It’s guest blog time again, and today it’s City fan Dave Cole, whose journey began in the late 1960s when he was warned by his grandfather that following Norwich would be ‘difficult’! Grandads always know! *** If you look out your window, you’ll notice thunder clouds hanging over Carrow Road. They’ve been steadily gathering since […]
Column
Mission Accomplished? Is there a desire to stay in the Prem?
April 27th, 2019: Champagne corks popped and the party began. With sighs of relief aplenty, the board ensured not just one successful season, but two (2018/19 and 2019/20). For the goals of “the project” are clear and by all measurable standards this season the project has been a success. The board were forthright on their […]
Only just over a month to try and reboot the mindset of this squad for 2020/21
A shallow piece of NCFC dignity was restored at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday. Yes of course we lost, didn’t score, as has become de rigeur and, Olivier Giroud’s header from an excellent Christian Pulisic cross completely bamboozled Timm Klose who got nowhere near his man. Not only did we fail to bother the “goals for” […]
Another day, another defeat, but City avoid the drubbing of which many were fearful
Well, it wasn’t the catastrophe many were expecting. We can say that much. On a night when Wigan hit Hull for eight, many of us were understandably fearful. And in any given season, if you come away from Chelsea having lost 1-0 then nine times out of ten, it tends to end up in the […]
Five saleable assets? Five potential replacements? But how many will depart?
Succession planning is pivotal for any long-term success. Norwich have five young talents that will attract interest this summer, but who is ready to step in and replace them? Max Aarons, Ben Godfrey, Jamal Lewis, Todd Cantwell and Emi Buendia. City’s five saleable assets whose auction price will all start at £20million. Max has been […]
Premier League – We’ll meet again, (but) don’t know where, don’t know when…
Positive James: I’m not angry, I’m just disappointed. Negative James: Well I’m fuming! The results have been horrendous. PJ: Although in a way, this was probably to be expected due to the approach the club has taken to play possession-based, open, technical football in a league full of players that can do it better than […]
Norwich City 2019/20 – A Eulogy
The eulogy – something hopefully none of our younger readers have ever had to deliver at a funeral but I bet most of us aged over 50 have. I’ve done four of them – one for every goal Antonio scored on Saturday. For my grandmother, father, mother and an old rascal of an uncle. So […]
It’s all in the mind. When ‘lucky to be here’ changes to ‘lucky to have me’…
I’ll start with a quote. ‘What is history, but a fable agreed upon?’ That’s the original. It’s been revised, redone and rehashed over the years but, whatever variant of it you may hear or read, the above is the mother lode, so to speak, of that well used phrase, one which is generally (but not […]
Over in a flash and, but for some fleeting moments, it wasn’t fun while it lasted
At least it’s done now. But it did feel like death by a thousand cuts. A slow, painful, inexorable slide back to whence we came, with not the merest hint of resistance. These are difficult and surreal times – and of course, there are far more important things going on than our football team getting […]
It may be called the “beautiful game” but it’s just so hard to love right now
Football has been a part of my life almost as long as I have been alive. I was taken to my first game at the ripe old age of 2 weeks old. From then on, I was a regular attendee wherever my dad was playing football – until he tore his ACL. My grandad was, […]
Farkeball’s in full-flight with Mario
Despite a paucity of minutes, Farke’s footballing philosophy can be fully implemented when the Bosnian is involved. Upon his arrival from Germany, Mario Vrancic appeared to play the game a pace too slow for English football. He struggled to adjust with the lack of time midfield players have on the ball in the EFL and […]
‘Never Mind The Danger’ we sing. Seldom has this line been more pertinent
The most wondrous aspect of Norwich City’s romp to the Football League title last season was that it was a triumph for doing things the right way. Being smart beat money and muscle. And so, for me, amid all the disappointments of yet another dismal demotion, one detail stands out as the bleakest: it looks […]
Dropping the goldfish bowl…
I once had a goldfish. I called him Daniel. I never thought I’d have him for long. This is a tale of effort, hardship, achievement, reward, and disappointment. (Actually, I don’t need to tell you the tale, as I’ve just done so – like they did with the Hollywood trailer for Free Willy.) But, the […]
The silly season is upon us – rumours aplenty of ins, outs and 50% pay cuts…
With what could be called an assist if we push the boundaries a little bit, Onel Hernandez set up Emi Buendia for what was quite strangely his first Premier League goal and it arrived in July! Not only was it a beautiful finish but it saved this current squad from creating a very embarrassing record […]
Time for a review – one that goes all the way up to the very top of our football club
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. […]
Back-to-basics for City but still nothing to show for an improved performance
That we’re all slightly chirpier this morning having witnessed an improved City performance says a lot about the level of the current bar. But we are. And it was. It’s hellishly thin gruel though if our spirits are lifted by what was ultimately another error-strewn defeat against some very mediocre relegation rivals. But, there’s no […]
Why Onel has set the tone for the type of wide player City need next season
The Cuban has a completely different skillset to his confreres, and he’s proven he’s exactly what City need going forward. In June 2018, Academy product Josh Murphy was sold to Cardiff City for an estimated £12 million. Six months prior to his departure, Onel Hernandez was recruited form Eintracht Braunschweig for a fifth of the […]
“Your mission, Mr Farke, should you decide to accept it…” And why I hope he does
This season is over, bar the shouting. Or perhaps more accurately, the whimpering. The “little miracle” Farke was seeking at the restart has grown to loaves-and-fishes proportions, and beyond. The really disappointing thing – the main reason for sour feelings among fans, and some unprecedented questioning of Farke’s position – is the appearance of our […]
Each game an arduous torture, another reminder of what might have been
As a Norwich fan, you become hardened to disappointment but I think this season has to be up there as one of the biggest disappointments I’ve had over the years. Coming up we were magic. Unstoppable and unplayable. We had a manager who had embedded a style that was aesthetically sumptuous, and a Sporting Director […]
‘This sadness will go on’ – a clue to Martin P’s three predictions for next season
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 […]