It’s that time of year again – the Club’s Annual Report. Over seventy pages of content, although the real fun doesn’t start until 50 pages in with the financial statements. If you’re like me, not an accountant, there’s a tendency to look at just the headline numbers. In this instance, another loss. This time £27.292m. […]
So many NCFC questions… so few answers
The afternoon after the night before and it doesn’t feel any better. Everything that’s NCFC-related at the moment feels like it’s in a state of transition, and there’s a sense of being completely directionless both on and off the field. No doubt those in charge will see if differently and, as has been said before, […]
What can we expect as NCFC heads from majority to minority ownership?
After months of waiting, the era of joint majority shareholders is about to be superseded by a period of joint minority shareholders, at least for the best part of another three years – maybe longer. So, does a single word change – from majority to minority – make any difference? The thing about change is […]
A Fan-Led Review in name but, as ever, the Premier League holds all the cards
If you were ever stuck for something to watch, and I mean really stuck, your last channel of choice would almost certainly be something on Parliament Live TV. The merest hint of anything to do with the House of Commons is typically a massive ‘no’ at the thought! However, if ever you’re feeling brave, delving […]
Still some unknowns, but a landmark moment for our football club is weeks away
Norwich City Football Club and general meetings are beginning to resemble London buses. You wait an eternity for one to arrive, and then two come along almost together. On the surface, they probably don’t seem to be of any significance. September’s meeting, which lasted barely fifteen minutes, with less than 30 in attendance, was surpassed […]
An AGM, but not as we know it…
Over the years I’ve been to a fair few Norwich City AGMs – the annual opportunity for shareholders to gather to approve the latest set of accounts. Normally, they’re quite staid affairs, with the formal business typically taking less than 20 minutes, often followed by brief presentations, by various people within the Club’s hierarchy, and […]
Silence is golden, just maybe?
Friday, 27th May already seems like a lifetime ago – the breaking NCFC news, which actually said not very much at all, aside from the fact that seven American citizens were guests in the directors’ box at Carrow Road at the previous weekend’s game against Spurs. The intervening period has, understandably, been littered with numerous […]
From Milwaukee to Carrow Road – Happy Days ahead maybe?
Up until Friday’s breaking news, my personal knowledge of the residents of Milwaukee was strictly limited to one Arthur Herbert Fonzarelli, better known as Fonzie, or the Fonz – a fictional character played by Henry Winkler in the 1970s American sitcom, Happy Days. Now there’s a new name to Google – Mark Attanasio, owner of […]
Like it or not, it really is all about the money
It barely seems a year ago, but we’ve just passed the first anniversary of the ill-fated launch of the so-called European Super League. At the time, my abiding memory upon first hearing the announcement was “just how much money do those greedy b**tards want?” Both the Premier League and the ‘big six’ have always made […]
An AGM unlike any other but with a positive air and praise aplenty for City’s Academy
As Norwich City AGM’s go, they really don’t come much different to this; online, with no fans physically present and with Stephan Phillips in charge – was it really two years ago that Ed Balls joked about being on a mission to get Stephan to answer a question? Of course, these are unusual times and […]
What it felt like to be one of the lucky thousand in a socially distant Carrow Road
It’s something of an understatement to say that a lot has happened since the 28th February; nearly seven months ago and the last occasion many City fans had the opportunity to visit Carrow Road. Therefore, last Wednesday morning’s announcement by the EFL that City’s game against Preston North End had been selected as one of […]
A Norwich City FC decade… by numbers
As the decade finally draws to a close, it’s worth pondering should it really be described as the stereotypical terrible teens? For context, it’s been a decade that started for the Canaries with half a season in League One, has subsequently given us five Championship seasons, plus four and a half seasons in the Premier […]
Time to stop playing the self-funding card? Always a nagging doubt over what’s next
We’re frequently reminded that “football isn’t like any other business.” And, judging how some football clubs seem to operate, you could easily be forgiven for thinking that their respective owners, or CEOs, seem to take leave of any business sense they’ve acquired over the years. Of course, as fans, we don’t often get to choose […]
Final word on AGM: Openness and transparency but difficult decisions ahead for the Board
If you’re ever minded to ask the question, when, for a football club, is the best time to hold an AGM, being top of the league, with ‘that lot’ 23 places below you, together with a relatively healthy set of financials in your back pocket, that’s probably just about perfect – if Heineken did AGM’s… […]
No seven-goal-thriller, but Jordan’s hat-trick sees City through to next round of the Carabao
MFW’s go-to guy for midweek away trips, Gary Field, delivers yet again. Here are five things that struck him after his Tuesday night jaunt to Adams Park… Ringing the changes Nine changes (one of the unusual consequences being an increase in the average age of the starting XI – something of a rarity for League […]
Two wins on the bounce for buoyant City and some canny game management
MFW’s Gary Field was one of the heroic 919 at the Madjeski last night. He kindly offered us a few post-match observations… Home grown and club developed… It may have gone unnoticed by many that all but one of City’s previous seven Championship match day squads had contained the absolute minimum of seven ‘home-grown’ or ‘club […]
A non-descriptive 80 mins followed by a late flurry, but two big questions remain unanswered
As away grounds go, Charlton has to be one of my personal favourites (even if the away end is rather basic). The continuous “bowl” wrapping around three sides makes it a proper ground – the product of Premier League dosh and seven consecutive top-flight seasons in the early 2000s. Better times and, undoubtedly, better owners […]
Hands up if you know your FSF from your SD or your PL Fans Fund. No? Then read on…
Okay footy fans, engage your inner nerd and raise your hands up if you know your FSF from your SD or your PL Fans Fund? Chances are, if given their full names, many football fans will have probably heard of The Football Supporters’ Federation (FSF) and Supporters Direct (SD) – maybe without realising their differences […]
Self-funding or not self-funding? That it (sort of) the question…
To be, or not to be: that is the question: Perhaps it’s overly dramatic, maybe even misguided, to cross-reference Shakespeare’s famous soliloquy, which seeks to get to the core question of human existence, with football. Nevertheless, there’s a debate rumbling around the Canary Nation, as we contemplate a third Championship season, this time without parachute […]
We know the financial state we’re in (kind of). But what about our competitors? Gary F takes a look…
As the 2017-18 Championship season meanders towards a painfully drawn out conclusion, with Norwich City unfortunately destined for a mid-table finish, the prospect of a third consecutive season a second-tier level inevitably beckons. What will make 2018-19 season different to the proceeding two seasons is the loss of the Premier League parachute payments, as the […]