kenfoggo

Nope, Dean Smith does not need to parade around the ground after the final whistle to curry favours. But also ,on the other hand, he has made little to no effort to endear himself to the supporters and in fact “Fortunately our next game is away” seemed designed to deliberately alienate the fans. And then he feels he has nothing to apologise for and will not change his demeanour. A little less arrogance and a little more of a conciliatory attitude would perhaps ease the toxic atmosphere around him? 12 points out of a possible 39 in the last 13 matches is a record for which an apology may be overdue?

I feel sorry for Dean Smith. He is being subject to personal abuse and that is not acceptable. However, although he has a proven track record of coaching, he has produced a side that consistently underperforms and a brand of football that nobody wants to watch. It is a shame, because he seems to have good intentions, but he is not a good fit at this Club. He is just another Head Couch who tried but failed. Many, many other clubs would have got rid of a failing coach long before the situation became so toxic that this abuse surfaces. But the stats do not lie, in the last 13 games out of a possible 39 points we have accrued 12. That is the metric he will be judged upon, not whether he is a nice chap or whether he was successful at another club, but rather can he coach this squad to be competitive? The raw data of points accrued would indicate to most people that whatever Dean Smith is trying to bring to the club is not working. It simply has not worked. He does not have the tools in his box to be successful here. I will not be attending another game at Carrow Road until this toxic situation is resolved, it is too sad to see and witness Dean Smith falling off a cliff in slow motion.

Really? Oh well no ambition to be a stable Premiership Club. Thanks ,LittleYellowBirdie, for telling us all that Webber aims to be atop 26 Club. That is brilliant! He is achieving that, just . At present we sit number 26. Prior to the Luton away fixture. Could be worse if QPR win their game. Aim at mediocrity and you stand a chance of achieving just that.

In the last 12 Championship games , out of a possible 36 points, we have accrued 12. Average 1 point per game. Solid mid table form. Expect more of the same unless Dean Smith has coached “a different animal” since the Blackburn debacle.

Whatever . Could be a win. Could be a draw. We may lose. Sort of lost interest.

Resignation is a personal decision. Webber may feel that his immense talents are being wasted at Norwich and that he is destined to move on to bigger and better things. He can already climb mountains, perhaps he can leap tall buildings is a single bound? What he cannot appear to do is fulfill his stated goal, that of making Norwich a stable Premiership entity. Not happening. Probably never will . Certainly he may feel that he has done all that he can at Norwich and may feel a move is essential to maintain his own interest in a challenge. Stay or go is his decision. I’ve lost interest.

“Narrative” seems an odd word to use . I don’t think that the Supporters have a “narrative “. They are just sick of paying their hard earned to watch dross and they are voicing their disappointment and discontent. In the meanwhile Dean Smith plods on “doing his best” and determinedly ignoring any criticism and it seems just hoping things will improve miraculously on their own. The “different animal” he promised after the Tampa jaunt has not manifested itself and we can expect more of the same that we witnessed against Blackburn. He has obviously, after 14 months in the post, exhausted all the tools in his box and has no new philosophy or direction to offer. He has lost me as a Supporter by attempting to deflect his own inability to get the squad to play effectively by blaming the fans, which is unforgivable. I wish him well but I cannot envisage a change in fortunes with him in charge.

I think the Dean Smith topic has now been talked out to a conclusion that he has lost the Supporters, that he has already left the Club in spirit (if he ever really committed) and that he has no tools in his box to fix the malaise and poor form in the squad. We will most likely limp on this season with more of the same because there is no will to change either the Head Coach or the downward trajectory.

The important stat that Dean Smith deliberately avoids acknowledging is 3 points from a possible 21 at home. This is relegation form, and it is happening on his watch.

The “ narrative “ that Dean Smith is trying to make us believe is that he is good at his job. He appears to believe that Norwich Supporters are all country bumpkins with no eyes to see what is going on. He has turned a squad of capable Championship players into stumbling, inept , failing, under confident bunglers. THAT is how good a Head Coach he is. 3 points at home from a possible 21, THAT is how good his coaching is. A freebie holiday in Tampa to come back a “different animal”, that is how incompetent he is. Do not treat me with such contempt and disrespect, win some games convincingly and we may start to believe your own trumpeting. Until then , you are on borrowed time.

Dean Smith has “No regrets” and “No apologies to make”. I have no respect for the arrogance of this man who goes on to say “I believe I am good at my job”. So … 3 points out of a possible 21 at home is the real stat’ that Dean Smith SHOULD be quoting. That is relegation form. Please! If Dean Smith gets any better at his job we will be in the bottom three of the Championship. Of course he has to say that he is good at his job, but that means the problem lies somewhere else. That means he has to blame the fans, the players , the grass being the wrong shade of green. Anything, but is is not Dean Smith’s fault. No respect for him at all.

According to Dean Smith this fixture is “fortunately” an away game, meaning that he doesn’t want naughty pesky Supporters there to be giving him any grief (criticism). I was wondering who on earth will give up their time and hard earned to go and support a Head Coach who obviously does not want you to be there? Especially on Boxing Day?

I wish Dean Smith well in his next job. For me he has already left the building and is just ambling towards his expected payout for cutting short his contract. I cannot respect a single thing he says after his words about coming back from Tampa as a new animal, about still being able to turn things around and get the Supporters onside . It is simply laughable. He has had 14 months in the job and there seems to me no signs of improvement in any aspect of play at the Club. Why continue with this farce? “ Fortunately our next game is away” … said no true Norwich Supporter ever.

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.

I have read all of Mick Dennis’ article in MFW. I find it completely disingenuous. It is obvious that he is not an impartial observer and reporter , he is firmly in the Delia/Webber/Dean Smith enthral and has attempted to put a positive slant on our performances and the Club’s position. It will not work because the Supporters have eyes and are not as stupid as Mr Dennis believes. They have seen the dire performances on the pitch and this is ONLY the result of Dean Smith’s coaching. The Supporters understand that Dean Smith has no commitment to this Club and has not even tried to form a relationship with the Supporters, on the contrary Dean Smith has gone out of his way to defect attention from his own failings and direct that responsibility to the Supporters. No ! It will not stand. He can win the next dozen games and he will not win my approval for his attitude to the paying customer. Treat me with contempt with statements like “Fortunately our next game is away” and you have lost me forever.

Any Head Coach who treats me such contempt by attempting to deflect his own failings by blaming the Supporters deserves everything that comes his way. The poor performances on the pitch are what drives the criticism and now outright hostility which is coming his way from the terraces and social media. He did say “Fortunately, our next game is away” , big mistake ..Huge. He did say that he thinks he “has been in this game long enough”, which again exposes him to ridicule because by now he should know not to insult the supporters. He should know , as he has been in the game so long, that you cannot parade the kind of dross his side presents as entertainment and expect unfettered praise. He did say at the beginning of the season that his squad was a top two finish squad. What has happened to the Club that had such a great relationship with the Supporters only two short seasons ago?

Dean “fortunately our next game is away” Smith has opened his mouth again, this time to tell us “I’ve been in this game long enough”. This must be the first time that I agree with “Fortunately “, I think he HAS been in the game long enough, TOO long. Perhaps he should consider another career path or retire? Certainly the 14 months he has been our Head Coach has seen him lead us heroically to a spineless relegation and now coaches our team to accrue 3 points from a possible 21 in our last 7 home games, that is not promotion form that is relegation form. He may have had some success elsewhere but at Norwich , not so much. How long can he keep playing on his previous CV and continue coaching Norwich to failure?

Dean “Fortunately, our next game is away “ Smith is still our head coach at close of play Monday night. If he was going he would have gone by now. The Board have decided to ignore the poor performances . The Board have decided to continue to let the disconnect between the Supporters and the Club continue to grow. The Board have decided to allow the mediocrity at all levels in the organisation to continue. Shame on them.

I must disagree with littleyellowbirdie. The appalling performance on the pitch is NOT the result of the poor atmosphere at Carrow Road. The crowd do not purchase the squad, the crowd does not coach that squad, the crowd do not decide the tactics nor do they direct the players how to play. The crowd do not decide that the way to win a game is to attempt to send the opposition into a coma by constantly refusing to attack their goal, but chose to pass backwards at every given opportunity. Stop blaming the Supporters for the lack of drive, commitment , style or endeavour on the playing surface. The poor atmosphere at Carrow Road is the result of the dreadful play on the pitch. Give us something, anything at all to support and we will support it.

When any business entity starts to lose staff from key positions, sometimes to rivals, then alarm bells should be ringing at board and ownership level. High staff turnover is an acknowledged indicator of problems within an organisation and will often be a harbinger of corporate failure. Something within that organisation is wrong, the staff realise it and leave, but the problem is ignored , not fixed , which leads to a sharp decline in morale and ultimately disaster. This is happening now at Carrow Road and has filtered down throughout the Club and onto the playing field and into the terraces. Ignore the problem at Board level? Failure at the coal face.

Could someone please talk us through the financial implications of not being promoted this season? Loans to repay? Loss of parachute payments? Needing to cut payroll (players and back room staff)?

I have no idea if he is a nice chap or not. He can give his best teddy bear to Oxfam or he can deliberately trip up granny in the supermarket, I have no idea. I do not care. Only criteria is his ability to Coach a football team. Results, especially at home, would indicate that he is struggling.

All the “narrative “ goes away if you can just coach our team to slide the ball past the opposition’s goalkeeper in the same way we manage to stick the ball so brilliantly past our own goalkeeper. It was perfectly placed, Angus Gunn didn’t have a chance, brilliant! Not rocket science and as Dean Smith is such an awesome Coach this simple task should not be beyond him.

“Fortunately our next game is away!” I’ m getting a sweatshirt printed up because this has to be the most misguided quote from a Head Coach …EVER. ( It is almost like a resignation letter).

Curious use of the term “narrative “ by Dean Smith. The implication, of course, is that “they are all out to get me”. Sad Dean Smith. He is wilfully blind to the fact that IF his coaching actually stopped our team losing game after game at home then there would be no “narrative “. “Infamy ,Infamy! They’ve all got it in for me! “ Poor Dean Smith.