aubrey rooney

I''ve never been a big fan of Bruce''s, we plucked him from obscurity (Gillingham I believe) turned him into a half-decent defender and once Manure showed an interest he was on his way. Since then his ''mercenary instincts'' have served him well as he jumped from one club to another rapidly making his way up the league, leaving chaos in his wake as his previous employers try to pick up the pieces. When he walked out on Palace after six months to join Brum the league stepped in and put him on a months garden leave to try to bring some respectability to proceedings. A promotion (grrrrrrrr) and three trophyless seasons later we find him bragging about how far they''ve come. Let''s face it, 30,000 crowds for a team in England''s second city is hardly something to brag about (the Binners match that!!!!) Truth is Brucy, you''re clutching at straws, you''ve had 3 seasons, you''ve spent a heap of money and your team is mid-table fodder, time is running out when your team lacks discipline, lacks the ability to finish off a nervy Norwich and then blames everybody and his dog for a result that goes against you

My congrats to Wigan also, though to be honest only Sunderland did themselves any justice in what was a very poor league. The Binners, six points clear at one stage, tried to get promotion by doing as little as possible, and paid the price. Their play-offs record makes pleasant reading and despite bitter claims like ''we fear nobody at this level'' you only have to look at their goals against column to see the problem. Yet, as I recall, it was the same last year!....and the year before that they were relegated! Back to the thread, now that Wigan are up, expect Mr JJB to invest heavily in his squad, meaning Jackson could move on ala Malky and do a job in the coke league. With his old mate DeVos already a regular and a small price tag for a thirty something defender he could well be a Binner come August.

Well it''s great to know that you''re making good progress Wiz, as I recall you were almost a lone voice of optomism on here a couple of months ago,nice to see that most? are coming around to our way of thinking. Now that we''ve beaten Brum you can calm down....no?...well next week will be even more of a strain I can promise you of that! Don''t you dare miss it, I''m flying in from NZ and I''ll get in somehow even if it''s in their end and whatever the result we can be very proud of our team''s efforts this season.

Interesting you should ask Wiz,I''ve been saying we''ll survive all season and even last week when we were eight points adrift and my work mates were giving me sh*t I would only concede that things were ''starting to look difficult'' Meanwhile the general consensus on here has been less than encouraging, posts calling for Worthy''s head, or why he sold Malky, the merits of (or lack of) Helveg, Holt, Eddie, Doherty etc etc. Suddenly we win a game and were the best team outside the Nou Camp !!!!! C''mon guys, this is what it''s all about, a battle ''til the last game, we were never out of it and I for one won''t be resigned to any fate until the sums don''t add up.

......i''d still pick him over some of the division 2/3 players who were on show!......I wouldn''t. Sanchez took one look at England''s mid-field, Beckham, Gerrard, Lampard and Cole and decided that what was needed was young, enthusiastic, commited players who''ll die for the shirt, shut down space, make tackles, cover every blade of grass, you know...the basics. I''m just wondering which, if any of the above, you think Mulryne has to offer? 

I read with interest that Mr Sheepshanks has announced that there will be no money to bolster his sides fading promotion push. ''We pushed the boat out to bring in Unsworth and Scowcroft''......what the hell does that mean? He went on, ''we have no fear of the play-offs as we beat Barnsley in 2000 after finishing third'' yeah, and failed in the play-offs in three consecutive year''s before that! oh, and did I mention last year? Mr Sheepshanks was last seen unconscious, lying face down with his head buried deep in the Portman Rd drinks cabinet.His striker''s have been seen cruising the red light district of Ip***** to see if one of them can score in a brothel

Seems a little strange to me, an England U-21 striker being loaned out when his own club is crying out for goals. What price Ip***** loaning Bent to Cambridge for the rest of the season? Unless there''s something we aren''t being told, like if we''re relegated (some people think it''s all over....) and Matty leaves he could come of age in Championship next season, on the other hand are they impressed enough with Ashton, Hucks Mackenzie and Crow to unload him and with a good run of games at Layer Rd would certainly create some interest in the lower leagues. At this stage I''ll wish him all the best but I''m not sure his long term future lays at FCR

nice one BK, perhaps somebody down there looked at Derby, Sunderland, West Ham and the Binners who all built grounds or stands with money they didn''t have, for support they didn''t have (not in the fizzy league at least) Must be all that sea air....or the smell of sewerage drifting down from Southampton!

I hope Mulryne finds the time to read this thread, he cost £500,000 and another £500,000 a year in wages, that''s £3,000,000!!!!! and what did we get for our money????? I''ve heard no end of rubbish about him being the best passer of the ball at the club, Worthy recently descibed him as a ''complete player'' what ever that means. Since his arrival, our best season was last year, when he hardly featured at all. When his chance to shine this year arrived he was found wanting, be that in fitness or skill. In 2002 when his contract expired we almost begged him to stay, despite the fact that he wanted to move no-one even made an offer!!! The final insult to all Norwich fans was his announcement that he would be leaving at the end of the season....go now, say nothing, you will not be missed. The very idea that ''other club''s know what you''re about'' should ensure that you''ll be unemployed come May. Many describe you as a wasted talent but unlike the Gazza''s and Best''s of yesteryear you''ll soon be forgotten. I''m sure they are right, that you had the potential to go all the way, but in 5 years we seldom saw that potential because you lack one ingredient, commitment. I think the people who travel the country and payed your wages showed commitment to you, was it asking too much to expect something in return? Good riddance to bad rubbish. Rant over

Good call Paradox, I''d like to give our Pompey pal my thanks, he''s certainly kept us entertained. I wonder if he was at Fratton to see us play, you remember, down to ten men and still matched you, correct me if I''m wrong but your goal was a very dodgy pen. According to the press the only fans singing weren''t the locals and despite having to stand in the pouring rain our fans played their part. On the subject, thank God you''re moving into a new stadium, we wouldn''t treat Ips***h fans like that!.....well, maybe we could make an exception. Having a new ground must be really exciting, I bet you can''t wait, I remember Derby doing the same and Sunderland, trouble it cost them their Premiership status, has been a drain on their resouces and they''ve struggled ever since. You may or may not be bigger than us but are you bigger than Sunderland? and what about West Ham? they now boast a 35,000 seater stadium, have sold the likes of Ferdinand, Cole, Lampard, Carrick and Johnson in recent years, all local talent, yet last week hosted Leicester in a mid-table match in front of 22,000, so enjoy your new ground. If you stay up this year and you probably will, enjoy next season in the Prem......it could well be your last.

Well Two Sheds, seeing you asked, there''s no question that we were far and away the best side in the Nationwide last year and the managment and players took plenty of credit, and rightly so. This term, we knew it was going to be tough and we were relying on our spirit and togetherness to see us through, unfortunately it takes more than that and without a bank balance to match the top three we were always going to struggle. Without wishing to sound bitter and twisted, I feel that we were dealt a particularly tough start and though we showed plenty of fight there were scant rewards from trips to Old Trafford, St James''s and White Hart Lane. Indeed by the time the ''easier'' fixtures came around we were already at the wrong end of the table and the victims of an horrendous injury list, may I be bold and suggest the if we''d a few games against ''the average'' at the start things could have been very different. There''s also the point that we''ve been the victims of some unbelievable refereeing howlers which have cost us points, points that would have left us in a much healthier position now. I''m still hopeful, though I accept, it''s a big ask

Sorry guys, but I''m opting for Fleck, our greatest goalscorer, he may have dropped to fourth behind Iwan but his goals were scored in the fizzy league against the likes of Crewe, Walsall and Ipswich (snigger).Fleck''s goals, in the main were scored in the top flight and although he cost little, like most Norwich players at that time, played neat football and with a one-on-one with the ''keeper I''d back him everytime.He''s managing in the lower leagues now, Diss I believe showing his commitment to local football....Yep, Robert Fleck, true legend!!!!!!

Nice one Tore, this is what I like to read, a good positive post instead of the usual ''doom and gloomers'' who continue to wax lyrical about why we couldn''t, shouldn''t and wouldn''t win our next game. After beating West Brom there were complaints that we didn''t play well....for Gods sake, get real!!! I''m with you on this, I think we''re worth at least a draw, some of our players are returning from injury at the right time to give us a boost for the run-in to the end of the season. Blackburn seem to have forgotten how to score and, as I said before haven''t got the right sort of players for a relegation scrap. At the risk of upsetting a few people, I''m going to be optomistic, and forcast a win.

I''m with you on this one Wiz, I think we should keep a list of all the bleating naysayers who rubbish the team at every turn. Eighteen months ago we were going into a new season with Iwan, Zema and David Nielsen as a strike force. Today we have just spent 3 mill on a new striker we''ve got internationals peppered around the pitch and more support at FCR than we''ve had for a generation. In other words we''ve come a long way in a very short time, it aint perfect and there''s going to be hiccups along the way. What we don''t need is criticism of every pass, tackle or tactic of every game, it''s not helpful and only serves to undermine all the good that''s going on. Based on the money we''ve got, where we''ve come from and what we''re up against from I think all concerned are doing a bloody marvelous job

Sorry AJ, it''s hard to resist having a pop when all I read on here is so called fans whingeing about the board''s lack of ambition, or Worthy''s tactical naivety, or the lack of goals, or the poor defending, the goal difference, those who leave early! the half time pies, what''s Brennan done to his hair this week?.....I would hazard a guess that Peter and his ilk will be singing long into the night when our safety is assured. If that''s the case then shouldn''t we expect them to back the board, manager, players and along with other true supporters stay the course until the season''s conclusion, instead of writing us off in early February?