Today the MFW floor belongs to ‘Big Vince’. I’ll let him explain.
***
As I finished the last sip of my pre-bed brandy and sat in my resplendent wingback chairs I’d bought from the owner of a tavern on a beautiful Swiss mountain, my eyes read the words again before I smirked. My thousands of friends are forever telling me, “Big Vince, your smirks are the stuff of legend”. But that’s another story.
The reason for my smirk? The latest reply to something I wrote on MyFootballWriter. It said, “The offer still stands, ‘Big Vince’ – there’s a page here awaiting 800-1000 words of positivity from your good self”.
Big Vince never backs down from a challenge.
Telling Mrs Vince to prepare me some supper and some of the good whiskey on the rocks before she heads off to bed – and not to wait up – I returned to that glorious chair I do all my best thinking in and began wondering how I could weave words in ways MyFootballWriter would wearily welcome as wonderful works of wisdom, showing reasons to be cheerful. Part three. One. Two. Three.
With the obligatory Ian Dury and the Blockheads’ reference ticked off, here are my musings.
—
We are only ever happy in two circumstances. When everything is going perfectly. Or when everything is going wrong.
Under Daniel Farke and Stuart Webber, we’ve been spoiled. Perfect football. Players we loved. A manager (Big Vince doesn’t like this head coach malarky) who did that daft wave thing we all lapped up. Running away to two league titles. A sporting director who had the magic touch. Even Richard Balls had nothing to complain about. Golden times.
And now look at us. We traded Farke in for Dean Smith. Now normally, Big Vince doesn’t utter his name without a four-letter expletive. Today, I’ll make an exception. But that tells you what I think of that rummun.
Webber turned from golden boy to a proper wrong ‘un in the space of seconds, telling us divorcees to keep schtum and decrying women’s football. Worst of all, the quality of football went the way of the Titanic, and Dean Smith was replaced with David Wagner.
After a couple of good results, the football got worse. Those players we loved to love? Gone. Exit stage right to America, Aston Villa, and back to Germany. Replaced with a bunch of expensive mistakes from the guy who we all thought was the second coming just eighteen months earlier.
I’m in such a tiz thinking about all that I take a big gulp of that whiskey Mrs Vince left for me.
Yet – we Norwich fans have still never had it as good.
This club has never been more interesting to follow.
Norfolk is a sleepy place. Wonderful people. Beautiful scenery. An attitude quite unlike a lot of the places in England that Big Vince frequents, like London and Birmingham. We’re a friendly bunch. We love a natter, and Norwich City is one of those things we love a natter about. Even a bit of a barney from time to time.
“What do they do in traynun, Neil?”
Because despite the fact that things ain’t so good right now, it still brings us together. Just like when things are good. Gives us a common thing to spuffle on about with each other.
Daft things the sporting director says? Check.
Links to players we’ve got no chance of signing? Check.
Crazy nonsense installed at our training ground to give us an “edge”? Yes Soccerbot, I’m looking at you, old bean. Check.
A manager most of us would like gone but could still come up with the goods? Takeover? Check.
Sporting director on the way out and new one being sought right now? Checkity check.
Even when it’s bad, Norwich City still plays its part in the day-to-day of Norfolk’s hustle and bustle. It’s never dull being a fan of this blinking club. And – takes another sip of this beautiful whiskey – I got to think, that’s got to be the point, hasn’t it?
You’ve still got this thing to talk about, to cherish, to will on to do better, to continue to love.
And it’s because the club continues to give us reasons to love it (either through it going so well, or going so badly, and we unite in the naffness of it all) that we continue to hope. Either for more or for better.
Pre-season is the time of hope, isn’t it? When we all hope things will work out for the best, even despite every fibre of logic and reason telling us not to.
Despite the form we ended last season in.
Despite the transfer activity having dried up and with big questions left unanswered.
Despite The Second Tier podcast saying we have the 20th-best manager in the Championship – before selecting a manager in first who led Ipswich to a proper impressive (read with sarcasm) second place in League One and has never actually managed a game in the Championship. The spanners.
We still have hope. We still all think, “Well if Nunez comes good, and a couple of new signings come in, and we keep Andy O and Sara then we might just … we could just…we might be able to…”
Good or bad, we continue to love.
And what we continue to love we continue to have hope in. And when we continue to hope, the people who support this club will always turn up. And when we turn up we give this club a chance against anyone.
And that’s your positivity lads. The people of Norfolk continue to hope. This wonderful fan base will still continue to turn up. If given something to get behind, that hope can spark a fire, which can lead us to anything.
Our greatest asset is still right here, hoping, loving, and ready to go.
And I raise a glass to that. Except – chuffin’ Nora – I’ve already finished that whiskey.
Big Vince. Out.
***
Cheers ‘BV’. Nice one, albeit you exceeded your word count by nine words. Tsk tsk 🙂
Congratulations Big Vince, that was a bloody good read. I wish I had your mind-set Vince, no doubt aided by the brandy in your comfortable wing back chair, however, as much as I like a brandy I prefer a gin and tonic and it’s perhaps this brew that makes my thoughts on the Carra club more agitated than your’s, I’ve never been satisfied, I’ve always strived for more in life in general and that goes for our club too, it’s called ambition, sadly lacking with the clubs administration, ( I’m not going to make any comments about the recent ” Times ” interview– It’s not worth the effort )
Once again Vince a good read.
What if your favorite tipple is Red Bull and Vodka……. Or Sunny Delight….
Thanks for picking up the baton , good points fairly made, probably a good decision not the address the overall structure of self funding as that’s probably a sports level thesis all by itself. Just to say that IF we had a manger and not a head coach we would not need a sporting director as the system adopted demands both.
And whether we play Farkeball , gegenpress , or anything in between, it’s what we do in possession , and how we look after the ball. That’s the defining factor.
Ps still an Alex Tettey sized hole as in the solid link between the back 3/4 and the middle going forward .
Vince, I like the cut of your jib, and I too enjoy a glass of Whiskey a day although long before bedtime. Plenty of reasons to be cheerful indeed, I would like to add the pluses of the magnificent new sound system to help us old deafies, the wonderful new lights to help with our rheumy old eyes, the swimming pool for the players, the pub for us old drunks, the new shirts for the kids to buy, Delia is recruiting cooks by the bus load and we can expect such delicacies as fried jam sandwiches, and we‘ve got plenty of time to say goodbye to Waggy and get in a few more digs afore he goes. We have the mystery of the missing new shares to resolve, did they search Pukki before he absconded to America? The list is endless, mustn‘t forget the new badge, and Captain Canary could do with a spruce up. All good stuff and never a dull minute OTBC. Do we need a new song?
I wonder whether by 5.00pm on 5th August the Reasons To Be Cheerful (Part 3) will become more like the opening line of Plaistow Patricia.
Pour Big Vince another of the finest single malt.
Vince, if you can’t tell the difference between brandy and scotch as your bedtime tipple, you’ve been drinking too much of one or the other (or maybe both!).
Just noticed how you were spelling “whiskey “ Vince, so you obviously weren’t drinking scotch, must have been Irish or American stuff. Try some proper whisky sometime, especially from Speyside – it’s the best!
If slowly but surely receding back to league one with a £60 million shortfall and a deluded owner who still believes in self funding then our cup of happiness does indeed overfloweth!
Love the optimism in this Big Vince incarnation. Dr Jekyll I presume?
Keep Mr Hyde for the Pinkun MSBoard.
The two faces of Janus make one whole person……..
Yes, I noticed the difference, too!
Hi Vince
So behind the facade of what was a pretty crappy comment on one of Gary’s recent articles lies… a bloody good writer with more than a ittle flair.
You haven’t changed my opinions one iota but I’m glad you had a try because this was a joy to read.
One thing nobody can accuse you of is a lack of cojones – and from my point of view you’re welcome back here on MFW as the season takes on some shape.
I want us to be contending at the top too, you see.
PS Is it expensive to get wing chairs delivered to the top floor of one of the tower blocks on the Heartsease these days? 🙂
Great stuff.
Hi BV
An interesting read and some great comments.
Ian Dury, sadly no longer with us but the Blockheads gave up music and now sit in the City boardroom, so intransigent they can’t see that the thing they confess to love is wilting under their control.
Leeds finally get the okay from the FA to announce the 49ers investment group as owners, so Farke gets a Chelsea CB he wanted at City and the rumours are still floating around that negotiations for Webber to join the Loiners are on going.
Reasons to be cheerful:
1) Fundador Brandy – 1 Ltr on offer at Tesoc – £13, that’s a bargain ends today.
2) Ashes 4th Test starts tomorrow
3) Spurs V West Ham ready for streaming
4) I’d like to read another article at some time from your good self.
Bravo, Vince!
Agree with him or not, we can all be grateful he took up the challenge. A fresh voice on MFW – and a good ‘un.
Read his posts on the Pink’un forum – a different Big Vince, possibly? Certainly not one with the same views as the one who wrote this article.
Very amusing Big Vince.
But a sexagenarian, fat, defensive midfielder obsessed Tim Ball is is a funny old bu**ar you know.
He knows what he knows and he knows what he likes.
Old Tim Ball as he sips his Southern Comfort (Ipswich in a relegation fight) he predicts no change in ownership… then it’s League One within three seasons.
Is it me or is there a pandemic of talking in the third person going around? 😂
Nicely written with some excellent humour. I think you’ve put forth a good argument towards us having a fantastic fanbase.
I don’t think you’ve addressed any of the major concerns surrounding the club.
Aw, c’mon Dave!
If Vince had *addressed any of the major concerns surrounding the club* it would have been very much to the detriment of the excellent humour it seems like we’ve all enjoyed reading so much! 🙂