy to follow the party line .
This is frustration ….Sick of watching, sick of listening Sick of him
I’m sick of your moaning and constant sniping. My advice would be don’t go if you are so sick of it. We all want things to improve including Dean Smith.
sick of you butting in and having a pop when others say equally the same
I think he has burned his bridges with the comments about being glad for away games to avoid the home crowd. Also, his apparent obsession with stats such as xG annoy me beyond belief. The only stats I’m interested in are goals for vs goals against and matches won vs matches lost. Massive possession and shots mad do mean nothing if the game is lost.
My choice, I would accept there are others, would be Scott Parker as a replacement for Dean Smith.
The same Scott Parker that openly Criticised his last club? No thanks!!!
“I’m not a punch bag, I was protecting the players” Doesn’t make sense when it was a criticism of the tactics,not the players. After 12 minutes? No it is a build up of 7 poor home games,a statistic he forgot while telling us what a good manager he is. 3 points at Luton is not going to shut us up,we need an assurance that our quality will achieve a justified reward. Who will be more gutted with failure?-Norwich fans or the arrogant mercenary?
Hi Freddie
A few people agree that Sargent should be the front man and Pukki playing just behind as a No10 in recent games he has tried without much help to build from the midfield more like Kane at Spurs and looks good doing that so let’s see Smith adapt it just might gets us winning a few games.
Well if Smith does get his P45 then I would hope someone with a Farke like playing style that can get the best out of this squad personnelly I would like the Norwegian Knutsen
Hi Alex
I’m certainly a big fan of your idea. Whilst Pukki may not have the exact same qualities as Kane, we might as well give it a shot as worst case scenario it doesn’t work at all.
Also agree with the idea of appointing Knutsen. Plays some great football and was mesmerised when his Bodo/Glimt side beat Mourinho’s Roma 6-1 in the Europa Conference League, who ended up winning the whole competition.
Would be good but I doubt he would come. Parker at least is out of work currently.
Last 7 home games DLLWDLL so 5 points from 21 available.
Nobody in midfield moving to receive a pass from the ponderous passing across the back so our GK has to lump it. Dean Smith you are coaching them in tactics. Go figure. After 20 or so minutes our players are knackered. Dean Smith you are training them in fitness. Go figure. Why are you so surprised at the boos?
Frustration, frustration, frustration
An alternative opinion.…stick with Dean Smith
At the moment and evidently Dean Smith is as frustrated as we all are. Making a change now in my opinion won’t bring any mid term difference. Nobody wants inconsistent results in any sport. I don’t believe it. It’s just not clicked yet.
Remember how long Farkeball took to click, how many signings and active transfer windows? 3 transfer windows and 14 months.
Dean Smith defence:
So far has had ONE transfer window and 9 months in a mid season that was destined to fail when he came in.
Reminder: We haven’t watched a consistent winning Norwich City team in full stadiums since 2018-19 …we are about to welcome 2023. Dean is trying to bring that back after one of the worst seasons in our history.
In over 35 years of watching Norwich City I cannot remember a manager who had to wait over 9 months and work an entire season with no signings or players of his own.
Very interested to know the truth over last seasons recruitment in the PL and the money spent. Was this Farkes wishes or all Webber? Can people honestly say that
Kabak, Normann, Gilmour, Gibson, PLM, Tzolis, Rashica…… we’re outstanding signings for the football club? The majority were high risk development signings including Josh Sargeant who has been outstanding this season but in my opinion the championship is the worst I’ve seen it in recent years. The damage of last seasons recruitment has still impacted this season. 3 high quality signings notably replacing Tettey & Skipp with some streetwise PL midfielders would of been high on my shopping list.
Academy players are still getting lots of opportunities under Smith and undoubtedly Gibbs has been a positive this season and once fully fit again big Andy.
No left backs for 2 months
I recently visited the training centre (last 6 weeks) and can honestly say the vibe was good amongst players and staff. Witnessing open management and an environment players could learn within.
What’s needed:
The rest of this season, an acceptance of where we are and a reset and get it going again. Blackpool away in October the players and supporters really connected, it wasn’t that long ago.
A consistent positive crowd to help the players. 100% agree unity together – the players need us just as much as we need them. We’ve seen what happens when we are together.
Carrow Road has been far to quiet since the epic evening against Manchester City September 2019.
I agree with Dean Smith the away support this season has been the best in recent years and the win ratio perhaps supports this.
The build up play this season and defence has not been that bad it’s been OK, what I feel we are missing is Kieran Dowell, Todd Cantwell both playing creating chances and adding the flair, they are the closet players in the current squad and options that can create serious chances (and excitement) in the final third. Evidently the final third is where we are being let down. I agree with Ryan Jarvis recent report – we miss an EMI (how many games did we win under Farke without him?!)
Conclusion,
We all want the same thing to see our Norwich City winning and playing the Norwich way.
The current championship is so open apart from Burnley. If we can get behind the team once again and hopefully Dean Smith can have another transfer window and secure a January signing that brings new attacking flair (unless the aforementioned can make their mark again) we have a good chance of going up still and then allow the current management team to recruit players capable of staying in the PL.
There is so much still to play for this season. A little fine tuning, combined energy and we can still see an exciting end to what has so far been an unfulfilling campaign.
I believe we can get 3 points on Boxing Day and let’s get Carrow Road rocking again
Otbc
Great to hear a level head and not a modem day immediately football supporter. Although still think Smith is a lucky manager most of his success is down to his no2’s in Frank at Brentford and Terry at Villa.
I still feel Dean Smith has had time to improve this team Northern Canary.
In fact I supported giving him longer until a month ago when he said some very strange things considering he had been here for over a year.
I felt it was ridiculous to judge him on last season’s games.
Brian Clough would have struggled to keep that lot up, but it’s this season for me.
Smith’s side started terribly against 3 of the poorer championship sides which was worrying, but things did pick up but there was still no belief that this could be sustained by wiser people than me.
The trouble is managers like Kompany are making an instant impact. Smith seems to be unable to get these players to perform to their best.
I say this reluctantly because he is a kind decent man from what I have been told
But I do agree with you on so many other points.
If all us fans think this debacle is all Dean Smith’s fault then we are in for a rude awakening.
He has had no help whatsoever.
Thrown to the media at every opportunity.
But as Freddie says blaming the fans is not in anyway a wise thing to do even though he does see Stuart and Delia do it so I suppose he knows he has nothing to lose.
Freddie you have very much hit the nail on the head.
I think so many fans have now lost faith in the current ownership and management that matters will only be resolved with new ownership.