Leaderboard

I've been watching and litening to pundits - even Norwich supporting pundits - say that we need to forget the top six clubs and the real matches are against the rest. This is total b*ll*cks - we aim to win every game, not this "just hold them off as long as we can" rubbish. It's defeatist claptrap and an insult to the team. If we have any ambition this season it should be to aim to win every game we start - and that includes tomorrow's match. What a great opportunity it is to play these great clubs - and show we can not only compete against them but take points of them too. We won't win them all before some bright spark says that is what I am saying - but the aim as we go into each match should be to win them. It's very exciting - we have real quality in depth this season and a way of playing that will work against any club we come up against. So come on, don't believe the pundits the media, the social media hype, the little Norwich syndrome - we are there on merit and have every chance of doing something special this season. The top six clubs are there to be knocked off their pedestal - you can get at them, they are all prone to having goals scored against them, they are all prone to having an off day in front of goal, etc etc - it's football, anything can happen.

Stuart Webber knows instinctively what is coming. “Every expert on TV before the Liverpool game will be writing us off,” Norwich City’s sporting director says. “It’ll be, ‘They have spent no money, it is a disgrace, what are the owners doing, they are stitching the manager up’ . . . blah blah blah. “Internally, as staff and players, we have to utilise that, ‘The whole world thinks you are not good enough because they think we should sign ten new players — what does that say about you?’ That is pretty disrespectful to some of our players.” The coming months will reveal whether Norwich can defy expectations and remain in the Premier League but, in the meantime, other preconceptions can be challenged with rather more haste. The insinuation lingers that this is a club that has lacked ambition in readying itself for a first return to the top flight since 2016, particularly given that a trip to Anfield lies in wait on Friday, yet that depends entirely on the barometer by which City are to be measured. If the gauge is spending £100 million à la Fulham last summer, a spree that ended in a speedy return to the Sky Bet Championship, or Aston Villa this time around — £134 million and counting — then Webber makes no apologies for not meeting that criterion. Alternatively, scratch below the surface and a cluster of young talents have signed new contracts rather than being sold, Daniel Farke, the manager, has committed his future and there is a revamped, state-of-the-art training ground that cost £6 million and replaced the 49 Portakabins that had previously constituted their base. The wage bill will rise to £65 million and Norwich hope the four signings they have made — Josip Drmic and Sam Byram plus Ralf Fährmann and Patrick Roberts on loan — can become the latest examples of how to manipulate the market. Just as Teemu Pukki’s arrival on a free transfer from Brondby a year ago resulted in 29 goals and proved a catalyst for progress. They are backing youth, players such as Max Aarons, Jamal Lewis and Ben Godfrey, placing faith in a squad that scored 93 goals in winning the Championship with 94 points, trusting a manager Webber believes could become world class to eke out more improvement and putting foundations in place that will ensure that, were the worst to happen, relegation is not a disaster. “We might not be able to buy superstars, but we can create them,” Webber says in a neat precis of the club’s mantra. “Coming up has enabled us to get back on a financial footing which will last a long time for this club. It has allowed us to tie down assets which, otherwise, we might have had to sell and it has allowed us to invest massively in an infrastructure which will be here for ever. “We could have sold a Max Aarons for a considerable sum to then help us build the squad but we spoke about keeping this group together because we still think there is a lot of growth in the current players. “Whether they are good enough to stay in the Premier League we are going to find out. We don’t know. But we could spend £100 million and not know. “We cannot talk about the harmony of the group being a major strength and then panic. We actually don’t think we need a major rebuild. We didn’t think we had massive gaps.” History is on their side. No side winning the Championship have been relegated immediately since Cardiff in 2014, while the past has also helped to point the way forward. The reality is that Norwich tried spending big on previous flirtations with the elite only to flatline, and it has taken promotion to resolve the financial mess that came with that flawed splurge. This summer, a bonus payment was made to Everton relating to a promotion clause in Steven Naismith’s contract when he joined for £8.5 million in January 2016. Naismith’s last game for the club was in August 2017 and he spent the last 18 months of his three-year deal on loan at Heart of Midlothian. The sales of James Maddison and the Murphys, Josh and Jacob, in recent years were not with a view to reinvestment but borne out of necessity. “The biggest problem in my time here is that we have made nearly £70 million net in transfers and 95 per cent of it has gone to pay off misdemeanours, not improving things,” Webber says. “If we get to next summer and decide to sell a player for a considerable sum of money then, whatever league we are in, that money can be reinvested.” Webber has been entrusted with pulling a fresh blueprint together by the owners Delia Smith and Michael Wynn-Jones, with success in East Anglia adding depth to the work previously undertaken at Huddersfield Town where he was behind the recruitment of David Wagner. The 35-year-old, who spent three years in Liverpool’s recruitment department earlier in his career, moved to Norwich in 2017, repeating the model of hiring a German coach — as with Wagner — from Borussia Dortmund’s second team. One of the attractions was Farke’s work ethic. Cameras have been installed at Norwich’s training ground to film every session, which can be followed live by a team of analysts. A case study of Farke’s ability to nurture talent would be Godfrey, the 21-year-old who was signed from York City aged 18 and has been transformed from defensive midfielder to centre back. Webber thinks he will play for England. “Daniel has the potential to be a world class coach and he has the potential to one day be stood in Liverpool’s dugout, managing them, not managing against them,” Webber says. “When I was appointed here or when I appointed Daniel, or David at Huddersfield, it was very clear — this is what this club is. If you want a club that is going to spend £40 million on a striker then don’t come. “We are not saying to Daniel, ‘You must keep us up.’ He should be protected in his job, not be the fall guy. We will either be successful or we will fail but we are not going to fail by doing a popularity contest of ‘we must spend £40 million because there is £40 million to spend’. “Our fans are educated enough to know we have spent a lot of money before and it didn’t work. They know the money isn’t being siphoned off into owners’ pockets. Every penny stays within the club and they know we will spend it wisely so that they have a better club at the end of it. We want to become sustainable, really healthy and successful. It would be great if, in five years, we are seen as a club that people want to be like and think, ‘We need to visit Norwich to see what they are doing.’ ”

We've got people stationed at Asda, Colney and Drayton Hall and I've also got a man ready at Carra with a protractor to check the angles of the parking. We're in good shape.

Spooky. Almost as if I knew what was going on inside Webber's head...😎 Based on the reports that we at least made a considerable offer for Claude-Maurice it seems we had available/were prepared to pay out even more money than I expected. Going below the headline signings (which all look excellent), the significant aspect for me is how we are carrying on what has become the policy (which predates Webber and Farke) of developing the next generation of talent. All part of living within our means. This applies just as much to finding young players elsewhere as to having them with us right from the start. Of the four who really broke into the first team last season only Cantwell had come all the way up through our youth system. Godfrey was bought from York City when he was 18 or 19, and Aarons and Lewis were acquired from Luton Town when they were around 16 years old. In this window no fewer than seven such have arrived: Adshead (from Rochdale), Mair (Aberdeen), McAlear (Motherwell), Nizet (Anderlecht), Bushiri (Oostende), Gilmour (Arsenal), and Fitzpartick (Patrick Thistle). I assume some will turn out not to make the grade (by that I mean at least Championship level) but the chances are two or three (Mair for one? Adshead for another?) will do so.

Had a poor start to last season and then got injured. Before that was our best defender and rightly made captain. Some short memories again. He was also pretty quick to stop this ball going out of play...

Yes. Nothing but full respect for the Murphy twins. They are a fantastic example for the merits of our academy which could well have influenced the signings of the current youngsters in the first team as well as some to come. Maybe even the signing of Maddison. Proud of them both and wish them every success.

You said it.....

Great news that he's being offered a new contract Michael Bailey@michaeljbailey 3h As far as I know it will be a new 3-year deal for Webber & I'm sure it'll get done. Whether Norwich City keep him beyond that is a different discussion. But for the here, now & the horizon, it's terrific news. Delia & Michael on that and much, much more:

An Australian friend of mine who happens to be a Newcastle Jets fan pointed out to me today that Wes Hoolahan has signed a one-year contract out in Australia. Good luck to him, moving from Cambridge United to a first division team (although it's Australia) at 37. All the best, Wes! https://www.smh.com.au/sport/soccer/jets-set-to-swoop-on-former-ireland-captain-hoolahan-20190807-p52ev3.html

Binner

Krul Aarons Hanley Godfrey Lewis Trybull. Leitner Buendia. Steipi. Roberts Pukki

I thought Hanley looked better than Klose in the last two friendlies. Stop talking the man down he looks in the shape of his life.

OHHHH NAAAAOOOWWWW HOWWWWW AWFUL We would have never heard those immortal words if it wasn't for Hanley

Sh!t, it's hot down here.

Happy with the summer, not lost any key players and added quality, so on paper might not be massive spending probably £4 million with loan fees, but lengthy contracts to our best players, off loaded the ****e and happy to go with this fantastic squad.

Good post, I’ve never heard of Claude-Maurice before yesterday, but have been caught up in the excitement. If he really was that good, we wouldn’t be getting a look in ahead of the big boys. Granted, we seem to have the magic touch at the moment with our ability to take players with latent potential and make the very best of them - does he fit into this category? If he fits the hype, he’s a level above, more like a Maddison. It’s easy to get carried away and say we should stretch ourselves, but we all know the risks. In Webber we trust.

I think we may be overwhelmed at first - I can imagine Liverpool absolutely battering us for the first half hour for example, & perhaps all match - but I think we'll regroup & are intelligent enough, manager & squad, to find a way to cope. Integral to this is the way our players can sacrifice their own egos to ensure the success of the entire project; they're aware their own futures & reputations will be enhanced by being part of a squad that astounds & confounds pundits & opponents. We are much more than the sum of our parts. I think we'll survive this season & gain a lot of neutral fans along the way.

I think it is feet on the ground time re ACM. First it seems a long odds chance we will get him. But if we did expectations seem to be surging towards the stratosphere. A bit like they did when we signed RvW. We really do not know how good he would be in the Premiership. Arsenal and West Ham apparently were interested but it cooled. Are YouTube clips a good guide? I am sure a great montage of Onel could be put together for last season and the Championship is supposedly a much stronger division than ligue 2. Dropping a reported £15m on a prospect, albeit maybe a great prospect, really does not seem our style and in our financial position nor should it be. OTBC

I have to be honest, I'm quietly pleased that Rhodes isn't coming back. Think we need to look forwards rather than backwards.

Here you go! Actually pretty funny, love the symbolism of the blue tractor 😂

lets to be realistic... With level they rich last season and is virtually the same team they look untouchable at Anfield imo. Of course they not fully fit and ready and also have Supercup Europe game with Chelsea next midweek etc but still pretty much this game is under very big focus as 1st game of the season with late kick off under flood lights and whole world watching.... I have no hopes at all for points but lets we show to the whole world what brave and talented squad we have. When teams play high pressure over us as Swansea did at Carrow Road etc we find difficult to play our game and Liverpool is the master of total pressure will be very long game for us. Its all depend of them and I hope result to not be too harsh at all and Liverpool to underestimated us to be some chance. I have no doubt we will stay easy this season but this game we have no chance at all imo.

Think I lasted until goal number 6 before I left...

Newcastle is more important a real 6 pointer. Liverpool just a warm up for the more important games. I think we'll give Lampards Chelsea a good game too.

Was in the upper Barcley that day. Clearly remember going down to the ground full of confidence thinking we were going to batter them. Massive support, crowd in good voice, almost a party atmosphere. Can honestly say in all the hundreds of games I've been to that one was the most surreal. After the fifth one went in I wasn't even disappointed any more it was like it was happening to someone else's team! Bloody strange thing to say but I wouldn't have missed it for the world. It was an I was there moment from which we sprung Phoenix like from the cr@ppy stuff.

Krul Aarons Hanley Godfrey Lewis Trybull. McClean. Buendia. Steipi. Hernandez Pukki. Harsh on Leitner and Vrancic but I feel McClean has a bit more physicality about him which could be important tomorrow night, hence why he gets my nod. And as much as I think Roberts is the real deal, Hernandez has to start imo

Yes but he’s not first choice is he? Zimmermann back ASAP to build on his partnership with a Godfrey!

It’s not talking the man down it’s waiting to see if he can justify his place, if he can all well and good, we shall see but like everyone else tomorrow night he’ll get the full support of every Norwich fan wanting him to do well so we turn Liverpool over! We all entitled to our opinions, hopefully he’ll prove me totally wrong, look forward to eating my words as it’ll mean we did well.

(But green & yellow...)

What's even funnier is the memory that popped up on my Facebook today: "I think Colchester are going to get battered by the 'new look' Canaries today." Oh, how my friends list laughed at that one afterwards...

Always go to win and believe you can otherwise what's the point. I completely agree with what you are saying but I don't think it's really relevant what pundits etc are saying, it's what the players believe and I am certain they will believe they can get a result. PS, I had a dream about the game last night, 3-1 to City (we went 2 up, they pulled one back and then we scored late). I think I'd take that...

Absolutely right BobLoz3 ! If the bookies call us 8/1 to win then maybe 9 times out of ten we do win plus we'll pick up a draw or two on the way against these teams. In a football match a team with 20 shots on goal can lose to a team with one shot on goal. It happens all the time. It doesn't happen in every game but it happens often enough to be a normal part of football. If the pundits imagine we're going to play any game this season with the intention of rolling over and having our tummy tickled then they've seriously got us wrong.

6-5...we're gona win 6-5....we're gona win 6-5...we're gona....

I have full faith in Hanley and the rest. I had indicated Hanley as Klose was unlikely to be fully fit even before the presser. More they had all played well together vs Toulouse. Stiepermann for his phyicallity ... and he can defend. Onel for a fast out. Dont pull L'pool onto us. Could be McLean for Leitner.

I promise you, you don't 😄

We drew last time too. Courtesy of Russell Martin.

Definitely fits the current Norwich model - young and with plenty of scope to develop! 😆

Quag could be the new Rhodes...cheeky deadline day purchase?

Good luck to Jacob......

As Norwich probably had a sell on clause and payments due relating to appearances then it is bad for Norwich as well.

For a minute I thought you were living up to your name!

Can we get one thing straight please Bit personal Lakey, and so early in the day too...

They seem to forget that the last few times we've been in the Prem we've beaten BOTH the Manchester clubs, along with Spurs and drawn with Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool etc. Any team can beat another on their day. I think we should take that attitude into every game for sure

'Let's be having you Lotus' love it.😂👍

This league is harder than ever but we’ve never had such quality players in a squad promoted .

Thinking more of Xanadu by Rush than ONJ's....

Thanks all. I suppose we will lose but 25/1 is the most ridiculous odds I have ever seen for a Premier League game. If it was 15/1 I would have kept my money in my pocket as usual

It very much depends what measure is being talked about. Last time in the PL our figure for overall Staff Costs, which is the one you will see quoted in most of the league tables for PL finance (in which we are usually in the relegation zone...), was £67m. But the more precise figure for Player Wages was £53m. And that on income of £97m. Our income this time around should be getting close to £130m. This is guesswork, but I would be surprised if our overall Staff Costs this season will be lower than in that previous PL season. I take the point about high earners but the real problem was not that we had them in the PL but that we had them once we got relegated and couldn't get rid of them quickly enough! So if that £65m figure is true I suspect it more refers to Player Wages. On the assumption that income is about £130m that would mean Player Wages will be half of that figure, which is not far short of what they were (55 per cent) in 2015-16.

What would you prefer? The Sport? There’s a great article in the Guardian today about baked potatoes, so that’s two things.

I’ll take the scrappy 1 point all day long from this fixture thanks. There are plenty of remaining games to play the football in