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Nutty, much has changed around the area of the football ground since i was a boy. Bolton and Pauls has gone and much of what used to be Lawrence and Scotts has morphed into residential properties. In the fifties the whole district was industrial and the railway yards, now its mostly retail and housing. My grandparents used to live in King Street so it was very handy for going to the football and it was a very colourful area in those days what with the cattle market just round the corner. It was a common sight to see cows bing driven through the streets on a Saturday. I was biking down King Street to a match a few weeks ago and i had a flashback of walking down that street on a Saturday afternoon with my uncle and cousin some time in the early sixties. The breweries were still operating then and you always got the smell of the beer and the noise of bottles when you walked past what used to be Youngs Crawshay and Youngs. The time i was recalling must have been an FA cup match and i can still picture hoards of Sunderland supporters spilling over the pavement outside the Ferry Inn. There must have been eight or nine pubs in King Street in those days. Different times mate but the City seemed a more colourful place in those days and it still does in my memory.

I can’t believe the number of posters making comments along the lines of “we can do better”! Really? Perhaps they can suggest who is better, in our budget and likely to consider coming here? I agree the chances are we will sign a forward from abroad who we’ve never heard of, but proven strikers at Premier League level are in a shop we can’t afford to buy from. Jordan - at a realistic cost - would be a decent buy. Somewhere between 5-10 goals from him could be enough to help us stay up, and we all know what that is worth.

How many goals did Pukki score for Celtic? How many Champs standard games had CZ played before he became a CB mainstay? Had we bought Aarons and bunged him straight in we would have been appalled. Did anyone expect Stieperman to be a goalscoring rampaging AM? Had anyone heard of Emi? My point is that neither cost nor past performance at other clubs are pointers to whether someone is right. This team is a no name bugdet buy special cleverly put together. See Sanchez and Pogba as higher level examples of expensive"upgrades" which flopped. For me Rhodes ticks as many boxes as there are: probably cheap, experienced, fits the ethos, happy to be here, will not complain if used as back up and scoes goals when given the chance. Seems pretty low risk to me. Anyone better will cost too much, is risky, and takes budget from other positions needing upgrading.

Ricardo, you really ought to get this all down on paper for future generations, mate. Your memories shouldn't be lost.

Welcome Jack My tip is never post when drunk🍺 And hesitate even when sober 😉 👍

Yes, if you had to go down Riverside Rd you had to work your way over to the far side of the road else you'd be swept on over Carrow Bridge before your feet touched the floor. Getting out of the ground is much slower nowadays, back then in a 30k plus crowd most would be standing and old Russell Allison would open those big green gates with about twentyfive minutes left to play. There were always a few who came in and watched the last knockings for free. When the final whistle went they all flooded down the steps into Carrow Rd. Those who have never experienced it probably won't believe me, but you could literally take your feet off the floor and be carried along.

Yes a lot of people biked to the match back then and several of the terrace house made a few bob looking after bikes on match days. When I was in my teens we lived near to the Plumstead Rd Library and I always biked to the ground. There used to be a safe place at the Barclay End where you could leave your bike for threepence. You would get two numbered wooden tokens, one to hang on your handlebars and one to keep in your pocket and had to hand both back to claim your bike. I used to get right near the back of the Barclay and when the final whistle went, bolt down the steps and get away before the crush. Up over the bridge, along Thorpe Rd, through Wellesley Avenue woods and be home in time for Sports Report.🚴‍♂️😁

Coming back to Norwich for the football is one of the finer things in life for an exile to do. Childhood leaves indelible footprints in your mind, you never really forget where you were brought up and childhood memories are brought back into focus every time you go back after a long time away from the city. My family and most of my friends have moved away from Norwich, so the only reason to visit now is the football club - and that is good enough reason. Like Ricardo mentions, going to the football years ago meant walking past derelict looking railway sidings and warehouses - it always seemed a long way to walk as a kid, so the way the football club has been brought into a better connection to the city centre is brilliant imo. It is much more visible than it ever was and the whole area is bustling with people and it is a short walk from the station, rather than a longer walk round by the river as it used to be. One of the biggest changes from when I was growing up in the sixties is the spendid victorian landmark that was there before the Nelson Hotel - the Great Eastern Hotel - I remember it being demolished and watched the rather mundane looking building that replaced it emerge. To my mind the city looks much better on the whole than it did when I was living there.......shame about Castle Gardens though which seems to have lost it's well cared for look that it had before the shopping centre was built....but the football is just as alive and vibrant as it always was - more so than ever this season - and a fantastic reason to still keep coming back to the city.

HAH we are going to see rumours all summer long and I am happy to have that as news otherwise is so so slow. I also don't mind just 1 topic with those rumours it can bring debate without flooding a message board. As you say there are less reliable opinion sites, news sites and blogs but it does not hurt to discuss.

I'd be happy to sign Rhodes permanently or on loan again next season - he obviously fits in well with the squad and can be relied upon to make an impact as a sub or start games and score goals. He knows the system and style of play - something that Srbeny will be more familiar with now too. Comparing previous times he's been in the prem or wherever goal stats can be misleading - I suspect goals scored is one of many things looked at when signing a striker and might not be weighted as much as some of the views on here. In my dream world, where i can speculate as though I know something, I would think that a loan arrangement with a bonus fee and agreed sale fee if we stay up could be enough to get him again next season.

The question for me will always be if he were that good and could do a job in the PL, why hasn't he been picked up before and is currently surplus to requirements at Sheff Wed? Like Bamford, good enough for the Championship but the step up a level is too great. But at least he doesn't look like Lady Diana and play with the centre of gravity in his neck.

Welcome Jack, just keep ncfc as your topic and ignore the morons on here...you will soon find out who they are! The name "Waveney" is one that is closely knit with "moron"...

We've only just managed to unload Naismith and Jarvis, we don't need to start picking up more expensive cast offs.

Learn what a 502 Gateway error is and you'll be fine.

Roads? Where we’re going we don’t need roads 😁

In the quiet period before the message board heats up again readers might be interested in the following: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2018/jun/22/jon-mcgregor-made-in-norwich?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other Like so many of us that have left the ‘fine city’ (due to career moves), football has certainly kept me connected to the city.

Hopefully he'll stay fit, have a great season and this'll be the start of our "Screw over Ipswich by helping their opposition" plan 😉

Ha! If you wanted to leave early you'd have be positioned to do so. There'd be none of the "leaving early to beat the traffic" malarkey we get now. Imagine standing half way up the middle of a terrace and expecting to get away early. "Excuse me....." Lol! As if......

Same agent as Naismith’s I reckon, Bob!

Last thing I heard was he couldn't leave his house in Oz as he couldn't find his door keys...

Ah yes, the Ross McCormack rumours, I remember that. Whatever happened to him? Is he still at Villa?

Yes it was a lively old riverside back then. I remember the grain ships that used to come up to Reads Flour Mill and all the blokes standing ouside covered in white flour.😁 The dutch sailors used to drink in my wifes grandmothers pub. One day they pulled the old girls bloomers off the linen line and ran them up the mast. My grandmother lived at the top of King Street just before you get to Rose Lane. Theres an office building there now. She had a passage that ran down onto Rose Lane and she would often have sheep or cows run up there if someone forgot to fasten the gate. The young uns who dont remember the old wooden stands missed a real treat and I often wonder if they would still crave for standing areas if they had the experiences we had. The times Ive stood in the packed open river end soaking wet top half and dry below the chest. Ive got a picture in my mind of a rainy afternoon and Laurie Sheffield scoring with a header against Northampton I think, but I wouldnt swear on it. Football is about so much more than just the game. I remember little instances of games from sixty years ago but its the feel of it that really stays with you. I can link all the stages of my life through football matches. I guess its something we all do really.

Similar to the 'saloon nutty's gran went to ..... the Pudding Basin

It was nutty and it was (and still is) called the turning basin.

I'm not so sure VAR will help the smaller teams at all. They have already announced that any player calling for VAR will get booked and it is up to the ref to decide whether to go to VAR or not. What is he more likely to go to VAR for? A possible Norwich penalty at Old Trafford or a possible MU penalty at Carrow Road. It'll be the same bias, just moved to the choice of whether to go to VAR or not rather than whether to give the penalty or not.

It's too.

Would he play much more in the Premier League? Isn't that the point? He isn't going to get many, if any appearances if we get another striker to compete with Pukki. I ask again who or what type of player are people wanting to get as a third or fourth striker who is experienced enough to be able to come on and possibly score vital goals? A youngster? Because that is the only viable alternative.

He didn't play much that's why he only got 6. I look at the goals he did get, he took them all really well. People go on about he can't handle the Premier League but from what I've seen he knows how to sniff out a goal.

Would literally walk into your lots team and comfortably be the standout player. Too good for League One, mind.

"Realistically, would we be suggesting Rhodes had he not been here last season? I think most fans would be really underwhelmed." Surely that's the point though, we know exactly what we are getting both on and off the pitch. We were all ecstatic about the RVW signing whilst hardly having a clue about him. Look how that turned out. Farke is canny about footballers, he knows a good fit. Webber is canny with money, he knows good value. I go along with whatever decision is arrived at.

A reminder that next season we will be playing in the Premier League, and not the Championship. Rhodes has scored 20 league goals in 4 seasons. I get that he's a nice lad and a good influence, but I'm sure Webber/Farke can find a striker for similar money that is going to have the mobility and pace to offer something different off the bench. We need to be looking at a striker offering different attributes, not just a cheerleader on the bench. Realistically, would we be suggesting Rhodes had he not been here last season? I think most fans would be really underwhelmed.

But drazen, we do need to burn money on someone who is not going to spend much time on the pitch, so they should be good in the dressing room and able to step up when they do get those fleeting minutes and JR has proven that. I was originally of the so long and thanks brigade but am coming around to thinking this would be a good move if the price is right...

Do your homework on Fabio Quagliarella. Lake District Canary will take the opposing view on most things and will NEVER back down. EVER. Beating West Ham will relegate us. Learn to spell Houghton, Krull and Rhoades. Ask Nutty Nigel about PUPs. The Stowmarket Two are devils incarnate...unless we are doing well. WFLGH. Beware the Inner Circle...

Not dismissive but realistic. We don't have money to burn on wages for someone who is good in the dressing room but spends minimal amounts of time on the pitch and he will not get many chances if he does come on. We need to avoid sentiment and start looking forward. If Farke and Webber wanted him, I'm sure we'd have him by now. Thanks JR, you did your bit, but keep picking up the money in the Champs.

'IN EVERYTHING he does, genial, secretive, tycoon Marcus Evans means business......... It's about getting Ipswich Town to where he believes the club should be - and then keeping it there .... He has certainly done that. They must be delighted. Bravo Sir. Bravo! '

Just ran my eye over the report about our centre halves and it reminded me of this thread. Hanley and klose started this season with Marshall at right back, I think husband played a little too. So once the full back positions were more settled the stats should improve. Hanley had an excellent season before last and therefore is still a very valuable piece. Delighted with our centre halves, looking forward to our right back cover and potentially the Liverpool youngster joining. The defensive midfielder position upgrade is essential in the premier League. Trybull is very efficient but it is a key position where we need a more imposing presence and less reactive. I think Aaron's got more cover with buendia, who tracked back excellently. But onel still put in the work but probably does not a ap at heels as much. Buendia is an exceptional talent and I think he in the team clearly makes so many better. Onel out probably is not as critical, may be a tad harsh. But Buendias tenacity in defence and ability to move from defence to attack is the best I have seen at CR for many, many years.

The squad at the moment has Pukki, Srbeny and Oliveira as its strikers (as well as Morris and Idah). I’d say Rhodes would instantly improve that. Pukki will be first choice obviously so it’s then finding 2 other strikers, one to push Pukki for a start and another (the srbeny of this season) for the odd appearance and ready in case of injuries etc. Rhodes would perfectly fit the bill for this role and as has been said, knows the club, wants to be here, is good in the dressing room, will help out the youngsters and, as he showed, is a very competent finisher. He’s also ready and waiting if we are to return to the championship, to perform a similar role to the one he’s just done for us, which was key to our successful season. The only question therefore is cost. Get him at the right price and it’s a no brainer.

I think we have to be realistic here. He is a striker who knows the club, will not upset the dressing room and someone who DF trusts. Yes, it is true he is not a Pukki, but another Pukki will not just sit on the bench for most of the season a be part of a greater team. JR at the right price, is a good opportunity to secure a good player for the next two seasons, given our spending power. The cost of a striker who would score the same amount of goals in the championship as he has done is out of our range, even now it seems. Last season when needing a goal he was brought on and changed games for us, scoring and setting up others. Infact on one occasion the ref blew the whistle when I was convinced he was about to notch another one at the Barclay end. Whilst it would be a concern to see him as our main striker if an injury occurred, I'm not sure DF sees that as the final piece in the striking department. I hope we secure him for a snip then speculate on another Bellamy or Maddison type player.

Could be kings Lynn soon. Even then Ip**** wouldn’t win

Welcome Jack, before you get started, we need some information about you. Where you were born, D.O.B. How long you've supported Norwich, are you a happy clapper? Season ticket holder? Where you sit and does it have a restricted view? Where you stand on Tim Krul, Jordan Rhodes and Kenny McLean. Do you buy a program? Lager or Bitter? Passport number, and do you know anybody who follows 1p5wich? You do understand that we can't just let anyone join in. 😎

I'm not sure if that explains why Aarons has the edge on passing, duels, tackles, blocks, interceptions, clearances, fouls conceded, fouls won, goals, shooting accuracy, assists and chances created. Aerial duels and recoveries are basically level (Aarons is again marginally ahead on both but we're talking around 1-2% difference) and the only thing that Lewis wins on is crosses. As an aside, I've compared Buendia to both Grealish and Pablo Hernandez. On the whole, Buendia loses out to them in terms of general stats (certainly loses to Grealish) and attacking stats (certainly loses to Hernandez) but his defensive stats are incredible.

Waveney never introduces himself to the forum...... Come to think of it, he never says goodbye either.

Welcome Jack. WE ARE PREMIER LEAGUE!

Welcome Jack, not much to know ignore the morons and it's a pleasant forum

Where do I start ? 😁

We will need experienced players in the squad and home grown players too. He fits the bill - and the team proved they could make chances for him last season, even though he had limited time on the pitch. Worthy of a place in the squad imo - we will surely get another striker in too, so where else are we going to get a third or fourth striker of any worth who would be ok sitting on the bench most of the season but still be able to give their all when required?

It must be terrible for them to think about what our club has achieved in the last eleven years compared to theirs. We have had a roller coaster of a ride with never a dull moment - 4 promotions, 3 relegations, 4 seasons in the top flight, a never to be forgotten Wembley success, the best young player in the country pass through our books, a season just had that surpasses nearly anything we have seen before, playing a style of football rarely seen at the club. What have they had? Ten years of mediocrity and an awful season where totally ironically, an ex-Norwich manager took them down to League 1. I'm not one to crow about the rivalry between the two clubs, but the difference in the two clubs' fortunes since they got Evans is spectacular. Our star right now is as high as it has ever been, with a high value squad, progressive management and coaching and the rewards that come with getting promoted to the PL again. I'm sure the balance will change again, but right now, the clubs are miles and miles apart in almost every way.

And Trevor Putney

Does anyone else miss westcoast?

If it is someone like the French lad from Lorient who can play wide and as a striker, Rhodes and Pukki as Norwich’s three strikers that isn’t awful. Building a strike force is also tricky. They command the biggest fees and wages, so having good back up is difficult. You’d ideally want your ‘2nd choice’ striker to be first choice in another position, so his wages and the fee aren’t going to waste. 3rd choice strikers will rarely get many minutes and an experienced player there can be good as they are better at being able to hit the ground running should their chance arise. To survive next season Norwich will need a bit of luck, and the luck they could do with most is Pukki not being injured. Any promoted side that needs their 3rd choice striker for significant amount of game time is probably screwed.