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  1. 28 points
    Heroic. Of all the people needing a boost in these troubled times, I can think of no one more worthy than a school that charges its pupils over £7k a term to attend. For context, it will be used to buy Holt Hall and turn that into a fee-paying prep school. A facility that tens of thousands of people who went to normal school in Norfolk will have fond childhood memories of school trips there. And I wonder how much of that £35m Dyson earned by ditching Britain in favour of Singapore?
  2. 22 points
    The first taste of winter today and I didn't need much chivvying from Mrs R to decide upon giving my M&S thermals their first run out of the season. There was no lift on offer either so I had to revert to the bike which at least kept me warm on the ride down to the ground. The early exchanges were hardly encouraging with a complete dearth of goal mouth incident in the opening ten minutes. Then finally there was a flurry of action as we came up to the quarter hour with Stacey getting on the end of a long cross from the City left. I thought his side foot effort was going to lob over Begovic into the net but a defender did well to get back and head away from almost on the line. Then as City turned up the wick a bit, both Hernandez and Sara had shots blocked and the danger was cleared. It was all very low key stuff and in truth I thought Rangers looked the neater side in possession though they looked toothless up front. I was already starting to feel cold but right out of the blue things warmed up as Sara grabbed the ball in midfield and played a ball over the top of a square defence. I thought Hwang was going to be flagged offside but he must have timed his run to perfection because he was all alone on the edge of the box and had time to bang a low shot past the advancing Begovic to give City the lead. The visitors came back quite strongly and City had to defend a couple of corners before relieving the pressure. It was disappointing not to see the home side push forward more and there were more than a few groans when slow motion safety first balls always seemed to be the preferred option. For long periods Rangers dominated possession with Elias Chair looking very comfortable, thankfully he wasn't electric. Long was called into action a couple of times to deal with long range efforts and although he got his knees dirty he didn't look like being beaten. I was happy enough to go in with a halftime lead but we hadn't seen anything that sent the pulses racing. I would have liked to see us take a bit more control of midfield in the second half but that didn't happen and in the opening couple of minutes the visitors came close to an equaliser. Dykes found space on the left of the City area and with Stacey out of position Paal got in a shot that Long could only parry. Thankfully the home defence recovered well and managed to get the ball away from danger. From there on it was mainly the visitors who called tune. City rarely broke into the opposing half and when they did there was never much of a threat. Barnes and Kenny did a lot of heavy lifting and Sara had a few quality touches but they could not inspire anything noteworthy. By the hour mark I found myself constantly glancing at the watch and hoping the second hand would go round a bit quicker because the quality on offer seldom reached the dizzy heights of mediocre. We did earn a couple of corners and one of those epitomised the quality of the match as Sara pulled the ball back to Hernandez who could only slice it sideways. Thankfully the oposition were bereft of confidence as well as quality as any decent side would have surely turned us over. Idah replaced Hwang and eventually Onell made way for Sainz but by this stage I was losing interest fast and the boy began to ask what time did I think we should leave. The game now went from mediocre to stunngly poor with almost nothing worth commenting on. In fact I pulled out my phone and commented as such on the match thread just for a bit of interest. All I can say is that in a contest with watching paint dry this game would have had a hard job to come second. As eighty minutes ticked up on the scoreboard I was losing the will to live but stuck it out for another five just as a sense of duty but with rain now falling I made the best decision of the day and headed for the stairs. MOM, anyone who stuck it out to the end.
  3. 18 points
    No Norwich City fan throughout its existence will ever do anything more classless than hounding Delia in word and deed. It's deplorable and crass. She deserves to be allowed to make her own exit in her own time which, in her 83rd year, she knows is upon her. It's not like leaving a building, she's stepping away in a process that needs to be right and meticulous, and cannot be rushed. Show some respect and decency.
  4. 16 points
    1100 fans will travel to Bristol City this weekend on Sunday, for a 1:30pm kickoff. In the freezing cold. They're obviously devoted fans who put money into the club coffers when buying their tickets, and go to support the team. So they're the "good" 80%. If we concede several goals, if the team look disinterested, the tactics are non-existent, the fitness looks poor and the subs are rubbish, they'll be singing "Wagner Out" and "Sack the Board", do they then magically transform into the "whinging 20%"? Of course not. That argument is insane. The fans react to what they see on and off the pitch. If the team play well and tried their best and we lose, we applaud them off. If they play well and win, we cheer. If the game's absolutely turgid and we draw there'll be a few disgruntled boos but mostly people will just sigh and wander home. When the club is showing a lack of direction, a head coach remains in charge with one of the worst records in modern history, the plays cant be bothered on the pitch, the style of football has deteriorated into something that's actually painful to watch and the approach of "youth first" has been abandoned so the average player age on Saturday was the highest in 40 years, THAT's when fans start to voice discontent. We have the highest season ticket prices. We have an ownership that lacks any kind of governance. We have had a Sporting Director who felt no qualms in only offering 90% and who said he could leave whenever he felt like it. Delia and MWJ's time is up. They've poured fuel on the fire with their comments/interview last night and they'll be a backlash against Preston. No wonder Attanasio shuffled uncomfortably every time Delia opened her mouth.
  5. 14 points
    No. This lady and her husband deserve much better than this. Get a life and organise a petition or something, not a public humiliation for someone who has given so much time, love and commitment to the club. I am totally certain we would not have had all the ups we have had without her. Things are moving behind the scenes, just let it happen and keep YOUR ego to yourself.
  6. 14 points
    Important to draw a distinction here, I think. She and MWJ should absolutely not be above criticism. But there's no reason that criticism needs to come with personal abuse. That obviously cuts both ways, too. They need to be able to take and respond to criticism without making the sweeping generalisations they made in that interview.
  7. 14 points
    It is shambolic PR to do this. Do it privately, not in front of fans after the way things have gone for the last two years - it's like sticking two fingers up at the fans. Sacking Farke like he did, getting Smith in and then Wagner - clearly poor replacements, no real empathy or communication with fans since. Supposed make us a top 26 league club, leaves us on a downer, struggling in the lower part of the league. Thank you for the good times, but show a bit of humility - after all you didn't like Cantwell sitting on the pitch when things were bad - so what were you doing on the pitch there with things going so poorly?
  8. 13 points
    Following the AGM I feel that this sporting thread and the Mark Attanasio financial thread are converging. As I suppose they must. Delia came over a little resigned, disillusioned and deflated before, during and after the meeting. I suspect much that was said by Attanasio, Knapper and others in the audience rather fed into that feeling too. The feeing of an era passing. ‘We do not have to guess if we can read the book’ is one of my father’s wisest sayings. For those who were really paying attention, there was a lot said - a lot of hiding in plain sight - much of which we had speculated, observed and calculated. Delia referred to the past, to rescuing the club, to the fear of debt, to where we have come from. Mark Attanasio spoke of now being ‘Comfortable with the debt’. Ben Knapper spoke of decisions going forwards that could be made ‘on a sporting basis rather than a financial one’ These are both significant changes. Avoiding the extreme cliff-edge of absolutist self-funded Finances allows for Sporting decisions to not be compulsive acts of self-harm. In practical terms this means you sell Buendia after relegation, not in the summer before promotion having promised the squad to ‘come back stronger’. Attanasio is ‘comfortable with the debt’ because it is now internal. Though of course it also floats on a bed of equity. Yes realisable only upon sale - and upon profitable sale at that - though Attanasio was ‘only this morning talking to Australia’ about ‘third-party funding’. He repeated several times that he will ‘later…look for third party funding’. Let me clarify in practice: buy into the club cheaply as it struggles, take overall control, try to achieve success within the nominal equity gain bequeathed, sell minority shares on the up to third parties, end up with an appreciating asset. The club owns its own stadium, its own training ground, further land and the squad of players are liquid assets. It’s a different world we are going into now. Some benefits, some drawbacks. As @nutty nigel has repeatedly pointed out, fan ownership goes with Delia. Local connections go with Delia. It stretches back a long time. The question ‘why would you invest in a baseball club in Milwaukee?’ is a perfectly reasonable one. Here are some positives noises from Mark Attanasio for balance: MA: Finance Committee plus MA Group meet, budget 2 years ahead, ‘comfortable with current debt levels, must compete in your division, must have Premier as goal’ MA: We must be a Premier League Team […to achieve our ultimate aims..] MA: We will later look for 3rd parties to come on board [invest, buy stocks]..talked to Australia MA: 35 of 92 football clubs now have American owners or notable involvement.. MA: Compete…NCFC attractive…community..similar Milwaukee..passion…sport..family MA: Crescent Capital London office..FT editors talked about Norwich! MA: Stadium, infrastructure [Ressler]… MA: #1 Competitive Team…’keep trying to compete’.. MA: Keep adding players…repeatable system…(with BK reports and analysis)..provide finances…younger players…actually costs money…academy not often ready immediately…buy quality MA: We’ll support BK recommendations..firm foundations in place to make sure we stay up… MA: Correlation between money and success clear MA ‘I know how to raise capital…will bring in 3rd parties..about Finance …aligned group at Milwaukee…’ Mark has been talking to Ben for a while. They talk. They text. For anyone left in any doubt at all about lines of demarcation and roles and responsibilities ( @Don J Demorr ) Ben and Mark made it very, very clear. There has been a sudden land grab. All the sporting power is now with the Sporting Director: BK: The Head Coach sets up the team, works with them during week (‘just like the American model in Baseball’)…’all the recruitment is my responsibility’ Of course ‘it would be crazy to bring players the head didn’t want’ and ‘that won’t happen’ …but that role is at my door… The Head Coach - let’s call him Daniel for argument’s sake - will still be the lightning rod for ills of course. This of course exactly suits the smiling Attanasio. He now (already) holds Ultimate power. He’s putting the money in. He may say that he doesn’t fully understand the game, though he does understand data. He can check it. Measure it. Watch over it. Control it. He carefully selected Ben Knapper due to his data background. Knapper referred to ‘Mark’ regularly. There were lots of candidates. ‘CEO types’….Director of football types with more ‘experience’….though someone who mirrors the baseball process, is data-driven, fresh, young and grateful (easily-controlled by the paymasters?) is perfect. Yes I suppose so. I think Ben Knapper came over extremely well by the way. We liked him. Different threads and thoughts often co-exist in football and life though… Ben Knapper stated the following: BK: Deploying assets on the field that are depreciating is to be checked BK: Roles & responsibilities, lines of communication…(all recruitment is driven by me) BK: Age increase in squad was conscious decision [back then]..leadership..reacting to other situations…went too far…[over]reacting to other situations… BK: Oldest squad in league…not good for self-funded..so assets to be injected into the squad…young age = value..that’s the focus going forwards..youth is my personal history…must also give them exposure! BK: Injuries..highest output in league…explosive actions [a lot to ask for oldies?] BK: Long term view is the way that I work BK: Ultimate responsibility for recruitment with SD [Head Coach must be happy and on board] BK: Age profile key ….there will be money from MA to invest in quality youth (not cheap) In case we were in any doubt that Mark’s money is going to change how Ben can act, Anthony Richens confirmed the following: AR: Debt has moved from external to internal AR: ‘Can now make decisions on a sporting basis’…(so couldn’t before)… ’..It’s ultimately still a player trading model ….and always will be..’…(though not sporting self harm as previously) AR: £2.8m historical tax error [Auditors missed?] The questions the Company issued in writing to the club for the AGM were surprisingly not referred to or addressed… 1.‘In light of your investment in the redeemable C-preference shares, your re-financing of other club debt and your notable history in finance – all set in context against a backdrop of the increasing trends and desires in America for consolidated multi-sport franchises - what is your exit strategy? 2. ‘Did you or any of your connected companies take a commission for any of the debt refinancing?’ 3. ‘Given Delia and Michael’s repeated insistence that they would “not take a penny out of the club” do you consider there to be an inherent equity gain in the business and what do you internally value the equity gain at? What will you do with it? ….Though of course they were ultimately questions that were protective of Delia and her legacy - and questioning of Mark Attanasio’s ultimate intentions and motivations. Our belief is that they reached the right ears as intended. Regardless they de-facto got answers at the meeting in any case. Hiding in plain sight you see. 1. Pump some early money in*, increase the value of the overall asset, take on Third Party investment. On the phone to Australia about it this morning ’ (Australia? Not the tightest of criteria then….) 2. Bought C-Pref. Other internal (own companies or finance partners). No mention of charging interest. ‘Comfortable with it’. No mention of under what circumstances such loans or interest might be redeemable. 3. Early funds injected up to £43m (our figures) are riding on Delia’s handed-on unrealized equity gain. This can cover the early cost of buy in, then can sit on the Equity until a major offer appears ‘that can’t be refused’… It wouldn’t be too much of a stretch to suggest that Attanasio ‘looking good’ early on is actually doing so with Delia’s money. She has been a wonderful benefactor to Norwich. She gave what she could. It wasn’t enough and as time went on we had to injure ourselves to survive without even much of an overdraft. We were scarred by debt in a world that had fallen in love with it, got addicted to it and used it as a financial game of pass-the-CDF-parcel. It was all a bit of an anachronism and - along with Webber’s desire to polish his own buttons - it cost us Farke, a year of Buendia at the top level when we were on the up and left us with daft players we shouldn’t use, who in the end nobody wanted. Plus of course it cost us the entire positional Play club-wide education. Very expensive that bit I’d suggest. I suppose you could argue that Delia’s relative football poverty is to blame for Webber’s twisted sporting contortions, though goodness me he could hardly have sent us into a worse tailspin if he had tried. As Greg Downes said recently when asking about the import of Josh Sargent’s injury on Norwich’s season: ‘ yes ok….but come on…he’s not a world beater…’ Wagner’s interesting early season model with Sargent and Barnes as double false 9’s was quite interesting. It got worked out pretty quickly I thought and it certainly risked exposing our ongoing Achilles heel of lack of central defensive midfield protection (be it on-field personnel, tactics, zonal or suitable psychological profile). Doing it with Idah, Hwang or whoever looks daft. Knapper-Attanasio will keep Wagner on a while - until something genuinely better can be found and attracted, though I suspect that it will be the roles and responsibilities, lines of communication and internal land grabs that are the major focus for American minds first….lots of control mechanisms now being put in place I’d suggest. ‘I’m not a control freak’ he repeated several times in several interviews. On a personal note - and yes as a counterpoint - It isn’t long ago that we had a Black Manager, a gay Director and a woman owner. A real fan too. Call me sentimental, but I thought that was rather wonderful. Now we’ve got an American financier. Just like everyone else. I have talked before about Norwich ‘solving yesterday’s problems’. Many businesses are unintentionally run like that. Ben Knapper even gently criticized the ancien regime at Norwich for it. I can’t help thinking that the little bit of extra money that Attanasio can lay his hands on was needed to keep Buendia for a year, keep Skippy in the building for another year and keep Farke ‘I don’t understand changing head coaches so often’ and the positional play methodology flowing through the pristine fields of Colney. That’s all yesterday now though. Attanasio might now find himself watching steaming columns of Matrix data, throwing some good money at the worst glitches, though finding we are actually quite a long way away from where we were. And it’s a long, draining and rather expensive journey back to 22nd. And then you’re still a bloody long way - sportingly and financially - from 17th. Though of course Australia will no doubt help you out at that point…. Delia holds her head in her hands when we lose. She had delegated authority and responsibility to others so she could stay a fan. It has cost her in the end. She has had to take Mr Right Now. I suspect she is questioning it all a little… …though the tectonic plates have moved and she is now discovering the power of debt. Parma
  9. 13 points
    Questions asked by BBC Radio Norfolk’s Rob Butler RB: Let’s start with you Mark – welcome back to Norwich. You’ve been here for 14 months. How have the first 14 months been involved with Norwich City? MA: It’s been a little bit of a whirlwind. I was actually at the AGM last year so this is my second – I’m not a rookie anymore. Among many things, we heard some frustrations tonight. It’s a reminder of how difficult it is to succeed in sports. But, we have a huge amount of opportunity in front of us. One of the things I’ve learned from Commissioner Selig when I first bought the Brewers was that it’s never as bad as you think when it’s bad and it’s never as good as you think when it’s good. So, it’s not as bad as everyone thinks it is now. We all share the frustration – we want to win every match. We will start doing better. RB: It’s not been officially rubber-stamped but hopefully in time you will be the co-majority shareholder with Delia and Michael. How has it been working with Delia and Michael? MA: We’re waiting on a lot of regulatory ts to cross and I’s to dot but… MJW: As far as we’re concerned, we already are. MA: We’ve been working in partnership from the very beginning. Delia and Michael have been wonderful stewards here for 28 years. I’ve learned a lot from them. Not just about English football but also about life. It’s been a blessing to be able to work with them. RB: You were at Watford last night, as were 1300 Norwich fans with lots watching at home, it was a really difficult night for Norwich City. What did you make of it? MA: It was a difficult night (at Watford). The first 26 minutes were pretty special, but the next 50 minutes were pretty awful. All of our deficiencies at this club were laid bare that night, and, frankly, it's not just the coaching. It's uniquely British to say 'coach out', but I've been here about 14 months and in two years we've had three coaches. That is not something you see in American sports - if you have two CEOs in two years, that is not a prescription for success. That is a sign of a knee-jerk reaction. We should all give Ben (Knapper) a chance to assess things and make moves that are strategic and work in the middle to long term. I'm convinced he will make the right choices. RB: A lot of fans phone in our phone ins and they don’t believe David Wagner is the man to take this football club forward – what would you say to that? MA: Is that Canary Call? I’ve been meaning to call into that. I watch every match that I’m not that. I think we leave it to Ben. We haven’t really talked about this – but we reviewed over 20 candidates (for the sporting director role), we interviewed 10 and we interviewed eight more than one. Personally, I participated in a couple of interviews with Ben and a couple of the other finalists. It was extremely well-vetted. He was at Arsenal for 14 years – he has seen the best of the best. He’s going to bring that here. He is very bright which came through tonight. RB: It’s the best part of three years that you will be with Delia and Michael – is your intention to be the full owner after that? What does the future hold? MA: We had an interesting conversation in the summer over drinks. Delia said ‘what do you want to do?’. I said to her ‘what do you and Michael want me to do?’. We will work on that together. I think we decided, in Delia’s words, that I was going to have a think on it. I’m definitely more interested in getting involved. I’ve been getting more involved. I think I can help in several different areas. RB: You’ve got your son here as well… MA: Yes, Mike is here. He’s over there. RB: He’s involved as well? Because he wants to be with his dad and help out? MA: Yes, he knows a little bit about analytics and one of the things we’re going to try and do is build an analytics system here where we own all the primary data. We are already using some and have some third party resources but I don’t like to talk about that because I like to keep it confidential – I could talk about all the things we are doing qualitatively to succeed here but when you lose 3-2 and you’ve given up three goals, no one wants to hear about the analytics system you’re building but that is going to help us be consistent and succeed. RB: Thanks Mark. Let’s speak to Delia and Michael now – Delia, how excited are you to have Mark Attanasio on board? DS: Very, very excited. I have to praise Stuart and Zoe (Webber). When Michael Foulger decided to sell his shares, they had the intelligence and the nous to say ‘right, let’s go out and find some investment’. They did find investment. We had four people on the list and we looked at it carefully and chose Mark. MJW: Don’t worry, Mark. It was a no-brainer. DS: Then Mark came over and we all got on so well. What else we’ve gained is something with the experience of another sport. It is really (great). With Mark and the analytics, Stuart was so excited about that. We’ve learned a lot. It is good to share what we have together. We’ve been here as 28 years and we’ve never had any investment from Norfolk, except from Michael Foulger, so we’re very happy to have someone from America. RB: Michael, where do you stand on matters on the pitch? It was a different game the other night and clearly there is pressure from fans on David Wagner. What do you make of that? MJW: I think there is a lack of consistency. For the first 20 minutes at Watford we were brilliant and when we came back from 2-1 down at Cardiff, we played really well. We have the capability there and individually we have the players but they make mistakes. I don’t know how you eliminate them. It is up to the manager to do that but given a bit of consistency, we can still be a very good side. RB: Do you still believe Norwich can get amongst the play-offs this season with David Wagner in charge? MJW: Why not? We’re only six points out of it. Yeah, why not? RB: Delia, I wanted to speak to you about the fans. You got quite animated about how the fans are negative. Just tell us a bit about that. DS: Well no, they’re not. I said 80pc of our fans are the best in the world. I’ve always believed that – it is very unfair to say that we don’t relate to them because every game and away game, I go and see supporters. For home matches now we have the Lion and Castle (pub in the Lower Barclay) and we’re both able to go and relate to them. That has been a real joy for the both of us. I feel really, really strongly that if I was a footballer and walked out on the pitch with all that negativity, I wouldn’t be able to play. I wouldn’t. I remember the days when we used to go to Portsmouth and they would cheer their tell whether they were losing 6-0 or winning. They would be cheering and cheering and driving their team on. To have that negativity, which all the good people who are supporters get overwhelmed by the boo boys who have the loudest voices. Okay, we have 20pc of whingers and 80pc of fantastic supporters – I love them all dearly. RB: Just finally, the results haven’t been there and that’s why we have seen it become quite negative in here. Do you think David Wagner is the man to turn it around? Can he get Norwich winning again? DS: I do not have a crystal ball and I do not know at all. All I know is that football goes up and football goes down. Mark is surprised that we keep changing managers – my dream is that we have a manager long-term so I hope he is right. That is all I can say. Questions asked by Eastern Daily Press, Norwich Evening News and the Pink Un’s Connor Southwell CS: I guess if we pick it at the strategic elements that you were speaking a little bit about, Mark. There has been some concern from fans about long-term vision and pictures. Part of that is about this ownership dynamic that is playing out. In terms of that three-year transition, how did that come about? Was it a mutual thing to agree? MA: It was certainly relatively easy. I am trying to remember which one of us suggested it but we all thought it sounded great. MJW: I think we had all had quite a lot to drink on that occasion. DS: We are incredibly lucky because people get owners who come in from nowhere and they don’t know what they are going to do. If you take Everton Football Club, which was one of the best run clubs with the best chief executive and a wonderful owner, they might not have been the most successful but they were very well run. Then came the money and what happened? What happened when the money came in? CS: It’s interesting you mention money – you had a fair few questions on the accounts tonight and self-funding. It is an evolution now in regards to how the club is run from self-funding because there have been more loans from you, Mark. Do you see that outlook shifting more towards external investment? MA: The loans that come from us we look at as self-funding. One of the things that Delia and I were talking about after the meeting was that the plan is still to be self-funded. We need to get a plan from Ben (Knapper) as to what he wants to achieve. We had some meetings today about how we can expand the stadium, and the training ground and all of that requires capital. If you’re going to try and shift the roster in any way, and Ben is talking about making it younger, then that requires some capital. We are going to put a list down of everything that we want to achieve and then we will prioritise. Self-funding is the best programme because it keeps us in control. Once you bring it third parties, and it depends on the structure, we aren’t looking for big loans from other parties because then they have that hammer on you. In terms of equity investments, if you had a passive partner that provided a lot of capital on a very long-term basis, like 15 plus years, we would consider it based on what is best for this club to make sure we retain control. That isn’t a control obsession. There is an old American politician called Alexander Haig who when getting pressure, he goes ‘I’m in charge’. That isn’t what we are talking about. Delia and Michael know what is best for this community. I’ve used some of the passion and frustration we saw tonight – that shows they care. What you don’t want is people coming in but not asking questions because they don’t care. We want to keep control of what goes on in this community. This organisation is critically important to provide something to look forward to every week. DS: I think the supporters have to be careful what they wish for. It’s all very well having someone with lots of money come in who knows nothing and wants to change the back four and can because he has all the say. You have to look at it for that. My ambition for this club, which I’ve achieved once, is not to have any debt. Michael and I spent all those years firefighting debt year after year. The day David McNally came up to us and said ‘I’ve got good news, we don’t have anymore debt’, it was probably the best moment of our tenure so far. CS: Mark, you’ve been through this transition with baseball. Have you found stepping into the two sports similar? Have they been comparable? MA: Yes and no in terms of comparison. It starts with the relegation and promotion. I don’t know much about English football but I know a lot about sport. I would know exactly what to do if there was not a risk of relegation in terms of turning this trough around. This is like a two-year trough, we had 26 years without making a play-off at Milwaukee. You have to make sure, at a minimum, you are being competitive in the league that you’re in. That’s very different but a lot of the challenges we face are a lot of the same ones but just a different sport. We have an entire management team in Milwaukee who is assisting the management team here. Not in terms of sporting matters – but everything else. CS: For both of you really – you touched upon fan concerns specifically around David Wagner. There have also been concerns over the long term and concerns over governance – what reassurance would you give the fans that the team you have at the moment at board level are the correct ones in terms of moving the club forward? MJW: Can you elaborate on what you mean about worrying about governance over the last few years? CS: Sure. There are some fans that would look at the previous sporting director, the fact that he was married to someone on the board. That has been a concern – there are others in terms of structure and perhaps responsibility over who takes decisions. What would you say to reassure those concerns? DS: I just say that you have no idea. No idea of the work that has gone into this football club. That is what I would say. You have no idea. MJW: I don’t recognise what you’re talking about, to be honest. CS: I know you spoke on a podcast recently about the negativity but how does that shift? Do you feel there needs to be some repair? Is it as simple as winning games? DS: I think we need the drummer back. We need the drummer back. It is a bit like church mice sometimes – there isn’t a sound anywhere. I still think the majority of people and all the supporters I meet at home and away, unlike the question (in the AGM) that said the board doesn’t engage. One of the stewards came up to me and said ‘they don’t see you Delia. They don’t see you with the supporters’. It is a load of rubbish. I still think we have the best supporters in the world but we have 10-20pc of whingers – part of being on the board is living with the whingers. CS: I guess that is part of life as well. DS: It is part of life. Everywhere you go, wherever you go. Ben Knapper has succeeded Stuart Webber as Norwich City's sporting director. (Image: Adam Harvey/Newsquest) CS: I did want to ask you about Stuart Webber and his time at the football club but also about Ben Knapper – it feels like a new chapter in terms of that. Some reflection on Stuart and what made Ben stand out from the crowd you spoke to. DS: He (Webber) was outstanding. I’ve been here 28 years and I’ve seen it all. I’ve seen chief executives, head of academies – everything but that man has done more for this football club than I could have ever dreamt of. He’s been fantastic. Where else would you get a top striker for nothing? Where would you get a player like Buendia (cheaply)? He went to football every night looking at players. He worked his socks off. I don’t know what went wrong. I do remember one day there was a demonstration outside the directors room and Stuart went out to it and he had no idea. He said he’d never heard language like that in all his life. Okay, the relationship broke down after that moment but rest assured, I have all the experience, he was outstanding. Moving on to the second stage, I can’t believe we have someone as good as Ben now. I never thought we would get what looks like the same again. CS: You spoke earlier about data and analysis – he comes from a data and analysis background. Was that in your thinking in terms of profile of candidate? MA: We looked at over 20 candidates and we had a range of candidates. We had one who was an expert in running an academy. Ben was the expert in data and loan management and he spoke about a trading of player paradigm. There are several examples of clubs like this who do quite well and stay in the Premier League who run an effective player trading programme. That was another paradigm. We looked at candidates who had broad experience in major football organisations from almost like a CEO level who would have had a hired down someone. We had candidates who were scrappy and we could have tried to do what Ipswich have done. We had people from lower down who might have been the next star. Stuart Webber by the way – there is all the stuff he has done here with the training centre – it’s unbelievable. He has started a data analytics thing here. Just four or five people but he was using data. One of the reasons I came to Delia and Michael’s attention is we had, Mike and another colleague and I, we had an hour meeting here but it ran for 90 minutes with Stuart asking a lot of the questions. We should give him so credit. He was leading the questions on that interview. He was very forward looking. He had a long run here and it’s hard to maintain that. I did want to mention something around board structures and decision structures. Crescent is a partnership. There are two of us at management level but we have a collegial executive committee. This board operates in that same way. It is a collegial process. Some investors at some companies want CEOs and that works for them. I was reading some comments that Elon Musk was making today and he has one decision maker in his company. That isn’t how I’ve run Crescent and that isn’t how Delia and Michael have run things. That is one of the reasons we were a good match. We come from the same collegial background. It is a different way to do things. We have some active conversations at the board but we haven’t had one vote that hasn’t been unanimous yet. MJW: That is pretty much true over 28 years, actually. I can think of one. DS: I always dreamed of collaborative leadership. Because of my experience in the past – I never thought I would meet someone who felt the same way. Questions asked by Michael Bailey from the Athletic MB: I was going to ask Mark – you are the face, but should fans see it as a group of investors that you’re leading? Is that fair to say? MA: It is probably somewhere in between that. I have the team investing in this. I have a number of our executives who are assisting in a variety of things – primarily finance, legal and data driven. Not that they don’t have full staff here, but sports has become a big business. Even smaller companies are big businesses. It’s not what it was 20 years ago when I first bought the Brewers. If executives are going to be working on this then the team should have an ownership interest and my partners there would have an ownership interest indirectly through the Brewers. Then I’m investing and a third partner called Richard Ressler who runs CIM Group, a private equity real estate professional. We were college roommates and there is any number of development opportunities around Norwich and the stadium that would be real estate related. You see across sports that infrastructure investments around sporting organisations are a big way to drive revenues and therefore improve on the field. That is the group. We have a small family and friends group, this is perhaps more detail than I should give, but nobody is getting charged a fee. They bring expertise in a variety of things that we think we would need. I’m not a control freak but on both investments I have sole control because every time we need to make a decision I cannot go and take a poll. Stuart was calling me about some of the signings at midnight making decisions and wanting to know, since we are helping fund those decisions, if I’m okay with it. If I say ‘hold on, I have to go and phone our five investors’, it doesn’t work. Some of the best things we done for the Brewers are when I’ve had to make a decision in an hour. You have to have control but you have to communicate well so there are no surprises for anyone. MB: It’s been 14 months since you’ve been on the board – 18 months since that Spurs game. Is there one thing, having been on this journey with soccer, that resonates with you that you’ve learned? MA: The energy is unbelievable. You try and get a sense of time but when you have a one goal lead, the clock does not move fast enough. And when you’re one down it goes so slow. We had some momentum at the end of the Watford game and we were already in the third minute of four added time. The passion – there is nothing like it. That has been my biggest takeaway. MB: Delia and Michael – if I can ask you about Stuart. It must have been really tough when it came to the moment of him actually leaving. How hard was that compared to others in 28 years? DS: It was very hard. But in all honesty, when we interviewed Stuart for the job here, he told us it wouldn’t be forever because he wanted to work in Germany, Spain. We knew it was coming. When he wanted to climb Everest he was only having the time off that he was owed anyway. We thought ‘oh, we’ve got him until he climbs Everest’. We were devastated. Delia Smith and Michael Wynn Jones during the interview. (Image: Adam Harvey/Newsquest) MB: Do you see a situation where he is still involved? There was due to be a long handover and he’s contracted until March. Is it like over and ended or is he still available? DS: Yes, he’s a huge friend. MJW: I imagine, in a highly unofficial capacity, if we asked him a question then he would give us his professional opinion and an honest answer. DS: And it’s the same with Ben. He has contact with him all the time. MA: He is still under contract through to March. Stuart was the one who came to us and said ‘if I’m still in the building, everyone is going to keep coming to me and not to Ben. They have to go to Ben’. It was Stuart’s idea. MB: I reckon I’ve got one more – It’s fair to say, Delia and Michael, you can see the moment where you are not the custodians of the club? DS: Of course, given our age! MB: Do you hope that Tom is still a longer term part of the club? DS: All we want is the best for our football club. With or without us. As long as we get the very best we can get, then we’re happy. At heart, we are both passionate supporters and all we want is the very best. We hope we can achieve that. MJW: Even if we have to go back to our seats in the River End. DS: We still have our season tickets but we give them to other people to use. When we first became board directors we said let’s keep them in case we don’t like being board directors.
  10. 13 points
    This James Dyson? Leading Brexiteer Dyson who chooses to set up much of his wealth in offshore tax havens? https://uk.sports.yahoo.com/news/brexiteer-james-dyson-among-those-140530089.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAJmJxidMroAEqdftxdGOYeJEF7Y4He3VjA1NIVbC3PwQyqdB2C_VT8jZfjSq5-aGCZDfy5LY7n-xrHHHmn1deUWRiudE6O1Vanme-W0q7l95m5Tb-CBg4rq20z5aBCJpfALsb4sa3i7g68MsgPORFJi32Vgad8gKy0deJ3hBaVTC
  11. 13 points
    That would be a good thing, he was excellent in his time as chairman here.
  12. 13 points
    Personally I'm finding the petrified focus on Ipswich very strange. With the club in the situation it's in, that lot are the last thing on my mind
  13. 13 points
    Given the small amount of interest on the debt which has accrued since he took over, it's clear that the club is now in a worse position than when he started. The squad has also aged by a day. I'm not calling for his head yet but it's a bad start.
  14. 13 points
    I’d rather pull my eyes out with Chop sticks than watch GB news and it’s right wing propaganda.
  15. 13 points
  16. 12 points
    Spot on. And they need to realise that making sweeping generalisations such as these will, in turn, lead to more (and more vociferous) criticism. A lot of Delia's supposed supportive 80% (of which I am one) would no doubt agree that the language used over the past few days is entirely unfair on the supporters. It's such divisive rhetoric to divide the fanbase into 'wonderful fans' (those who don't complain) and 'boo boys' (who do complain). We all have a lifelong vested interest in this football club, and we're all entitled to our opinions. Even though I know there is a small minority of fans who are vitriolic and deeply unpleasant, there are probably a huge number of loyal, fair-minded and reasonable supporters who are entirely unappreciative of the way she and her husband have behaved in recent days. The complete straight-batting of Connor Southwell's very reasonable question about governance was especially galling. For a couple who have spent their entire lives in the media, they don't half drop some PR blunders. It might be prudent at this juncture to show a bit more humility; in their advanced years, it should be more apparent than ever to them that while they are still 'majority shareholders', they are 'custodians' of a priceless community asset rather than 'owners' of a commodity. I do hope the end of their tenure is not bookmarked by an increasing amount of sniping at the fans. It's not a good look.
  17. 12 points
    Sentimental rubbish. She doesn't give respect, so doesn't deserve any. She's lead a very charmed life at NCFC, but due the AGM debacle has shown once and for all that her and MWJ are not fit for purpose.
  18. 11 points
    Tell you who I do think we miss in the middle - Lukas Rupp. Gave us some pace, a good work rate and was diligent out of possession.
  19. 11 points
    I think this shows just how differently our current plight is viewed from inside the club: they obviously think he's done a great job and it's just down to bad luck that we're near the bottom of the Championship with many players looking closer to League One than Premier League level. The rot runs deep.
  20. 10 points
    It was coming down like cats and dogs when I got up this morning and biking didn't look like a sensible option, thankfully my daughter came to the rescue and gave us a lift to the ground. the rain had passed through by 2pm and conditions seemed ideal come kick off time. I wasn't surprised to see Idah keep his place after last weeks heroics while yet again Hernandez continued to be first choice despite indifferent form. midfield congestion stifled the early play until in the fifth minute, Idah rode a couple of tackles and sent Sara away to the right of goal but he couldn't shake the defender who blocked his shot for a corner. It was about now that the sky suddenly darkened and a storm of almost biblical proportions swept across the ground, driving several in the front rows of the South Stand to seek shelter. Thankfully it passed through quickly and as conditions cleared Hernandez raced away down thr left and managed to cut thee ball back to Nunez just outside the box. The little man struck his shot well enough but it skimmed a foot wide of Woodmans right post. We saw almost nothing from the visitors who appeared to be more concerned with getting everyone behind the ball than attacking. City racked up the pass count and seemed to be turning the screw as we reached the mid point of the half. Nunez and Sara both had shots blocked as the Preston defenders closed ranks. It was difficult for the home side to create a clear opening but just before the half hour Ginny got Hernandez away down the left but Woodman judged his angles well and was able to block the shot away. It was frustrating stuff as City were passing Preston off the pitch but just couldn't find a cutting edge. The closest we came to an opener in the first half was when a defender misjudged a cross from the left and Fassnacht was able to chest the ball down at the far post and shoot past Woodman only for a defender to hoof the ball away near the line. I thought Wagner might have slung Rowe on for the second half but he persisted with the starting eleven for another ten minutes durng which time the match continued to follow the same path as the opening forty five. Preston finally won a free kick in our half and a header skimmed just wide of the angle with Gunn relieved to see it go over. Wagner took the hint and swapped Barnes and Fassnacht for Gibbs and Rowe and the pass count continued to tick up without any clear cut openings emerging. Rowe did get on the end of a cross but with so many defenders in the box the ball was cleared after a bit of ping pong. At the other end a rare Preston foray ended with a shot that clipped the bar after Gunn didn't get enough on his punched clearance. It was a warning that despite all the City domination of possession, one mistake could be fatal. The crowd however roused themselves and we did get a bit of noise and even some chanting back and forth from the Snakepit to the Barclay. Unfortunately it couldn't drum up a goal although with fifteen minutes left Gibbs had what was the best opportunity of the match. Kenny surged forward and found Sara who quickly cut the ball into the box where Gibbs, having timed his run perfectly, had space to pick his spot but could only roll the ball agonisingly wide of Woodman's left post. You somehow know after something like that that it isn't going to be our day. We had Sainz on for Hernandez and Fisher for Stacey but things continued to roll in the same old way with plenty of passing across the eighteen yard line but little of note that might bother the Preston keeper. In the final knockings Duffy got a good header on target and I was half out of my seat before disppointingly seeing it bundled away from the line. After that it was just huff and puff until the final whistle. A couple of months ago we would have lost this game one nil because of a silly defensive error so I suppose that is some sort of progress. Kenny, Sara and Nunez were our best players on the day and I wouldn't begrudge either of them getting MOM. In all honesty it was an averagely middling contest between two average mid table sides. One didn't do enough to win it and the other did enough not to lose it.
  21. 10 points
    Third late winner of the season for Adam - not bad for the worst centre forward ever to play for us.....................
  22. 10 points
    We simply lack the required passing ability to perform at this level. There's literally no point in Hernandez being on the pitch because he can't ever play a successful attacking pass. We can't hit teams on the break because we can't play the two or three quick passes to cut teams open. There's been so much emphasis on physical attributes and workrate, they entirely forgot to sign players who can actually kick the ball in the right direction. This squad is going nowhere until we find a way to get some skillful players into the midfield.
  23. 10 points
    It was a cold night but there was a decent enough turn out as we kicked off just after 7.00pm. All the usual suspects were in attendance and it was good to see Mr Attanasio had bothered to make the trip. After a short video we moved on to formal business with the re-election of Tom Smith and MWJ. I had heard rumours of a boycott but both were elected with only a handful of disenters. Tom Smith kicked off with some prepared questions. 1 .Could the Board provide a Financial Presentation to shareholders? they seemed reluctant and quickly fobbed this off. They are happy debt is now held in house. 2. What did Marks company expect to gain from association with Norwich City and how would it help the club. mainly it would help to raise the profile. 3. Amortisation of 23 million last year (players) picture would look better next year Questions from Floor 4. Re Womens game, what experience could Napper bring Involved at Arsenal from the start, was keen to progress this 5. Match Day Experience, unhappy with end of Golden Goal tickets and Pies not up to scratch. Oh dear, lots of laughter but no answer. 6. Questioner unhappy with dramatic decline and ageing side. They were aware and will address, Napper mentioned January transfer window. No real answer other than that. 7. Written question re conflicts of interest on the Board. Answer, Board aware of legal implications. 8. A question on number of football employees going up from 139 to 161 Explained as a reallocation of staff 9. Someone wanted the exact numbers of voters in the September resolutions. I didn't hear a clear answer to this. 10. A question re USA involvement and respect of our system of promotion and relegation. Mark answered that there are 35 clubs with some sort of USA involvement. He fully respected that promotion etc was an integral part of the English game. 11. Dire 2.5 years, terrible mismanagement. protracted take over, we need hope. Delia mentioned Covid losses (£30 million) she also got a bit passionate about negativity and there was a bit of back and forth from the floor. 13. re a report that Wager was safe for season apparently a rumour from TNC 14. Why is Wagner not here? the usual reply that coaches don't get invited. (untrue re Farke, Lambert etc) seems to me they do get invited when things are going well. 15. Womens Game more waffle 16. Re changing coach and system Napper replied, only in job eighteen days, he will evaluate in his own time. 17. How can we reduce financial losses. Attanasio has contacts with financial institutions and would approach third party if needed. 18. Womens game again re away travel. They would look into it. 19. Age profile and players not good enough. Neil Adams said they were aware of weaknesses and would look at options. Delia mentioned injury situation. 20. Resposibility for recruitment. Napper said ultimately it was his responsibility but the coach must have an input. 21. Injuries, why so many. Napper was concerned about soft tissue injuries and would investigate. 22. Communication between Board and Supporters poor. Zoe explained they did several Q & A sessions out in the county last year. 23. Finacial position horrific, parachute payments ending. Attanasio said they would continue to finance as a prospective Premier club and we were ok for a couple of seasons Thats it in brief.
  24. 10 points
    The problem with Sara is his off the ball work. I think he's our best player, but he is positionally poor and lacks defensive awareness. He was tracking the Watford player who scored their first goal and put in a very half-hearted attempt to block the shot where any decent midfielder would be throwing their body in the way. I don't think we can carry a player like that without serious defensive cover. Either play him at 10 behind the striker or put a proper defensive midfielder behind him.
  25. 10 points
    I didn't expect anything this season to be honest. I never thought we had a chance of the top two, and the Playoffs were a big ask while we tried to rebuild/consolidate. I thought that meant we'd blood the youngsters alongside some old stagers to give them a bit of belief and steel. I thought that was what Barnes and Duffy were for. Did we ever think we could miss Josh Sargent this much? I assumed, somewhat naively, that we would actually play our biggest summer signing when he was fit, rather than stick with a player who was deemed not good enough for us in this league 3 seasons ago. Even so, I simply cannot believe the incompetence on display by our manager and coaching staff. The inability to see what is happening in front of their eyes. The lack of understanding on how to set up a team and how to ask players to perform. The stubbornness of sticking to the same format and expecting something different to happen. The fact that Fassnacht, time and time and time again ball watches rather mark or press his man, and no one shouts at him. That doesn't happen on a Sunday morning! David Wagner may well be a lovely bloke. A football manager he is not. He is completely out of his depth. I'd much rather see Reyes in goal than Long if Gunn is still unfit. I'd rather see Fisher, Warner, Sainz and Gibbs starting. I'd rather get Tomkinson and Kamara back from their loans in January and get them in the squad. And finally.................sign a fn**ckign defensive midfielder!!!!!!!!
  26. 10 points
    Look, first rule of supporting NCFC: When we get 3 points but play badly, performances are all that matter. When we put in a good performance but lose, points are all that matter. Second rule of supporting NCFC: When we play young players and play badly, we need more experience. When (through injury or otherwise) we play more experienced players, even if we win, it's very concerning that our starting line-up consists of mostly a bunch of old cloggers. Pretty dire match to watch, but I can't think of many examples in the past where teams have been so low on confidence and form that they have overnight been able to turn in the whole package of performances and results. Big week for the squad now - away from the pressure of Carrow Road, if the team can keep the results going but provide some of the high-octane football we saw towards the start of the season more people may believe we are turning a corner.
  27. 10 points
    Finland have the right idea: fee-paying schools don't exist so if the super-rich want to invest in education, they have to invest in public schools which everyone can benefit from. What Dyson is doing here, by the sounds of it, is only going increasing the ever-growing gap between the multi-millionaires and the rest of us. It's hardly something to be praised.
  28. 9 points
    The difference is the ball across meant Gunn had no option but to play it where he did, all he could do was get as much on it as possible and basically did get it to near edge of area, at least giving our players an opportunity to react. Whereas Long was palming routine shots straight out in front of him. There's a huge gulf between the two keepers.
  29. 9 points
    I just hope now that folk get off Idah's case. His goal time in terms of the minutes on the pitch is actually decent. Feel so happy for the lad. He will come good but needs the confidence that a crowd right behind him can give. And a great result whatever all the fall out from the AGM. I still want Wagner to leave but much more I want us to win.
  30. 9 points
    The OP is the embodiment of every thing that is wrong with this football club. And has been for a long time. All the best. Big Keith Scott.
  31. 9 points
    I am not so sure she does know her time is up nor her even older husband and as for crass and deplorable that is lost on her following the comments she made on Thursday evening regarding the fans and media.
  32. 9 points
    I've watched a few clips from the interviews and I've got to say something about her tone is really off in these. She just seems frustrated, dismissive and just adding to the general mood music from the club in recent years that us know nothing fans are an annoyance to be tolerated at best. It isn't a great look at all.
  33. 9 points
    Yes, that's about where I'm at. Whatever accusations are levelled at Stuart Webber, he found Attanasio to take Foulger's shares, and it certainly looks from reading that interview as if he really knows what he's doing. If that's Webber's lasting legacy, then it could prove a very adequate counterbalance to the decline we've seen since summer 2021. I think this could be about the best outcome we could hope for given the obvious worsening of on-pitch results and reduction in squad quality/value. We're still 'self-funding', but the 'self' doing the funding is much richer, much better connected, and much more willing to speculate to accumulate. There will be a painful and long-drawn-out transitional period, sure, but it certainly seems that the combined minds of Knapper (from a footballing perspective, with years of experience at Arsenal to draw on) and Attanasio (from a business perspective, with huge amounts of capital and sports team ownership expertise to draw on) could be a really good match for the club. This season could be arduous, but we're not going down and we're not going up. Fingers crossed that at some point in the next six months we have a new head coach with a more progressive style to look forward to, as well as a clearly defined pathway to reducing the average age of the squad, using our statistical model to unearth more diamonds in the rough, and the re-establishment of a tangibly attractive playing style that runs from the Academy through to the first team.
  34. 9 points
    No. And it’s not the same question. If you think Wagner, Knapper and this board can last to the summer without seriously damaging relationships and generating huge levels of toxicity based on current trajectory you’re delusional IMO. It’s 5+ months. Wagners a dead man walking and arguably has been for weeks. Whatever the long term plan is it’s increasing obvious the short term one can’t be do nothing.
  35. 9 points
    Getting the "What for, impersonating a footballer?" line in before anyone else does....
  36. 9 points
    Oh Vince, you should stick to being pompously wrong about football. Which at bottom is a trivial subject. Transferring that ignorance to something that actually matters just makes you look idiotic.
  37. 8 points
    I hear you. Though I’m still not sure what she said was stoking division. What she said is, fundamentally, true. If we get on our own teams backs, it’s manna from heaven for the opposing team and manager. Because things are pretty moody at present, any oppo manager coming to Carrow Road is surely going to suggest that they start really hard, chase everything, and be front foot. It won’t be sustainable, but if us lot start groaning and go quiet(er) then it’s the first battle won. It has changed in recent years too, I think. When we’ve looked like we are challenging - going back years and years - if we conceded there’d be an absolute chorus of OTBC ring out around the ground, an effort to lift the team and confirmation that we were still with them. These days, we might score a goal and then a “How Sh1t Must You Be, We’re Winning At Home” or something might ring out. I love a bit of gallows as much as the next fan but we do seem short on memory as to how bad we could/can be. It can’t possibly help and while clumsily put, she wasn’t wrong. As I’ve said elsewhere, Delia doesn’t change. She says daft things when we’re doing well and daft things when we’re not. It’s just that when we’re doing well she’s that lovable old girl in the background and when we’re not she’s an omnipotent harridan, betrayed by her years. Just like she’s a passenger when we’re in the front foot and running the show when we’re not. It’s all b0ll0cks of course. She’s not banging on the boardroom table and demanding that Hernandez starts; they pay people handsomely to make those decisions and to decide who to let make those choices. I completely understand the animosity towards Wagner; I’d sack him. Yet during the game, our only choice, the only way we can influence the game positively, is to back whoever Wagner picks, get behind them, cane the opposition and berate the officials every time they give a decision against us. Come 90 minutes, if we get thumped, have your “say”. It’s done then. But at least you/we will all know that WE left everything out there for the team even if Hernandez couldn’t finish a Happy Meal or Gibson pass the parcel at a 6yo birthday party. I think that’s what she was driving at and I don’t think she was wrong. I’m certainly not crying about it.
  38. 8 points
  39. 8 points
    Not surprised he's doing well. Amazing fans.
  40. 8 points
    Three wins out of four, it could and should, have been four out of four - leaving us one point outside the playoffs. You can miss out on an automatic place by one point, or twelve points, you still have the same chance in the playoffs. Both Idah and Hwang had begun to hit form. Rowe has been a revelation. And thanks to the academy we are still churning out, and 'polishing' them, Gibbs/Fisher. Today cried out for a draw as Bristol became dominant in the later part of the 2nd half. McLean's pass was not safety first, it was an attempt to win the game. We did. If the ability is not there yet, the intent is. The improvement of a number of players however suggests the former is not far off. By the celebrations after the goal the squad have not lost faith. As to the club, well I dare say a fair few on here have a mortgage. City have loans. Technically they are debts, but I don't think the club are any more worried than you and me about these debts. They are being serviced (paid) We have two winnable home games upcoming. Points that will put 'us in the mix' if we win. Don't right off the season just yet. Hanley, Gibson, Sgt and Hwang all to return. And a couple of decent loans we could be looking to retain a play off place. Delia. Yes she does put her foot in it. Most of you will no doubt have a relative this Xmas who after too much of the electric soup makes some idiot remarks(s). We tolerate them because they are family. Delia has her heart in the right place, if it is all too often worn on her sleeve. But better her than any number of shysters at other clubs. And she and Michael have kept the club going when we could have followed the likes of Charlton, Derby, Sheff Weds and numerous others I have no doubt that there will still be the usually suspects who will want to find fault. There were, even during our promotion seasons. However, it is a matter of whether your glass is half full or half empty...................fully empty in the case of one of our Norwich City family Onwards and upwards Rob
  41. 8 points
    Bloody brilliant after losing midweek, good for Idah, that’s 6 goals this season, more than Barnes & Hwang combined! Also really pleased for Wagner, got three wins out of four now! Get the youngsters on there Wagner have faith in Rowe, Idah, Fisher, Sainz!
  42. 8 points
    The absolute banter option is for Russ or Farke to push Ipswich out of the top two on the last day of the season, us to scrape bizarrely into sixth place via something ridiculous like a last-minute fluke og, and for us to beat them in the play-off semi final despite having finished the season 20 points or more behind them.
  43. 8 points
    I don’t think there’s any need to push, the door is open and the change will come, the debt and structure of the loans are set up for trigger event at which ever point MA want to pull the trigger! MA being clever, he’s being polite to an owner who still has a lot of respect and love from the fans and he doesn’t want to be seen as aggressive and alienate any part of his potential income stream! Should the crown of 20% turn out to be 80% as some think, then I’m sure he’d give the current 40% shareholders a way out in a very positive manner. As much as I do like to wind up those who utterly will not have a bad word said about MWJ & DS, they’ve been at best decent custodians and deserve thanks for their time, they haven’t done it for spite but, just the love of the club, some like to think they’ve gain massively, too a degree they have, from being linked and have had the perks which come along with ownership for 28 years! I’m sure they’ve done everything in their view the right way and some including me have rightly questioned on here if some choices have been right and when pressed you can see Delia has a very fiery personality when challenged, she will go on the offensive and say things some get offended by, but in reality it’s pretty much a human trait, but sometimes it’s best not to say anything just think it! I’m sorry but there’s no need for more of this type of thread, results in the next three games will do that job! If we don’t win and get tonked by the binners the next home game after might be the start of the 80% letting the board blonde that the change needs to be accelerated. But in all this DS & MWJ shouldn’t be made to look like the evil pantomime villains, they have done their best in their minds and they put the money in to have that control. When they go from the board it will be with my thanks and I hope they get a lifetime of love from us fans, they deserve that much regardless of this current situation.
  44. 8 points
  45. 8 points
    The most reassuring point in there is MA saying he sees the loans as self funding. The most concerning part is Delia and MWJ's complete rejection of any concern over governance.
  46. 8 points
    I find it incredible (but not surprised) that Wagner hasn’t been sacked, not just for the run of defeats, but for last night’s performance & for the lack of football identity. I genuinely don’t think Wagner has a clue what style of football he thinks is best suited for the players at the club, he keeps chopping & changing players, trying to put square peg’s into round holes, sure he can mention that we’ve picked up injuries, but which team hasn’t. Apart from the squad which was relegated to League 1, I can’t remember a Norwich team so disorganised, clueless of what they should do with the ball in so many situations during games. Why wait for the obvious inevitable, just get rid of Wagner.
  47. 8 points
    Did he get a dressing on his foot?
  48. 8 points
    No it wouldn't be OK. He's a disgusting man and he doesn't like football anyway. The only reason he'd buy the club would be to close it down and sell the land. When he came up with the money for Holt Hall he could have made it a facility for all the children of Norfolk but he chose to give it to a small few.
  49. 8 points
    The Southgate hate will never mot baffle me. Not the most exciting manager sure, but we've qualified with ease and beat Italy twice in process. I do wish he'd move away from Henderson and Maguire but its worth remembering qualification isn't always a cakewalk.
  50. 8 points
    You really have lost it. We all welcome back Sonyc except you.
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