Next door to Boyer

[quote user="Lambo"]Your going by http://www.pinkun.com/cs/forums/1639821/ShowPost.aspx that as i was right haha?? also that thread was worked out over the season rather than the 42/3 games we''d played.   [/quote]We''ve played 44 games and my stat came from ''My football writer.com'' last month I think. But I did the maths myself again to include this months results and 1 more win (3 points) would see Gunns average have us in middle of the league, you do the math;P 17 W 5 D 5 L 7 F 23 A 21 Pts 2020 points divided by 17 matches = 1.8 points per match. So by 44 matches x 1.8 = 53 points which would put us in 15th.You can decide yourself where you think middle of the table is but what is the point of laughing at a fan who is trying to demonstrate to you that your club manager isn''t as bad as you think and that your current manager deserves more support from you and those of a similar point of view. Im not the one to be laughed at for attempting to convey the truth to my fellow supporters.Are you motivated to make your posts to find the truth of the matter or just to win a arguement ?

[quote user="Loan City Fc "][quote user="Lambo"]^ Exactly mate, Gunny has greatly improved the side since taking over and i feel him and his team have the eye for players that will help us out next season whatever division we''re in. We''re picking up points more regularly under Gunn, unfortunatly the first half of the season did the damage, Gunny is doing his best to limit that and so far, bar one or two displays of in-expierience that will be worked out in time. [/quote] Rubbish we were not in the bottom 3 in January , Gunn has failed just as badly as Grant and Roeder.[/quote]Gunn''s reign has brought in 20 points in 17 matches an average of 1.2 per match. Times it by 44 games then we''d have 53 (52.8) points, which puts us in 15th above Coventry as we''d have a better goal difference.Admittedly not quite middle of the table but I was initially going by a stat I read a couple of weeks ago. I decided to redo the maths after you rubbished it. However, it still demostrates that Gunn is performing better than Roeder and not as bad as some are making out.

By the way ''experienced Managers'' are no guarantee of success, messiahs one season fools the next..Wenger''s first senior job was at Nancy which he joined in 1984, but he enjoyed little success there, during his third and final season in charge, Nancy finished 19th and were relegated to the second tier of French footballMourinho was an interpretor his first Managerial appointment in 2002, winning the Champions League in 2004 !Neither had extensive careers as players or managers before success fell on them. There are always exceptions but in general appointing managers, especially at Championship level is a case of wait n see. Even then how many last once fans get disgruntled. One bad season is all it takes to get rid of a manager even after years of relative success, look at Chalton...

[quote user="the duke of norfolk"]We need continuity and a period of stability for sure but is Gunn the right man?I am not convinced. Nobody knows if Gunn is going to turn out to be a good manager or a poor manager. I am also concerned that if he is retained that in many fans eyes he can do no wrong and that supporters will not be able to judge him objectively as they will always view him with rose tinted,  nostalgic spectacles. If  he does crap people will tolerate this because it is "Gunny" and the club will sink further.My fear is that he may turn out to be a poor manager and that he  will remain in his post for far, far too long before he is eventually reluctantly removed by our hapless board by this time though we could be fighting to stay in league 1.Given that we definately do need a period of stability with our management team would it not be much more sensible and less of gamble to go for a more experienced manager who  has some track record of success rather than adopting a "suck it and see" approach with Bryan Gunn and his inexperienced crew who may turn out to be no good and need removing thus ending the period of stability ?[/quote]The average number of points we''ve gained since Gunn''s appointment would see us middle of the table if he started at the beginning of the season.I believe Gunn and most importantly Butterworth, Crook and Deehan are good additions. I believe the reasons behind the appointment was after the fallout of Roeder''s reign the club felt they needed someone who understood the area, supporters and the history. I also believe Gunn will be Manager next season, whatever division we are in and if results and performances are not good he will step down. But he will step down with dignity knowing the backroom staff he brought in is in comparison to our most successful times at a club, when we promoted from within. Butterworth is the next likely Manager, but I hope Gunn will have a successful few seasons beforehand.

[quote user="Jim Smith"]Face I can kind of understand where you are coming from but surely you can see the damage it can do in terms of Delia''s perception of public opinion? You state you don''t like her but then were standing their giving her an ovation and chanting her name. She will have come away from that game thinking she still enjoys the groundswell of support amongst our fanbase and in my mind less inclined to do anything she can to find a buyer for the club. As for the post above stating that support for Delia is the majority view, maybe you are right but if so i find that profoundly depressing and also probably indicative of the types of fan that now seem to populate large areas of Carrow Road and who seemed to have managed to get hold of tickets for yesterday''s game (a large proportion of female fans and children from where i was stood). I for one simply cannot understand their attitude and whilst i will always be a Norwich fan I have to question whether this "true y''army" as you put it is something i still want to be a part of. Frankly i find our support embarrassing at times - such as responding yesterday to chants of going down with "your grounds too big for you." It is tearing me apart watching us slide to oblivion and this happy clappy attitude is simply alien to me. [/quote]Jim I can sympathise with you on some issues. Although I think your treading on unsteady ground critisising support from female and youth supporters. In addition, its not just indicative of Carrow Road that receives this support but football in general. Im 43 and I remember being herded into various stadiums in my teens and 20''s. The atmosphere was fantastic but it did bring about the worst in me with ''sheep like'' racist chanting and worries about getting caught up in violence etc. Everything that Hillsborough put an end too and rightly so. I do miss the atmosphere in the matches of the 70/80s but I also recognise its my macho side annoyed at misssing the adreneline rush that the terraces provided on match days.I think Im a realist, I see how football has changed over the decades, the players, the stadium and the support. Im not happy where the club is but I see the same/similar situation in a lot of clubs dealing with debt after being in the Premiership. We are not an isolated case when it comes to our predicament. I can''t blame Delia for the lack of money coming into the Championship and the Premiership clubs and the FA, not willing to have some of the millions pumped into the Premiership, trickle down to the other divisions. The game has changed and we are a victim of that along with other clubs. All it needs to be a middle table side is a decent Manager with a good squad that gells and a bit of luck on the pitch.I see why some critisise Delia, as she has a say in appointing Managers but I only think Peter Grant was a mistake but only hindsight proved that. Roeder has his day in the sun after rescuing us last season but I think the board were very brave in sacking him when they did, I was initially against it but Im happy with the Gunn, Butterworth, Crook and Deehan team.I''m desperate for us to stay up and will be gutted if we go down but I won''t be blaming Delia for our mis-fortune. I know she''ll be working just as hard to bring about success and any finances she can get her hands on. She recognises that in football terms she is considered poor by some millionaire standards which is why she is prepared to sell her shares, while its for the good of the club. But don''t hold your breath its not the financial climate to buy a football club.

[quote user="The Butler"][quote user="Next door to Boyer"]Hitler is a crap analogy, he relied on far more than majority appeal !Where did I say supporters are satisfied with what has happened to our club in the last 10 years ?I just briefly gave an overall opinion of why the fans supported Delia vocally on Sunday.[/quote] So it was a view you don''t believe? If you applaud her you must think she is doing OK. Would you applaud a tone deaf singer, a juggler who dropped his props? And I repeat (from another thread) what the **** was she doing walking round the ground to milk the applause in the first place. Oh I forgot we had just lost the most important game for ages, with a crap performance, that must be the reason. [/quote]What view don''t I believe ?I applaud Delia for the commitment she shows to the club by the hours she puts in and the money she throws into it. On previous posts I have said she has made mistakes, namely the appointment of Peter Grant but hindsight is an easy way to win an arguement.But there is no magic formula for appoiniting successful Managers, the list of one season wonders and heroes to villans are numerous.Are you blaming Delia for not winning on Sunday, would you have preferred it it she scored a hat-trick..

Not really true, Delias Green n Yella army was sung throughout Peter Grants time as Manager as the supporters weren''t convinced by him. Which is what 18 months ago ?When Roeder took over the fans immediatly took to Roeders Green and Yella army, because of the initial results, which doesn''t mean Delia isn''t supported but I feel because we''d rather use the name of the Manager to show him our support.You suggested 70% of fans think Delia needs to go, if you use an average gate of 25,000 thats 17,500 fans. You also stated that only half of those are angry enough to protest, which would equal 8,750. I don''t agree on any of the figures you state, which I think maybe more of a reflection of those around you ?Plus, I don''t believe if 17,500 fans had a grudge they''d be shy in vocalising it, 8,750 would definatly be heard. The truth is Delia is well thought of by the majority, the minority are looking for a release for their frustration because of where we stand.

Hitler is a crap analogy, he relied on far more than majority appeal !Where did I say supporters are satisfied with what has happened to our club in the last 10 years ?I just briefly gave an overall opinion of why the fans supported Delia vocally on Sunday.

[quote user="cityangel"]I know its been touched on in about 3 threads on here but I thought it worth giving its own thread with her name in the title so people don''t miss it. I was gobsmacked after the game when she walked round the perimeter towards us and a ''Delia''s green and yellow army '' chant was started and then to my amazement people started applauded her, not just for a minute or two but for a good 5 mins. So if you were there what did you think of the chants and applause? If you applauded her could you tell us what you were applauded her for? Everyone''s entitled to do what they feel is right, I''m just interested to know what was going through people''s minds.   [/quote]Whatever was going through the minds of the fans is a relection of their opinion. Specifically, the clubs precarious position is not solely due to Delia. The applause was recognition of her continuing commitment to the club, obviously. Despite the many posts critisising her role it is simply not the view held by the majority of supporters, which is why you hear singing in support of Delia, not damning her. What is foolish is the opinion of the small minority, who are very vocal on the message boards, who continue to ignore previous debates on the subject and carry on regardless of the arguement put to them. Calling fellow supporters mugs and suchlike only confirms their blinkered point of view and their inability to accept the situation the club are in and why we are here.So you can carry on critisising Delia, without bothering to look into why your opinion is dismissed by the largely faithful Y''army.. if you don''t understand why it''s because your not accepting the opposite arguement. I don''t understand the constant critisism on the message boards when the support of Delia has been clear on many posts.

[quote user="John"][quote user="fearofambition"][quote user="IBA"]Pretty good considering the number of people moaning[/quote] Yep, 17,000 mugs happy with the current board. Delia and doncaster must be absolutely delighted. What a joke. [/quote]Well there certainly is a mug in this case, but I''m telling you now that it''s not any of the 17,000 people your referring to.The fans love the club, and are forever loyal to it, whatever happens. Of course their not happy with the board, don''t be ridiculous. The board have foreseen the demise of our beloved club, and don''t be so daft as to think the fans forgotten. But the fans will always do whatever they can to make this club what it should be, and they''ll never go down with a fight, and let it be known that they love their club, and will continue supporting it to the bitter end.This is not a showing of support for the board, rather than a showing of support for the club. And if you think otherwise, bugger off, cos this is how it works at Norwich City. Forever backed and forever loved.[/quote]Spot on..

I was also lower tier and considering the importance of the result prior to the game, I found supporters to be very relaxed and in good humour. Standing undoubtably helped to keep an interest in what was happening on the pitch and despite the odd kinda claustphobic low roof it was a god send with the weather being so bad, personally I was dry and warm. The view from the lower tier didn''t give great perspective of the play at the far end. A personal dislike of mine as I constantly have my heart in my mouth with every cross that comes over and I can do without the feelin of ''dread''.But it was all the more sweeter that the goal was scored in front of us, that moment was easily worth the entrance fee alone. The singing after the game and on the way out gave me goosebumps and reminded me of all the positives of going to away matches.

Thanks for your supportive remarks Mr Rat, as stated on my message and to those that are following this particular thread.You may have encouraged me to take up a new hobby. As a result, I added an avatar and changed my profile name from Smann to ''Next door to Boyer''.I hope to join you all in great future debates and whether you share my views or not you''ll find I''m not the slagging off type. I understand frustration, anxiety and anger, but I don''t respect glib one liners or arguements which make no effort to back themselves up with truths or facts.I''m sure you''ll join me in wishing the lads all the best tonight and until the end of the season. And I hope we do the majority of our shouting on the terraces rather than the forums, cos that''s where we are supposed to do our job, as supporters.Forever Yella.

[quote user="Barclay_Boy"][quote user="komakino"]I still cannot believe that some fans STILL support Delia. When we you lot ever learn? The woman tried to invest in Ipswich before Norwich, which Sheepshanks told her to clear off. The woman has only self-interest at heart and not loyalty to Norwich City or anyone else but herself. The money she has put in was always as a loan and she thought she would get it back at some point in the future. She has now screwed herself and the club by her appalling sense of ''business'' and she and the club will face the consequences. Chase got out of control, but he was an angel compared to Delia. The two eras are so far apart it''s almost like it was two different clubs. To all you Delia lovers out there, you have got what you deserve - relegation.[/quote] mate, great post, it''s truly unbelievable isn''t it, how much of a mug is it possible for some supporters to be? Yeah thanks very much Delia & NCFC Board, thanks for everything, thanks for relying on somoene else to pay for Darren Huckerby, thanks for total under investment in the squad for our season in the Prem, thanks for not using the parachute payments to try and get us back into the Prem, thanks for turning away potential investors, thanks for selling our best players at every opportunity and replacing them with loans or medicore rubbish, thanks for the embarassing tv broadcasted rant at half time. "Let''s Be Avin You"? Have you looked at the attendances for other clubs in this league? You''ve been "avin us" season after season and look what our reward has been! Thanks for the ego trip, for the total miss-management of a great football club, reducing us to the laughing stock we are today, with your "little Norwich" mentality and "Prudence with Ambition" policy. Well we really will be little Norwich next season, little Norwich playing in the 3rd division with no ambition and no chance of getting back up again.  [/quote]Ok..Point 1. The woman tried to invest in Ipswich before Norwich...I''d like to respond to this with a considered well thought out informative reply... utter tosh !Point 2. ''Thanks for relying on somoene else to pay for Darren Huckerby''...If we didn''t have the finances at the time then bringing in Huckerby at £750k, where ever the money came from, made good sense, seeing as he was intrumental in bringing Premiership football to Carrow Road and a surplus of £12+ million for just being there.Point 3.''Thanks for total under investment in the squad for our season in the Prem''..From Season 2000 to end of the season 2004 (4.5 years) Norwich spent appx £4,125,000 on transfer fee''s, an average of £916,000 per season. Whilst in the Premiership (04/05) Norwich spent £5,200,000. Thats an increase of 568% spent in previous seasons, which doesn''t include monies paid for David Bentleys loan, or Thomas Helveg''s & Graham Stuarts signing on fee as they were freebies. Not what I would call ''under investment''.http://www.ex-canaries.co.uk/years/0405.htmPoint 3 '' Thanks for turning away potential investors''..Reading from a another comment you made regarding the discusion of Delia requesting ''local investors only'', I assume you mean she frightened off investors not based in Norfolk. Cos there were so many of em lining up !! S''cuse the sarcasm but she simply made that comment as she was hoping to entice those from the county that would have knowledge of the area, the fans and have an understanding of what the club means to them. In other words, don''t invest unless you have the clubs interest at heart. Have you been to the Goldstone Ground in Brighton, it''s a car park !!She has since the Cullum ''no bid'', changed her stance and has suggested that the investor need not be local but must still have the clubs interest at heart which I imagine she''ll want to ensure when/if negotiations take place.Point 4. ''Thanks for selling our best players at every opportunity and replacing them with loans or medicore rubbish''..The footballing side is dealt with by the Manager, he has to take responsibility for who he thinks we can sell and buy. Or is Delia now the Director of Football. Off the top of my head, arguably, the most recent ''best players'' we''ve sold are Dean ''sick note'' Ashton for a profit of £3.25 million after a period of 12 months. Huckerby, you can''t blame anyone else but Roeder. And sadly Robert Green. But there''s little you can do when Premiership clubs come a calling and players feel they want to further their career''s. In addition, unless your one of the big 4 the best players are always eventually sold to a so called bigger club, it''s the nature of football.Blame Grant for the mediocre rubbish. As a result, Roeder offloaded appx 12 1st team squad players, a similar amount in the reserves plus 5 or so back room staff. There''s not a lot of cash about hence the loans, how else were we s''posed to get through this period. It''s not a footballing policy to loan so many players but a reaction from Roeder after his clearout. And after performing a miracle in keeping us up last year, who was going to argue.Point 5. Thanks for the embarassing tv broadcasted rant at half time. "Let''s Be Avin You"..We''ll just have to accept a difference of opinion on this one, I don''t find it embarrassing, quite the opposite. I believe she''ll be the one and only director with big enough balls to stand in front of the ''singing end'' of a football ground with a microphone in her hand and give them a piece of her mind and attempt to motivate them at the same time. I call it passion. It''s easier to poke fun while being largely anonymous on a website forum.Point 6. Have you looked at the attendances for other clubs in this league?And your point is ?The reason we have average attendances of 24/25000 is because of the clubs pricing policy. There''s not many/if any clubs that sell season tickets for kids at £25. As I stated above, I remember when 13/14,000 was the averge and 18,000 was a good attendance.In your next rant can you justify your arguement with at least few facts.

[quote user="Potless Percy "][quote user="smann"]Percy RE: Oh dear, Waghorn and Friends (notably M Dennis Esq).  Mr Waghorn has a reputation (well deserved in my view) for being an unofficial mouthpiece for the board.  Whether they actually pay him for it I know not, but if you rely on him for your information you will be getting an extremely biased and sycophantic point of view.C''mon lads, the accusations for anyone not sharing your point of view is always deemed dubious and goes beyond that of an extremist conspiracy theorist. The fact remains, that Cullum''s bid didn''t materialise in the business sense. I made an effort to find the relevant piece. So here goes..Given that Cullum has a reported personal wealth of £1.7 billion (30th June 08). Is there anyone of us, so called Delia lovers or haters who in Cullums position would have decided not to spend £56 million, when you have £1.7 billion in the bank ?[/quote] That simply is not true and I''m pretty sure Waghorn knows it.  Peter Cullum''s business (Towergate) was at one time valued at £1.7bn. Once you discount that blatant distortion of the fact (that''s a lie to you and me) Waghorn''s whole argument collapses like a pack of cards.   [/quote]Percy, as I mentioned before I find some critism of Delia akin to an extremist conspiracy theory; for example your comment, ''Mr Waghorn has a reputation for being an unofficial mouthpiece for the board.  Whether they actually pay him for it I know not''..There was also a post claiming Delia wanted to buy Ipswich but Sheepshanks told her to go away... the comments are reaching hysterical proportions.I simply find the ''My football writer'' website'' has an approach to news from Norwich with their glass half full. There are a few writers on the site and they don''t all share the same veiws or tow the Norwich/Delia party line.For example, there is a recent article on the money paid out to agents in the last financial year approaching half a million. Now I''m aware that the EDP also ran the story but what the EDP didn''t point out is how that compared to other clubs in the Championship, (2nd highest, only Derby paid more). What stood out for me was that the half a million was paid out over 20 (ish) transactions. Sheff Wed made half a dozen or so less transactions but ''apparently'' only paid out £5,000 in agents fee''s !A story that should make most fan''s ask why ?Probably why the EDP didn''t run it, as they are the nicey nicey face of Norfolk journalism. Thats their right, it''s their business and they wish to appeal to those who buy their papers. But ''My football writer. com'' does have writers that critise the club.. but in an intelligent way, not in the manner of the hysterical writings of this forum, that see Delia as the devil incarnate with plans to destroy NCFC with a blue & white scarf burried in her handbag.

[quote user="Mr.Carrow"][quote user="smann"]Percy RE: Oh dear, Waghorn and Friends (notably M Dennis Esq).  Mr Waghorn has a reputation (well deserved in my view) for being an unofficial mouthpiece for the board.  Whether they actually pay him for it I know not, but if you rely on him for your information you will be getting an extremely biased and sycophantic point of view.C''mon lads, the accusations for anyone not sharing your point of view is always deemed dubious and goes beyond that of an extremist conspiracy theorist. The fact remains, that Cullum''s bid didn''t materialise in the business sense. I made an effort to find the relevant piece. So here goes..The first hurdle comes courtesy of City Code Rule 9 - that if Cullum were to take control of Delia Smith''s 61.2% majority shareholding in the club, he would have to buy the club outright. Make every single shareholder an offer. Either that or limit his shareholding to a minority stake of 29.9% - a fraction below the 30% tip point and as would-be Birmingham City owner Carson Yeung has discovered, a recipe for a bitter stalemate. On the current share issue price of £30 per share, making an offer for 100% of the issued share capital would cost Cullum £16 million.More intriguingly, the club also revealed that the club''s long-term securitisation deal would also have to be repaid upon a change of ownership - adding another £16 million to the cost of "doing something that I''ve always wanted to do". With the repayment of directors loans adding another £4 million, Cullum was handed a £56 million ''bill'' if he wished to take his interest any further.What is interesting for those with a calculator to hand is working out what Delia and Wynn Jones would be looking to recoup were the sale to proceed on a full buy-out basis at £30 per share. With 61% of the shares to their name, that amounts to just under £10 million of the proposed £16 million cost - which, by most accounts, simply equates to the money that the pair have put into the club over the last 12 years.Given that Cullum has a reported personal wealth of £1.7 billion and liquified another £60 million odd of that as recently as April with the release of a trnche of shares in Towergate to an American hedge fund, the one-time Norwich City schoolboy footballer could slap £56 million on the table tomorrow which - given the level of his financial resources - would leave Delia and Co in a basically untenable position.Since setting up Towergate in 1997 with just two insurance colleagues for company, the Canaries'' 57-year-old suitor has overseen the buy-outs of over 130 companies. According to a profile of ''The King Of Deals'' in March''s edition of BusinessXL, "14 were purchased in the past 12 months alone... "The biggest buy-out to date was that of the insurance software house OpenGI - a £275 million investment that, in certain senses, makes a potential purchase of Norwich City very small beer.(30th June 08). Is there anyone of us, so called Delia lovers or haters who in Cullums position would have decided not to spend £56 million, when you have £1.7 billion in the bank ?Although his business may now have taken a bashing I think he''ll still have well over a billion and where is the great white knight !!Maybe waiting for us to get relegated, pick up the club at a knock down price, minus the debts if we go through administration and ride on the back of those who support his dis-tasteful attempt to own our club, while making the most of dis-gruntled fans frustrations with the board. There''s good reason how and why he has made the money he has, in the world of business buy low and sell high, its all in the timing ? [/quote] Your last paragraph is pretty much exactly what Delia did.  Have a think about it. [/quote]Correct me if Im wrong but I was under the impression she bought the club and paid £2 million of the clubs debts ?Cheap it may have been but it depends on whether you view Delia as coming in to benefit herself financially, (how ?)Or her genuine willingness to improve the club ?She was already a successful business woman in her own right, there was no need to became the majority shareholder of a debt ridden football club, with little or no guarantee that financially it would change. Such is the commitment of football club owners.

Percy RE: Oh dear, Waghorn and Friends (notably M Dennis Esq).  Mr Waghorn has a reputation (well deserved in my view) for being an unofficial mouthpiece for the board.  Whether they actually pay him for it I know not, but if you rely on him for your information you will be getting an extremely biased and sycophantic point of view.C''mon lads, the accusations for anyone not sharing your point of view is always deemed dubious and goes beyond that of an extremist conspiracy theorist. The fact remains, that Cullum''s bid didn''t materialise in the business sense. I made an effort to find the relevant piece. So here goes..The first hurdle comes courtesy of City Code Rule 9 - that if Cullum were to take control of Delia Smith''s 61.2% majority shareholding in the club, he would have to buy the club outright. Make every single shareholder an offer. Either that or limit his shareholding to a minority stake of 29.9% - a fraction below the 30% tip point and as would-be Birmingham City owner Carson Yeung has discovered, a recipe for a bitter stalemate. On the current share issue price of £30 per share, making an offer for 100% of the issued share capital would cost Cullum £16 million.More intriguingly, the club also revealed that the club''s long-term securitisation deal would also have to be repaid upon a change of ownership - adding another £16 million to the cost of "doing something that I''ve always wanted to do". With the repayment of directors loans adding another £4 million, Cullum was handed a £56 million ''bill'' if he wished to take his interest any further.What is interesting for those with a calculator to hand is working out what Delia and Wynn Jones would be looking to recoup were the sale to proceed on a full buy-out basis at £30 per share. With 61% of the shares to their name, that amounts to just under £10 million of the proposed £16 million cost - which, by most accounts, simply equates to the money that the pair have put into the club over the last 12 years.Given that Cullum has a reported personal wealth of £1.7 billion and liquified another £60 million odd of that as recently as April with the release of a trnche of shares in Towergate to an American hedge fund, the one-time Norwich City schoolboy footballer could slap £56 million on the table tomorrow which - given the level of his financial resources - would leave Delia and Co in a basically untenable position.Since setting up Towergate in 1997 with just two insurance colleagues for company, the Canaries'' 57-year-old suitor has overseen the buy-outs of over 130 companies. According to a profile of ''The King Of Deals'' in March''s edition of BusinessXL, "14 were purchased in the past 12 months alone... "The biggest buy-out to date was that of the insurance software house OpenGI - a £275 million investment that, in certain senses, makes a potential purchase of Norwich City very small beer.(30th June 08). Is there anyone of us, so called Delia lovers or haters who in Cullums position would have decided not to spend £56 million, when you have £1.7 billion in the bank ?Although his business may now have taken a bashing I think he''ll still have well over a billion and where is the great white knight !!Maybe waiting for us to get relegated, pick up the club at a knock down price, minus the debts if we go through administration and ride on the back of those who support his dis-tasteful attempt to own our club, while making the most of dis-gruntled fans frustrations with the board. There''s good reason how and why he has made the money he has, in the world of business buy low and sell high, its all in the timing ?

I get my sources/info from the internet and then make up my own mind from the views that are given.In general I start with:http://www.newsnow.co.uk/h/Sport/Football/Championship/Norwich+CityIt''s a news portal that gathers all published info relevant to Norwich, from the media and internet. It provides links to sites to read up various published stories.Using newsnow I came across:http://norwichcity.myfootballwriter.com/Which I believe gives intelligent comment and views and largely where I came across what was going on in the Cullum takeover saga, that never was..I was hoping to find various stories in their archived reports to give better and more precise detail as to what was happening but I couldn''t find them so I went from memory.Check it out ?

RE: ''''sorry - rubbish post (can you give me your reasons why ?) and another Delia apologist joins the Board. Big demo at Southampton last week, see their least 2 results?  you are so, so wrong, (because ?) and you will see the worm finally turn now as more and more fans realise they have been well and truly stitched up. Delia and Co doing their utmost for the club? Yeah, of course they are, an look at just where that has got us. You get angry at people who critizcise the Board & Delia? I can assure you not anywhere near as angry as I get at posts from deluded people like you still sticking up for them.''''Ok, please put me straight how Delia has a cunning plan to stitch up the supporters ?My belief is Delia and the boards job is to make the club as financially stable as possible to allow the club to progress. In the last few years all football clubs have struggled with the finances. Premiership and Championship clubs are desperate to find a multi millionaire ''sugar daddy'' to compete with the big boys, and then expect him to plough millions in the club without any return for his money. With the amount of money in football, especially the Premiership, it''s madness to think millionaires will continue to support clubs in this way. I don''t know of any other business where so much money can be earned and yet billionaire Chairmen are expected to go the extra mile by forking out their fortune to keep supporters happy.Firstly football has to put it''s house in order and pay players wages that is relevant to the profit the clubs make without a billionaire at the helm. I know its unrealistic, especially if clubs want to compete with the likes of Chelsea and Man City etc but Norwich just ain''t gonna find that kind of investor.Anyway, I diverse... I believe apart from finances the other responsibility for those running the club is to appoint a Manager. There is nothing the board can do footballing wise on the pitch, apart from hire a Manager who can improve the team. That is where I believe Delia & Co can be critisised, (Grant & Roeder etc), although its easy to point the finger after the event. I think Roeder performed a miracle in keeping us up last season but his job was done and his time was up and I believe the board made a good decision in replacing him. There''s no magic formular in apponiting a manager and gaining success. Managers can be seen as messiah''s one season and idiots the next. There''s little a board can do after appointing a new manager, he is the font of knowledge of all things football, all the board can do is support him in his decisions and hope he is right.I hear a lot about how 24/25,000 supporters turn up at home matches and are being ripped off by what they see on the pitch. Firstly, I remember being inthe old Div 1 and getting an average gate of 13/14,000... 18,000 was a good turnout. We only get 24/25,000 crowds now because of the boards policy in ticket pricing and encouraging families and kids etc to buy season tickts. I don''t know anywhere else where kids can get a season ticket for £25.Those sort of decisions and the constant work Delia does in publishing books and using her celebrity to find the money to put back into Norwich is why I support her and respect her efforts especially when other merely critise her work because of what happens on the pitch, which is beyond her control.

I wish I had the related article to hand but the board haven''t kept the Cullum bid saga altogether secret. Although I understand to some City supporters that a multi millionaire on ''board'' would have helped our plight, I believe they are mis-informed.From memory he claimed, through the newspapers, not in a formal business proposition, that he''d like to invest £20/£25 million into then manager, GR''s transfer kitty. For his investment he wanted control of the club and intended on appointing 2 of his staff on the board to run things. Apparently there had been a meeting between the board and Cullum but there wasn''t any progress because of the following reason.It was simply unacceptable to the board because the current legal standpoint clearly states that anyone wishing to take control of the club has to make an offer to a majority of shareholders for their stake in the club. Cullum wouldn''t budge from his offer to invest in players and want control without paying shareholders a penny. Quite simply it''s unconstitutional for the club to be sold in this way.In my opinion, he was also asking Delia to walk away from the millions (4/5 ?) she has currently invested, without any financial offer for her time or investment. He made a token gesture of keeping Delia on in some capacity but for someone who, at the time, was reported to be worth 1.7 billion, I believe his offer was cheap and demeaning to the club as well as an attempt to de-stabilise opinion of Delia and the board when we were vulnerable. All from someone who claims to be a Norwich supporter.An offer of £35+ million to purchase shares, pay Delia back a little and present his honest intentions to progress the club may have secured control for him. But he chose to use the media with big headlines to unsettle the board in the hope of gaining support from the fans and make the boards life uncomfortable. In some part, to those gullible and mis-informed, he has done.However, since the revalation of a World recession and credit crunch blah blah, it turns out that Cullum aint that well off. He has not been imune from losing out in major investments as the banks and the economy in general has crashed. I can''t pretend to know how much he is worth but after his dis-tasteful attempt of turning the club upside down, I doubt that even if he had taken control that he would now be investing in players. It don''t make business sense ?Putting us into administration, losing 10 points getting relegated and losing the debt does !Thats not something I enjoy considering to put it lightly.. but I feel very angry at those supporters who critisise the board, Delia in particular, when it is so obvious they are doing their upmost for the club. They have made mistakes, for me it started with appointing Grant but I was taken in as he talks a good game and I could see why he was chosen. However, the quality of players he brought to the club was questionable. As a result, when Roeder was brought in although he was able to raise the quality of players, albeit using loans for the majority of them, it just papered over the cracks. He then made mistakes in letting the likes of Huckerby go, and presumed the players he started the season with would hopefully challenge for a play off spot. He''d offloaded 12+ players and I worried that the team still needs to gel. Although to some extent you could argue the quality of the squad had improved, I didn''t believe it meant the team would automatically progress. Is the current squad that much better than others in the Championship ? Our league position says not. Supporters should have recognised when Gunn was appointed that relegation is a realistic possibility. I''m not critisising the appointment of Gunn & Co, far from it. I am a realist and saw the huge task he faces. I like the appointment and the staff he brought in as he and the board made the recognition that our most succesful periods came from hiring those within or with strong links to the club. Appointing Crook and Butterworth as Coaches also lines them up as future possible Managers and inkeeping with the philosophy of hiring managers within attempting to recreate previous success. It''s because they love and they know the club, Norfolk and the poeple that they will ensure they will do nothing but the best they can do to improve things.What they need is the unconditional support from us fans... no critisism''s, no infighting, no looking to place the blame on players, the management or the board. Yes it hurts to see how the team are playing and our league position becoming precarious. But one things for sure, if as fans, we lose our nerve and turn on individual players for mistakes they make because of our own anxiety of relegation, it will and it does transmit to the team and become a self fulfilling prophecy. Moan all you like down the pub at work and kick the cat across the living room if you so feel like it..But when it comes to being on the terraces, voice your opinion in the most passionate way possible in supporting this great club of ours... otherwise your not fit to wear the shirt.Forever Yella..

Ya just plain wrong !!I am suprised but there''s definatley discontent amongst some supporters, just from my first posting I have 2 positive & 2 negative responses.Plus, ''a mouthfull'' ??Doesn''t Wor/thing/tons or De/li/as or Pe/ter/ Grants (names) all possess 3 syllables ?  Ideal for Green n yella army..I''ll start you off, you join in ?

Hi Gazza,Thanks for your considered and more informative reply to my question. I had an incling of the discontent from a close friend who is a season ticket holder in L Barclay (Where I would normally stand/sit). But I must admit I''m suprised by the completely negative view some supporters have of the club. I can only assume its due to huge disappointment from having too much expectation, and I can''t understand where the expectation came from. To desire the club to to do well is something all supporters (of any club) would obviously share, but to expect it is simply unrealistic.The likes of Smudger & Cluck are new to me, but then I''m not a local & I''m unaware of the varying degree''s of opinion, so I hope to be updated from viewing the site.I believe we will see some better football being played this season.  For example, Grants description of Ostembor shows he is continuing with his initial outlook at looking for players who have the characteristics to play attractive football. I hope we get more of them & that they have the confidence to show it. A united support from the terraces would help !!

Hi Smudger,Before I can respond properly I need to understand your arguement. ''Delia the constant in all of this mess ?''..  What mess ? (Leeds Utd- thats a mess).What makes you think he doesn''t have the full backing of an ambitious board ?What d''ya think of my original posted question regarding, supporters showing verbal support for Grant on the terraces ? (See my last reply to Cluck)

I have to agree with Gazza, I think your opinion of PG & Delia is wide of the mark.There is''nt any evidence of a lack ability in PG to spot flair players in his transfer dealings last season (to attract them maybe too early to tell) . However, I maybe wrong with my first example but was Chadwick his first signing ? He''s not Ronaldo but if you were describing him some people may say he''s a flair player. Plus take a closer look at Fotheringham, from what I''ve seen he''s a good passer of the ball and I think of him as a forward going central midfielder. I''m hoping to see him develop more but I don''t think we had any other forward looking central midfielders before he came? Although Etuhu likes to get forward, he''s usually on the end of things cos of his strength & height, but he''s not a creator.Plus, PG had the vision & courage to put Chris Martin into the 1st team set-up, and I believe he was proved right to do so. And I hope it demonstrates that PG has an eye for talent.How have you managed to get into PG''s psyche ? I understand your concept but Arsene Wenger blows the philosophy out of the water. (ie; journeyman player = can''t attract flair).By the way, weren''t those hard working donkey''s signed by Worthington, and then made Captain !!But to bring the discussion back to my original posted question, how do you think the team would respond if support for Grant was demonstrated verbally on the terraces ?Surely it has to be positive, if it is, it would also mean that the negative outlook from supporters, such as yourself, would be a contributory factor in the downfall of the team ?

I''ve supported Norwich since Oct 75, I''m not the most ''loyal'' of supporters in the attending matches sense and I''ve never been a season ticket holder (My excuse is I live and am from West London). But if you chat to me on a match day you''d find I''m no less passionate than any other supporter. Having attended various matches this season, what I find very frustrating is the supporters reluctance to sing ''Peter Grants Green n Yella army on the terraces'' (seats!). Whats that all about ? Now I can understand that Delia is already a Norwich Legend and I''m more than happy with her commitment and passion she has shown towards the club, because it is genuine. As a result, of course she deserves to hear her name sung from all 4 corners of the ground. But has her status diminshed that of the Norwich Manager in the fans eye''s. I only mention it because according to the fans its ''Delia''s green n yella army''. A song traditionally sung to support the Manager. I assume the question aimed at me would be what has Peter Grant done to deserve his name being sung ? Ok, the team hadn''t shown huge strides in a forward direction since his appointment, but to me, his appointment as Norwich Manager alone is enough for him to receive my support, vocally (while standing next to my seat).. If we had been awful and fighting relegation this season I might have understood the reluctance to support him. However, we are in one of the most competitive league''s in the world and despite it being only a couple of season''s ago that we were in the Premiership, I personally didn''t share the same optimism for this season. The reason being is that we have only 2 players (Drury & Hucks) left in the squad that won promotion to the Premiership, and 2 others (Safri & Doherty) that joined to keep us it in, (From a squad of 25+ players ?). Peter Grant hadn''t inherited a great side, I thought he did particularly well with his prudent signings and loans this season plus he was generally a good judge when it came to promoting the younger players into the 1st team set-up. I believe he was taking a good long hard look at what the club has, before making an assessment of what positions need strengthening. Next season I would like to see improvement but I don''t expect it as every club is looking to strengthen their side and there are no guarantee''s in football. Finally, I have 2 very good reason''s why I believe that we should all be singing his name next season: 1. He was appointed by HRH Delia, with glowing references to his interview and in particular the emphasis on playing football they way we like it.. (Its important to me ?) 2. I believe that if the players don''t hear support for the Manager from the fans, then his position is easier to undermine, especially if things don''t go well. (Do player''s consistantly put in the 110% when the Manager isn''t supported ?) Personally, I am looking forward to next season whatever the signings, a play off place and promotion would be great. But more than anything else this season, I want to be entertained by our football, In Grant I trust !! Forever Yella..