komakino

Bang on!

I thought the decision was made on the Thursday before, but my memory might not be correct. I remember Delia and MWJ had a` face like the Pope had just died at the ground. It did seem very odd to sack Farke after a game he had actually won, but that's all history now.

Yes, but Webber didn't do himself any favours by spreading the limited resources so thin. We needed 2/3 good signings on bigger wages instead, but SW thought differently. What we now know - but didn't at the time - was the reason SW went for 'quantity over quality' was he was concerned of the number of injuries sustained under Farke and concluded we needed a bigger squad. I spoke to somebody at the club towards the end of out last EPL season and they said it was 'the worst intake of players they had ever seen'. So while it is clear SW was perennially handicapped by the (doomed) self funding model, in the last EPL campaign, his tactics were completely wrong.

Webber sacked him and it will surely won't be easy teaming up again with somebody who has done that to you! I posted ages ago that Farke should have walked from us pre season the it became clear that Webber had failed to get any of his targets and we now know that Daniel didn't think they were good enough, which they weren't. He had huge support of the fans on side and would have shone a light of how inadequate our owners are for modern football. However, it is by no means a certainty that Farke will be successful as he may need more time that Leeds will allow, so we'll see.

To add, both Farke and Webber only ever really made a point of the self funding model towards the end of their tenure's. At least they won't have to deal with that at Leeds and this may shift some Norwich fans view that the model is fine and sustainable. It isn't on both counts.

Fair comment. Farke was never backed at Norwich, with none of his targets met by Webber in his second EPL campaign with us. We'll never know what a financially supported Farke could have done with us, but if he teams up with Webber again, he needs his eyes fully open. As I've previously stated, Farke won't get the time at Leeds like he did with us so will need to be pretty competitive pretty quickly. I'll be intrigued how this pans out.

For better or worse, McNally was more his own man, whereas Webber is corporate. Therefore that is why Delia & MWJ were relieved to see the former depart, but 'devastated' (sic) with the latter.

Spot on. We need the money and he needs the move.

One and a quarter - being picky - but yes, football today a season is a long time. If Farke has a season elsewhere like he did with his first season with us, he would be unlikely to reach the end, let alone continue.

Over a season is a very long time in modern football. I'm not criticising him and I liked and always will like Farke, but to say he didn't take a long time to adapt is ridiculous. While thankfully we are not Watford, paradoxically he benefitted from having owners who have always been notorious for avoiding decisions to fire people (Moxey being a notable exception as that was personal). Therefore it was a decision they got right, but only because of their inabilities rather than hard business nous. As I've previously said, I would have liked to have seen Farke backed properly, but he never was. That will be one of Norwich City's great 'What If's'. I wish him all the best, but hopefully not at Leeds.

It was actually over one season, as it didn’t click straight away in the second either. Time is something you don’t get much of in football and a repeat of the stuttering of Farkeball would mean a P45 way before the seasons end, whether Leeds Utd or anywhere else.

Fair point. One of the criticisms against him was that there was no plan 'b' and we became very easy to play against in the EPL. Plus without Emi, we never won a single game. However... I'm sure many Norwich fans like myself would have liked to have seen him funded at least in a reasonable way and his transfer targets met to see what he really could have done. Webber's magic beans meant he never stood a chance.

Farke needed a long time to get it right here and I can't see any other club allowing him that time. Farke will have to hit the ground running if he did get the Leeds gig.

Webber would be under infinitely more pressure at Leeds than he would at Norwich, so I would avoid if I were Farke for that alone. When you couple in that Webber hit none of Daniel's transfer targets for their last EPL campaign and then sacked him as a consequence, Farke should not even consider it, unless Webber is not part of Leeds plans.

I'm sure they do, but he won't behave like that at Leeds because he will not be given the environment to do so.

If he does a nice thing doesn't make him a nice person. Any therapist will tell you that. He's been hostile and arrogant on too many occasions. That behaviour has been tolerated by Smith & Jones, but will not get tolerated elsewhere. No club will put up with it.It's nothing about 'headlines', we've all seen and heard what he has done since 2017 and overall his behaviour has not been acceptable.

You cannot let emotions get in the way of sound business sense and many ways Delia and MWJ have been unable to do so, affecting the club in a negative way as a result. Just because they 'care' about the club is totally irreverent. It's the decisions they make which count. I'm in business and while we are not 'corporate' in any sense, if humanity came above business we wouldn't be in business. As with Webber connecting with individual fans, he's not capable as all he does is insult them. The customer always comes first, therefore as an employer I wouldn't touch him with a bargepole.

I can't see how it is the fans fault, unless you think that his hostile behaviour and abuse was acceptable? If he does end up at Leeds, he won't last five minutes unless he changes his attitude. He behaved like he did because he was allowed to get away with it from fans and Smith & Jones. Never again.

They had Jez Moxey in that role, but that ended almost before it started.

Agreed. In stark contrast to when McNally resigned/unresigned when the were 'relieved' and 'glad to see the back of him'. That of course was never made public. Delia & Michael have always got too close to senior staff and can't divorce business from friendship. I can't imagine Leeds fans being too enamoured with him if he starts telling them to support Manchester Utd after a 0-0 draw. I'm curious to see whether Norwich City (i.e Delia and MWJ) held Webber back or whether the Peter Principle applies to Webber as it has done to many others.

He would, but on the ratio of good vs bad, Chase would win hands down. Culverhouse, Bowen & Crook were purchased for a combined total of £180K. But he never gets the credit. Had Chase bought 11 dogs like Webber did for the EPL, the fans would have gone nuts, but it shows the difference in desire between then and now.

But it is. Football is changing all the time and will almost certainly continue to do so. Therefore why have they continually dug their heels in not to sell so the club can move forward with different owners? They are the equivalent of corner shop owners running ICI. It's ridiculous. I find their whole tenure as adversity over triumph. They didn't like how football was going - fair enough - but decided not to play ball and treat Norwich City as a special case. Why? Selfishness. NCFC was largely a vehicle for them and their cronies. I see no other reasons. How any club can benefit with no external investment is for the birds, but many fans bought into good old Delia saving the club from the big bad wolf of modern football and treat the club with sheer perversity. I've never thought they were suitable owners and obviously at EPL level, the clubs pants were down for all to show. Football is big business. Very big. Shame nobody told Delia and MWJ.

If you recall, Delia overruled Ed Balls' suggestion of sacking Neill after our relegation. So delegation only goes so far. Webber's appointment did appear to have changed their hands on approach. Any figurehead of a football club is there to be shot at, metaphorically speaking. Fans hated Sir Arthur South and clearly fell out of love with Robert Chase. Stuart Webber was a Norman Tebbit figure to Smith's Thatcher and it worked pretty well. However Smith & Jones haven't done themselves any favours with their highly unorthodox approach of running the club without external funding, PR gaffes, no CEO or Chairman and jumpers for goalposts parochial mentality. As I've said many times, the day they got involved with Norwich City was the worst thing that could ever happened. They weren't what was needed, but many fans bought into them. Yet somehow we are more or less in the same position of when Chase left, so it could have been worse... but then maybe so much better.

What? Anyone from the Campaign for Clear English on here?

I remember when they wanted Alex Neill to be the 'manager for 10 years', which shows how naive they are as a couple of how modern day football is. There has to be a certain distance between staff and friendship and as an employer I know this very well, but D&M seem to have trouble with this. Having Zoe Ward on the board was just another game of bridge between the two couples in what is a highly unorthodox set-up. Webber has been good in some ways, bad in others. However, for them to say he is the best talent they've worked with doesn't say much, though these are the people who 'couldn't believe' they got Bryan Hamilton!!