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Surprised we're that high given the deplorable last dozen games...and the diminishing quality of squad

Winning the next election will demand a disciplined approach and that is what Starmer is implementing. The Labour Party cannot risk anyone being off-message and/or ill-disciplined as the opposition and especially the media will jump all over it. To argue that they should do anything else is to increase the risk of this shower of self-interested idiots getting back in and continuing on their apparent mission to drag this country into penury and oblivion. To complain that their manifesto isn’t left-wing enough is short sighted in the extreme. 50% of something is infinitely better than 100% of nothing. The Labour Party are already canvassing in our local area for the election, whenever it comes and will have refined what is already an impressive database on who is a potential voter, so resources will be efficiently targeted the closer we get to the actual date of the vote. An approach which has just been proven by the recent borough council elections which we took back from the Tories after 20 years. If they run the country with the same amount of careful and sensible planning, it bodes well.

A well known toilet thief.

I clicked on this expecting to see Vrancic v Sheffield Weds. You have bitterly disappointed me.

I have a serious alcohol problem. There isn't any in the house.

It is true Starmer has been pretty ruthless about purgeing Corbynistas, but this is realpolitik. There has been 13 years of increasingly incompetent Tory rule, with four increasingly absurd and incompetent PMs. The absolute necessity of ending that trumps delicate considerations. Not much more than a year ago psephologists were saying it would be quite impossible for Labour to win a majority at the next election, given the swing they would need. Now the only question they are debating is whether Labour will win outright or at worst have to enter a coalition with the LibDems. As to the lack of radical policies, no, not so. His policies if enacted would mark a significant change from the last 13 years and even from the Blair/Brown years.

There was a random rumour a while ago on a dodgy website but I have subsequently heard it from a couple of other sources that lead me to believe there may be something in it.

All part of the façade like you mentioned in the Attanasio thread.... Not only have lil ol' Delia and Mike tricked the Americans into investing into something they never stand a chanced of owning because Delia will "never let go of her trainset" we've also pretended to not be "little ol' norwich thanks to our owners" by leaning on the advice of a Premier League chairman, which considering "we don't even want to be in the prem because the owners want us to be little ol' Norwich" is just another way of fooling the outside world, I'm sure 🙂

Someone spent time creating that. And then someone actually shared it. Humanity is doomed.

In a better side Maddison is absolutely on the highest level. He is an England international at 26, overlooked due to Gareth Boregate’s strategy in playing those he trusts in a system he trusts. He is also a player with years of EPL under his belt, so is ready made to start without adaptation. He will achieve big enough money we will get a chunk of it in my opinion. £45 million I would suggest is the bottom of an amount he would go for surely.

Yes. Those lost points will really be a handicap come next season. And why on earth are we not allowed to strengthen the squad in the close season ? We need people like you pointing out what people may not be aware of.

Please do share with us what you think his wage demands are then. We are where we are. If he's not prepared to take a significant wage reduction to play in the Championship there isn't an awful lot we can do about it.

Yeah I saw that, but I trust where I heard it from. Obviously that doesn't make it a cast-iron certainty, but I believe it to be trustworthy.

Some thoughts after watching this. 1) When I watch these old videos from 18/19 (especially, but also 20/21), the defensive frailties look fairly similar to those of last season, and we often seem to go behind. The difference was the belief that we would come from behind and win, which is very clear in this video. 2) What the hell happened to Cantwell? He is so good in these highlights. Not having this version of Cantwell over the last two seasons has really been a negative factor. 3) I always felt Quintilla was a good player and was one who got away for whatever reason. He was an excellent striker of a dead ball, from corners as well as free kicks. 4) As always, a sense of huge disappointment of how something so good rapidly declined to the clueless mess of the last two seasons, riddled with self-doubt and lacking any kind of structure or coherence. EDIT: And then the anger kicks in. At the appointment of Smith, and then allowing him to continue to oversee this rotting from within.

You simply cannot tell. Look at Grant Holt & Pukki. Neither clicked till they got here. It's quite possible that Barnes & Sarge might form a lethal partnership - then there's Sara & Nunez who have the potential to be really special. Or we may bring someone in who inspires the whole team. Or they may all flop. Simply not gel as a unit. Predicting football is the most inexact 'science' going. And that's what makes it so much fun.

Puke inducing piffle.

Less of a thread and more of a heads up, particularly to parents and grandparents. Panorama was on Monday 5 June at 8.30 on BBC1. The programme talks about food additives and processing and their effects on health. It's a shame it's only 30 minutes as it's so important. The 2 week trial on identical twins is a real eye opener. If you're of a similar age to me it will bring back memories of the tobacco industry in the 60's and 70's.

Mention the word Leeds and they come crawling out the wood work. Quite incredible.

Just bumping this back up to the top in case it's of help to someone

My favourite intoxicated video, even I can’t match this man.

Grim? If you (Gala) can get a player who is surplus to requirements to say that they will only come to you….….how much do you pay? A Dutch Auction is a dream scenario for Gala and a nightmare for Norwich. £7m…?….why not start at £700k? Hence Norwich must create plausible PR and drum up some real interest (even if at exaggerated surface prices with unlikely conditionals). This was never the plan. Parma

I definitely agree that we need 4 centre backs, as opposed to what we did in the 2nd half of the season with 3 + a converted midfielder. I don't think that Hanley's injury will preclude him being part of the 4 needed. If we went into the season with 4 + Hanley then we'd have 5 once he returned and unless we play a back 3 that's too many. Even if we do need experience that doesn't mean we have to sign someone who's Duffy's age. When Hanley joined the club he was only 25 but was also labelled as much needed experience. I also think both Hanley and Gibson are already pretty unsuited to playing in Wagner's system and I don't see Duffy being much different in that regard.

You can also get 16/1 on us being relegated. I don't think that or winning the league is likely. As at today I can't see us making top 6 but a while before the transfer window slams shut. At least Brendan Rodgers is distancing himself from the Leeds job, which is probably not a bad thing from our perspective.

You won’t need me to tell you that Parma is exactly right. However, the no doubt erudite discussion on the matter of share ownership in this thread might as well be written in Babylonic Cuneiform as far as I’m concerned, so if I might I will try to return to more familiar ground. I hope this is germane to the point at issue, which I believe is how Mr Attenasio should prepare NCFC to thrive in the future. What is the [his?] Club for and how should it behave? Maybe I can have a crack at a realpolitik self-assessment on the Club’s behalf. I am going to wander about a bit but I will get back to the point eventually. Honest. I am no great admirer of professional sport of most kinds and elite Association Football is one of the least admirable. Even in this context I think there is nobody in this country who is not absolutely appalled at the egregious behaviour of the players (sic) of both teams and managers before during and after the Europa League Final confrontation between Sevilla and Roma. I was struck by the fact that one newspaper referred to this tawdry affair as a “game”. I have a lifelong interest in games of all kinds and I didn’t recognise this as a game at all, so I went back to first principles and tried to answer the question “What is a Game?” Sure enough I found the answer in a paper from Cambridge University: - Official Journal of the Philosophy of Science Association What is a Game? (Published online by Cambridge University Press: 14 March 2022) “By means of a critical examination of a number of theses as to the nature of game-playing, the following definition is advanced: To play a game is to engage in activity directed toward bringing about a specific state of affairs, using only means permitted by specific rules, where the means permitted by the rules are more limited in scope than they would be in the absence of the rules, and where the sole reason for accepting such limitation is to make possible such activity.” [My bold] Association Football is governed by the Laws of the Game, administered by the International Football Association Board (IFAB). The two organisations involved in the confrontation in Budapest were very clearly treating these Laws of the Game with complete contempt. It follows that they were not playing the game of Association Football at all, but were doing something else, to different and unwritten rules which were unquestionably outside the Laws but generally accepted by both parties, both of whom tried to bully the Referee into acquiescence. This was a particularly awful example but it seems to me that it is not unusual for the Laws of the Game to be set aside by mutual agreement between adversaries in the Soccer competitions in this country and by pundits and officials as complained about elsewhere in this Forum. The only purpose of operating outside the Laws is to “win” by cheating, not only on the field of play but in the Boardrooms. It must be said that this is a successful gambit more often than not. Reading these hallowed columns it would seem that people opine and admire that NCFC is significantly closer to adhering to the Laws than are rival clubs. If this is true then maybe that is why the club succeeds at a relatively “unsophisticated” Championship level but fails in a context of more accomplished and assiduous cheats. This brings me now to Mr Attanasio’s dilemma. If the aspiration is to be a member of the English Premier League then it must behave like an EPL club. This means playing a game which looks like and pretends to be Association Football but has its own unwritten Laws which are generally accepted. There is no prospect whatsoever of the EPL changing its behaviour, so - if you can’t beat ‘em you have to join ‘em. There is no other choice. As I have remarked earlier Purpose defines Behaviour. This conclusion will no doubt be unwelcome to many NCFC supporters and I have the greatest sympathy with that view but in Parma’s language that has to be the only realpolitik self-assessment. As an aside – if both teams “cheat” in exactly the same way is either of them really cheating or are they playing a similar but different game from Association Football?

It’s how serious the poster is taking the forum that is concerning me

https://twitter.com/StatsBomb/status/1666082699147378688 Looks like this Sainz lad would be some fun at the least.

The fans, do you not pay attention to what @littleyellowbirdie has been telling us... he's clever you know.

Had the same chat with my mate last night. We reckoned we compromise, lose out, then are left with scrolling down the list to players we can get but aren’t as good as first choice only because we’re unable (unwilling?) to relent to their fees.

Borja Sainz (?) is the latest, according to the pinkun.

With regard to this forum being dull withoiut him just flip the coin and consider how many posters no longer bother to log in because of this singular obsession he has which can appear on any given thread.

The excellent running of the Club inevitably includes mounting costs and the highest EFL match admission costs.

Wasn't this exact same thing posted a week or so back. Not news.

"A trustee of the Summit Foundation and has long-standing relationships with the hierarchy at the club" https://thesummitfoundation.co.uk/the-team Just join the dots. I'm off to buy some popcorn.

Probably not two, but one more is essential. None of the three, with the possible exception of Sargent, are known to be prolific. If the Sarg succumbs to injury then we will be irresponsibly short. Is Kamara anywhere near ready? Question .... I don't know. We might play just one striker but should the game need chasing we will need two on the pitch. A tactic Wagner employed regularly on several occasions last season. We should have decent funds lined up. There are, of course, crucial areas in the squad that need strengthening. The strike force remains one of them.

I've avoided this ****, but stupidly clicked on a headline on the BBC website where Holly says she was "shaken, troubled and worried". Your colleague had an affair and lied to you about it. Boo-****ing-hoo. You're not the victim here, Holly.

I don't think Sargent or Idah are anything special; they fluff so many chances it's often painful to watch. Maybe it's a lack of confidence come match day; if they were that poor in training they'd never be pro footballers, so I live in hope they find their shooting boots sooner than later. Meanwhile, we really do need a sharp 19-26 year old goalscorer to lead the line who plays without fear. As @BroadstairsR mentioned, with inevitable injuries they'll all be required over the season...

We need an extra striker with a bit of goalscoring nous about him because it has become a game that uses the (extra) subs more frequently ... like each and every game. Players even seem to get more frequently injured in the long hard Championship season ... all of Pukki, Sargent and Idah had spells out last season. Only Sargent of the three in contention is likely to get far into double figures. No youngster is likely to burst through just yet (Kamara, Dixon Peters.) Decent loanee from the PL or a promising young hit man from the lower leagues?

Kyle Lafferty against Wigan?

Norwich City - home for platers who might make it, or not. Yes, Morris is scoring now, but would we have won two titles and promotion in those years from his FA Youth Cup winning had we played him here ? What success would we have had, had they all stated....to see if they might make it ? This is a make or break season, in that the parachute money ends this season. Maybe some might care to remember we have been funded by PL or parachute money for over a decade. This is no time for sentiment. Pack him off out on loan and let's see if he is up to it. There will be far, far better forwards out there. We need two, as a minimum.

Suspect a loan might be the best thing for him, as others have said. A lot have mentioned the Preston hat-trick, but for me the thing that sticks in the mind is that the few games (Watford?, Everton) when he was playing up front in the PL under Smith was the only time we looked remotely like competing to avoid relegation. That, much more than the Preston hat-trick, makes me think there is a player here and someone worth persevering with. But he's struggled so much over the last few seasons in general that I imagine a change of scene would do him good.

Holly Willoughby apologised this morning apparently. And it was very sincere.

Adam Idah can no longer be considered young in footballing terms, nor is he a goalscorer.

Oh yes, it ****ing worked. I was enjoying it until the very end when the commentator said, "Norwich never, ever know when they're beaten and that it what's been so impressive about this team this season, they never give up, they never panic and when they need that moment of magic, they've got players than can provide it". How did we get from there to here?! Farke just sitting in the dugout as well not celebrating. Legend.

I guess we will find out soon enough , but the poor guy needs the fans to get behind him from the start of the season. The stop start seasons that he has had has not helped, along with some serious injuries and being a bit part player in those early years has hindered him. He now has a chance to establish himself in the first team and as sure as night follows day if fans get on his back he will struggle as i think he is very much a confidence player and needs a fan base that's supportive of him . I get pi££ed of with all the negative cr&p and the continued slagging off no wonder the poor guy is fumbling everything he touches in fear of getting it in the neck.

That's why I haven't watched a stream in a few years. The risk of killing my laptop in order to maybe find a barely-watchable jerky stream isn't really worth it for me.

I have not had much luck when trying to find streaming sites that appear safe from nasties etc + that also work. I'd happily receive some advice (through a private message) of sites that work well. FWIW I pay both Sky and BT but as has ben pointed out, it does not help me view City's games.

If immigrants are coming to work on the grey market, that's a classic sign that government has totally failed to process applications properly/in a timely manner and we already know there's a backlog of well over 100,000 cases. A problem caused by this hapless, incompetent government. They're not fit for purpose. Get 'em out. Asylum claim rejections show the UK government has little understanding of what people are fleeing – and it's costing lives (theconversation.com) The truth about asylum - Refugee Council

We couldn't have that level of debt. The PL is built on debt. It will all come crashing down eventually.

Not really. I very much enjoyed the Farke era. At the time, I said that as far as I was concerned I was fine with yoyoing indefinitely on the off chance that one day we caught a break. Obviously the rest of the world was rather scornful of us for that and a lot of fans just didn't have the stomach for that so we changed. Farke knows how to work a crowd, but that is a totally trivial thing in my view and shouldn't be a factor in judging their competence. I think the view of the importance of managers is exaggerated. Both Farke and Smith are clearly very competent to have done what they have. Fundamentally, I just don't buy into this expectation that changing managers is the be all and end all, but they do have styles and was quite clear to me that the direction Smith was trying to take us was about giving us the ability to win ugly as well as win pretty, which is something completely alien to Farke's approach. It's pretty obvious this was his brief as well. It should have had the whole season to get a proper handle on it is all I'm saying, because even if Wagner does have it in him, he will not get the patience necessary this season to properly experiment of results don't go our wayb after the failure of this season, although he may have enough on the prettiness side to get a bit more slack than Smith had, and he does clap the fans.