Leaderboard

…and then rolled the ball to a Bristol City player…….

Looks like McGovern then 🙄

Blimey that's a brave move! I can't bear to get rid of all the rubbish I've accumulated over the years. My wife once said if I didn't get rid of it all that would be that. I miss her sometimes.....

No he wasn’t THE problem, he was just one of a number of problems, we are still left with so many that are all mentioned at various points throughout this thread.

Literally couldn’t be more disconnected with this club right now. I hope to god that the Shareholders meeting next week harks the beginning of the long overdue end of the Smith and Jones era as I honestly can’t see how anything is going to change until the both of them (and the Webbers) have been put out to pasture.

However much we have spent, It's peanuts compared to what we needed to. Bournemouth have just spent £50m in the January window, yet the chances are they are coming down. Even Southampton have spent £30m, and they have no chance of staying up. Don't even get started on Forest. West Ham have a squad valued at well over £400m. The players you can buy for £10m are not going to keep you in the EPL, and now it looks like they're not going to get you out of the Champs either. Burnley are a special case, where the stars have aligned, much like they did for us two years ago. But they aren't pretty. Sheff Utd started their process in the middle of last season and have gelled into an effective team. But they aren't pretty. What we have is a squad which should be competing for the top 6 according to results. But everyone wants sweet football as well, because that's what we had. No other team in this league plays that way. No one. Every team is functional and efficient. No other team in the Champs has hugely creative players or pacey, exciting players. They don't fit the modern way. It's all about workrate, stats, Xg etc. Management and coaching makes the difference at this level - getting a team ethic, momentum, support etc. We don't have that anymore. I think the "supporters" are indeed partly to blame. I guarantee that if we make a mistake on Tuesday which leads to a Hull goal, the crowd will boo and start to turn. That isn't support. Why would Attanasio put his money into a club with supporters who are unlikely to appreciate him?

I thinks we have gone full circle now and we are exactly where we were when Webber arrived, yes we have a vastly improved training environment, but other than that we have little to show for those two seasons at the top table. We now have an ageing squad on the decline with little resale value and no money to spend on the massive squad change that is needed. I feel we are in for a good few seasons in the Championship, hovering around mid table. Webber really should go, but he won’t , it’s all too comfortable at the club.

It’s just so, so sloppy…….from every player on the pitch. You would be forgiven for thinking that the players have no intention of getting promoted. Just happy to pick up their inflated wages without the need to tax themselves too hard.

Because we lost at Bristol City?

Keith may a troll of spectacular ability, but he's right 🤷‍♂️

That’s because we never replaced Buendia, this team looks like how we did when Emi was missing

Send them to On The Stall City, it will benefit The Nest.

Fraud. Getting found out with each passing week. All the best. Big Keith Scott.

Of course it is Webber's fault. We've recruited terribly and therefore have had to resort to using squad players out of position this season. Placheta £2.5m, Tzolis £8m, Rashica £8m, or something in that range. Looking at almost £20m on three wingers and then we end up with squad filler Sinani out wide, Dowell playing out of position, Sargent pegged out on the right at times being wasted. We've got people bashing Kenny McLean for some of his performances, when he's being asked to play a deeper role because for the second consecutive season we've signed a crock on loan to play DM. And the £8m Brazilian we purchased isn't a terrible player, but if English and playing for Preston would probably fetch about £2m on the market. It is entirely Webber's fault, we've spent a fortune, wasted on various foreign gambles, and failed to pull together a competitive Championship squad. He should be sacked. Ward should be given an ultimatum, sack Webber of we will sack you. Happy to keep Wagner though, none of this is his fault.

I'll give him a pass on Sargent. He'll be our number 9 next season and will prove a good centre forward. I'll just about give him a pass on Angus Gunn, although I'm not convinced we got a great deal of value there, if his surname wasn't Gunn I'm sure we could have recruited similar for half the price. Beyond that his transfer business has been dreadful since 2018.

I was being sarcastic - the other option was to flap my arms in the air and shout we are all doomed.

An even better example would be Luton who we've lost twice to this season. Their whole squad was assembled for under 5 million and now has a market value of 35 million. A very well run club indeed and you're right to ask why heads haven't been on the block..

So Dean Smith wasn't the problem after all...

We had to sign players in the prem and the fact we sold Buendia to fund these signings is laughable. It’s Groundhog Day, we are back where we are five years ago, already pleading poverty and looking like we will be weaker next season. I’m sick of the owners and the clowns who think they are saints.

Hmmmm. What about the £60m “somebody” spent summer before last?

Sorry everyone. Norwich let us all down today. I was confident of a good result but sadly it didn’t happen.

I loved the one who called Neil and said “I watched the game on the radio”. Priceless.

There’s been some absolute crackers on there over the years. It’s an institution, and frankly, most of the callers need to be institutionalised.

You dodging the question makes you look like a coward. Go on, any decent permanent signings in the last 5 years?

The yawn was towards "Big" Keith Scott and his pointless post-defeat thread that he inevitably posts. But as you ask: We aren't playing as a team. I don't think Wagner has quite got the optimal attacking formation tweaked quite yet. We are low on confidence which other teams know and are pressing us into defensive errors. We never filled the DM position. We are too reliant on an aging Pukki. Etc etc. Blah blah blah.

He certainly did but his appointment was an absolute disaster and never ever in a million years should he have been brought into our football club but the man who got him the job likewise in a million years will never admit he f***ked it up because his ego will not allow it.

Wagner needs time. This squad isn't good enough - even if we snuck up via the play offs, can you imagine the Premier League with these players!

Never been called that. What does it mean.....

We don't play with wingers. Hernandez isn't a natural fit for the system, notably leaving a big gap to Gianonoulis behind him. Hopefully Nunez will bring more balance.

That was his only contribution.

I think that Duncan also carried on playing with 3 broken ribs, away to Arsenal (I think).

In no possible way should Tzolis be starting based upon his cameo and form to date. Looked like a kid who'd won a competition to play in a charity game.

First up have a read of this: https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/premier-league-prize-money-how-27602760 TV money may have gone up, but not enough to turn £130m into £190m. Looks to me like you have confused what commentators often say promotion is worth with what teams actually receive after a season. Usually they say promotion to the premier league is worth £150m or there abouts. That's based on finishing in last place and getting parachute payments which are over three seasons. https://www.sportingnews.com/uk/soccer/news/parachute-payments-premier-league-relegation/co1lqyokr2yks2z1rkysuvwa#:~:text=Each club receives 55 percent,percent the year after that. Going on that first article, for them to take in £190m via TV revenue and league positioning, they would have to win the league as Man City got £161.3m. So you appear to be way off. In any case, you haven't taken into account wages, it's all a bit of guess work and this article was put together on 8th Jan this year so won't feature new signings contracts either but you get the idea. https://www.planetfootball.com/quick-reads/premier-league-wage-bill-ranking-arsenal-newcastle-man-utd-city-liverpool/ Just for perspective, that's about as much as we paid in wages last season, so I find it a little doubtful that it won't be more than that. I suspect what it will really come down to is how they have structured the fees agreed for players. If they have spread payments out over several seasons, it'll reduce the amount going out every season and could see them do ok with FFP. I suspect though that it will be looked into. https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11743/10267899/bournemouth-fined-7-6m-after-breaching-financial-fair-play-rules You'll note that this was to the EFL, not the Premier League, and had they remained in the championship, they would also most likely have been hit with a transfer embargo. However, they weren't so the EFL had no derestriction to do so when they were in the premier league. Again, note this article about QPR: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/44980113

Wrong, the Premier League does has its own FFP rules. As does the Football League. Which is exactly what I said. UEFA cannot take it upon themselves to deduct Premier League points from a Premier League side, that is a ludicrous suggestion. I hope this explanation on the Premier League website helps. https://www.premierleague.com/news/102374 What is Financial Fair Play? In addition to Company Law, the Premier League has its own Rules relating to club finances, accounting and good governance. The Premier League, Football League and UEFA each has its own regulations governing club finances. The most widely known FFP policies are probably UEFA’s. These pertain to the licensing system for teams who wish to take part in European club competitions. The Premier League has a number of financial rules in place, including requirements for clubs to pay transfer fees, salaries and tax bills on time. They must also submit accounts annually, and disclose payments made to agents. You can read these regulations in full in the Premier League Handbook, primarily Section E: Club Finances. Outside of these obligations it is up to individual clubs, who all have their own directors and senior executives, to make decisions over how they spend their income.

Not looked into their finances to know how close to breaching FFP they are, but I do know their Premier League income this season will not be nearly enough to 'comfortably offset their spending'

He might be one of those dads that turn up with an itinerary and stresses the whole family out to the point where they all grin and nod saying how lovely the few days away were.... But they just need to go lay down now. 🙂

Huge amount of unfortunate truth in what you’ve said. The money is a reality that can’t be ignored anymore and why it’s good to see the Attanasio takeover edging closer. I think Michael and Delia have been great stewards, but the last few years have proved we will always struggle to realistically compete without a benefactor and that doesn’t look like ever changing. Football in this country is too far gone for a true financial fair play system to ever be implemented. I’d say you’re also right we should still have enough to be competing in the top 6 this season though, the club have said top 2 which is part of the problem in terms of supporter’s expectation. We were spoiled under Farke, and there’s definitely a hangover of that still in the Carrow Road crowd IMO. You’re right most successful teams are way more pragmatic than they are attractive. The other issue with finances though is when your finances are extremely limited how you spend them comes under increased scrutiny. I can’t believe anyone thinks we have spent the spoils of the last few years wisely when it comes to the playing squad. Other clubs finances and spending aren’t really relevant to that point.

Perhaps with a bit of luck when the Americans get hold of city they will sack him because Delia hasn’t got the B—-s to do it

Oh my, the “champions of Europe” have let me down, again! 🤣🤣🤣

yeah, that was great @Feedthewolf. Enjoy the game. Thanks for sharing, @dylanisabaddog

Treason! Really? How absolutely ridiculous. Sounds like the poor man should have been sectioned rather than put before a court.

Unfortunately during that period we had three leaders who were vying to become the biggest mass murderers in history. Adolf, Josef and Mao. Each one believing and convincing their countries that it was for their own good. And each one using their troops as canon fodder.

"Right family that was Pulls Ferry that we've just passed on the right. It's where the stone for Norwich Cathedral that we've just ran around was offloaded for its construction"...."Let's double up and quicken the pace now, as we've got Gravity on Riverside for an hour of 'bouncy bouncy' followed by a healthy quick bite in the Queen of Iceni".... Then it's a quick sprint back to the accommodation (without puking) to freshen up and change, before we power walk down to Carrow Road for the match"...."C'mon now, let's put some effort in!".....

I don't understand why people keep suggesting that we could unilaterally renew his contract. He didn't want to sign another contract here and I don't think we could/would offer the wages he was after.

Think they should charge Stroud with impersonating a referee