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Nice debating with you last night but now you're just commiting plagiarism 😁 Ugh, hate being that guy dredging up old posts but was so proud of the pun when I thought of it, and crushed when it simply went by unnoticed!

A headline looking for a story if ever I saw one…🤣🤣👌 Parma

Thats because Jesus didnt actually die and then rise again. That was Richarlison.....he can do it at least once a week.😇

Lavatory

Relegation confirmed at the weekend and now this news. What’s next, McLean signs a new 3 year contact?

Farke was effectively shafted twice by Norwich in the Premier League. I would be amazed if every club in the championship would not be interested in him. Three seasons in the championship in 2 championship titles whilst running a negative transfer spend and playing football from the gods.

Put it this way, we have one brilliant season out of two, whereas nearly every other club has one brilliant season in 10 or worse. Sounds good to me.😉

After Webbers antics last week and his arrogance how can anyone criticise Cantwell for not giving 100% when the DOF can’t be arsed! I’m starting to think the club culture is all wrong behind the scenes! I’d be very happy to see Webber given the boot, bring in a decent guy and renegotiate a new contract with Cantwell, he’s got it in him and a firing Cantwell is a big asset at this level!

I think several teams, including past Norwich teams, prove that this isn't 100% accurate. We spent next to nothing under Worthington and drew too many games, being a couple of points off staying up. Most people accept that Ashton in the summer, rather than Jan, when Worthington wanted him, would have turned at least one of those draws into a win thus keeping us up. Many of the players, like Huckerby and Drury, also agree with that conclusion. We didn't break the bank with Lambert either, arguably one of the reasons why he left the club. Nor did we particularly in Hughton's first season. Arguably, it would seem, Norwich tend to do better when they spend less money, not more. Brentford for example, reportedly have the lowest wage bill and likely spent less too. Burnley spent little, and tend to spend little relatively speaking. It doesn't have to be just about "not having enough money". Does it make it easier? I'm not sure. It just opens up the targets you can pick from. Lambert and Karsa could have opted for fewer more expensive players, but they didn't, E. Bennett, Pilkington - sub £3m players. Johnson was free. Morison wasn't a huge amount. We didn't have a "Huckerby" in that side either. The ability appeared to be spread. Holt was great, he dovetailed perfectly with the far less physical Hoolahan for example. I agree with a fair amount of what you are saying I just think it's too easy to say it's ALL about the money. This rather perpetuates a myth I am afraid. The examples people have given in response to me are the likes of Kane, Zaha et al. Fundamentally those are poor comparisons. Why? They are not players on championship wages who feel they should be on good, solid premier league wages and possibly pushing for Europe. Kane is an England international and had his head turned by Man City who then decided Spurs' asking price was too much. Spurs know that Kane is vital to them finishing top six or even top four. He is a Spurs fan and is already on very good money. There is a bit of a bigger change in going from, say, £20k to £60k, than there is from £150k to £200k, especially if you are also playing at a higher level at a younger age where you could then seal an even more lucrative move. Not forgetting that Spurs don't need the money for their model, there is no pressure on them to sell in the same way as us. It also ignores the full extent of the story that is very well versed now. It is rare, but not unheard of to sell one of your best players upon promotion - perhaps rarer in the UK. However his sale was reportedly much more protracted, with an agreement reached with Villa in January/February. He was left out of the team earlier in the season over this too. It also ignores that the other part of the argument is that you only sell when you are relegated, in which case it supports selling Buendia the summer after relegation and everyone arguing not upon promotion would have been vastly happier with that and potentially no promotion back to the premier league. Equally, these are often the same people that say that if players don't want to be here they should go. Either way, Buendia going should not be considered the issue. After all, we signed him for £1.5m and the same people who scouted him and arranged his signing are largely, presumably, still at the club. Replacing important players is part and parcel of a football team, whether that be due to retirement or being sold to a club that can offer them more. Wigan, a much, much smaller club, stayed in the premier league with this model for years, promising to give players a platform that they could use to showcase their talent. For me, the replacements is where we should put our focus, not on whether Vrancic, Hugill, Hernandez should have been kept here or Buendia kept in a box etc. That was the task set. That is where we have come up short. I also want to focus on this bit again because I think you hit the crux of the matter with our attacking play without actually mentioning it. Buendia was a far more important player for the way we played. Not just being a direct threat, but passing the ball out and around teams. One of the things that stands out on the premier league website of his season with us is the amount of passes per game. That's vital. The other thing you sort of outline but don't touch on is what happens when as a team, you change your preferred plans to nullify a threat in an opposition team. You hear people talk of "being found out" - typically meaning that a team only really has one way of playing, everything goes through that player and that player alone, or through a certain tactic which means teams learn how to play against you and by mid season you're left scratching your head as said team struggles to find another way to get around teams. Arguably this is exactly where our more successful teams of the past have been better. More threat across our forward and attacking positions giving teams more to think about. Good set pieces is also an important part of that. Something we still lack IMHO. So, when we think of Buendia being good last season, we probably also need to consider that we also had other players who'd get involved and take advantage of the focus being on him. Cantwell is the best example we have. Last time out in the Premier League there is no doubt that Cantwell took full advantage of the space afforded to him in terms of attention due to other players being more tightly and closely marked. To the point that some teams were also trying to mark him out of the game. It takes intelligent reading of the game for that as well. Rashica struggled at the start of the season, but in all fairness, he's rarely had another player in CM or AM that has come close to a similar threat to him, bar the games we seemed to be picking up momentum with Pukki and Idah up front and Sargent wide right. Only then did we seem to provide at least a "handful" for the opposition to deal with. If I'm defending, lets say a DM, against a team and I know their striker isn't physical and my CB's have him covered and my full back and winger (or wing back, whatever) have the measure of their best attacking midfield threat, I know as a DM I can push on a bit more. As a team, being comfortable in defence, you know you can take more risks going forward. You can drop a bit of the defensive responsibility and play a bit more freely. We don't carry enough threat. Not just in one player, in Rashica who may actually be a decent enough threat, but in those players who are meant to step up next. I can't say enough how hugely disappointed I am in Cantwell. An experienced player now, a player not too far off peak for a footballer, and a player who should have been consistently delivering to the same levels as two seasons ago. That also left a huge, unpredictable hole in our squad.

Looking to the future, what do we forsee happening to Tzolis next season? If he is still here come August he'll have been in the country for a year, though playing very little football (cant see how that has been good for his development - surprised we didnt consider loaning him back to Greece for the second part of the season given he has been used about as much as Cantwell). A number of our foreign players did seem more comfortable in their second season, so do we anticipate that given a year of acclimitisation and a drop in league, Tzolis will be a first team player for us in the Championship? For a player alleged to have the potential to be one of the best wingers in the world he needs to be making the right steps in his development - it seems difficult to see how warming the bench with us for a year and playing only the occasional U23 game was anything other than a wasted year for him, but if he comes racing out of the blocks next season acclimatised to English football then maybe it will have been. Will we look to loan him? Will we look to cut our losses and sell him back to Greece? Greek special 2 for 1 deal with Giannoulis? Will he still be considered one for the future and kept in the first team squad but not played?

He's a young man and by all accounts a pleasant one, although I have never met him. We know that he has had personal difficulties this year and the season never got going for him - I'm sure that the season has been a crushing disappointment to him and he possibly hasn't handled it as well as he might have - who knows what went on? We all make mistakes when we are young but fortunately, they do not receive as much publicity as his have. He is a local lad and I really hope that he makes it - and I would love it to be here. With Farke gone and Webber possibly "on the brink" going there might still be a chance for him here. Here's hoping 🤞

At least 25% of the population of Blackburn are Muslim. The club are simply showing respect to a celebration that is very important to a significant proportion of their fan base. I would hope that we as a club would do something similar if a big part of our support (or proportion of our fine city) were likewise of this belief. Isn't that what clubs who value their community do Jsim? OTBC

Sorry for winding you up. Hope this helps!

I want to join others in congratulating you on the best thread title I've seen this year.

I’ve always said this. People compare us to Burnley and say we are a failure. I look at the graveyard of clubs our size moping about in the championship or worse and I think we are achieving better than most.

I'll never understand the vitriol towards Todd. As far as I can tell his only crimes have been to have long hair, post on social media and lose form. All the nonsense about his attitude is purely guesswork. My supposition is that his confidence took a battering because his position was removed from our system and, in the handful of chances he was given, he was so completely bereft of support from the worst rabble of midfielders in the league that he simply couldn't figure out how he was supposed to play. Cantwell is the biggest victim of the inexplicable change to the 4-3-3. His strengths lie in rapid transitions from defence to attack. He's great at picking up the ball and moving it forward or pulling defenders out of position to create space for the other attackers to exploit. He's not so good at holding the ball up under pressure when outnumbered, or chasing hopeful punts into the channels. Had we sold him and kept Buendia but otherwise made the same changes to our system then I speculate that we'd probably have suffered a similar fate. Anyone could lose focus when given an impossible job - look, I'm not claiming that he's as good as Buendia, just that he had no chance with the utter dross he was working with. I don't understand why Rashica is given a free pass but Cantwell is given soo much stick. The former has played the whole season with just one (deflected) goal whilst failing to create any understanding with Pukki. If Cantwell had been given the same run in the team, I'm certain that he'd have contributed more. It's nothing short of idiocy to write him off completely, especially when we've now reverted to playing the system he excelled in and will be playing back at the lower level that was more suited to his ability.

Where was the reasonable point?

Blackburn Rovers are a football club, silly.

It makes me quite annoyed to think we might have to play another club in the same league as us with DF as their coach. A tad ridiculous even. We had the best manager to get us playing good football in the championship and who clearly bought into everything about us. He was ours and we let him go and give him a club with more resources and he will show what we are missing. Should have stuck with him, we had him on a four year contract and we threw him away for nothing.

MoonRashica The man with the Bryan Gunn Iwan only live twice Never sign Gilmour again Sorry..... 😔

Casino Joe Royle

Webber didn't actually say that he was one for the future until after his first few appearances, when it was clear he wasn't good enough to make an impact at this level.

Congratulations @KiwiScot 🎉🍾 You move to two wins on our Arrdee Honours Board👍👍 And with @ZLFs Norwich picks £25.94 has been added to our total this weekend...

To be fair cant blame people for wishing this season away!

I always believed the hype over him was over the top. He was an alright player, at best. I think people saw him through rose-tinted glasses due to the Norfolk and flowing blonde locks thing. Average Joe at the end of the day. Let him toddle off and play in the National League which is actually his genuine level.

“Early excitement has fizzled out. His latest omission from the 18-man squad, coupled with a series of cryptic posts on the player's social media platforms, strongly suggests all roads lead to a parting of ways at the end of the season.” 😂😂😂 that’s just his normal social media

Its a wonder she didn't ask why Uncle Albert was with him.

Adds to my depression that. Millions upon millions spent to become an average to poor Prem team.

... extraordinarily nice, she's a killer, Queen... Sorry, I'll get my coat.

Yea coz an ex-Burnley manager is going to be welcomed with open arms

Haven't read the post yet, because it can't possibly live up to the title. Worth every moneypenny of my subscription to this forum. Edit: having now read the thread, full respect to @Fiery Zac

The overarching problem is how ridiculous the requirements to stay up for multiple seasons are. Fulham spent £150 million to come straight back down. Aston Villa are a traditionally much bigger club than us and relied on bad goal line technology to keep them up despite significant spending and the size of the club being able to attract a higher calibre player than us. Sheffield United used momentum and a 60m spend to stay up one season only to perform as badly as us the next season. Leeds, a traditionally bigger club perform fanatically first season with a top European manager which only a club their size could attract, and even then sack him the following season after more spending to now look precariously at the bottom 3. Everton, a bigger club with a circa £600m spend over the past few years are even looking unsafe due to some poor recruitment and managerial choices. Just because we bounce back, I dont think we should assume its going to be any easier each time. The gap is becoming bigger. Brentford are an outlier here, but should they do a Sheffield United next season and come straight back down, was there much point? Is the club in a significantly better place than ours? Thats not to say we give up. We basically need: - Momentum from the previous season - 90% of our signings to hit the ground running - Minimal injuries throughout the season - Manager who can get a little extra out of their players - More pragmatic football style - Luck Instead this time round we got: - Little momentum from last season as a club because fans weren't there to enjoy it. No new songs for players etc. I think its impacted the atmosphere this season when we've been up against it, as we weren't able to enjoy our demolition of championship sides. - No pre-season, having to use league matches as a way of building match fitness. - Poor recruitment, with players who might have an impact requiring time to adjust to the league anyway - Significant injuries and a period where we only had four first team players training. Playing a league match at home with players throwing up at half time with high temperatures. - A transition from Farke ball to Dean Smith desperately trying to find a way to make us solid and effective, only for more injuries to make that even more difficult. - Any luck? Bizarre VAR decisions, plenty of individual mistakes (arguably not luck). Basically, there's a lot more we need to get right beyond a couple of good signings for us to stay up should we bounce back.

Do we fear relegation, or do we fear that the latest one might be irredeemable and might just be that particular one that condemns the club to Championship mediocrity or worse?

He certainly isn't looking anywhere close to having the potential for being one of Europe's top wingers. He hasn't really shown enough to suggest he will be a good enough championship winger but fingers crossed he proves me wrong if given the opportunity.

Potential for post of the year

I agree with most of that, but it's hindsight. The change was to give us the best possible chance of staying up. From what I know and saw of Farke managing in the PL, we had virtually no hope. Smith, whilst many will claim has done nothing and changed nothing, did give me hope. We looked like we could compete and get results. I simply didn't feel that way with Farke, unfortunately. Its not a nice thing to think as I'm not inpatient as a fan, I believe in giving managers time and I love Farke. But thats the reality and whilst again I agree there's no one better than Farke in th3 championship, I agreed the change needed to be made, to roll the dice, to try something different. Farke had plenty of time to adjust, change and make us as competitive as possible. He just didn't do that in the PL.

It's often useful to cut out parts to which one is not responding to make it clear to everyone to the parts to which one is responding. See what I did there?

If we're in purgatory, where are Ipswich Town? 😝

Love how some folks are triggered by my "some folks" comment. Then they try and drag others into it as if to suggest I have labelled them as such. Big Fish seems to be the only person who's read it without assuming it was aimed at them and commented as such. Bit sad that. As for Ricardo, I respect his opinion and judgement. I don't have to agree with it. One thing I know about Ricardo, as seen this season, is that whilst he may harbour thoughts, he won't always post them. Not only that, he wouldn't revel or enjoy our lack of success in anyway. There isn't a long seated agenda. I know that because he has been posting on this forum, or previous versions of it for as long as I have been a poster on here. And I can assure you, I have looked up to him all of that time (1998ish). As for hiding behind a keyboard... well, several posters have met me over the years, some even played Sunday League football, or Saturday League football with me in my younger days (well, ok, perhaps as recently as five years ago). I'm happy to express how I feel to folks in person as much as I am on here. I personally don't hold to October, sometimes new manages can galvanise teams - and if you look back at the posts around the wins and draws towards the start of Smith's reign you do see more new found optimism then. And as for the club ownership - as I have said many times before. If the right owner could be found I would thank Delia and Michael for all they have fought hard for with our club and for trying to do things the right way as best as they can. They have certainly given 100% and I would welcome the new owners and a new era, whatever that may bring, because it wouldn't guarantee anything. And as much as some may disagree, I hope they build on the current model rather than torch it in some act of wanton destruction. The foundations to it are solid. Additional funds to make it more competitive, yes, but lets keep the academy that is producing players and the route through to the first team for those players. Let's continue to look for those players like Buendia, who may have the skill sets but not 100% the finished articles. Lets also get in some more experienced heads, especially in key departments down the spine of the team and get the balance right.

Sources, contacts and understanding... "It should be remembered that Delia tried to invest in Ipswich before Norwich, showing her true colours. Sheepshanks told her to get lost and the rest is history. Ipswich got away lightly" "Delia did try to invest in Ipswich Town. I''m not going to tell you who my source is, but lets just say that the directors know that this is true... They are not going to admit it in a million years, but this is a fact." "I don''t think you can accept that you support a club that has no will or intention of getting promoted. It will sink in and when it does, you''ll know I''m right. As for the Delia Veto, that''s common knowledge, so I''m surprised you dissing that one. She can veto any decision made if she so wishes. As was Delia''s over-rule in the Xmas period of 2016 regarding Neil''s sacking. Even Archant''s Michale Bailey knows the score and has ''hinted'' that the club ethos isn''t about promotion in his own ''around about reporting'' but clearly cannot say outright." "I will say it until I''m blue in the face, Delia does not want promotion." "Delia Smith''s priority is Delia Smith. The club is a vehicle for her ego and self importance. She would be lost without it. If you seriously think that she is one of the ''most respected people in the country'' you clearly don''t get out very much. She has a significant net gain from the club and all her loans have been paid back. The club is suffering dearly due to her lack of acumen and ignorance to the job in hand." "Are you serious? I don''t know how old you are, but do you remember the 1978 FA Cup Final??? Back in the day of this once prestigious competition, The BBC/ITV spent the whole day on it. Swap Shop or Tiswas and then a whole day of build up, analysis and then the game. ''Our Delia'' was interviewed closer to the pitch by memory with a her big Ipswich rosette and waxing lyrical about her favourite team. She might of supported Norwich too at the time but obviously chose not to mention it :)"

Paul Warne for me.....Done miracles at Rotherham within a budget.....Local boy and ticks the boxes.....

Keep an eye on this. I think we should all arrange to meet at the prison when he's released so we can shout "OUT!".

Sorry, humble apologies Frank. I thought you meant our total this season! Even Luton (if somehow they got promoted) should aim higher.

Finnish media saying that application to join NATO will be made 12th May. Sweden likely to follow.

Only 11 appereces for them, about half of them with him coming off of the bench and not a single goal or asisst among them, and he's just got injured. End of the day I get the feeling we will be stuck with him beacause who's goinng to want to buy him? And to think we used to hear about interest from top six clubs and him going for 20 to 30 million.. If he does get another chance with us in the championship I feel it really will be last chance saloon.. I just hope we get the cantwell of old and not the Cantwell who can't be bothered to turn up to training and yet demands that he be first choice on the teamsheet..

Thought of the Golden Gunn one but I was desperately trying to come up with one for Octopussy. Bravo sir! Also, Living Delia-ites 👍 In the spirit of your post, what about: Ursula Andre...w Omobamidele!

No. Makes his money polluting the planet, appears relentless in that pursuit too, so no. Our club is run very well comparatively and based on wealth of owners alone, it’s incredible that we even get to play in the EPL. They have got plenty right for that to have happened, just been a recruitment shambles. Rather we had a complete clear out of that department than the owners. Until that happens we shouldn’t be signing anymore players.

I didn’t think we should have sacked Farke, but getting rid of Smith wouldn’t make that right. Let’s give him some time, and hope he gets some input into our recruitment this summer.

80 per cent of the problem is with the game of football itself. Any solutions, and they will probably be limited, can only come from the likes of the Government Fan Led Review and Independent Regulator. The more Clubs like ours make noise the better. 20 per cent comes from our internal issues. For example according to the Zoe Ward You Tube interview that Greavsy posted last week, Delia has converted 'if at first you don't succeed, try try try again' motto into ' don't be afraid to fail.'

I agree. Therfore the fact Smith adjusted the style and tactics (despite not his preferred way of playing) proved to me he was more likely to get a tune out of an incredibly poor PL squad than Farke was (who'd had a whole season and the 'only' 11 games of this to prove he could adapt and get the most out of his resources)