bob.eastick@yahoo.ca

Fair comment. Thank you. Farke and not Varke (German name after all) but to your credit at least you understood without difficulty who it was and you did not tale issue with the balance of the commentary. In this world of social media typos do crop up.

It is a non issue. Delete is not difficult to use. Thanks for the concern.

It is rumoured that after his departure and his planned mountaineering exploits Webber will be looking for a new appointment. The names of Leeds and Rangers have surfaced as clubs with some interest. I do wonder just how enthused Daniel Varke would be at Leeds were that to materialize. Varke is by nature a very diplomatic man and I am sure he would not be disparaging in any way but one wonders what his real sentiment might be. I have no doubt if Rangers were to land his services in Scotland, just how enthralled the ex Norwich player Todd Cantwell would be at the prospect of a reunion with someone who he has made very clear was from his perspective the major reason for his own demise with the Canaries. Webber would be best suited with a club at the level of league 1 or 2, or a non league team where he can apply without difficulty his farm club mentality and his accounting prowess. It takes much more than a bean counter to empower any organisation to ongoing success, and in professional soccer that is very much the case. Of course financial responsibility has to be maintained but there also has to be the vision and the awareness of how and when to manage the situation to advance and maintain success at the next level when you get there. Failure to do that and it is inevitable you will rapidly slide back to from whence you came, and possibly worse. One can only hope that the Canaries can look forward to a more positive long term future which will involve the vision and the courage to invest in a team, expanding its established strength as opposed to selling off its talent as soon as it becomes a viable asset to satisfy the accounting objectives.

Investing in mediocrity will predictably result in the long term in just that, MEDIOCRITY and possibly even worse. One may encounter a fortunate run of good results but over the season the reality will come to the fore. Webber is on his way and his legacy is already crystal clear. Think back over the last 5 seasons. Yes there were two Championship promotions but in both cases they were opportunities discarded on the basis of financial frugality. Daniel Farke was the prime reason for the success (it seems he may be doing something similar now with Leeds) by motivating a better than average squad to over perform. In the meantime almost without exception. sooner or later anyone with any serious level of talent was sold. From the players perspective why would they decline the opportunity when being staunchly aware of the negative impact on their career should they stay with a squad under the control of someone with the mentality of running a farm club for the benefit others, focused on a regime embedded in the principles of a very constrained and conservative financial program. A long list of players brought in on a free transfer or in the declining phase of their career, in most cases having been at best a journeyman member of the team they played for. The one exception obviously was Temu Pukki who to his credit proved to be an exception. No disrespect to Wagner but he was also tied to Webber in Huddersfield, who following promotion to the premier league experienced the same decline under very similar circumstances. Some may say that Webber was obliged to function with the limited resources at his disposal. That said depleting the strength of your squad in order to satisfy the bottom line at the end of the season is a double edged sword. Two key issues are key to success. Financial resources and motivational people management. Reading Todd Cantwell's interview in which he profiled his personal relationship (or lack thereof) with Webber perhaps provides some insight. Unfortunately it is also a fact in the modern game that those clubs that are able to compete at the top level are owned by individuals or corporations that are in a position to financially subsidize an approach that does not necessarily realize a profit. Is Wagner the right man for the job? His future is on the line and will be determined before Christmas. If he cannot turn things around in very short order it will be a question of NEXT.

The latest Premier league campaign says it all. I am sure most fans are tired at looking at the league table and probably gave up doing so quite some time back. Comparing where we finished up to that two season back says it all. P W D L F A PTS 19/20 38 5 6 27 26 75 21 21/22 38 5 7 26 23 84 22 We managed one additional draw but scored 3 less goals and conceded 9 more. The fact that we were repeatedly told that some in the club believed we could still avoid relegation with several games to go only serves to demonstrate how delusional they were. We did not even come close. If anything the Premier league is stronger than it was just two years back. The final string of results certainly demonstrated that the Championship is where we currently belong. Will we bounce back again? Only time will tell and if so would we do any better. Certainly not with the current administrative approach. The Stewart Webber era should be closed out. His mentality is better suited to a club in the National League. Dehlia should seek a windfall profit from a well heeled buyer. Dean Smith, if he is to remain, needs to be given the ability to rebuild the team in his own image. If not. there is the danger of a gradual slide into the same status as our beloved rivals 48 miles down the road. Enjoy the Summer.

It is long overdue. Stuart Webber should be encouraged to climb Mt. Everest as he wishes and be given his exit cheque to assist the charity of his choice. Enough is enough. The club needs a new mentality if it is ever to become a serious participant in the Premier League and not a farm team for others.

The result against Newcastle puts everything into perspective. After 14 games Newcastle were bottom of the league behind the Canaries. What has happened in the mean time. Both clubs replaced their manager. Newcastle ownership changed with a massive injection of capital into the club and investment in some quality players. Norwich maintained their ultra conservative financial approach with the acquisition of more players better suited to the Championship. Tonight City are absolutely rock bottom heading back to the Championship and Newcastle are sitting in the top half of the table. Those in the club who have held steadfast believing that survival is possible have been deluding themselves, living in a dream world. Dean Smith is confronted with a squad that simply is not strong enough for the Premier league. Stuart Weber's farm team mentality is coming home to roost. To have any chance of remaining in the Premier League you have to have a Premier League mentality, and unfortunately deep pockets.

In professional soccer everyone is judged by their results and for a team that is struggling to establish itself in a league which is technically more adept, faster and more intense, there are players who will fall short of the mark, no matter how hard they try. Cantwell has talent and there were brief moments when his performance promised so much more than he was able to deliver on a consistent basis, for what ever reason. There have also been times when he seems lost, seemingly unable to compete in terms of physicality and stamina. There were reasons why DF was not convinced that he was the right choice during the latter part of his tenure, and to this point that has not changed with DS. The rhetoric with reference to Cantwell haters is totally ridiculous. The lad is being given the opportunity to redeem himself at the Championship level where hopefully he will rediscover his confidence and the joy of playing, to enable him to become the best that he can be. It is entirely up to him.

Far too much attention focused on a single incident, the outcome of which brings what?

Unfortunately, for one reason or another, his lack of energy, heart and physical presence from a playing perspective have completely over whelmed his early promise. Perhaps a change of venue might serve to rejuvenate his career but from the Canaries perspective he seems to be fading into oblivion. Certainly not a key to resolving the clubs lack of success. Give him the opportunity to go to ever would like to give him a new opportunity to prove himself, even if it is on a free transfer. Norwich have much bigger fish to fry.

Dean Smith has very quickly found himself in the whirlpool of mediocrity that is the outcome of the Webber approach to soccer management, the focus of which is all about the bottom line with a total lack of understanding in terms of what it takes to survive, let alone thrive. in the premier league. His career record with Huddersfield before joining Norwich and also since joining Norwich are testament to this. Listening to Smith's comments and concerns following the most recent defeat leads me to believe that he is now coming to grips with the reality of the hand that he has been dealt, and there is going to be very little opportunity to bluff their way out of the situation. Injuries and COVID apart, the inability to assert any level of authority when approaching the oppositions eighteen yard box, against teams at all levels of the league, is all too evident. One does not need to be a mathematician to calculate the average number of goals scored over the past 5 games. That said, the situation as it stands is not of Smith's doing, and to a great extent it is not entirely fair to shoulder his predecessor with more than his share of the blame. A football director who has an attitude more suited to that of managing a farm team in the modern game, may well foster success at the lower levels of the game, which if that is where you are content to be, then so be it. However, if your aspirations are to play in one of the most competitive leagues in the world, if not the toughest, then there simply is no room for such a blunted approach. Lampard did not waste too much time when a candidate for the position. While it is only supposition to try and second guess what may have persuaded him to step back, perhaps a lack of empathy for the expressed need to invest in some real quality during the January transfer window, in two or three key positions, may have convinced him it was too high a risk at this stage of his career. In all probability Webber will probably leave of his own volition before the season has closed out, as he did with Huddersfield, leaving the sad state of affairs to its own destiny, and it will be for someone else to try and resurrect the situation. Relegation this time around is very unlikely to carry the same level of positivity with respect to the prospects of success in the Championship as was the case the last time around. Perhaps the situation has reached the point where it is time also for fresh blood, in terms of ownership strictly from a financial perspective. Sadly today, the Premier league has become the playground of billionaires as opposed to millionaires. Smith has the ability to rally the troops, but he will still need to secure new ammunition if the team is to have any level of success. One does not win the Kentucky Derby with a beach pony. A cynical remark maybe, but at 19 games we are exactly half way through the reason with only l0 points to show for our efforts. To secure 35 points which is probably the lowest number that may enable us to escape relegation, that would be the equivalent of 8 wins and a draw from 19 games. If you like to think of 40 points to secure safety then that means the equivalent of 10 wins in the remaining 19 games. Realistic? You can manage the computations yourself. At present seemingly impossible but an avid fans hope burns eternal, even if it does fly in the face of logic, usually referenced as wishful thinking.

Time will tell. In my view SW has to also shoulder the blame and also should be on his way. It was not surprising that Lampard backed out of the opportunity once he understood the limitations imposed by SW. He will have more attractive opportunities come his way. On the other hand Smith is a street fighter and accustomed to fighting in the trenches, and would not have the expectations of Lampard. He has very little to lose. The challenge is immense but his style is proactive and not reactive. He is more analytical than philosophical. Every player has to consider the slate has been wiped clean and must establish their credibility with Smith. One can expect players to play with much more energy and purpose in the coming weeks. The history in the Championship means nothing to Smith. SW can only hope that Smith will make him look good and possibly save his bacon.

Money dictates all things with the Canaries. While budgets and cashflow in any business cannot be simply brushed aside, if one is to progress then there are times such as this that candidates with a proven track record at the premier league level must be the priority, and even then with the current plight of the Canaries it will be an immense challenge for time is of the essence. There is no room for the demand of patience while the team is rebuilt over the next two seasons.. The Premier league is recognized globally as the most competitive and challenging league in professional soccer. It is not the place for those with no experience at this level if you wish to survive. Managing a team in the Championship is an entirely different affair to doing so in the Premier league. In fact the gap between the two is getting bigger with each passing season. Bringing in a foreign manager into the fold, no matter how well he may have done in their domestic league, relatively speaking is a huge gamble unless they have been involved with one of the major European clubs. With all due respect the leagues in Scandinavia do not come even close to the Premier league. Without question, Daniel Farke did an excellent job for Norwich at the Championship level, but he was totally out of his depth in the Premier league. He was not responsible for the first team when coaching in Germany, but the reserve squad. Economics was key to his appointment. Newcastle appoint Eddie Howe. He did a great job with Bournemouth before being replaced, Bournemouth getting relegated on goal average following the last game of the season. He has the experience of managing a team of limited ability in a fight for survival in the Premier league. A very good strategic choice at this time for Newcastle. Will he be the long term choice as manager for Newcastle? Only time will tell but on an immediate basis those who have invested in the club are dealing with the immediate need. The reality of the Canaries securing the services of a high profile manager at present are extremely limited with the influence of the current sports director a major hurdle and the inability of the Canaries to give them the level of autonomy they would demand plus a very substantial salary. In most cases they go to clubs that have very deep pockets with a realistic chance of being very competitive at the highest level. With respect to candidates such as Gerrard and Lampard, Norwich would be no more than a staging post in their career but there understandably would be some trepidation as the prospect of being associated with a relegated club should that transpire, especially if they are unable to have little or no influence on the acquisition of new talent. So what are the options. Pull someone out of retirement such as Sam Allardyce or Harry Redknapp, the immediate priority being survival. Roy Hodgson did a great job with Crystal Palace. Dean Smith, released from Aston Villa could be a very good choice. So he lost five games on the trot. Losing Jack Grealish definitely had something to do with that. However, he had previously resurrected their fortunes and their league position has not been that shabby the past two seasons. We wait to see where the chips will fall. It will probably be a case of bringing someone in without a proven track record at this level, the farm team mentality also being extended at the management level.

So what is the logic. Has Stuart Webber decided they should capitalize on the high value of real estate on Carrow Road and move to the country side to become a real farm team?

What is it with you guys. Are you afraid of your own shadow. Those who live in fear that their own identity being revealed are no more than ghost writers who live in fear of what they have to say. A sad reflection on the standard of integrity and confidence. Anyone can e-mail me perhaps once but if what they have to say lacks personal respect then it is not difficult to apply a blocker. Perhaps when you are an old fart and long retired such as myself, there is very little that bothers you. I managed companies on a national and international level and believe me in the corporate world there are always those in the corridors of power who have their knives drawn ready to take you down as soon as the opportunity presents itself. Unfortunately that's life.