Some very good movies have come along over the years with the word “Bad” featuring loudly and proudly in the title, such as “Bad Day at Black Rock in 1950, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly in 1967, and, crossing the theoretical millennium bridge, The Bad News Bears in 2005.
And yesterday MFW Editor Gary decided to perpetuate the legendary line with a small leap from the baseball of the Bears to the football of the EFL Championship, and what a blockbuster it was.
Horror Show at Home Park is already minting it at the box offices of the nation for all the wrong ruddy reasons, especially if you are a City fan.
Not inexplicably, it is going down exceptionally well in the dockland fleapits of Plymouth.
It tells the tale of a football club at one end of the country called Norwich City, who made a gruelling trip to a club called Plymouth Argyle, some 250 miles away on the UK’s West Coast, on Saturday and returned East on the end of a 6-2 bruising from a team who only four days ago had its own fans terming it embarrassing following a run of recent poor results.
After he had seen the real match but before he was aware of Horror Show at Home Park, Norwich City Head Coach David Wagner was very expansive towards the media:
Wagner: We really lost our heads which is what annoys me. That’s what happened today.
“A horrible afternoon. A horrible result, conceding six goals which is very, very painful. Unfortunately, we were not able to give the great away support anything, which I’m very sorry for,” Wagner admitted.
“The story of the game is quite easy, we gave four counter goals away, further counter chances. It’s very unusual for us that we were so vulnerable on the counter-attack. The first goal was offside, the player wasn’t offside that blocked Ben Gibson and this is why the other player was able to score.
“The second one we have not done our job in the set-piece where we had to have two players in the wall and only had one. Then we conceded four counter goals. The goals we conceded were just not good enough. This is why it really hurts and it’s something we have to correct quickly.”
The head coach also outlined areas where he felt the performance lacked, leading to the heavy defeat:
“It’s my job to lift the dressing room, but the players are smart and intelligent enough. If you make mistakes like we have done, played in areas where we should not play centrally, where we overload and picked up a pass where the player was not free, then they hurt us on the transition where the rest of our defence was not in shape.
“We really lost our head which is what really annoys me. You can get a referee decision, you can concede a goal, you can make a mistake, but you can’t lose your head. That’s what happened today.”
Naturally, Argyle Manager Steve Schumacher, who remains exceptionally popular at Home Park as I was at great pains to point out on the MFW match preview on Friday for some strange reason, was full of praise for his green-and-white-clad West Country team:
“The players responded brilliantly and showed what they were all about today. I think their effort and their commitment to stick to the plan and put bodies on the line for the shirt was there for all to see. When you do that, you get your rewards.
“The thing that pleases me the most is that we spoke about Bristol City on Thursday, and then we quickly went on to what we were going to try and do against Norwich. We changed shape today; we went to a back three system that we were comfortable with last season, because the way that Norwich play, that was going to give us the best chance to intercept the ball in the middle of the pitch.***
“We spoke about the game plan, we explained it, and then we tried to practice it yesterday in training. It worked to a tee, so that’s the most pleasing part, as well as the response, as well as the reaction.”
That’s the worst I’ve been involved in since I’ve been here, to be honest
I doubt Kenny McLean was pressed into media duties because he watches more films than the rest of the squad, far more likely that he received that dubious honour because he is standing in for injured club captain Grant Hanley during his injury in all manner of ceremonial situations involving flags and stuff right now, so why not this one as well? 🙂
“It’s a tough one to sum up. Just so disappointing, embarrassing. That’s the worst I’ve been involved in since I’ve been here, to be honest,”
“Out of nowhere, we played into Plymouth’s hands, unforced errors, mistakes. Everything that could have went wrong, went wrong. We couldn’t recover from it, went under, lost our heads. The two goals before half-time finished the game. We just didn’t recover from it.”
“There was words at half-time, there was words that will stay in the changing room. Obviously, there was plenty of frustration in there and we wanted a reaction. But it doesn’t matter, reaction or not, that first half was just not good enough.
“Six goals was, I’ll use it again, embarrassing. We’ve come here with high hopes, with ambition. That’s a lesson we need to learn from quickly. That takes a bit of getting over, it’s one we won’t forget in a hurry.
“We deserve to be feeling like this after the way we just played, it’ll linger for some time. The only way we can put it right is wins but right now I’m not even thinking about that. We’ve embarrassed everybody.”
He also issued an apology to Norwich City supporters, in particular the rather splendid total of 1,622 who made the long trip to Plymouth for the game.
Never one to make MFW readers tremble with a flutter of worry, the pattern of last season is starting to rear its ugly bonce.
You know, terrific start, a little bit of stagnation, and then a couple of defeats against *better * clubs.
*** And I think everybody got to know how well that worked out for Plymouth, so listen up Championship Clubs everywhere: If you want to beat Norwich, play three at the back. Sing it loudly so everybody can hear.
If you want to beat Norwich, play three at the back…
***As the Autumn Equinox slowly but relentlessly approaches so does the time for The Season of the Witch.
Witches had cats as companion creatures who earned their food and lodging from occasionally helping out with the magic rather than the washing up.
Pink Floyd’s Syd Barrett had one such animal [in this case an expensive Siamese example of the genre that apparently got its paws on a little bit of weed dust after Syd had indulged in a bit of over-enthusiastic grinding one night – no schoolboy remarks, please].
Time to find out if Messrs Delf, Owen, and Alex B like the earlier band too, I suppose. And any other Floyd fans out there on MFW, of course:
Bugger the football, Martin, l saw this song performed live last year on Nick Masons Saucerfull of Secrets tour. And very good it was too.
Hi Delfy
I’ve got a very rare live audio [or i did have] of it on an old *collection* album of it somewhere.
It was on YT as a while with some drongo droning on about how to play it in the background. I haven’t got the time to look but it’s worth the effort if you can find it.
I’ll get your mail from Gary, presuming that’s okay?
Bugger the football indeed!
Cheers
Only time I saw Floyd live was on 27 June 1970 in Shepton Mallet . First time they played Atom Heart Mother live.
Let’s all be honest with ourselves, the pattern of Wagners appointment last year is already in full repeat, it’s just a longer spiral to mid table. This squad is a mid table Championship squad no ifs no buts. Every mid table team looks decent at some point in a season – we’ve just done it early, can’t raid retirement homes and expect to be anything other sadly. My advice to the yellow army, and to coin a phrase – take each game as it comes and try not to over analyse because it’s gonna be painful if you do..
Far from being a Delia basher but this is gonna take a while this time round.
Hi Jinxy
I gave up on expressing comments that are merely dismissed as *Delia bashing* by those folk who never want to talk about the game itself – merely the off-field politics.
With exceptions for a couple of good folks of this opinion who I know personally would follow us as unstintingly as me and doubtless yourself and so many others who contribute to MFW do, so many appear from nowhere, lavishly hea Delia wth raise and tactically retreat for literally months at a time.
One of these climbed aboard Gary’s article, written like mine today purely about football and twists the knife, not to be seen again until somebody from the floor mentions Delia. I didn’t mention it at all but since I’ve read your post I can see that one particular every-six-monther will be on soon for my creating the witch character as a female who might even be [whisper it] Delia herself.
What a long-winded way of saying that I am refusing to get involved with Delia Smith or MFJ until Mark Attanasio has moved up a couple of classes at night school.
*it’s just a longer spiral to mid table* is the key to your post.
Cheers
Yes the politics are a bore and can see your change in direction over the course of this season in terms of posts. Sad truth is we’ve squandered our opportunity and now we’re drifting, something DOES need to change behind the scenes but it’s so boring and counterproductive talking about it. Clubs like ours run in cycles – this is a mediocre one. The Attanasio involvement may be the catalyst to escape it but as I said it’s gonna take a while.
Ain’t that the truth..
*Keep Politics out of Sport* or more accurately *keep politics out of my club* genuinely remain my motto for this season. And next.
There’s a cracking version of season of the witch by Al Kooper, Mike Bloomfield and Steven Stills.
Fair enough but I saw Tull live on the Warchild tour and they encored it live with Martin Barre playing a really tastu solo. Good song by any of the right people really
The last time we lost a match in such embarrassing circumstances we immediately sacked our manager and poached the boss of the team who had beaten us. It worked!
Hi Tony
Oh yeah. Delia had much less influence over the much-maligned David McNally, of course.
Did it work?
By the Good Lord it did.
It might appear a bit of an obvious one to point out but thanks for taking the trouble of reminding us. And please the Lord that means ALL of us.
Cheers
Unfortunately we can’t afford to do it this time round, the cupboard is bare!
Hi John,
Speaking here as a neutral [no I’m definitely NOT trying to set people apart here] on the current position of David Wagner, don’t forget the recently established entourage.
It would be a fair old few bob to dismiss all that lot in cold blood.
Cheers
At 79 I am of course a geriatric too but I did laugh at Jinxy’s comment about retirement homes. How come when someone gives in his notice he is still left in charge of the recruitment process?? Particularly when he has previously failed miserably. As for Wagner – he talks well but seems to have the same fatal flaw that Farke had in that he only has plan A. Perhaps that’s a German thing.
He too has “previous” of teams playing well then suddenly losing games repeatedly.
Sad really but it all comes back to bad management over a number of years.
Ah well keep smiling and hope for the best.
Here in Hull they gave a chance to a young English manager, supported him and are now reaping the benefits.
Farke has got Leeds moving in an upwardly direction.
Having read my comment again I may have confused things. I was referring to Wagner about starting well and fading away.
Yes mate – we know that strange cough just before the engine starts to find its favoured cruising speed by now, don’t we?
Hi Cyprus
I feel I can no longer mock the geriatric due to the social decencies placed upon us all but behind closed doors the theme is very much still extant I can assure you.
The trouble is that I find nothing funny or worst of all *cool* about Delia Smith or MMJ whtsooever so so I really don’t hae your problem!
I think we got there after all the misunderstandings, with a couple from me as well 🙂
Cheers
Hi Martin , nice bit of early Floyd there, better than Saturday’s show that almost left me lost for words after that performance at Home Park.
8 games in and our season so far splits into two groups of 4 with the performance of each group being poles apart. In the first group of 4 our defence had a lot of backs to the wall defending and mostly coped. In the second group of 4 we have fallen victim to our opponents using the empty spaces by breaking round us at pace and we can’t cope with that.
Now is the time for Wagner to be fearless with his team selections going forward . So it’s on to Fulham and the show must go on .
Final thought , would you rather have Idah or Whittaker up front for the next game, both are 22 year old strikers.
It was good for Adam to take his chance in open play, if only he’d dispatched chances earlier rather than snatch shots straight at the keeper.
Hi Bernie –
I guess you’d like the early stuff, It’s not genuinely stereotypical to say that the *new* fanbase of those under 55 don’t really like the original band – it’s been statted somewhere and found to be true!
As a one-off match I’d prefer Whittaher to Idah AND all those around him as well. But that is as I say a one-off.
They signed Whttaker and Bali on the same day for a joint £2.5 million, which is so far proving to be quite the bargain.
Cheers
Idah every day because he was playing against a defence that bothered to turn up. Plus he has put in some good performances and goals already this season.
So why pick on Idah? The only one to come through the game with any credit. I think some people enjoy us getting beaten so they can moan about the same old stuff.
Adam Idah has not really kicked on since his hat trick against Preston. He has all the attributes , but I fear Norwich , and the Norwich style is not doing him and favours.
Is he Pukki like in a 4231, not really..
I’d prefer to see him in a 2 up front with a Fleck like player.
Apart from a great performance against Everton, 4 goals and an assist this season.The fans aren’t doing him any favours. Absolutely no reason to single him out
Sorry Gil that was meant for Bernie O.
To yourself: I have an ex workmate in Cork that I like to keep in touch with and he and his friends remain very proud of what Adam Idah has achieved – Adam’s mother lived down the road from them for a long time and Adam remains the only Cork man to have played in the PL.
With Callum it’s pride, with me I want him to do well for the team first and himself second, English or Irish, for the same reasons or not, we DO want to see Adam Idah progress, Gil.
But to counter that he’s not really doing enough at his end, now is he?
How often I’ve said *he’ll never have a better chance* I really don’t know!
And that’s not out of vicitmisation, just wanting the lad to make the most out of yet another opportunity he might never have see had Sarge and Barnes been fit.
S’funny that cos it’s not just our very own 1×2 who is blaming the MLS on a downturn in Pukki’s sharpness – it seems to be half of Finland according who are lamenting his decline in ability on an international piece I read somewhere this morning 🙂
I think his goals assists per minutes played this season has been certainly enought for me and to single him out for criticism after an atrocious performance by our defence is definitely victimisation. We know that we have a talented player low on confidence and the poor bloke gets moaned at after scoring two goals. Anyone that tries to get behind him gets shot down. It’s idiotic, we have to rely on him at the moment. People are just trying to prove themselves right and don’t care what damage they do. Just like Cantwell Support your club like you would support your family
It seems a long time ago when we were all buoyant, revelling in good early season results and performances. Even Wednesday night’s defeat at home to Leicester provided some optimism from the second half performance. My brother, watching the club’s stream in Panama (why can’t we watch a club stream here?) suggested after the second goal that our relegation fight starts now. The rest of the game did nothing to lift his doom.
Birmingham at home on Saturday gives the team an ideal chance to get back on track. I just hope that the atmosphere doesn’t turn toxic too soon.
Hi Don
Here’s hoping you’ll be the MFW man in those stands telling us all about the atmosphere on Saturday – and there’ll be plenty to tell for sure.
Some dude in a suit invented some rules last season so we don’t get any matches shown at all now, not even on Canaries TV.
That won’t change while there’s a man in a suit – and we certainly can’t blame NCFC this time.
The irony is that we were promised 1500 k/os at the end of last season!
Cheers
Morning Mr P must of been a hard one to write, like a few others I noticed last season repeating itself, even down to 2 games scoring 4, then slipping away. Injuries don’t help any team, but the defence was we thought well covered until Big Andy was sold. The lack of a decent replacement striker is quite clear especially after a couple of injuries.
No disrespect to Hwang, but he isn’t ready for the english championship for a few weeks. Idah has not instilled confidence enough to be number One, but needs as must, for once the lad rose to the occasion. Full credit to him.
As I and others have already said there is no plan B. When two lower sides in the league worked us out, sure as eggs are eggs others will know exactly what to do.
A team gets caught on the counter perhaps once, but 4 ruddy times in the same game is absolutely shocking smacking of poor management from touchline. He needs to have a chat with with buddy Klopp, Wagner was Klopp’s best man.
No matter the experience a player has, they still have to be instructed what to do. Not run around like headless chickens. The shocking display did not just rest with the outfield, Master Gunn certainly had a bad day as well.
I can understand players going off the boil, but the whole ruddy lot.
If the 7-0 at Chelsea was enough to start the ball rolling for Farke’s P45, (Mrs Webber) what was this then? Chelsea were a top European side, with one player’s wages enough to buy the Plymouth team (And ours for that matter) Not a side that were not so long ago in L2. ( No disrespects, full credit to them, they deserved that result)
If there is little change in the performance, and I don’t mean just one game, the toxic atmosphere will be just around the corner again, After a home hammering to Colchester within a few days, that manager was in charge at City. Anyone fancy seeing that happen again ? With Schumacher
Hi Lad
More like a harder one to get around to replying to half of you good folks on, you mean!
Some scintillating shards of realism there. Saturday could indeed be bloody awful.
It’s the repetition of 20-22, complete with all the timings, that I don’t like to see unfolding again.
Cheers
Hi Martin
It was mentioned yesterday that the two goals made people feel more positive about Idah’s future – let’s hope so but can we see it playing out like Chris Martin or Carlton Morris. Both needed to leave City to jumpstart their flagging careers.
Schumacher praised Mumba for not trying to prove City wrong on the day but just played his natural game but did give a very dubious penalty away that even now looks outside the area. But Idah did take it well so I’m told, scoring from the penalty spot for a top striker should be their bread and butter.
We’ve had some well documented defeats at the hands of Fulham in recent years. Will Wednesday be another, I just can’t see City scoring unless we get some dubious refereeing decisions going in our favor.
Young mobile forwards against an ageing, tired defence is no excuse and you can’t blame any of the 6 goals on poor refereeing decisions. It was all down to poor management decisions – why when our CBs were getting hammered didn’t we go to a three at the back by bring Batth on?
Early Floyd is always a good listen but could any a great early Moody Blues with Denny Laine as lead be the theme for Wagner but then it could also be said to our present owner “GO NOW” “Before you make me cry”. Then again the Moody’s had an apt title for an album – “Days of Future Past”. Are we seeing the club’s future in what has already past with this share issue?
Everything changes everywhere but changes at City stay the same !!
These older guys like Duffy and Barnesmust have been knackered beforeand now we’re facing facing sis games in three weeks something has to give,
Oh blast it already has in the shape of Ashley Barnes’ ligaments.
I expected a tabular decline, just not quite yet!
Brum are a younger side and no mugs.
On to an all too predictable Saturday I fear.
Cheers
A man with a harmonica may have played his famous false notes? After watching the ShefU-Newcastle game, its obvious that Norwich were not the only ones with false notes this weekend. Eastwood refused to act in that, so Bronson got his chance. Both, headline one and that were Leones masterpieces. Just wondering what Eastwood really feels like about that?
You’ll know that the real Clint Eastwood was Mayor of California – but did you know that we call our one and only Kenny MacLean the Mayor of Norwich because he stole his hat during the title celebrations a couple of seasons ago now?
It’s all that remains saying after that wretched, rotten, rancid match on Saturday 🙂
Kiitos
Those with a long memory will remember when Glenn Roeder’s team lost 3-0 at Home Park in 2007/08. 6 players were dropped for the next game, and most hardly featured again.
Hi Paul
Yes I do but you can guarantee it won’t be happening this time!
Cheers
Martin, I really enjoyed your gallows humour (and others) in response to Gary’s article yesterday re: contesting the penalty in 1908. Thank you, I did laugh. It seems we had the usual options after the pasting in Plymouth: anger, apathy, denial, scapegoating, gallows humour, etc.
Whilst I have tried to stop myself from commenting, and applaud your stance on opting out of the ownership debate for now, do you find it reasonable for some fans to blame a defeat to a smaller club with a smaller budget on the wealth of our owner?
Blaming DW for picking too many players that would be tired? Understood. Blaming players for their performances? Understood. But for a loss to a team who’s record signing is Mumba/Whitaker (about a mill each) being blamed on cash investment to me seems silly.
We’ve had a beautiful month or two on MFW where everyone seemed to put the ownership to one side and talk about the football. 90 mins of bad defending, ill discipline and questionable tactics, and (according to some) it seems Delia and MWJ had picked themselves at centre-half, with ‘nephew Tom’ as the sweeper (nepotism and money saving no doubt).
We can’t duck the ownership debate forever, and again I totally understand anyone that isn’t happy with it (or worried beyond this season), but it seems mightily churlish (to me) for the ownership to be the supposed reason tired bodies, paid more than their counterparts, yielded six to a smaller club.
For my money, Mr Wagner has some answers to provide about Saturday. Not Delia. Just as our good start to the season wasn’t down to her, Sargents injury wasn’t down to her, and the god awful utterly superfluous 3rd kit was (hopefully) not down to her.
We were shocking on Saturday, and just like the other 1600 or so that went, I’m sorry for Delia she had to witness it
Adam Idah has not really kicked on since his hat trick against Preston. He has all the attributes , but I fear Norwich , and the Norwich style is not doing him and favours.
Is he Pukki like in a 4231, not really..
I’d prefer to see him in a 2 up front with a Fleck like player.
Hi Trev
Thanks for noticing that one – my reply to Jinxy [above] explains all.
I shall don my snake-like Lord Melchett garb and confirm I am not getting involved in any way on that topic on MFW while adding that although they my thoughts might fluctuate from time to time I doubt they will change much .fluctuate deep down.
My answer to you would be that I do not want to reignite the cessation of feud that we have all so much enjoyed so will be saying $od all on this and upcoming similar situations.
Cheers
Does anyone think we are gonna get promoted 🤔 ??? 🤣
OH NO!I’xvve just gone to emergency calls only.
Sorry Jim!
Why is is that when we get spanked by a PL team with a bigger budget the story is always “we can’t expect to compete”, it’s “38 free hits”, and our self-funding ensures we don’t overspend and are “a well run club”.
Yet we just got hammered by a team whose record signing is 1/10th the value of a Josh Sargent. We’re also selling our best players to cover tens of millions in debts.
Something doesn’t quite add up.
Can’t possibly comment, Dave.
I’d get in far too much trouble if I did 😀
We’ve had the good, the bad and the ugly. It’s now time for a fistful of dollars.
Nice!
Very good, Chris. 😀
How about, (after saturday) Unforgiven and Hang ‘Em High? if they lose to Brummy )
They can’T much like Alice Cooper- not much of the Billion Dollar Babies about this lot!
If they contrive to lose this weekend they will become The Unforgiven