Cluck

I''m getting dewy eyed now............... I remember knocking on Bryan Thurlow''s door back in 63/64 as a small boy and he invited me in. We sat by the fireside and he treated me like I really mattered. Terry Allcock and Kevin Keelan gave me shirts which I still treasure to this day. (you might have seen them in the Castle Museum exhibition). Bryan gave me a tie-pin from the Hong Kong tour which I wore at school for months! Now I guess I''d have to scale the security gates and have a pocket full of bonios on hand to stop the guard dogs savaging me....only to be told to clear off by the body guard. Still........never mind. Guess I''m one of the lucky ones! 

Reading this thread it seems that we are moving away from reality. How in Gods name can ANYBODY defend the Worthington regime? Or Delias lack of grip on reality? Norwich City is a shadow of the club it was a few years back and a celebrity chair doesn''t impress me. What we want is honesty and transparency........not bull sh*t and spin. When I read an ''official'' club statement I want to cringe.........because do they really think we are that stupid?  Norwich City is OUR club and in spirit it belongs both to our fine city and the proud County of Norfolk. Lets not forget why we support the club, what it represents and what it means to US. City were a shambles in the Premiership and we were all carried away by the fact that Delias'' little club was brushing shoulders with the likes of Liverpool, Man. Utd. et al. Are we forgetting that back in 1993 we led the Premiership table at Christmas and made a fine debut in European football. Did we see ourselves as "little old Norwich" then? No we bloody didn''t!..........and we shouldn''t do now. If you think you are inferior........you will be!

If Delias kitchen served up just three modest dinner parties in 6 years.....do you think the chef would still have his job? He''d be sacked out of hand and the restaurant would be closed. But then her restaurant has 26,000 odd non-eating customers keeping it afloat for her........ TIME FOR REALITY TO KICK IN.............

I have to say it pretty much sums up the ''publicity'' machine mentality of the club these days....just take their money and treat them like thickos. A mistake too many non-Norfolk people have made over the years.

It is a con. The whole "I''m one of you" diatribe from Delia is a con. It''s a hard nosed business and in order to run it, the board needs a football team. Nice Mr. Worthington causing no scandal or ripples and nice middle of the road players content with mediocrity. I''ve not just come to that conclusion either. Being a Norfolk boy I have a mind of my own and I have watched the manipulation of the fans and local press over years allowing Delia to become our celebrity figure head. Nothing personal against Delia......but being a celebrity doesn''t make you good at being a ''Chairman/woman''.... Time to see through the spin guys and realise that our club has become nothing more than a publicity machine for a tv cook. I compare it to a train set bought for us by our ''Mum''. "It''s rather delicate darling and while I don''t mind you watching.... don''t fiddle with the controls. I DO THAT!" Not trying to be controversial. I''m just sick and tired of endless bullsh*t and celebrity smiles. When Norwich City is mentioned anywhere in England, it''s all Delia Smith and "Lets be avin you".  Ask them to name one player and they struggle. Is that what we want?[au]

Glad I''m not alone then.......thank you! I''m not taking away from what we have today. The ground is terrific and the players still wear green and yellow, but just like those old Christmases where we sat on Santas knee in Jarrolds, got a plastic elephant in our cracker and a tanner in the Xmas pudding.......the magic of matchday has dwindled. I did the same by changing ends at half time, attended the pre-season Whites v Yellows matches and knocked on players doors in Sprowston asking for autographs. They didn''t mind and we never went on to sell those autographs on Ebay two days later. Happy days..........sigh..........

I started watching City when we had such illustrious names as Bill Punton, Gerry Mannion, Phil Kelly, Mal Lucas, Joe Mullett, Kevin Keelan et al ''gracing'' the lumpy Carrow Road turf. The ground was a shambles and you could smell the bogs half a mile away........but it was OUR club then and we loved every one of them.....and we loved the rickety ground. They were our heroes. In truth we never had a hope in hell of making the top flight, but it didn''t really matter in those days because it was OUR club and it represented what still is one of the finest cities in the land.....if not THE best. A good cup run kept us happy and maybe brought one of the ''giants'' down to Norfolk for a humbling before the 40,000 plus City fans. The difference now is that we don''t have that spirit that held us all together. We moaned like hell just the same then when we took a thrashing.....but we came back the next week to hope for better things. Sometimes we won....more often we lost. Those old City fans were basically the same as those around now. They want honesty and effort. A Chairman who is a ''real'' football man/woman(?) at the helm....a down to earth solid manager who calls a spade a spade and a team who give 100% to bely whatever shortcomings they may have in the skill department. Today we have nothing like that. Nothing but spin from the Board.......inept ramblings by an ineffective manager.....and on the whole a bunch of prima donna nancy boy players more concerned about their hair gel than winning the ball. I feel sad for the young lads who think this is what following City is all about.......''cos it bloody well isn''t. If I wanted to see my team win every week I''d swing between Chelsea and Man. Utd. I really don''t care if we lose games.....but I do care when I see they don''t really give a damn. Sack the bloody lot I say and lets get back to basics. Delia and Co. out...Worthington, Livermore and Hunter out....plus all of the tossers who are only here playing for a wage. Ninety minutes of true guts and honesty are worth every penny to go and watch....................

2.......the board. Worthington will naturally hang on by his chin strap because his living depends on it. Who the hell else would employ him? The buck stops with the board for putting unknown issues before the good of the club and the success of the team..........the thing we turn up to watch at great personal expense! It''s a football club......not a social group for those in power........ POWER TO THE PEEP-HOLE!.

Sadly I believe we are dealing with a powerful woman here in Delia who will do her damnedest to avoid being proved wrong. How many of us have seen similar tantrums from her indoors over the colour of the emulsion in the bathroom? If it aint what she wants.........it will never ever do! She is too used to getting what she wants in life. Worthington is an afront to himself.  Who else knowing they are so reviled and unwanted by the people who matter (us) .........would cling on so shamefully to his position? It''s degrading and sad.......and no matter what the board does at this point....we ain''t ever going to like him or respect him. Worthy......you are the bleakest link........clear off!

What is even more scary is if Delia likes this style so much.....might we end up with Sven as coach? .......Bryan Robson as assistant?............. David James as goalkeeping coach........Aaaaaaaagh! .....I just wet myself thinking about it!

I think the whole thing shows just how much our "little old club" (Delias words when interviewed following that famous Man. Utd Premiership victory)........which at the time stunk to me of how little true ambition the board actually had. This was of course soon followed by that hilarious 6-0 thrashing by Fulham, which just about summed the state of Delias mind up. People should be free to vent their feelings however they consider apt, staying within the boundaries of the law of course.  A protest is what is needed, although it had little effect last season when the sacking should have taken place. Maybe then Ashton might have stayed along with Greeno.....knowing their ''new'' manager had the drive and ambition to be something other than "little old Norwich". Are we any different to "little old Charlton" or "little old Middlesbrough" etc etc. Do they publicly demean themselves so? I don''t think so. I feel that as long as Norwich City remain a necessary offshoot to Delias culinary plans we will be nothing other than a plaything for her.  I suggest the Smiths pull their finger out and get serious about what is going on in the football side......and bugger the colour of the table cloths. Norwich City is just that....a football club......not a mere plaything for the board to wear on their lapels while us mugs put our money into it week in week out. Go ahead and be heard....tv cameras or not. We need to take back some control of OUR club instead of being puppies pandering to our ''Saviours''. It was indeed a cynical ploy to save her from humiliation in front of the cameras........and we all know how that can damage the ego.....not to mention the restaurant takings! 

Has anyone else compared the attributes of our own dead leg Nigel Worthington with the multi talented Sven Goran Eriksson? It''s almost uncanny....although of course Worthington lacks the tactical awareness, animal passion and sheer sexual magnetism of Sven. Oh.....and isn''t the City Board just as limp and lilly livered as the FA was during those dark England days?  

I guess eating a Big Mac is better than drinking a pint of Worthingtons................

Serious apologeticos for my languarge......I will be less fannyful in future.......

I''ve read this thread through and it pretty much sums up the genuine hurt felt by many loyal and passionate City fans who feel the wool is being pulled over their eyes. We Norfolk people may sound ''quaint''.......but behind the accent we are very astute and not at all prone to following like sheep (take note Delia and Co.). Enough is enough and some guts need to be shown by those people PRIVILIGED enough to financially own Norwich City.......OUR CLUB. For Christs'' sake Marty stop coming the old PC stuff about Worthington being a ''decent chap''. We are discussing our beloved football club here, not the corner newsagents shop. GET HIM OUT!

Am I alone in thinking that by getting two decent upcoming results....all the crappy Worthy performances will be swept under the carpet and forgotten?  A weak and ill judged comment from the cosy boardroom who really should show more courage and start listening to the fans who pay to see it each week............Anyone got a wife out there who shows the same obstinance when in danger of being proved wrong?.

Marty.........my skin is very thick I promise you. As for a sense of humour?  Well....I think my comments were very tongue in cheek on the whole. Who then lacks a sense of humour? I do however completely disagree with this apparent reverential view of Delia.  Since she took over the club has become extremely ''poncey'' I''m afraid and any team and boardroom steel diminished.  We should judge people by performance rather than reputation......and Delia and co are priviliged to run the club we support. Credit where it is due.....but also brickbats when it aint. It aint too clever right now......nor has it been aside from the flukey promotion year. My comment on the restaurant?  Just to state that her involvement isn''t just about loving the club.  I''m in business too so I know the score there. Capitalism and all that.......but don''t come the ''nun'' and plead only devotion to the Canaries from the heart....it is very much a business to her too.  We do the devotion bit by buying tickets to repeatedly watch utter tripe being performed by her products. If it were a meal we soon would take it back and complain. For season ticket holders it is like ordering a years worth of meals without knowing the quality of the cooking. Only a mug would do it. Mandaric?  He took a club far worse off than Norwich and got it where it is on a shoe-string compared to Chelsea. Wheeling and dealing.......not wingeing on about who they can''t buy or borroww. Prior to Portsmouths'' current expenditure, very little in transfer funds were paid out by Redknapp and they stayed up....meanwhile we were getting hammered.  So...Chelsea? No thanks. Ambition? Yes please. Regarding the ''heart and soul'' element......improvement need not involve any ''ripping out''....just an input of good Norfolk values such as guts and determination would help.........plus less spin and patronisation by Mr.Unworthington.

Very very well put Sir! The club is pretty much a laughing stock down here where I live.....and that view must be echoed up and down the country. We are currently seen as a ''no guts'' club just fannying about these days. I''m pretty embarrassed as I love my home city and our proud county......and those characteristics DO NOT typify the way we traditionally behave. Honesty and courage is the Norwich way as I see it....not spin and bullsh*t. Leave that mullarky to the politicians.    

It amused me why we were all so grateful to Delia for pumping in her ''hundreds'' when the club was in financial turmoil.  Wouldn''t any of us have done the same given half the chance though? Yes she has brought ''status'' to the club, but where I live all people do is take the piss and I''m totally jarred off with the ''Lets be avin'' you'' chant echoing around the bar! Got a nice restaurant out of it all though hasn''t she? I say we all write to Milan Mandaric and beg him to come to Carrow Road to sort this shambles out.....then find us a nice Russian Mafia chairman to take over later. Glasnoski and all that. Worthington.... Get him out for Gods sake and get our club going forward again. The brief and limp statement from Delia shows how weak the board is and how ''frightfully'' feminine the tactics up there are. "Well.....he''s such a nice chap and makes a wonderful souffle''".  It took me ages to drive down to Plymouth to watch that bowl of tripe.....and what seemed forever to drive home.  So Delia.....your statement seriously lacks the punch running right through the club these days......and as with all businesses courage starts from the top.  If you are so lilly livered in the boardroom....don''t expect fireworks on the pitch.  It ain''t gonna happen. GET WORTHY OUT........NOW! Muffins anyone?