Martin Penney

There have been warehouse-sized debates everywhere about Norwich City and their way “forward” with the finances of the club in regard to next season. And the inevitable happened. We are Championship. Quelle surprise. This was a nailed-on from the start. No significant investment, key injuries to central defenders, and only Duda and Rupp in January. […]

I’ve long been a believer in the phrase strike while the iron’s hot, so as I begin this article at 14:53 on Saturday knowing it won’t appear in front of you beloved MFW readers until Monday, I thought I’d write it now, get it out of the way and wallow in our collective misery all […]

Everyone’s got an Arsenal mate, haven’t they? I’ve got three but strangely didn’t volunteer to communicate with any of them on Wednesday evening. However one of them, Mickey, couldn’t resist, erm, taking the mickey via the gift of Google Mail. There were a few cheap cracks such as had Josip Drmic borrowed his boots from […]

If you wanted our season summed up in two hours, Saturday delivered. Big time. We played our hearts out, took Man U to the brink of a penalty shoot-out but got kicked in the guts three minutes from the end. And had Timm Klose sent off for a professional that I wouldn’t actually argue with […]

Well the fat lady is singing on full throttle. It could be Maria Callas, Mama Cass Elliot or even better the British original, Janet Webb on the Morecambe and Wise show. It doesn’t matter who assumes this particular mantle – we are well and truly done for. There was more huffing and puffing than against […]

We all know what happened on Friday evening but equally probably realise it was a case of what didn’t happen. After 15 minutes the slightly disjointed yellow and green tide ebbed away and the red and white south coastal one flowed in with great intent. Those in their deckchairs in home gardens with knotted hankies […]

This time last week I wrote that the Phoney War was about to end and the kind of real one was ready to begin on Friday, June 19 at 1800 hours precisely. That hasn’t changed of course, plus I’ve had the bonus of regular MFW commenter John telling me the Southampton game is live on […]

The first six months of the 1939-1945 conflict was known as the phoney war. War had been declared but very little actually happened during that period. It gave Britain a chance to accelerate modernisation of its war machine to cope with the inevitable matters to come. Quickly of course it became all too real for […]

Well, as we all know the wheels are firmly back on the Premier League gravy train and it’s ready to roll on June 17 with Sheffield United against Aston Villa and Manchester City versus Arsenal. The catch-up games of course. Apparently City are planned to resurface on June 19 against Southampton at Carrow Road. Not […]

Well it’s been another funny old week in this current world of non-football. Our players are back at Colney in an environment of socially distanced, non-contact training in strictly limited groups and maybe the intensity levels will be stepped up next week. Maybe. Of course, it’s now straight home for them to get a shower […]

Well, the uncertainty continues apace. We’ve been denied the delights of the Notting Hill Carnival, which might not please all Londoners, but the Metropolitan Police at least will be delighted by that particular decision. And also there will be no Eurovision Song Contest this year which is certain to displease one Graham Norton and all […]

Well they didn’t mess about did they? Norwich City Official put out on Monday that they’d nip any rebate issues in the bud and at 09:15 today I received the same message as many of our MFW readers and writers doubtlessly did too. “On Monday the club made the decision to begin the rebate process, […]

And so the football carousel keeps spinning around.** Almost everybody riding it seems to possess a stronger sense of self-interest and hypocrisy than us football supporters who right now genuinely don’t know whether our ar$es are bored, punched or countersunk. (Ask a carpenter if you’re in any doubt as to what the three words after […]

Yeah, sure, we’re all bored wositless just now but while this horrible virus is around that’s nothing to really complain about in the greater context of things. I am sure we all have our own ways of dealing with this situation but I learned last Tuesday morning that life and indeed football must go on […]

Football is special, very special, to each and every MFW reader and writer. And for everybody who supports their chosen club, from Exeter City to Ross County and so many others inbetween. But in the current scheme of things, just how special is it – and should a special case be made for it? Well […]

? All the Germans. So many Germans… ? Well, since the dawn of Farkelife in the summer of 2017 we have had quite a few, haven’t we? There’s Daniel himself, who arrived from Borussia Dortmund II and on his coaching team are assistant head coach Edmund Riemer, first-team coach Christopher John and sports scientist – or head of performance if […]

If you’re an Ipswich Town supporter, in order to look on the bright side of life you have to retreat into the Twentieth Century. They did something so stunningly right back in the day that we as Norwich City have yet to emulate and I don’t mean fluking an FA Cup win. They signed two […]

To continue my series of overseas Norwich City players from specific geographical areas I thought I’d set my sights on our African players by beginning with somebody I have never seen play. Sandy Kennon, from the then Rhodesia, who took over from 59-er hero Ken Nethercott between the sticks toward the end of that magnificent […]

After a brace of ear-splitting, blood-curdling shrieks from Robert Plant the first track on Led Zeppelin III in 1970, The Immigrant Song, kicked the album off. It was all about Vikings on the rob and although I think the lyrics are a bit first-year sixth form they went like this: We come from the land […]