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Showing content with the highest reputation on 13/01/20 in Posts

  1. 9 points
    Okay I'll try. I expect to see us playing either in The Championship or The Premier League (not League 1). I hope that we will become an established Premier League team (although I'm not quite sure what a realistic definition of 'established' is - 3 seasons? 5 seasons? forever? ) I expect to be entertained when I go and watch us play (that doesn't necessarily mean us winning the game). I expect the club to be open and honest with fans about what they are doing and what they are trying to achieve. I expect the club to be run in a way that doesn't endanger our future existence - e.g. by not spending recklessly in the pursuit of short term success. I expect the players on the pitch to show effort and commitment.
  2. 9 points
    Maybe but personally I'd rather get relegated than sit through a whole Hughton season again.
  3. 8 points
    I cannot think of a single area where the club is failing to provide me with the 'product' which I expect. Last season was fantastic. This season is disappointing. There is not a club in world that does not have disappointing seasons. Not one. The club has integrity, two-way respect, it provides a great environment for us all. It strives to succeed within its means. It is open and exceptionally approachable. It is always looking to improve.l I really don't ask for much more than this. Would I like Delia and Michael to be 500 times more wealthy? Possibly, but not if it spoiled the fantastic club we have.
  4. 8 points
    TJ, many on this board forget that things are binary: you either do sign players in January or you don’t. If you’re struggling and you don’t you will be heavily criticised, if you do you have to take on huge liabilities (a £5m player is actually a £15m or £20m player: £5m + £50k p/w x 4 years + bonuses+clauses). The transfer fee - often the number reported or referred to - is often fairly irrelevant and easily payable in the Premier. It is the wage and package liabilities that are onerous and destructive in the Championship where a £5m-£10m loss per annum is ‘normal’ . Thus a quality player on loan with something to prove is an excellent piece of business. Farhmann and Amadou are logical versions of this model. Unlike many other clubs - with the ownership and operational model they have - Norwich must focus on keeping their ongoing monthly outgoings low. This poses a problem because actually - upon promotion - capex could easily be spent. It is the contingency of ‘what if’ and the subsequent post-Premier pcm outgoings obligation that is the handbrake. De-facto then we need to keep the money to pay the losses post-relegation. Asking whether one inherently causes the other is a reasonable question. In this context Duda is an excellent signing, in both a sporting and operational sense. Parma
  5. 6 points
    I'm quite happy with where we are. I have no wish to "compete" in the Premier League on a long term basis if that means sacrificing what this club means to its supporters and I don't think any established PL team has what we have. I think being a "yo-yo" team is actually the best we can be and certainly the most enjoyable - I will cherish 2018-19 as the best season I have seen since I started going regularly in 1965 and we wouldn't have that as an established PL team. Maybe 2020-21 will be even better. I'd like to win a cup again - 1985 is a long time ago. I don't care if we get relegated but I don't want us to be ridiculed. Mata said that we have "personality" and I think the wider football world agrees that we are a good team who plays good football, but that we are naïve and open. It's frustrating that we can't defend, but if that's the price for the football going forward then so be it. Rather that than watch Burnley or Palace. When you played with your mates no one wanted to be a full back. The older I get the more I value the club and how it keeps friends and families together. Results matter, but not that much. I trust our current management team more than any other we have had in my lifetime. They don't lie or try to mislead. I am concerned that nephew Tom will have the necessary skill to keep it all going, but I am prepared to give him a chance.
  6. 6 points
    This may be an odd thing to say, but I’m far more comfortable (and enjoying the way we play football) with getting relegated this season than playing boring Hootun football and staying up.
  7. 5 points
    We're an attacking team that doesn't score enough goals. If the plan was to play a free flowing attacking game, where we sacrifice solidity at the back for attacking movement - you have to score more than 1 goal a game on average. Especially when you give a goal away from set-pieces every other game.
  8. 4 points
    Monty, your view is entirely reasonable - and I suspect fairly common - though I would suggest that Norwich’s determination to ‘do different’ mitigated against the seemingly equitable ‘middle ground’ option that you endorse. Personally I feel it underplays the unknowns that were inherent to our decision-making in advance of the season. The ‘Maddisons’ of this world do not have to come to Norwich. We can afford to ‘over-pay’ for them as we can afford headline fees above the going rate for players that won’t demand high wages and liabilities. Contingency bonuses, loyalty and success payments are only payable upon success (when you can afford them) - unlike the millstone in reverse when you have the liabilities and are facing losses. The ‘Maddisons’ of this world want to play however. They are increasingly rejecting lucrative contracts to get a distant squad number at a name club (bravo), in favour of ‘curating’ a career by carefully managing the best level they can reach whilst still being likely to play every week. To this effect we must offer a playing pathway to the ‘Maddisons’. Given that that is the model, it is not enough to talk about it, we must deliver it and - crucially - be seen to deliver it on a bright stage (the EDP is not enough).. This context provides the answer to your point: pre-season it was not in our interests to stall or block the pathways for up-and-coming assets such as Aarons, Lewis, Buendia, Godfrey, Cantwell et al. Other players were also expected to be central: Pukki, Leitner (yes), Hernandez, Klose, Vrancic even. Norwich cannot attract better players to come and not start however much they pay them (which they don’t). Norwich must be careful with money so must buy better than they have or - in effect - not at all. Hence loans for Amadou, Fahrmann, Roberts (all of which looked sensible). Players that are obviously better (pre-season) than what we had - or who would definitely be better than the level our players might reach - would be too expensive for us and would likely prefer elsewhere in any case, or could not be afforded upon relegation. The ‘Maddisons’ of this world are however thrilled by what we have done. Players of course only really think about themselves and their own careers. We have created fabulous PR for the model by not taking the ‘middle way’ and backing our young players (a back three with a 19, 20 and 21 year old is unheard of) - and furthermore sticking to it - is brave and hugely appreciated by ‘Maddisons’ (and many football clubs who are not brave enough to do it, though would love to self-identify that way). Regardless of sporting outcome, financially our key assets: Pukki, Buendia, Godfrey, Aarons, Lewis (and now Cantwell) have increased massively in value. This is success by any club’s measure and it feeds into the pathways that the Maddisons dream of (unlike us it is not finishing a career with Norwich City and helping us win the European Cup). We are a great stepping stone to initial higher level playing action, (some) more money and then the chance of a big move. This is our present and future, with the model designed to grow in increments. Perhaps we will see a Stadium legacy (which for me would be a cute rabbit out of the hat, justify most things and likely please all). So it was no accident and it still isn’t. Whether by design or necessity we have stuck to our model. Whether it has failed or not in sporting terms depends on your starting point, what constitutes success and how long a timeframe you judge it over. It also depends on what you view to be the fundamental responsibilities of business owners. We have played - and continue to play - the cards that we are holding. We are playing them to a hard plan (that seeing beyond the Premier will not be popular is well understood by all those in power). Given the parameters we have I am not sure we can do much else. Far from ‘little old Norwich’ it is quite strategically ruthless in many ways. Parma
  9. 4 points
  10. 4 points
    I will explain as succinctly as I can: I fell in love with NCFC one night in the early 1970's, listening on the radio to a latter stages League Cup game against Chelsea at a fog-shrouded Carrow Road. Affection for the club was embedded that night, and has never left me. Strange, but true. I have lived well away from Norfolk all of the years since until moving to the city last year. During those years living away from Norwich I did work for another EFL club, some of it voluntary, never full-time, doing the things I love in and around football. Working inside football you soon get to see the underbelly - the good and the bad in roughly equal measure. At one time I used to think that I had decent contacts with every club in the League. So, in 2017 I decided it was finally time to cut my ties elsewhere and to commit full time to following City, initially travelling the distance required and more recently as a resident of the city. Now the rub. This is what I have found: the effort that the club puts into treating its supporters fairly and with respect is pretty much unmatched within the upper reaches of the pyramid. The integrity of the club is unmatched. The communication with fans is equally outstanding. The level of entertainment provided is impressive for the size of the club. That's enough to be going on with, I think.
  11. 3 points
    And you are nothing but a FVCKING FLAMER. I would like to take you out on one of our real boats that rock, and tie you to the kedge.
  12. 3 points
    Why is it an odd signing? We haven't got a single attacking midfielder, including buendia, who is capable of competing at this level every week. An experienced addition is essential. They have now bought in two. And the window isn't shut. So the fact we could do with a striker and defender is irrelevant.
  13. 3 points
    I've warned you once before about facts..
  14. 3 points
    How do you know it isn’t? Have I missed something? Is there a written rule that states we sign players in a certain order according to their positions? There’s approximately 3 weeks of the transfer window left 🤦🏻‍♂️
  15. 3 points
    The @paul moy special edition "31st February" ones are going for GBP 100 🙂
  16. 3 points
    If we're talking likes then me & FTW apparently have a combined 1718 to your 702, despite only having about 700 more posts than you combined. Clearly we're the popular kids here.
  17. 3 points
    So long as Leeds still are.
  18. 2 points
    I don’t really know who this is, obviously another german probably highly rated, does anyone know anything about him?
  19. 2 points
    Thanks for that, guess most people missed the bit where he said he normally plays in the centre, as a 6, 8 or 10, but can play wide. Paddy's been banging on that Farke hasn't been able to get a balance in central midfield, feeling that Tettey/Trybull protects the defence but offers little going forward, and Vrancic or Leitner struggle to protect the back four, so maybe this signing is trying to address that.
  20. 2 points
    There is a reason that most transfers go through right at the end of the two windows. The club might have started working on a centre half deal before the two players who have already arrived but everything has to fall in place for it to happen. Players aren’t signed in order of priority but rather as deals fall into place.
  21. 2 points
  22. 2 points
    Didnt realise the window had closed! Done well to get him in time then all things considered. Fans have this weird view that signing a player not in an area we want means we wont sign in the other positions. Bizarre mentality.
  23. 2 points
    Believe it or not, the club cannot determine which deals can be got over the line, and at what time. They may be working on 6 to 8 deals atm, in the knowledge that maybe only one or two will come to fruition. That's how it works. You have to strike while the iron is hot or else the chance is gone.
  24. 2 points
    I strongly suspect that you've never bought a ticket for a Norwich game ever.
  25. 2 points
    I'll sell you one of these Swindo. £20.
  26. 2 points
    Really weird one when every single Norwich City person would say we really need reinforcements up front and in central defence. So we sign 2 central midfielders.
  27. 2 points
  28. 2 points
    A good thread, with plenty of divergent but respectful opinions put forward. While the current owners are in charge, I want us to continue with this strategy of not bankrupting the club by gambling beyond our means in the transfer market, but rather buying young and hungry players on the cheap and promoting talent through our academy. I also would like to be reassured that the club is prepared to seek out possible investors for the future. As I've said on other threads, Delia and Michael have a lot of overall goodwill from our fans (and rightly so) for having looked after our beloved club for 23 years at a time where the financial imperatives of football have kept increasing exponentially. Webber and Farke have a lot of goodwill for having overseen a strategy - both on and off the field - that makes the club solvent, futureproofed and trying to play attractive, progressive football. It is entirely possible that in 18 months' time we might be looking at a future without Delia and Michael, Farke or Webber; in that eventuality, the fans' goodwill won't be automatic. I still believe we'll have an excellent chance of promotion next season if we don't pull off a miracle escape; however, as excellent as this model looks now, if in a couple of years we're marooned in the Championship with no parachute payments on the horizon, a new and unknown Farke/Webber combo at the helm and Tom Smith 'in charge', it certainly won't have the same lustre.
  29. 2 points
    To be fair to LDC, he predicted we might finish 4th, but if you turn the league table upside down we’re actually top ☺️😀👍🏻
  30. 2 points
    As an exile who only goes to a few matches, I would like to see the club - and I include all fans in that - always try to pull together, whatever the circumstances, good or bad. We have seen so many ups and downs - it's actually been a fantastic ride over the years - so I want to see everyone recognising what a great situation we are in. We are currently in the best financial situation perhaps ever in the club's history - and I want that maintained, not thrown away in the pursuit of some fairy land that may or may not exist. Ambition has many forms and the current direction of the club is up - even if we are relegated - and we have a remarkably good set up to take us forwards. The future is secure financially, the pathways for young players is there to the first team - and the quality of ownership is there too. Not in financial terms of course, but as is always said, there is more to it than just money. So I want that the policy of self-sustaining status is maintained with a gradual build up of resources, culminating in a better chance of doing well if we are in the PL, whether it's next season or in seasons to come.
  31. 2 points
    For me it is simple, I want to be entertained and enjoy the football being offered. I have no problem with the goal of remaining one of the top 26 clubs in the country, that reflects our resources. I commend the recent improvement in atmosphere enabled by supporters and backed up by the club. I would like to see firm plans to upgrade the Carrow Rd to allow more supporters to see the team. I never want to see us wear anything other than yellow and green unless we absolutely have to. I would like to know what the business plan is after Delia steps down, as she must fairly soon.
  32. 2 points
  33. 2 points
    Norwich supporters aren't Stepford Wives and all have our opinions and there are probably two main areas of contention. Briefly, are we happy with what we are is one and the other is should we doing more? I am happy with what happens. We wear the Y&G. We have a decent style of football. We have some cracking, valuable players. We will not be doing the same as Bury. We will have another season next year, probably back in the Championship. And we will have great moments of excitement and other moments of despair. But we won't be Spurs or Arsenal supporters, who because of their demands for nothing but success, are savaging their club at the moment.
  34. 2 points
    So, in summary then. We don't score enough goals and we let too many in
  35. 2 points
    Why? This picture tells you all you need to know. 10 City players in our box versus 2 United players and yet Martial gets a free header. Zonal (un)marking, that has been our biggest problem
  36. 2 points
    Apart from Chelsea & Wolves (when I was away), I've tried for and purchased a ticket for every home match this season. Went online at 9am this morning, joined a 20 minute queue, got on the ticket page at 9:22am, had plenty of choice of seats in several parts of the ground, and got my ticket for Liverpool. What I have found is even when a game is sold out, if you regularly check the online ticketing page, seats are always popping up throughout the week with buy backs being put on sale etc. It might be more difficult when one of the big boys come to Carrow Road, but I often randomly check in the lead up to games and have seen seats available for the majority of the fixtures after previously being 'sold out'.
  37. 2 points
    It's a common human trait to try to drag others down to join you in your misery. Theres probably a clinical term for it but as I am only an amateur gynacologist,the name escapes me.
  38. 2 points
    If we go down it will be for several reasons and not just one. Personally I find this daily blame game really boring, but there you are.
  39. 2 points
    Spot on, Ron - post of the year so far 👏
  40. 2 points
    There is a half way house between Hughton and Farke that would keep us up and entertained!!!!
  41. 2 points
    Right that’s it . I’m never posting again. See you all tomorrow.
  42. 2 points
    How to say the same thing over and over again by LDC: thread 4,287
  43. 1 point
    That had occurred to me, Indy. I find extraordinary that we (apparently) have a £9m player who can’t get a start.
  44. 1 point
    I think they won their last 9 last season (drew before that 0-0 vs Everton), so I think it must be 88 from 90. Crazy.
  45. 1 point
    Not for me Kingo, I think that’s where we really lack quality, the defence is often chastised for letting in too many goals, by the reality a lot of goals are because of losing the ball in midfield, not picking up the runners or just not helping out the defence. Tettey has been our outstanding midfielder the others in patches here and there, but generally pretty damn poor. So Steipermann replaced and I can see at least one or two loan central / defensive midfielders coming in.....just my view.
  46. 1 point
    players having the drive to win the ball and poor communication is the issue with this goal, not zonal marking. Martials movement was hardly electric yet hanley gets under the ball by being in the wrong area. I know kenny has not been great at the front post (replaced by trybull post leicester) but hanley is in the wrongplace. it is the players decision making and capability that is lacking.
  47. 1 point
    Wish it was on Christmas Island.......and Operation Grapple was still ongoing.....
  48. 1 point
    Nailed it again parma.
  49. 1 point
    What playgrounds did you go to where "twisted piece of anti-logic" was an insult???
  50. 1 point
    Also there is the Revolutionary Guard who are 'Morality Police' and you wouldn't risk your neighbour shopping you to the RG for not turning up to a protest. That's how they keep people in line.
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