Leaderboard

You can bang that drum if you like, but I watch us play. We are crap and it’s a combination of tactics, team selection, attitude, lack of positivity on the pitch. This is the style that Smith has spent a calendar year developing and it’s utter pants. Calling me ridiculous for saying that is your call. I didn’t call you ridiculous when you went on your tragic rant/borderline breakdown earlier this week. I don’t care what he has done for Walsall or Brentford or Villa, I care what he has done for NCFC. The answer is, taken us down with a whimper, rebuilt a team of sorts but plays the squad we had already in place consistently and largely out of position or away from their strengths, makes no effort to engage with the supporters, plays awful awful football. The logic that because he was once ‘good’ (debatable) means he is always good is not valid. Football moves on and the here and now matters.

The club was collectively in a rebuilding phase when Farke came in. Dean Smith took over just 11 games after the end of the season with the club's best ever points haul. He's also already had more than a full season worth of games in charge. The football is getting worse not better.

@sonyc mainly You're not the only one. I don't get the f.uckin Boris love fest either. Have they really got such short memories 😡 I've seen a couple of Tory MPs doing the rounds this morning who are advocating the fat ****, saying they have been told by there constituents that that is what they want, well that is bull5hite right there, as I doubt any constituentcy MPs would even dare doorstep at the moment. Do they really think that we fall for this carp. If BJ gets in there should be riots on the street, if not then the whole country needs to take a long hard look at its apathetic self.

Sorry but that's nonsense. Emi was here for 92 Championship games. He didn't start 13 of those games and we gained 11 points in those games. That's close to relegation form. In the 79 games he did start we gained a 46 game season equivalent of more than 110 points. A championship record. And you think he was a liability!

Distinct whiff of bin here . “Town” ? Bothering to know the gate? Bothering to even know the Binners are playing ? 🤔 At least get this moved to “non-football”.

There was little expectancy from Farke. He himself was a punt, as were most of the initial signings. The promotion season was not expected at all. Having established a level of success at the club, (not just results on the pitch) the club decided to bin this off in favour of Smith. The bar therefore is exceptionally high for Smith, as his appointment needs to be justified every time we play due to the standard he is being held against. Had Smith come in instead of Farke 5 years ago attitudes would be very different

I think the biggest cause of this crisis is not so much the internal failings of the conservative party, but instead that of the Market Specifically, Downham Market

It was dull. Not dire. The squad was still in transition. Pukki and Emi had yet to arrive. Youngsters like Lewis, Aarons and Godfrey were still emerging. Stiepermann played left back!

If Villa offered him the job and he wanted it, then I'd wish him well after the totally unreasonable disrespect he has had from some Norwich fans.

The football wasn’t dire, I think in his first season you could see how he wanted to play he just didn’t have as many of the players to play that kind of game as he wanted. It was only really with the addition of Emi and the Germans that we had more of the technical qualities he wanted the team to show.

We'll start with a refreshing 4-3-3 formation with Sargent wide right and Hernandez on the left. Nunez will be rewarded for his recent form by coming back into the starting 11 while Hayden will be back out of the squad due to a suspected drugs violation (back on the grass apparently). We'll start brightly and have a really good 20 minutes in the first half, only narrowly avoiding taking the lead on several occasions with Pukki missing a 1 v 1. We'll be well ahead on xG before Sheffield United take the lead with their first real chance after a defensive error. There will be a couple of substitutions early in the second half which will tip momentum back in our favour for about 5 minutes before we inexplicably concede again against the run of play. Then the game will descend into a bit of a stalemate where chances are at a premium. We'll nick a goal after the 80th minute but then concede a 3rd while throwing caution to the wind chasing an equaliser. We'll dominate possession and win 1.8 - 1.2 on xG but ultimately lose 3-1. Dean's Myth will be that we deserved to win and were unlucky to concede the second after what he thought was a foul in the buildup.

Gaslighting mother ****ers. Burn it down.

You can't label Boris as either left or right of the party, Boris is just Boris and he will do whatever works for him and whatever is to his personal advantage. The average man in the sreet would rather have a pint in the pub with him than with SKS but that doesn't make him suited to be PM. Women seem appalled by his lax sexual morals yet seem strangely attracted to him. Boris is a complex character but when surrounded by competent people he got things done as mayor of London. He was instrumental in breaking the Brexit log-jam and seeing off Corbyn but his laziness and inattention to detail made him unsuited for the PM job. As I commented upthread, my advice to the 1922 Committee would be to give him the Luca Brasi treatment. "Sorry Boris, nothing personal, but these men are now going to take you for a little drive." There is absolutely nothing wrong with your moral compass SONYC although it is arguably of limited use in the dirty game of politics. As you will note from the previous paragraph there are just some situations where it doesn't apply. I have lived long enough to see the political pendulum swing between left and right several times. I expect it will always do so. This is just another swing.

I was just in the post office and it seems unfortunately what has happened is that Truss was so bad, people now think Johnson was the best PM ever. Here’s a conspiracy theory, as Johnson backed Truss this was the plan all along, they just thought it would last a couple more months.

Farke’s system didn’t fail in the premier league the lack of investment in the playing squad the first season we went up did. When we went to Liverpool first game of the season we actually played well and had enough chances that we should of got a point out of that in my opinion. Then we thumped Newcastle at home, not long after we beat Man City in probably the best game I’ve seen bar Munich, had we added quality to that squad which was not far off at the time of staying up I think we would of very easily. The second season up we sold our best player immediately after promotion and bought in some of the worst recruitment I’ve ever seen.

I really can't get my head around this Farke V Smith first year debate brought up by the people trying to deflect from the rubbish on show at the moment. You can't compare them as it's a completely different set of circumstances, Farke took over a Championship side in financial turmoil, had to rebuild the side by bringing lower league German players and trying to implement a playing style, you could see what he wanted to do from the off, but the players (with the exception of Maddison) weren't naturally good enough so had to coach it into them. Smith took over team in the premier league, got relegated, he then has the summer with them and brings in players for £10m, £3.5m and a prem loan to supplement that squad of players. Weather you think Smith is doing well or Farke was rubbish the first season, it's a ridiculous comparison to make.

I’ve been respectful about the man. But the manager is pants

Smith swap deal for Emi seems fair

Could we send Smith to Villa and have Emi back instead of them paying us compensation. I'm only asking for 27000 friends

The UK and its institutions have traditionally been revered on the continent. But its parliament has been a "madhouse" since the Brexit vote, says German paper, Die Welt. The Dutch view today...

Good evening pups. A massive thank you for all suggestions! I've gone for... Man City v Brighton - home win (also my pick) QPR v Wigan -home win Crawley v Mansfield - away win Bochum V Union Berlin - Away win Eendracht Aalst W v Club Brugge - away win Djurgarden v GIF Sundsvall - home win Fingers crossed for the win and come on you yellows 💛💚

Saw this. WOW Paul Goodman, the editor of Conservative Home – the website for news and opinion on the Conservative party – has written an interesting op ed this evening where he says that Boris Johnson becoming party leader again would cause the public to “run screaming” after Truss turned the party into a laughing stock. "The thought occurs that maybe the Conservative Party no longer cares. Perhaps the sum of its ambition is to become the provisional wing of the right-wing entertainment industry: happy to preach to a diminishing band of true believers, and good for a newspaper column or fringe TV turn, while Keir Starmer gets on with the tiresome business of actually running the country. If so, it can look forward to a Prime Minister staffing his government with fifth raters, since the bulk of the 66 Ministers who resigned in the summer will refuse to serve. If a by-election forced by a Commons suspension doesn’t get him first. If the Tory benches don’t first vote down the report into his conduct that would trigger it, thus speeding the spiral of decline. The Germans have a word for it: Totentanz – a dance of death. Conservative MPs, peers, donors, hacks and activists caper onwards an open grave, with Death himself – sorry, Johnson – leading the procession. The dance possesses them; it has a momentum of its own; they are powerless to stop.

Sure, I'm simply saying that it's probably the case that those two, gelled in together, are going to be the foundations of Plan A.

Very few people were calling for him to be sacked a few weeks ago. Many of us said that the results were masking some poor performances and there were worrying signs that it was likely to unravel when we started to play the better sides. You disagreed via the medium of tantrum. And what has transpired? The results started to match the poor performances and it has started to unravel after we began playing the better sides. You continue to disagree via the medium of tantrum. Have some humility.

I don't know, I quite like rubbing it in their face that they are a town. A village, while you know.. We are a city. Every time new cities get declaired their tears as they cry about being left out and not made a city always cheer me up

Agree fully. As you'll have guessed. I think we do have an apathetic country and now feel amazed that there were riots about the poll tax. Yet that was after so many years of Thatcherism and deep resentment. She had outstayed her time (I used to think she would never go) and so has this present lot. If Thatcher had left and then returned I've no idea what would have happened! Johnson returning is even more bizarre, for all the obvious reasons. I know politicians are often not the most honest because they have to try and tow a party line, be collective. Yet I think we need to have a certain level of trust in them - and I mean by that, over and above the obvious mechanism for removing them from power at elections. As a country have we really lowered the bar so much? And I agree with @ricardo that I think I would prefer a pint with Johnson rather than Starmer but only for the chance to study someone like him close up. I'm sure he is funny and I'm sure also he can be charming as and when he needs to be. Yet, for all that, that so many people call him by his first name demonstrates the cult of personality. Ultimately he has always been a snake, a viper, with women and with political colleagues. He cares for few it seems. And quite the nasty piece of work if you've seen some of his parliamentary performances. Apparently to, he has a serious temper, so much so that people are in awe of him. Depressing to be writing about the fella again though. I suppose it makes life interesting but it just takes the country backwards in terms of lost reputation etc etc and we all suffer. I felt the same dismay after Brexit. Quite a personal thing that was for me. I am not embarrassed to say I feel sadness about it. More than anger. I was serious about moving to another country too. Ireland, Scotland perhaps...or France (which would be possible) but that would mean probably leaving some family behind (and Norwich City😟). I think with us just having this one life we have to try and find contentment. As I get older, I'm finding that living in a place that has similar values seems to matter to me a lot more. Perhaps we are living in a more selfish society? Truss for example, actually outlined how she thought capitalism ought not be redistributive but geared to the rich. And I just don't understand that - why one 'normal' person would ever support that point of view. I know all this probably makes me come across a bit pathetic. But I've worked for about 42 years and the vast majority of that time was dedicated to trying to help folk in life, to help with outcomes. It gave me satisfaction. So, after that time has ended I no longer have that purpose and I'm left just to reflect a lot more about what it all means. Often here 😐

Totally agree. Was a critic of Sarg last season, but his all round game has come on leaps and bounds. He has pace, runs at defenders, has better close control now, shoots from outside the area, and good in the air. Pukki still needs that great through ball. He makes great runs and all, but he doesn't have the same attributes as Sarg. He's lost a lot of his clinical finishing and I'm seeing him a bit like how I used to rate Andy Cole, in that he now needs about 5 great chances to score once! For me Sarg should have central striking role, and either play Pukki as support, or another creative player in Pukki's place. Pukki could be a great impact sub against tiring legs

Bannon gets 4 months https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-63332078

Ah, now that is the very basic mistake you’ve been making. You watch the football…😍

Not impossible but its 357 plays 284, giving 73 majority. So 37 Tory MPs would have to abstain/resign/defect to let in the opposition and give it to the "Aye" vote, thats assuming the combined opposition vote is 100% unanimous with no abstensions (or "Noes"!). Ironically it would probably be someone who is totally intolerant of Boris (like Theresa May) who could organise a coup to get 37+ Tory MPs to abstain, although it is "turkeys voting for christmas" political martyrdom for those 37, unless as you say, they cross the floor.

I have this tucked away somewhere. Four sore points EP. Mainly played to annoy the ex missus 😮

If i remember correctly we were 3-0 down at half time with Kevin Keelan slipping and sliding all over the penalty area in the first half and the Scum groundsmen decided to cover it in sand and salt to prevent a similar experience for the Binner goalkeeper in the second half. As can be seen in the press cutting City fans did not take kindly to the idea. No way would the game have been played in those conditions today and obviously under soil heating was still some way off back in 1965.

I'm not sure which is more boring; Dean Smith's football or the circular "arguments" of the Militant Smith Collective...

Looks like you're right. And maybe I'm wrong. His odds were 8.6 yesterday and are now around 2.4 (decimals rather than old-fashioned odds). Sunak is only just around evens (2.0) as the slight favourite. Would Tory MPs actually decide to vote for him? He has lied and has broken rules and over 50 of his own party resigned over his handling of a sexual assault. Do they actually think he is good for the country or good for their electoral chances? Or both? Do they want him to win so that he then has to resign again and go to a GE and lose leaving the mess to Labour? Or do you think MPs only think of their seats? It's like a bad dream for me. Waking up to this story is so depressing. I've wondered whether I am simply out of step with the country because I cannot fathom why any party would even contemplate having someone like him back. That's why I may simply don't fit in to what the country thinks. I realise there are a few on this thread who feel like me - thank god. But I'm worried this cohort make up a tiny minority. It's a comfort to post views amongst like-minded people after all. I'm asking you Ricardo because you've found him amusing in the past and secondly, you're squarely behind the Brexit that Conservative voters tell TV interviewers Johnson delivered (so-called 'getting it done'). Am I so out of kilter with public opinion? So many TV box pops keep talking about "Boris" as if he is their friend. Whatever he has done doesn't feel to me important to them. Trump said he could shoot someone on fifth avenue and get voted in. Johnson seems the same? Are there ANY circumstances where you'd turn against him? Is my moral compass out of kilter? Watching QT last night I felt there was a lot of people who were like me though. But it's a rare experience. Maybe I need to leave the country and find somewhere that feels more sympathetic to the needs of the majority of people! Lots of questions - maybe you've not got the answers either - but I'm genuinely confused and dispirited actually. Has the country moved so far to the right in the last few years? I want to ask right of centre people like you to try and understand rather than get agreement from an echo chamber of my own views.

Can we pay Aston Villa to take Dean Smith? Whip-round anyone? 😂

This song seems bloody apposite right now.

FTSE whizzing down again, not sure about gilts, I can only assume this is around Johnson coming back. I heard one of the major poll companies talking this morning and they were saying that what we are being told by Johnson supporters is a bit of a myth in that when he went 70% were against him and the latest polls yesterday showed that almost the same % didn’t want him back and out of the 5 RS SKS PM BW BJ he was not only last ( surprise surprise ) in the who would you trust, but considerably last. It was also said it would be highly likely that if he became PM plenty of his own MP’s would bring him down forcing a GE.

You aren’t very interested in debate/looking at the bigger picture, are you? Is everything In your life just as black and white with nothing in between? You must have a strange life, as literally everything is ‘shades’.

Agreed and I hope you're right but I fear he will stumble over the 100 and then he's back. Of course its a suicidal home run for the Tories (I think also that party will split in that event - many MPs resigning or voting with Labour) but that wont help anybody else trying to represent the UK in the wider world. It seems many in the Tory party learn nothing or have lost all their short term memory of events.

I've woke up thinking nah they can't be putting him back it's insane to seeing it actually seems to be a possibility and that those tory members would be a cert to put him in. Can we ban memberships from having final decisions please else we might well just give power to the Greens.

Smith has these next 2 games for me to show he can instill some heart and desire into this team Yes ,2 tough fixtures...but 2 perfect fixtures to demonstrate what he has about him and how he intends to turn this around Lose both and we will be out of the top 6 and headed toward mid table. It will also be 5 defeats in a row. He shouldn't survive a run of 5 defeats in a row in this league (I think we lost 6 all season a couple of years ago,)

There are two types of people. Those that walk on their toes and those that walk on their heels. Those that walk on their heels are really ****ing annoying, like Lenny Leadfoot, upstairs, currently getting on my ****.

Check my history. I like stats, I am not being toxic and I get behind my team. I’m allowed to be critical and I have every right to want Smith out. It doesn’t make me perverse as I still want to win and succeed as a club. I don’t believe Smith is the man to get us that level of success and his 9 game unbeaten run of poor performances and wins is now a 3 game run of poor performances and losses. The common denominator is poor performances from a squad someone else gets more from in my view. You keep on criticising and name calling anyone with a different view though, you seem to be incapable of much civility in differences of opinion. Smith out OTBC

I am not a fan of Dean Smith but really, hoping your team loses?, that does not make any sense, what kind of supporter hopes their team loses?. I hope we beat Sheff Utd and I hope we beat Burnley and I hope we beat Stoke and I hope we beat QPR (there is a pattern emerging here), but if we do not then I will use my hope wisely and hope Dean Smith gets sacked..........

Waitaminute... Did @Petriixrealise the pun with the title "Deans myth"? If so, that's bloody genius... Well done.

Me. 🤣 Apples

What is the bigger picture? We have spent 3 of the last seven seasons in the EPL yet in terms of personnel we are going backwards. We have received roughly £160M in parachute payments. Two of our most expensive signings are out on loan. We bring a loan player who hasn't played a full half of football and we are now a third of the way through the season. We have nobody left coming through who we can sell for £15-£25M. We displayed our loyalty to arguably our best ever coach by sacking him a day after winning and bringing a coach who had just been sacked. Yet still want supporters to show the same loyalty and to accept below par performance as anything other than a retrograde step. That is the bigger picture, not this blind loyalty and belief that if you dare to criticise the board, coach or players you are disloyal and a NINO.