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Morning, all. Firstly, having read this (rather epic!) post back to myself, I can see plenty of statements in it that those who aren't fans of Webber will be able to pick holes in, but I'd urge you to try to read the thing in its entirety if you have the time. I've genuinely tried to be as balanced as I can, and I've done plenty of research in compiling it. I read Mick Dennis's piece on MFW this morning with great interest, and while his staunch defence of the club was predictable and heavily rose-tinted, I wanted to do my due diligence and try to see where he was coming from without automatically dismissing it as propaganda and rhetoric. In terms of Mick's defence of Dean Smith, while I have some sympathy with the notion that whoever we appointed would suffer with 'not being Daniel Farke', the lack of progress over the past year-and-a-bit, coupled with his divisive attitude towards to the fans, makes his position untenable. Short of three convincing and stylish victories in a row, I just don't see how that relationship can possibly be repaired. So let's leave that argument there, and focus on the bigger picture. As part of my due diligence, I decided to do as Mick suggested and listen to the Michael Calvin podcast with Stuart Webber from the start of September (if you're interested in doing the same, the Webber bit is from 20 minutes to around 52 minutes). Whatever you think of Stuart Webber, the one word that I think describes him best is 'driven'. On the podcast he mentions having been raised in a single-parent family, and having to walk a mile up a hill every morning to get a bus to school from the age of six. A minor detail, maybe, but that drive has taken him from helping the ground staff at Wrexham one day a week when he was 18, to being our Director of Football, via running Wrexham's academy, working with Kenny Dalglish and Joey Jones at Liverpool, taking Huddersfield to the Premier League, as well as spells at QPR and Wolves. He's been here five and a half years now, and he's still only 38 years old. (Here's another interesting article I'd not seen before about his career, which fills in a lot of that detail: https://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/little-known-welshman-linked-man-16412202) People quickly cottoned on to the '90%' comment, and took this to mean he wasn't fully committed to the club. I genuinely don't think that could be further from the truth. He tells an anecdote on the podcast about phone calls with Dan Ashworth to sign Isaac Hayden when he was at 4,000m above sea level – acclimatising to altitude is a big part of mountaineering, so he was actually spending several hours a day sitting in a hotel working once he'd done his climbing. He's mentioned before that he gets up at 5am every day, and does his training before he starts work. He's obviously a hugely motivated 'high achiever', and perhaps some of the discontent around the club may well be due to the exacting standards Webber sets himself, which then becomes expected of the people around him. He speaks at one point of finding the prospect of failure 'exciting'; this is another very common trait among high achievers, who are willing to experiment and court failure in pursuit of new and improved ways of working. And, of course, with being a massively motivated high achiever comes an unshakeable sense of self-belief which can easily be perceived as arrogance. It comes with the territory. And yes, it's true that he enjoyed talking a good game – from the infamous 'money pissed up the wall' statement when he first joined, to the more frequent media appearances when we were riding the Farke wave – but now seems to have disappeared into the background, not wanting to engage with fans or non-internal media sources. However, let's not forget that when he kicked off at those fans during the 'bedsheetgate' incident last season, there was one guy (who later apologised publicly, if I remember correctly?) who could be heard saying “Where's that c**t Webber?” before he came out to speak to them, and then when Webber challenged them as to whether they wanted a serious conversation, one of them said “no” and others continued to throw abuse at him. In that context, I was totally fine with his reaction to the situation. I can quite understand him now wanting to 'ignore the noise' and focusing on doing his job – and, similarly, I can quite understand the majority of the criticism coming his way for going silent now things aren't going his way. I can totally understand the questions that have been asked of our recruitment, especially in selling our biggest weapon in Buendia and trying to strengthen the squad with lesser players who so ignominiously failed to keep us up last season. And I can absolutely understand the criticism coming his way for appointing Dean Smith in the first place, and the seemingly 'shotgun wedding' nature of his appointment, and for his apparent perseverance with Deano when it's clear a point of no return has been reached. Another interesting topic of conversation comes later in the podcast, when they discuss his Everest plans in more detail. Calvin talks about his experiences of sailing around the world, and how once he'd completed his challenge it took him a year to “take sport seriously again”. Webber then recounts a meeting with another Everest climber, who said that the first question he asked Stuart was “have you thought about what you're going to do when you get back down again?”. Webber admits that he hadn't given it much thought before that conversation, but mentions that upon reflection he is quite prepared to “come back to nothing”, or to “restart in a different direction” with a new focus. He says that he appreciates everything he's had here (at Norwich), and would never want to let people down. This, to me, exemplifies why the '90%' myth is just that. So, in summary, I think it's unlikely that Stuart will still be here in a year's time, but in the meantime I believe he will be utterly bloody-minded in his desire to leave this club in the best position he possibly can. After all, it was him who found and engaged the Attanasios on behalf of Michael Foulger – and, in turn, this has deflected a lot of insecurity and criticism around the majority shareholders as to their succession plan. Even if (as looks likely) Webber ultimately fails to achieve his stated aim of establishing Norwich as a Premier League club, I think he has laid a lot of excellent groundwork – and his willingness to embrace failure and taking risks has been a big part of getting us there. If we continue to hold on to Dean Smith and/or the Attanasios walk away, we'll be pretty much back where we started when Webber joined in 2017, just with a Soccerbot and some slick academy facilities to show for it. A man of his self-belief and bloody-mindedness will be desperate to leave this club looking better than that. If he can cement his legacy in 2023 by appointing us a forward-thinking head coach and overseeing the Attanasios' further involvement to the point where a full takeover looks inevitable, I think we'll look back in a few years' time and realise that, for all his foibles, transfer failures and perceived arrogance, Stuart Webber will have left an impressive legacy for this football club.

He doesn't really address the main criticism that the style of play is both unattractive and largely ineffective. Our last two championship seasons we played much better football and won more games. It's not entitlement or feeling we have a divine right to win the Championship that has fans questioning why after another season of Premier League money and a squad with several £10 million plus players we're performing much worse than before, in terms of both results and performances. There seems to be this strawman argument that if we played badly but won every week nobody would complain, but of course teams that play as poorly as we do never manage to win every week. Without change we are going to keep sinking further down the league table.

Good post FTW, but this bit in particular I think is irrelevant. Even when we do play well there's a large % of fans who don't want to see it. If we go on a good run it's despite the manager etc etc. It is irrecoverable which is why I think he has to go. 3 stylish victories will mean nothing if we lose the 4th - thats the mentality of fans right now. As to the broad nature of your post I agree. From a purely business perspective, Webber has generated our club much more money than he's cost. He's also strengthened the off-field assets beyond anything any of our recent CEO's have managed to do with the work to the academy and training facilities. He's certainly earned the right to choose the next manager, should he want to do so. He's only made two appointments, one was a pretty unprecedented success, whilst the other is a "failure" who has us in the top 6 in December. There are a lot of seasons in the past where CEO's and fans alike would have ripped your arm off for the position we currently find ourselves in. That we are now deemed to be failing whilst top 6 in the Championship is actually a marker on how far we've come under Webbers time here.

If Mick Dennis - and the club - think the disconnect will disappear with a few good results, they might be in for a shock. People are so disillusioned with the football right now and it goes beyond Smith and Shaky. The two relegations from the PL have left a lot of us thinking what is the point? We can't get up for this season because we don't want to go up and see another terrible season in the PL.......it's emotionally too draining. In oher words, the combination of promotion/relegation/promotion/relegation has taken it's toll and we are struggling as fans to see the point of getting behind the club as it is. Imo we aren't up for the fight, it is difficult to get enthusiastic - and the football on the pitch is just so lacking. I'm just talking from my point of view 300 miles away and not able to get to matches atm, but I feel it here just as strongly - the enthusiasm in fans is rock bottom, not just because of this season, but because of the last few seasons. The huge ups of getting promotion, the huge downers of seeing us be cannon fodder in the PL.......it's left us drained. Smith is just a fairly ordinary manager who has come in to a difficult sirtuation and doesn't seem to have much about him to change things - and that is a problem.....we needed someone who could inspire us - and he just isn't that type of character. He isn't Farke and we can all recognise that Farke was a big act to follow, but we did need someone who at least had something about them we could latch on to - and we haven't got that. This was always going to be a hugely difficult season and we may have to accept that mid-table is the best we can hope for, then see off Smith and hope for someone a bit more like Farke next time. We a club in transition in that sense. Yes, we could string a few results together, yes, we could end up in the play offs, we might even get promoted and that would be fantastic, but that isn't the whole answer. The issue won't get solved until we get promoted AND stay in the PL. It's a double edged sword - promotion is not the big thing - the putting up a decent showing in the Premier League is what really matters - promotion in itself is not enough. It's a conundrum right enough and I think us fans are stuck in a difficult situation. I suspect many of us don't want to get promoted only to see another abject relegation.The only solution to it is to get promoted and do well for at least one season in the PL and that is a huge ask.......maybe we need a season or two in the championship to get our desire back.....but in the meantime please, club, at least give us some football that is worth watching!

Personally, i think its time to just let Todd be Todd, whatever is going on . The Club have obviously given him license to decide whether or not he's in a fit state to play.... which leads me to beleive that he is not being difficult as much as having difficulties. If he was trying to put himself ' in the shop window' ... then its not working as hes hardly played, let alone played well, for ages, odd flashes but nothing consistent. Whatever's going on , were not privvy to it. Thats ok by me. We own the player , not the man.

Must admit I was in tears watching the section about Rob Burrow and Kevin Sinfield. Without meaning any disrespect to sufferers of other awful illnesses, there is no doubt in this writers mind that MND is the worst (and by some distance). To see the decline in Burrow is truly heartbreaking but his courage and humility was (sorry 'is') humbling beyond belief. I'm no Rugby fan but I do know that the boy Sinfield is an absolute giant of the sport and his award was very much deserved. His fundraising has been off the scale and how the hell he ran SEVEN ultramarathons in SEVEN days God only knows!

Mick Dennis is entitled to his opinions no matter how wrong they may be. And wrong they are. His sycophantic , disingenuous , overly long missive in praise of Dean Smith and his abilities made me realise what a waste of my minutes it was reading that nonsense. Give Dean Smith more time, if he wins games then we will all come back onside. No! That will not wash. Dean Smith could win the next 12 games but he will not win me back. Treat me with contempt by saying things like “Fortunately our next game is away” or some other dribble about a narrative that we all want him to fail , then he has lost me forever. He has made no effort to form a relationship with the Club nor the Supporters and I suspect the dressing room too. Keep him at Carrow Road and watch the Club crumble.

He's become toxic for me. I genuinely believe something happened to him at some point a few years ago and he's not quite the full ticket anymore. I know everyone parents differently, but I personally could never even contemplate embarking on any sort of objective that would require, through choice, me being away from my young family for so long. Add in the fact that the objective is something that people can, and frequently do, die from and you've got someone who cannot be anything other than a narcissist, and a slightly pathological one at that. I know there are people who regularly have to spend prolonged time away from their children; soldiers, riggers, athletes, etc, but that is for a living. Not a hobby. Likewise, he'll meet several Sherpas who leave their families at home, but again, it's something they've been doing for generations, were doing before they had young families and it's their job. Webber embarked on this project when he was already a father. It's not something that I can empathise with at all; I could never put my family through the sacrifice and worry it requires. He can, and for me, that's not normal. And it's since this Everest endeavour became a thing that Webber's decisions as a Sporting Director have got worse and worse. On top of that, I've heard directly from one club employee and indirectly from a handful of others that the place is toxic. People cannot get out of the door fast enough right across the business from the shop floor to people in senior positions; several to a job at a club in a lower league and with a much longer commute. Under him the club has completely lost its way, both on the pitch and off it. There isn't enough experience at the club; the decision-makers are all in their 30s. And the reason for that is allegedly because Webber's ego cannot stomach the prospect of and older, wiser, more experienced head to be in an influential position. So we're left with people a bit wet-behind-the-ears, like Richens and Jeffrey, who won't intimidate Webber's fragile ego, or older lickspittles who won't push back on questionable decisions. I'm not convinced he's the full ticket. I am convinced he can't be trusted to get anything right anymore.

Woke up early and put the cricket on the radio. Heard Ghost Town being played by the Barmy Army trumpeter. Assumed it was mocking the lack of home fans on a day that England were clearly going to win, rather than a rather lovely tribute. From Coventry to Karachi.

And why does he keep making the same mistakes? It's because of Webber's insistence that 4-3-3 is the way to play, and I believe his control of what Smith is trying to do on the pitch. I may be in the minority, but without Webber sitting on top, I am sure Smith would try something far more radical. Both Dean Smith and Webber have to go, but I have a sneaking feeling that without Webber at the club, Smith could, given more freedom, yet produce a cohesive and attractive style on the pitch. It's Webber's dogma that is holding us back now. Just maybe, as you hypothesised earlier above, Webber "gambled" but is too stubborn to accept his mistake and is "imposing" his philosophy on Smith to implement for him, but its just not working.

I watched the latest TNC last evening having set aside an hour specifically to enjoy Jack & Chris's discussion. I love what they do & how they do it. Right now, they're a lot more entertaining than the football!

I am with you on a lot you have posted here wolfie but please remember that you were elected by the fans to represent the fans on the OSP and if you ruffle a few feathers within the management inside Carrow Road with your views on what is wrong so be it.

There are two main disconnects for me. 1, is that the team do not play a brand of football I associate with Norwich city. If I wanted to watch this dross every week I’d support them lot down the road. We’ve always been a passing side but also an attacking side at times to our detriment but it’s always made them entertaining. 2, there is a complete lack of external scrutiny given that the club has bunkered itself down. The club are happy to put out fluff piece documentaries about when the things are going well but totally unwilling to hold hands up when things go wrong and acknowledge mistakes. For example webber was lauded for his initial transfer business here with the Pukki’s, Buendia’s and Germans but has not given a single explanation as to why he spent £80’000’000 on dross we will get no return from. It’s so thin skinned that they only want to deal with praise but not criticism.

I've said this before and I'll say it again, I think the disconnect goes deeper that Norwich and their fans, there is rot in the very roots of football fandom in this country and it is affecting all clubs. The premier League model appeals to the capitalistic nature of fans but is rotten to its core and that has led to a destruction of almost all football clubs going down the stack. The only reason it feels so acute for us is because we were trying to buck the trend along with a few other clubs like Exeter, unfortunately it is a losing battle and we are now sinking down to the same level as others. The only hope in the immediate future is for Delia and MWJ to actually get more involved, but that ship has sailed so, as she'd says, we're probably stuck with this feeling of ennui and hopelessness until the takeover happens and we can just hope that the new owners are able to regain what football has lost

Spot on. Webber has told fans they can go elsewhere if they don't like what they are seeing. Webber has alienated the press and helped create the atmosphere. Webbers arrogance rides over everything. Webber is the problem.

"Others have forgotten that he abandoned Farkeball in the Prem (telling Timmy Krul to hoof, using Rachica as an out-ball). And, on the evidence of Saturday, very many both mourn Daniel’s departure yet boo any pass back to the goalkeeper." It wasn't just the back passing that was the problem, it was the fact that it ended up there because of the ineptitude of the players in front of them to do anything positive for large portions of the match and the resorting to passing back because they had no ideas. Then to see Gibbo and Hanley pass it back between them without trying to do anything positive, only for it inevitably going back to Gunn to hoof it up the pitch, only to go straight to the opposition.....it was just so poor to watch, so lacking in....well....anything.

It's a remarkable amount of words to create a very shallow piece. His argument appears to be the disconnect isn't as bad as people say because of CSF stuff and a few tours of Colney but 99% of fans aren't involved in these things, so rather misses the point. Arguing that the quality of in house media has improved again misses the point- higher production values don't make up for the fact the club can control the questions and thus leave fans unsatisfied by the answers. He also doesn't remotely engage with Webbers failings in the transfer market or really touch much on the struggles on the pitch. Just a very weak article overall.

Great piece by Mick again.Fair, impartial and just what was needed to unite all parties.

Predictable nonsense. His premise is that there is no disillusionment, everything is about results and no one would have any grumbles if we were winning more. It's ****. Plenty of people were grumbling and there were plenty of empty seats (though not at Saturday's frightening level) during our 10 game unbeaten streak or whatever it was.

I don’t believe the non-Buendia transfer spend was £30m. More like £20m-£25m. Whether that alters the to-sell-or-not-to-sell argument is an open question.

I don't see the logic there. We spent, what was it, £65 million that summer? And bringing Buendia in brought us in, what, £35 million? We could have kept Buendia and just spent £30 million and been in a lot better place. I get the argument about him wanting out, but he was under contract, quite a long one if I recall. We've seen it before, remember Harry Kane two or three seasons back? Threw his toys out of the pram, Levy stood firm and here we are. I don't buy the argument that he would have refused to play, it would have been biting his nose off to spite his face. If he was promised a way out if he stayed for the Championship season, then that can also be chalked up as Webber failure, if you can find space for it on the blackboard. Selling Buendia was a choice.

Is this football related or is this a domestic issue?

Some on here seem to ignore the impact of Webber's wife! Zoe had strong connections at the club before he arrived (I'm absolutely certain she coached him before his interview). Currently Zoe is more senior than Webber, from what we understand given she is the only Executive on the Board she line manages him. If he voluntarily leaves, then you could see Zoe staying on. But she could never fire him so he stays until he's pushed by someone else. There is no designated Chair on the Board, it would fall to Smith & Jones as majority shareholders, and we know what they are like for sacking people. The financial position of the club, the media position of the club, the on field performance of the club, indeed from what is emerging the HR position of the club, all bring into question the corporate governance of the club. The only things that seem positive are Colney, the league position and the arrival on the scene of Attanasio. All this has happened under the Webbers' watch. For these reasons the Webbers have to go. I'm struggling to see how there is anything but one tale to tell from hereon, if the club is going to make any progression. I've outlined this above. The only issue is how quickly Attanasio grasps the need to start the next stage of the process.

Coventry before their game tonight

A good read, Wolfey. Up until recently I think I'd have agreed with pretty much all of it. Or at least would have wanted to. My thoughts are now that a change is almost certainly necessary. He's very obviously the lead 'cultural architect' within the club and almost all of the negativity around the club can be traced back to how he handled criticism last season. Without seeing any intent from him to alter course we can only assume that this snowball is going to keep rolling until it's weight triggers an avalanche. Webber is obviously a maverick and his highs here will be remembered for decades to come but unfortunately he's been shot down, by himself I might add. I can't remember who from but I saw a tweet earlier on today that said 'Webber from 2017 would hate the Norwich of today'. I think that sums it up perfectly.

Hadn't heard this before this morning. It's wonderful 👍

Thank you for your thoughtful post first of all. And to reply I've just included your last paragraph for ease. I believe Webber has played a positive role with us and no doubt was a significant player viz. Attanasio. I don't hate him (or anybody for that matter) but I sat down last night and thought through how many chief execs / senior execs I have come across (in a long career) who reminded me of Webber. I easily counted 20 but I think I might get to 30 if I really went back far enough. There are so many hallmarks of such leaders and you've selected "driven" as your principal characteristic. You've also gone all Freudian (no problem by the way - the theory of sublimation appears quite a decent guide to lots of geniuses for example) in suggesting that this drive might have been generated from early childhood. But...! Here's the rub. Often such a drive works for a period of time and whilst it is producing results, it is self-fulfilling. In less rounded individuals, that drive turns against others when things are not going right. There have been numerous examples of his behaviour and we have all got a glimpse of his entitled attitude with his 90% comment. Because 90% of 'super Stu' (my deliberate dry humour here to second guess what he thinks about himself) is bound to be good enough for anyone! 90% of SW is better than 100% of anyone else. Let alone a football club like Norwich for whom we all ought to honoured to have such a bloke at the helm. Just think if you or I had stated that to the media! What must we really think of ourselves? Or others for that matter? The trouble with the 20 plus execs I've known is that they were very convincing at first. They talked so well and could answer any question with ease. No wonder they charmed the organisation recruiting them. Their ambition was what the consultants helping the process wanted to hear. They wanted arrogance and super confidence. Their ambition had to drive the organisation forward (a phrase used a lot). Yet, it was always a case of the emperor's clothes. None of them had much humility and none had sticking power. That's why I don't believe in him. At this point. He believes in himself far too much. And I want to also say he has been a good force for NCFC. I don't wish to decry him. But he isn't the future and I believe also that a manager (plus the team of course) are the principal force in creating a winning mentality. That has gone with DF - who despite his efforts failing in the EPL was not only a bad loser but managed to have a huge affinity and understanding with the fans. A very rare animal. Webber is not rare at all. I would love to see a change. Anyway, just my tuppence worth and perhaps a bit of a different take. Winning the league and getting promotion is very difficult. Our team is okay but we badly need a whole new emphasis and new ideas very soon or I fear 8th to 9th place beckons.

That's pretty easy to answer: Webber wanted to be the only man to have taken a mid-table Championship club to becoming an established Premier League side with zero external investment. He didn't and doesn't care about the cost of failure. He'll walk away to other things regardless of the outcome. It's only our club on the line. He couldn't pass up the opportunity when he had everything to gain and nothing to lose. And, as @Feedthewolf says, Webber is 'driven' and ambitious. Sitting on his hands was never in his nature. Unfortunately the reckless choice has, and continues to, backfire.

@nutty nigelBalls is actually focussing on writing music biogs nowadays. He has published a very good one on Shane MacGowan.

Its the same with supermarket shoppers, buying enough for a month (especially bread, milk, bog rolls)...the shops are open on Boxing Day FFS and they'll have a full tank of petrol to get them there. 🤣 Apples

It's a very long article by Mick Dennis and for most of it he avoids talking about the quality of football this season. He repeatedly tells us Smith and Shakespeare are well respected in the game. He tells us what great things the club are doing at the CSF. He talks about tablecloths in the dining areas. But he doesn't talk much about the actual football.

Maybe he fails to understand that when we played out from the back before, it was for a purpose. Now its because there is no other option.

Excellent writing - if you don't write for a living already then maybe you should! I think this paragraph highlights my overriding gripe with Webber and probably explains the situation we're in now. I know I'm in the minority, but I think we shouldn't have changed anything in the summer of 2021. We should have been looking for a few signings to incrementally improve the squad and taken another 'free hit'. Webber gambled. He's still chasing his losses, and the club is suffering as a result. That compulsion to tinker when we would almost certainly have been better retaining continuity. The question remains whether Webber is capable of taking a step back and realising that his gamble has failed, or if he's so committed to the current direction that he simply won't back down. The Mick Dennis article betrays a dangerous mindset within the club and its apologists: that the current decline is perfectly normal and acceptable. Maybe if we'd had a slow start to the season before hitting (and maintaining) form then it wouldn't be so bad. But our recent form is awful, particularly at home, and we're not seeing any improvement to the underlying issues. Sargent is starting out wide again. Cantwell is frozen out. No one is asking for a miracle. We just want to see improvement. We're not, and that is a problem.

And a merry Binmas to you too 😉

Lakey being negative is enough of a sign that things are going badly. Trust me, that's a rarity

Binner 😉

Priti Patel makes herself a fairy magicking up deportations in bizarre Christmas card So far the government have given the Rwandan government £140m for the promise of taking 200 asylum seekers from our shores. Perhaps Preeti can magic up the billions we will require to send all the other asylum seekers there too. And while she's at it, can she magic up a way of preventing those asylum seekers immediately leaving those Rwandan "hotels" and beginning their boat journeys all over again. Best of all, could she instead make a new year's resolution to keep her foul mouth shut and permanently eradicate her hateful and malign influence on UK politics.

Smith is boring, his team is boring, the board are narcissistic tosspots and Mick Dennis is irrelevant. Enjoy your Christmas hamper Mick.

The UK is short of unskilled labour, especially seasonal labour. Young Albanian men want to come here, and they're just what we need. Give them temporary work permits. Instead the government thinks it's OK to let developing nations bear the cost of training doctors and nurses, then lure them over here.

bit of a twist last night

I believe there’s a NYPD pipe band which is what you see in the video. Useless fact, they had to sing a song together, the only one they all knew was the Mickey Mouse song so they’re singing that 😁

I think it's a pretty reasonable comparison. Adams took over in the Premier League with minimal chance of survival but failed to be competitive in the Championship. We were 7th at the time but we're only 1 point above 7th right now and we're actually further away from the league leaders. The fundamental difference though is that Neil Adams had the club's best interests at heart and resigned whereas Dean Smith will be all too happy to draw it out as long as possible before collecting his payoff.

Any single game can be looked at and said of it "it wasn't that bad" or "could have got something from it", but when you get game after game of similar, it looks slightly different. It's well known I supported Hughton when he was here - because he had a plan and was adhering to something he believed in and although it was based on defence and dull a lot of the time, if we had better players at the time up front, things might have been different.....but with Smith, there seems to be nothing to latch on to - you can't say his approach is "defensive" you can't say it is "attacking", you can't say it's "posession based" or anything else. It's like there is nothing there to be able to think, "I see what their trying to do". Again, in Farke's first season, it was clear from the outset what he wanted to do and despite reservations from people, it was that "well at least he has a plan" that gave him some leeway. Smith doesn't have that leeway. I guess things could improve, but it will be the players that do it for him - and that is a big ask, when there don't seem to be many big characters out there. My thoughts are that there is no inspiration coming from anywhere, from management or players - no sparks - Nunez looked as if he could be the one and he still could be, but that hasn't happened yet and it's a lot to expect from a player in his first season with us. Can totally understand why fans are fed up, it's been a difficult watch this season - so far.

One of my favourites as he covered the wonderful Todd Rundgren song

Brexit is such complete disaster. On immigration - it is now undoubtedly true that the immigrants weren't taking many 'British' jobs - the Brits have either retired early or simply never wanted them. We have huge labour shortage in many areas.

Thanks for the kind words, Petriix. I have worked in editorial/content for 20+ years, so I am well-practised at writing; however, it's much harder to write from the heart about a subject that means the world to you than it is to write to a specified brief! It's easy to say that we would 'almost certainly have been better retaining continuity' with hindsight, but we just don't know (I think we would have been too, for the record). And we'll never know this either, but I have a feeling that if there was any possible way of retaining Emi Buendia in summer 2021 then we would have. I think it was a combination of Emi making it clear that he wanted to leave (which was perfectly reasonable after he stayed to help us get back up again), and a tacit acceptance that Emi was, to all intents and purposes, irreplaceable. Rather than splashing £15-20m on trying to find a direct replacement with the 'X-factor', we tried to strengthen the squad. In hindsight, it didn't work; that much is clear. I don't think his commitment to that gamble of summer 2021 is necessarily mutually inclusive with retaining Dean Smith, and I'm hopeful that the board will have the collective courage to roll the dice on that front.

Yup Nuttyo could have started a Todders malaise Bingo card....all the possible and less possible were covered. All spekkylayshun.

Thats just fine and dandy then. After all it is easier to apologise than hold fire.... thats not me having a dig at you personally btw Swearyo.

I Took my sporting detector to the last game and couldn’t detect any sport at all