Bernard Futter

As someone who regularly used to pen marketing jobs ads, I thought I''d weigh in with a free and gratis suggestion for the board concerning the all important headline for any upcoming recruitment activity they might be considering. If they need further tips, I would suggest they develop the body text by pointing out that there is a clothing policy and candidates must be prepared to wear a uniform featuring prominent fluorescent coloured ''L''. plates. To attract the game''s high flyers, the remuneration package would need to be pitched at minimum wage levels. On a more serious note (well slightly) don''t you just know that ''mature'' and ''selection process'' will not be in any mission statement?

Abject embarrassment this end ZLF for missing out Ken Brown altogether... From memory I think Townsend, Fleck, Culverhouse, Bowen, Drinkell and the amazing Crook all came in during his era. Many of them sold on at a tidy profit. (Thankfully Crook''s proposed move to Coventry collapsed which would have made his dealings look even more impressive.)

OK Ardee I''ll concede the point - a dead heat Ashman and Macaulay it is! I felt a bit uneasy saying Jimmy Hill ''wasn''t far behind'' as he really deserves to be in the pantheon of ''best ever'' City players too. And remember how Macaulay demonstated another side of his greatness by converting him from an average right winger to a consummate ball playing inside forward? To prove it was no fluke, he also did the same job on Matt Crowe turnng him from a workaday inside forward to a classy left half. And of course a lot of Macaulay''s signings were rejects from other clubs picked up for chicken feed. I''m not sure whether any fees were indeed paid for Jimmy Hill and Matt Crowe but I seem to remember £8k was Barry Butler''s fee from Sheffield Wednesday!

It really does devalue the currency to bring this man''s name into the equation. Given the (for Norwich) large transfer budget he had to work with and the sheer number of signings made, his quality acquisitions to turkeys ratio was absolutely abysmal. In the company of the names I listed, only Ashton and Huckerby from your selection could stand the remotest comparison. On the law of averages, even buffoons will luck the right result sometimes.

I was musing the other day about who the most successful City manager there had been regarding incoming transfers. Whilst, Ron Saunders, Dave Stringer, Mike Walker and more debatably John Bond will have their adherents, I think the accolade should go to Ron Ashman by the merest whisker from Archie Macaulay. The Ashman Account:- Ron Davies £35k: undoubtedly the Club''s most complete no 9. No further qualification necessary. Kevin Keelan £6k: undoubtedly the Club''s most complete no 1. No further qualification necessary. Hugh Curran £12k: scored regularly and at the highest level and became a fixture for Scotland. Mal Lucas £25k: on form this guy was a collossus, the best ever City half back in my book. Gordon Bolland £32k: a great strike partner with Davies but unfortunately only discovered real consistency later in his career My reason for tipping Ron Ashman over Macaulay is that he brought in two ''best ever'' City players in Davies and Keelan. Macaulay clearly contributed one with the incomparable Barry Butler and Jimmy Hill wasn''t far behind. A tough call. I look forward to the views of other posters!

Er, not the slightest doubt on that one!

If as reputed, Mr Earnshaw''s preferred method of personal transport is a Hummer, it could be argued that he is already sticking two fingers up to the rest of us...

Am I the only one disgusted by the ''money grabbing/get rid/scrounger'' terminology used to describe in particular Matthieu Lous-Jean and Peter Thorne? Some of these descriptions may have an element of truth about them but the reality is, unless we have first hand knowledge of what actually goes on at the training pitch or in the gym, we just don''t know. Like Justin Fashanu before who battled long and hard against an ultimately career ending knee injury, to me it is pretty unthinkable that these two individuals, with their livelihoods also in the balance, have not tried resolutely to get back to full fitness. Players the world over whether they are on peanuts or mega-bucks want to play, but these serial injury scenarios have and will always afflict even the fittest players seemingly without rhyme or reason. Nobody will need to point out to messers Louis-Jean and Thorne of all people that their NCFC careers have been major disappointments but instead of perhaps giving them the benefit of the doubt, it is easier for posters not in full possession of the facts to slag them off.

Why oh why do these uncreative kit ''designers'' have to adorn every square inch with a cutesey logo or acronym? I saw a pic of Harry Redknapp the other day in his West Ham playing days with unsullied white shorts and socks and not even a club badge on the shirt. A real case of less being more. With the horrific names on shirts and squad numbers (thank you Crozier) minimalism is surely even more the way to go. And the socks, as already commented on, are absolutely hideous and will make the the wearer look even clumsier and clunkier than might otherwise be the case! Who at Clubs signs off these abominations? Do any ever get sent back to the kitchen which is what should have happened to this grotesque ensemble? And whilst we are on the subject of livery, the old uncomplicated canary badge was a massively more powerful bit of branding than the current corporate speak style tosh.

Just as Alf Ramsay had to drop Jimmy Greaves for the rather utilitarian Geoff Hurst... FYI Roger Hunt replaced Jimmy Greaves - Hurst had the no 10 shirt so was always in the preferred starting 11.

Hopefully a new angle on this kind of thread... It should not take into account the highest figure realised, just the barefaced cheek equation that we got good money for a duff player. My starter is Lee Marshall and the £650k that Leicester misguidely parted with.

You just know that everyone who hasn''t put Kevin Keelan in their fave teams clearly never saw him play!

In their unswerving support of the by then totally inept stewardship of the hapless Worthington, the Board defiantly clung to the mantra that "you don''t become a bad manager overnight." In other walks of management this may be true if you are running for example, a restaurant or an NHS Department. But anyone who is savvy about football knows that the reality is somewhat different and when the inspirational/motivational qualities that may have brought conspicuous success in the past dries up, the game is as good as up. There is no better exemplar than Brian Clough who effectively DID become a bad manager overnight. This lack of footballing nouse by the Board and with it a failure to see the situation for what it really was explains the alarming downwards drift the Club is currently experiencing.

Yes ricardo I remember being more than averagely worried when Chelsea ''supporters'' staggered by their teams loss only a few days after the 3-1 victory, started running from one side of the tube carriage interior to the other in an attempt one imagines to derail it. This thread illustrates just how well the Club did for many years recruiting players for a song from below stairs or Division 1 squads. I for one can hardly believe that these nuggets are not still there to be unearthed today. Guess we don''t look!

Neil Mellor was another of the three players recruited to stave off relegation. It was the Ralph Coates Final goal which thankfully prevented the horrors of an awful game continuing into extra time! Think you''ll find David Cross got both in the semi-final 1st leg - Paddon had the game of his life in midfield. Paddon moved in part exchange with Ted Macdougall.

Bone came from Partick Thistle and was shipped out to Sheffield Utd in a part exchandge deal involoving Trevor Hockey. He scored one of the most memorable goals I have ever seen by anyone in a yellow shirt in a 1-3 1st Division defeat at Stamford Bridge in a league game, a few days before the historic Paddon inspired 2-0 League Cup semi-final 1st leg win on the same ground. He picked up the ball on the halfway line and set off on a mazy run seemingly beating half the Chelsea team before finally ending up with only the keeper to beat which he did with some aplomb. Even at the time I wondered if what I saw really happened! I''d love to hear any corroboration (or otherwise) from any other City supporter present.

I agree nbs Ashton''s goal ratio was not that impressive during his time at the Club but you have to wonder what it might have been if he had had the benefit (as did Sutton, Fleck and Drinkell) of service from the likes of Crook, Fox, Gordon and Townsend. He was in a generally poor side exacerbated by naive tactics and underpinned by managerial incompetance.

All opinions of course, but Sutton behind Roberts is in my book laughable. (Also Fleck and Drinkell too for that matter!) And Ashton with time on his side, may well prove to be the best of the lot in the all time list that is assuredly topped by that prince of centre forwards, Ronald Tudor Davies.

How long have you been tracking the affairs of NCFC YC? For the past 5 seasons (and probably a lot longer) you just KNOW what the outcome will be when our illustrious team turn up against opponents going through a long spell of wretched results. Instead of the statistic giving grounds for confidence, this supporter always feels the reverse as you know the opposition will be up for it to end the run against the perennial soft touches!

Do we take it as read Jack Flash that we are talking about the very same scouts who made a ''reasoned assessment'' of Hughes and Etuhu?

For a variety of reasons I have not seen any live action this season and I have been a little surprised at the negative comment directed on this Board in Adam Drury''s direction, considering when I have seen him, to be a safe if unspectacular defender. After watching Saturday''s TV coverage, I was staggered at how poor his pass selection and accuracy was throughout the match. Every time he took a bead on a long pass you just knew that the next shot would be a red shirt running forward with the ball! Jason Shackell was not far behind in this department and Gary Doherty''s lumping of the ball into the stands at the merest whiff of danger was hardly Bobby Moore stuff. Methinks the manager has asked the back four (although I exempt Jurgen Colin from the charge) to get the ball out of the danger area as soon as possible, whatever the perceived threat level. This of course invites in the majority of cases the ball to come straight back... Shouldn''t we be aspiring to playing through from the back when the opportunity presents itself, or was Saturday an exception?

Glad to note that one player at least is enthusiastic to pull on the Club jersey...

I think that you''ll find that Chase felt Windass''s potential sell on value was not great as he was then in his late 20s. Ironic, when you think that he is still a prolific goalscorer all these years later and I believe was even sought by Wigan in the summer! Whilst we''re on the subject of tragic missed signings, Kevin Hector was also in that category when he was at Bradford PA before he moved to Derby...

Our all time goalkeeping god has spoken. And you can''t argue with his sentiments - ignore at your peril. Amazing (but not surprising given the individual) his commitment to the Club is still full on after all the years.

Not for the first time I find myself agreeing wholeheartedly with Gazza. The managerial appointments of both Hamiliton and Worthington were clearly not part part of a ''mature recruitment process'' and had everything to do with easy availability of the individuals and economy. Whether the board after the recent ructions will dare to take the easy option again remains to be seen. I certainly would not bet against it!