Steve Cook

So much more at stake right now than just this club losing its Premier League cash May 12, 2022 - As fans, we are ‘football junkies’ and our drug of choice possesses potent mood-changing qualities. Win, and all seems well with the world. Lose, and the misery hangs over us long after the final whistle, casting a dark shadow over those unfortunate enough to be in our presence. Positive results… ...
When apathy overrides anger the slope is a slippery one. What is the point of it all? April 28, 2022 - You know it’s really bad when anger turns to apathy. When the final whistle that signals another abject home defeat is met with silence from deserted stands, rather than a cacophony of booing. Without condoning the actions of those who recently chose to vent their frustration outside the Directors’ boxes,… ...
From praise and accolades to widespread disapproval and ridicule in just five months October 25, 2021 - A friend of mine recently boasted about completing a job application and when asked for his religion, he’d put down ‘football’. He didn’t get an interview. But in the same way that people choose to label themselves according to their religious beliefs, when we tell people we are Norwich supporters,… ...
When fantasy football turned into the stuff of nightmares… July 30, 2020 - Back in March of 2019, Dad and I walked through the turnstiles at the Riverside stadium, knowing that victory over Middlesbrough would create a seven-point gap to third-place, with just seven games left. “God, I hope we get promoted”, I said. “I know next year would be a total car-crash… ...
Hughton’s demise was a football decision; not to be confused with the issue around lack of opportunity for BAME managers May 23, 2019 - Brighton became the latest club to part ways with Chris Hughton and in doing so, encountered similar criticism to that faced by his previous employers, Norwich and Newcastle. The national media were joined by many ‘neutrals’ on social media to condemn the decision; the general inference being that those clubs… ...
MFW predicts: The Results – Messrs Lewis and Finbow take the gongs… May 21, 2019 - For most of us, Mario Vrancic’s late winner at Villa Park simply served to ease any remaining jitters and ensure the title-winning party started five minutes early. However, for those in the MFW team vying for our own accolade – that of Champion Tipster (for our predictions that have featured… ...
An ode to Daniel and his men – ‘The most special of years’ May 7, 2019 - The summer is over, a new season starting, Hope is diminished, through Madders departing. A rebuild, a project, a club in transition, Signs of improvement, the only ambition. Early defeats, against West Brom and Leeds, Dissenting voices, on the Twitter feeds. And radio phone-ins, a place for the moaners, To point their fingers at Farke and owners.… ...
Perspective is everything, but in the white heat of a promotion run-in? Forget it! April 25, 2019 - I don’t know about you, but the pressure of the promotion race has completely destroyed my sense of perspective. Early on in the season, with minimal expectations, I was fine. But over the last few weeks, I’ve come to view everything through a singular lens; one that is solely focussed… ...
A salute to the Wigan 5,300, whether ‘regular’ or newbie – heroes all April 18, 2019 - Last time around, I mentioned my mate Jack, who supports Leeds, and I tried to counter his ongoing assertion that City have been lucky to climb to the top of the table. His other favourite ‘wind-up’ relates to the size of our respective fanbases, and in particular the travelling support.… ...
‘Lucky City’… ‘given a ‘bye’ … ‘sinister forces’ … Can’t possibly be that we’re a really good side April 13, 2019 - Do you believe in luck? For me, it’s just a term that gets used to rationalise improbable outcomes. A suggestion that mysterious forces are somehow bending the rules of probability, when in reality, it’s just a matter of statistics. Or to put it another way… ‘Luck is probability taken personally’… ...

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