![Friendlies complete [✅]. Mulled over new season with mates [✅]. Now it begins](https://norwichcity.myfootballwriter.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/MFW-300723.png)
There’s nothing quite like it as all the stars begin to align when we are just one calendar week away from the start of that most vital thing in our lives – the beginning of the new football season.
Season tickets, memberships, and arrangements for a match-day lift schedule with your mates all nicely completed, pre-season has officially ended with the final home friendly, which in our case took place at Carrow Road against Olympiacos and ended in a nice little 2-0 win. Even the excitement of an Ashes season will be over for another two years.
And what better way to spend the last Friday of July than enjoying a beer in the sunshine with your mates, particularly when my company turned out to be occasional MFW writer and regular reader Don Harold at my favourite pub with an NR postcode, the Fat Cat on West End Street.
I turned up early for our rendezvous in order to purchase a Fat Cat Hoodie and return it safely to the car.
When Don turned up I forgot I had osteoporosis and my hand resembled a drunken spider for a while until everything fell back into place and the conversation began to flow, about Don’s job, his new electric company Tesla and how he is splitting his life, generally successfully, between Norfolk and Wolverhampton.
Don had brought his Border Collie, Buddy, with him and although he is a little too mature for puppy antic these days, Buddy provided a wonderful moment when propositioned by an attractive little German breed whose advances he fended off while not upsetting her senses of femininity or dignity.
A true, well-educated gentledog in fact.
My catch-up tales were rather less positive for medical and other reasons and, yes, our respective families were both just fine so surely it must be time to rip into what we’d come for – an excitable, banter-filled, and animated cat about the football with other folks joining in at will, if uninvited some of the time.
Not this time. It really seemed like neither of us wanted to kick off a chat about football, which with Don and I is bordering on the unknown.
But we steeled ourselves and went for it, becoming far more animated as certain keywords appeared.
A couple of Don’s observations were as pithy as I’ve come to expect, something along the lines of, “If Ted Boehly can buy Chelsea in what seemed like five minutes, I’d love to know what Mark Attanasio is really up to. It’s due diligence complicated by the fact that we’re some kind of PLC. Oh well, if that’s what they say, so be it. They say they’re not allowed to say anything else so perhaps we’re expecting too much.”
And the lack of communication with the fanbase is there for all [not] to see. I think as individuals Don and I have entirely given up worrying about it and we’d covered the topic in the time he’d ordered his pork pie, let alone eaten it.
We are both Celtic fans and exchanged a couple of stories about Shane Duffy during his time with the Celts.
To summarise, Celtic supporters tended to love him because he left nothing on the pitch, while at the same time deriding him for a lack of skill on the ball.
I think we’re all expecting all of that as well, aren’t we?
As we parted company in a slightly happier mood, Don explained what I’d kind of known all along: He wanted to take my particular season ticket on because he likes sitting with all the folks I sat with for so long, and who can blame him!
So take a bow Alan, [Mystic] Kev, Steve, both the Roberts and Michael – from me and Don. You never know. Some Day One Day.
Don’s final comment about Huddersfield was the best. He freely agreed that he admires what David Wagner did at the club, but after a quick look at our first team coaching and physio team he couldn’t help but add wryly: “I’ve nothing against Huddersfield, but I don’t want to BE them!”
Eagle-eyed MFW readers will have noticed that I often referred to Don H as my, “Man in the stands” last season on the simple basis that he was at the game I wasn’t, and feel that every match report should contain an impression of the atmosphere and a personal view that you could only acquire from “being there” and I am delighted to say Don will be fulfilling that role throughout 2023-24.
In the meantime, hopefully sunrise on Saturday, August 5 will give me a good kick up the arse and I’ll find some motivation for the season ahead from somewhere!
Me too Martin;
Apathetic towards the whole farrago at Carrow road doesn’t even come close.
Just WHAT is going on with all the ex-Huddersfield people…and the lack of info regarding the Attanasio experience.
More important things to worry about, with a poorly dog whose been “in-house” at a vet specialist for the past 10 days.
O T B C
I suppose the only opinion we’d get from the club just now, oossibly from top financial man Andrew Richens woud be:*
*if you don’t want to accompany us on our exciting journey don’t bother. We don’t need you to in order to be succesful*
Yes I take your dog point very much on board – there’s something so special about them!
And as you say, it is surely far better for your poorly pooch to get back to full health than it is for anybody to take notice of a creature like Mr Richens!
Cheers – and best of luck with your dog!
Hi Martin
An excellent read on a Sunday morning while watching Stuart Broad getting ready for his first ball of the day at the Oval.
A great reception by the crowd and the Aussies played their part and not out for 8 in his last Test match, so let’s hope he can get a few wickets to push his Ashes total up a little.
Strange uttering from Wagner especially that City’s transfer business is finished, then the next one is that maybe if someone leaves we might look to replace them and today Krul can leave. Wasn’t that always oart of the plan?
So who would be No2 – Barden or Reyes? McCracken at Dundee and Mair at Gateshead, so not much experienced backup.
We seem to be neither here or there with everything coming out of City – has the Pink-un been given snippets of info or are they just picking up said snippets for other media outlets?
Things might be clearer once Webber departs.
Hi Alex
The Pink Un I would look at a one Webber interview chopped itno a few slices, onr for each meal, with the residue coming from the NewsNow gossip sites,
Webber’s already said that Reyes is coming in for the Development Squad and Krul is on great wages – for Krul, so Gunn #1 Krul #2 and Reyes #3 for me.
Unless Krul goes and it all changes, of course!
I’m sure David Wager will let us know more when he has the right information!
Cheers
Nice read on a Sunday morning Martin – love the pics. Hope you Can come along on to match now and again; would be lovely to see you. Pre-season has been better then expected but I’ll believe it when the real stuff starts. We’ve tended to have better seasons with poor pre seasons but time will tell. I still think we’ve short up front and lacking muscle in midfield – anyway, will be there Saturday. Let’s see where it takes us. All the best, mate .
Kev, make sure you’re back here next Sunday/ Monday with a what I saw comment.
Please.
Will do Bernard hope for positives you never know matey .
Good luck to the both of yas!
Hi Kev
it’s hard to keep cheerful for us all with Dr Brainstorm floating by around andabout as he feels ike it I’m afraid.
Definitely Maybe!
Cheers
Breaking News on the Pink-un
Norwich City are closing in on the signing of Drogheda United defender Emmanuel Adegboyega.
The Canaries have a long standing interest in the 19-year-old and have raced ahead of Premier League clubs to thrash out a deal for the centre back.
The Irish Sun are reporting that Adegboyega said his goodbyes to supporters and colleagues after a Friday’s 2-2 draw with Sligo Rovers and has been a mainstay in their side since the second game of the campaign.
There’s local football commentators relishing the ball being passed from Adegboyega to Omobadimele.
Hi Bernie
Just like back in the days of Hourihane and Hoolahan!
Cheers
Hi Martin,
So sorry to hear it will be another season with you being unable to go due to health issues.
I am hoping I will get a chance to go but it won’t be until next year, bit of a hill to climb before then.
I have in truth struggled for the last 35 years to some extent with my ability to get to games. That’s the thing with good health, all the more frustrating when it goes.
So the phoney war is over for another year. In the old days ( 70’s,80’s and 90’s) I preferred a poor pre-season as we seemed to do better than after a good one. Whether that is born out by the facts I’m not sure.
A 3-2 win over then EPL Wigan Athletic by League One Norwich City a few years back got us all very excited that the new season could be a good one. That was until 3.22pm on the following Saturday when we found ourselves 0-4 down at home to Colchester in our first game of the season.
The game ended 1-7, a day that will live in infamy…..
Last season we beat Olympic Marseilles who competed in the Champions League. But we finished 13th in a poor Championship.
So for me it starts for real next Saturday. Everything else is irrelevant.
Positives in this pre-season. We do seem to be moving the ball a bit quicker, fitter, defensively we look more secure, Grant Hanley is ahead of schedule, some of the younger players seem to have potential to break through to the first team squad and Sara look to be a big player for us this season.
Unless we sell him.
Negatives, the Bali Mumba saga, Sainz getting injured (no blame on the club for this one) really bad luck, no outgoings, Adam Idah not getting some goals for his confidence, Delia studying the Anttanasio agreement like it is War & Peace and still that lack of creativity in the final third.
So on to Saturday Martin and all the very best for the men in yella💛💚
Hi Tim
I reckon you,ve captured the imagination of the entire tinking Canary race with that fine comment, I really do.
Cheers – nice one. ✨️
I made a very bad literal in this case Tim,
I most definitely meant THINKING.
Sorry just a PS, me and my wife also loved Lovejoy.
It’s one of those programmes where many people describe it as *under-rated* in the safe and certain knowledge that it was a massive commercial success.😏