SvenDale

Playing under a numpty like Worthington for any number of more years , or even months, could have stifled the potential career of Dean Ashton. If Norwich bever got the best out of Ashton, it was because Worthington was a totally inept manager. Ashton did the right thing by moving to West Ham. It''s a pity the board didn''t do the right thing and change the manager far earlier.

Very true. One cracking goal gave many supporters a blinkered view of this non-goal scoring midfielder.....

Absolutely! ....and the transfer amounts are more often or not ''undisclosed''. But we all know the answer to this one...... " Safri''s sum is undisclosed so that other clubs do not know how much money we have available to spend.......blah blah......." Norwich City are the whipping boys of the transfer market, bar none.

Many of us believed that Worthington''s overlong tenure at the helm of the Club was producing untold damage. Little could we know that his affect would still be felt to this day. Not only did the standard of football drop to hitherto unknown depths, but it would appear that, far from selling the club and its ambition to a number of his signings, he (along with the board) sold its soul. Norwich (and Worthington) were desperate to bring players to the club who were clearly set on using the club as a shop window. Nothing more , nothing less. Ashton, Earnshaw and Etuhu have turned out to be nothing other than short term fixes to try and save Worthington''s a**e, and to justify the board''s prolonged loyalty to maintaining their allegiance to him. The fact that these players have had escape clauses ''triggered'', that agents have clearly been working at these players'' behest to find alternative employment, that no ''bidding wars'' have ensued to extract the maximum value from these players, that Norwich City Football Club is not a club where these players want to play their football, quite frankly stinks. Irrespective of what any Norwich City Supporter thinks of the pros and cons of selling Earnshaw and Etuhu, (and maybe even Safri), it is quite clear from Huckerby''s outburst, that it does not sit well with some of the players (I doubt very much that Huckerby stands alone with his statements). Grant is still having to deal with the repercussions of Worthington''s reign. The result and performance at Exeter suggests he still has a long way to go.

We have midfielders who score the occasional goal, as every club can claim, but Huckerby aside, Chadwick and Etuhu average 5 goals per season, worsening to Croft and Fotheringham who don''t even average 3. Now unless these players have the season of their lives, we are going to be found sadly wanting in the goals scored column.....unless, of course, Cureton and Brown/Martin/new strike partner (how vigorously were Sharp and Eastwood pursued?) muster 40 goals between them.....

I don''t disagree, thefutureisyellow. It''s just that I won''t be whooping and hollering, until the endless problem of shot-shy, goal-few, lightweight midfield mediocrity, that the above list merely emphasises,is addressed.  

Talking rubbish ? No. Just tempering the euphoria that seems to greet ANY signing that Norwich City, seemingly with more difficulty than any other football club, successfully complete.  ''....his unspectacular, diligent covering role in midfield allowing fellow midfielders Paul Hartley and Rudi Skácel greater attacking freedom, from which they scored a combined total of 30 league goals during the 2005-06 season.'' So with Brellier playing an anchor role, and with an ageing Huckerby unlikely to maintain his career record of a goal every four games, that leaves:-                       Lappin?  1goal every eight games.  Etuhu?  1 in 9.      Chadwick?   1  in 9.     Hughes?    1 in 10. Safri?  1  in  14.   Croft?   1  in  19.      Fotheringham?   1  in 20. Unless our midfielders change the habit of their footballing lifetimes, Brellier''s unspectacular and dilligent  covering in midfield is going to pass unrewarded. Perhaps one of our goalkeepers fancy their chances?...or else we need to start spending money on goal-scoring midfielders......  

Well, if ever a player has a lot to live up to with an all-ringing endorsement from his new manager, then Brellier is the man! It would appear that one appearance for Milan and a short career at Hearts with a bagfiull of cards but not one solitary goal, is continuing the tradition of Norwich City managers over the last six years, of filling the midfield with plenty of hype and very few ''goal-scoring'' midfielders..... This Club has never been short of under-performing overseas players since the mighty Muzinic.....just hope Brellier stays on the pitch long enough not to be one of them!   As for Thorne bemoaning his ''two wasted years''....don''t get me started !!.... I''m sure his bank manager isn''t complaining.....

Not such a strange theory after all! No wonder the club have been linking themselves with every available striker and their dog......... No point in waiting to see if anyone was prepared to pay more than £3.5m, then...........or was it in the contract that Earnshaw would catch the first train out of Carrow Road. Still....congratulations to the Board on building for the future! A 32 year-old(almost) striker for a 26 year-old striker.......and £800,000 paid out for a player whom we sold for naff-all! The BBC haven''t made a decent comedy for years.....couldn''t they send a camera team to follow Delia and her cronies all of next season....at least the football club could earn a few extra bucks.

As far from the customary way of dealing in the transfer market as possible, interest and bids would appear to be flying out for an infinite number of strikers from Norwich City Football Club. What has happened to the prudence of years gone by when transfers were a taboo subject because ''Norwich were always the one club that was held to ransom'' when they chased a player!! Far be it for good old-fashioned cynicysm raising it''s ugly head, but :- 1) The bids would all appear to be far too low. Is it a case of wanting to appear to be making an effort to the fans, without wishing to really spend any substantial sums of money? 2) By being linked to three free-scoring strikers, is the Club trying to send a message out to other Clubs that Earnshaw is there for the taking?

This is hardly ever mentioned on Worthy''s CV.... Cup performances during his reign have been shambolic/toothless/gutless....and sometimes all three..... ...please shut the door on the way out.......

Hislop not happy......has to make a save after 60 minutes of play!!!!

Let''s be honest - ANY MOVE will improve Ashton''s ambitions.... Worthless and his fellow coaching clowns have turned Ashton into a worse player since he left Crewe.. Another year''s coaching under their guidance and he could be kissing his football career goodbye! Good luck to him....he can''t be blamed one iota....    

Alan Pardew has welcomed the FA Cup tie against Norwich, following such a busy Christmas and New Year schedule. He is glad of the opportunity to rest at least eleven players by picking them to play against Norwich on Saturday....

...of West Ham chief scout...... ...as Sky Sports News clearly showed Alan Pardew telling his players on the training ground , "They''re gonna be all over us like a rash, Norwich." When later questioned by the West Ham board, the chief scout protested that he assumed that was the way all underdogs played in cup competitions....but he admitted that he hadn''t taken into account Norwich''s woeful cup performances during Worthless''s reign......