Punting Canary

For what its worth I actually think GR is doing the right thing here.  In this transfer window players are massively overvalued.  We could still make the playoffs but its probably a long shot.  With that being the case surely we are better to keep what cash we have (if any) until the summer and get long term targets in at the right price.  In the meantime have a look a few young players who might turn into permanent signings, build bridges with premiership managers for future loan signings, and have a little faith in GR who for me hasnt put a foot wrong yet since he took over.  And until hopefully a knight in shining bank notes (Peter Cullum) comes along lets try and put the foundations down for next season.

Well I did tell you about the two Reading players yesterday morning but everybody on here assumes that everyone else is talking rubbish and wants to know your source.  If you tell the world who your source is your source doesn''t speak to you any more!! There is some incredibly hard work going on behind the scenes to bring in a decent striker by the end of the day.  Will update if I hear more.

I also gather that if he plays a full game he can hardly walk the following day due to his body not being as young as it used to be.  If only a few others went to such lenghts to justify the wages they get.  Once a class player always a class player.

A centre half and midfielder on loan from Reading are the two players definitely coming.

Midfielder and centre half joining us from the same premiership club on loan before the deadline, and the search goes on for a striker.

Stevie you aren''t as blind as your namesake!!!

Unfortunately in my opinion its in an area where we already have plenty of cover and not Connelly.  Transfer window proving much harder than previously thought with many agents playing an auction with their clients services.

The player in question is from Sunderland and I am not sure why it hasn''t gone through but hopefully it will over the weekend.  Beyond that I can''t say too much more.

I have heard the same today Reody Cant Fail from someone who is well connected at the club.  Am told discussions are well under way and we are favourite to get Taylor even though a couple of other clubs have offered more.  These things can fall through and as someone else mentioned much depends on things that happen at Birmingham but a deal for Taylor, and a striker from the same club are definitely on the table.  If the deal for the striker falls through an approach might be made for Eastwood at Wolves.  The idea of taking Earnie back on loan was floated to Derby but it is likely that he will be too expensive.  

What it does make you realise though is that all the headlines and details given to the press were that we had bought a 1 million pound striker to make it look to everyone as though we had spent a bit of cash whereas actually we had only spent 250k, which as it turns out is a good thing but there was no mention of this at the time.  And now we are terminating his contract Doncaster et al are all to keen to tell us that only 250k plus wages has gone down the plughole.  Fast getting fed up with this kind of spin.

I can confirm that he wasn''t watching Match of The Day on Saturday night as he and at least half of the rest of the team (and Titus Bramble again) were out getting stuck into a few beers, (and in Garys case a couple of birds) down Prince of Wales Road on Saturday night.

If you are looking at the Sportinglife webstats take them with a pinch of salt as a blocked shot from 40 yards can be considered a shot on target.  Brother and dad at the game and both said very even in the first half other than Ched''s goal.

I don''t see where in the timescale given where this supposed protest is going to get you, or for that matter what you hope to achieve.  There are presently no investors waiting to buy the club out, and even if an investor appeared in time for the January transfer window, given how long things such as due diligence take, it would be unlikely that it could be concluded pre early January, and thus better to invest what we have in January than not invest as we are in the middle of a takeover. That basically leaves the reason for your protest that you want the board to spend more money.  I am sure that they are all fully aware of the fact everyone wants them to spend more money, thus other than stamping your feet like little children and having a bit of a tantrum to make yourself feel a bit better it isnt going to get you very far. May I suggest you put your efforts into getting behind the team and trying to help keep the club up as if we do go down then it is an incredibly long way back.  The club if it finished 4th from bottom in the Championship would also be a much more attractive investment for a big investor than one in financial trouble in Division 1, therefore a little short term support might actually get the result you want in the long term in a change of board.

Might well be a few thousand more if Ameobi does sign as I have been told he will and he then goes on to save us from relegation........ Will try and get a further progress update in the morning on how things are moving on.

Hope you are right because the Shola loan deal is due to be completed over the weekend. 

Incidently NUFC just thinking about Newcastle and the fact you are on a NCFC website reminds me of one of my own favourite nights at Carrow Road about 15 years ago when Mirandihna made his Newcastle debut in the old first division.  It was a freezing cold Wednesday night and I was ballboy sat in front of the away fans in the Barclay Stand.  Newcastle were around 5th from bottom from memory and Mirandihna had signed on the Monday or Tuesday and was making his debut.  Throughout a dire game with Mirandinha wearing a pair of gloves and looking a class above my sole memory was the Newcastle fans singing for the hole 90 minutes (mainly "Hail that Ceasar"), and the incredible amount of drunkeness behind me and the grief I got when I didnt get the ball back quick enough.  The first Brazilian in English football I think and a bit of a false dawn as I seem to remember he left about 6 months later.  Great night though.

NUFC you are a very perceptive man.  Consider yourself an honourary Canary.

These things can obviously fall through but if you look at my previous posts I don''t have a habit of coming up with pie in the sky stories.  Am told that the Ameobi deal is 80% done, and that we will be getting two players from the same top Premiership club who are yet to fully break through into the first team on a regular basis but play Coca-Cola cup games and are strong athletic players.  Am also told that the quality of loan player Roeder is trying to get to the club is of a much higher standard than we are used to.  There is also likely to be a reasonable level of cash available in the transfer window in the New Year to strengthen the squad.  OTBC

Ameobi is likely to arrive Monday/Tuesday next week once a few final details have been sorted out over the weekend, and two other players (left back and central midfielder) from the same Premiership club (not Newcastle) are due to arrive over the next week or so, again once details have been sorted out.

For what it is worth 1120: Bet365 make Paul Jewell their 4/1 favourite to replace Peter Grant as manager of Norwich City. Spokesman Steve Freeth said: "Jewell will be favourite for most hot-seats until he gets back into management. "Norwich may go down the experience route after the failure of Peter Grant and Jewell certainly ticks all the right boxes." Next permanent Norwich City manager: Paul Jewell 4/1 Martin Allen 5/1 Dion Dublin 11/2 Mark Bowen 11/2 Mike Newell 8/1 Jim Duffy 8/1   You have to wonder why on earth Jewell would want to come to Carrow Road when he has nothing to prove and will surely get a job in the Premiership at a low grade club at some point. Bring back Chippy I say!!!

Apparently press and tv down at Carrow Road so something likely to be happening imminently......

I played with him for a number of years growing up in a couple of youth teams and he was disliked by the majority of his peers and even the lads who he used to go to school with and play with had very little time for him.  The only reason he got into Norwich at the time was because his dad was one of the youth team coaches and managed to get him a place.  In fairness to him he worked very hard at his game and has become an overpaid professional footballer but there weren''t too many people celebrating who knew him when he made his breakthrough.

Having been to the game last night you have to ask a few questions of firstly the overall teams ability and secondly what the board/Peter Grant have been up to over the closed season.  Since the end of last season if you asked any fan what Norwich needed they would say a decent centre half to play with Shackell/Dougherty.  Last night Dougherty played and in a nutshell gifted Charlton the 3 points.  Throughout the game he gave away multiple free kicks through his inability to keep his hands down in challenges and finally he gets the wrong side of the defender and lunges in.  Penalty.  Grant and the board have to take responsibility for this though as if they had done their jobs properly Dougherty should have been on the bench at best. Regards the game itself the original 4-5-1 did not work in the first 30 minutes with players looking like they didnt know where they were meant to be and short of confidence.  Finally when Grant changed it round things improved a bit, with some passing finally getting going.  The second half was a more even affair but everyone could see that the effort of keeping Charlton out in the first 30 minutes was taking its toll in the last 20 minutes.  Why Stravkha and/or Cureton were not introduced after 70 minutes is beyond me.  You have to think this would have eased a little of the pressure on the defense, as Brown although average, worked hard and held the ball up fairly well, was knackered with 15 to go. On a more general level Charlton are not that good a side.  To get promoted in this division you have to win games.  Why are we going to Charlton to try and nick a point.  So many times including under Worthington, Hamilton etc Norwich have gone away from home and played negatively.  We have decent attacking players.  Your two main summer signings are left on the bench (and not brought on until too late) and the team does not play 4-5-1 well. Man of the Match (on both sides) was Dion Dublin by a distance.  His quality and positional sense was awesome and his goaline clearance inside the first 20 mins had to be seen to be believed.  The contrast between him and Dougherty is stark.  It does rather sum up Championship football and Norwich when the best player on show is 38 and probably beyond his peak. As for Grant I think the jury is still out.  And their lack of foresight last night over the summer cost them 3 points.    

Given the wonderful thread regarding your happiest and indeed proudest days supporting Norwich through thick and thin (Arthur please take note).  Does anyone know whether the man who without regard for the weather would sell "sweets, hot drinks, cold drinks" is still with us?  The sound of his voice when standing in the River End and the smell of gently burning onions from the burger stand on the way down is Carrow Road is the backdrop to many of the happiest days of my childhood.  So many of the moments mentioned in the previous thread about happy Norwich days such as the 85 Milk Semi Final and Final ring so true along with the Mike Walker days, and indeed even the fans away at Fulham on that fateful (Stella followed) day, make me be proud to be a Norwich fan.  And for all the excitement about trying to be a Premiership team in the near future some of my best memories are in the Championship (Watford away Moon Under the Water packed from 11.30).  The one thing that makes this club special is that nearly all of the people who support Norwich are Norfolk based or have connections with the county and are proud of where they come from and what the represent.  Compare that to any Tom, Dick, and Harry that supports Chelsea, and Arsenal etc.  And whilst the team occasionally dont appreciate this and are caught up in the money grabbing society which is football it is a pleasure to be surrounded by like minded folk win, lose, or draw.  Its great to have success in football but its also about having moments with mates and those who share a common bond whether successful or not.  And in the mean time "Sweets, Chocolates, Hot Drinks, Cold Drinks. OTBC

13 not been allocated for obvious reasons.