Devils Advocate.

The last few years of his career Norwich were actually in the same division as he was, with Southampton. Man Utd and Portsmouth. Did he play against us at all?

A legendary name from before my time. Chairman Geoffrey Watling is quoted as being prpared to sack the doctor if Davies had failed his medical. By 2007 he was working as a roofer in the States and living in a trailer park. He had to rely on public donations from Southampton and Norwich fans to pay for a replacement Hip to enable him to work again. RIP Ron.

[quote user="Monty13"]"Which would mean that it is more a matter of whether the players fist us, not the other way round" Jesus wept! when did this become the norm? We''ve been fisting our players??? And worse, they are going to start fisting us! :([/quote] I believe that this practice has been going on longer than we think. 70''s idol , Rodney Marsh was told by Sir Alf Ramsey that if he wasn''t playing well by half time in an England game , he would pull him off !

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2326470/Gus-Poyet-fury-Brighton-leave-poo-Crystal-Palace-dressing-room.html Not even funny, sounds like Poyet is losing it at Brighton.

It isn''t possible to guarantee success when appointing a manager other wise there wouldn''t be a fraction of the managerial casualties that occur every season. At the moment Malky''s star is shining high, who knows where he''ll be by Christmas let alone 12 months time. However, he has something about him that inspires confidence and let''s be honest he had it when he was here as a player.He should not have been dispensed with when we first went up to the Premier league, I know that his playing career was coming to an end, maybe he could have been used to coach the Youth team or something. Who knows, he might have been our boss now.! It is a shame that Bryan Gunn''s appointment went so badly wrong. Not just for the relegation to Div One, it seems to count against any former player getting the nod and probably cost Malky the chance here. Maybe things might be different for Neil Adams ?

[quote user="Kingston Yellow"]Malky was my first choice to replace Lambo. He''s done a very impressive job at both Watford and Cardiff - particularly considering he had no squad when he took over at Cardiff. He would be a good choice for Everton but would rather he came home![/quote] I wanted Malky to replace Lambert as well. Many forum members took the P**S at this suggestion as well as those who nominated Steve Bruce, but we all know who led their teams to promotion this season. I would still love to see Malky here , his appointment just seems right for us but at this time in his career, we are probably beneath him, Malky is a winner. I wonder if Lambert had stayed here whether he would be in line for the Everton job ?,

Hughton is "popular" because he doesn''t wind anyone up and is not threatening like most managers can be. People felt sorry for him after being fired at Newcastle. If we lose on Sunday, he won''t be so popular here anyway.

Feel a bit sorry for Mike Phelan at the moment. Anyone watching Sky sports news will see him sitting in front of David Moyes and Sir Alex, they are having a cosy chat together while Mike Phelan seems to be left out in the rain.

Funny old game, this time last year. Lambert might have been a distant possibility for the job . I doubt that he would enter anyones mind now. It seems so similar to when Sir Matt Busby retired, he proved such a hard act to follow, that he had to make a comeback after a couple of years. I wonder if they''d entertain the idea of giving Mike Phelan a go with Sir Alex in the background. If not, it has to be someone like Mourinho, he has the ideal personality to take the job on and might just have the guts to keep Fergie in the background. or on the Racecourse.

It seems strange, that there have been no signs of support from the powers that be. Delia and the rest of the board , David McNally etc all seem strangely quiet at a time when Chris Hughton and the squad might have appreciated support from on high. Have they been abandoned or can we assume that major changes are afoot, regardless of final position ?

You never know, maybe Chris Hughton fancies a change of career !.

[quote user="paul moy"]Our fate was sealed when we signed Hughton !![/quote] Agreed. The concerns were expressed before the season even started and were very apparent when we lost at Fulham.

Simplistic I know, but I will blame Paul Lambert for feeling so insecure that he felt that he had to defect to Villa. Such were his achievements here in the three years of his tenure, that had he stayed, I feel he would not have received the flack that Chris Hughton is now.

If we work the miracle and manage to stay up. would you be happy for Chris Hughton to remain here or do you want him to go regardless?

Owen Coyle would be a great choice , if only because we wouldn''t have to pay any compensation to get him. Ian Holloway seems to have lost a little magic since he went to Crystal Palace and only just avoided relegation with them yesterday. Gus Poyet would be a great choice but with his connections , he is destined for bigger things than us.

http://www.norwichcityrumours.co.uk/ reports that CH will be sacked tomorrow because of a dispute over Kei Kamara. CH wanted to keep him and the board didn''t. Hence the cancellation of the end of season dinner. Of course we all know the "value" of rumours, but it''s something to consider.

.... To start in California , with three days in Hemsby on the way back !

Perhaps Becchio was bought as an impact player, bring him on five minutes before the end of the last home game and hope he can do something !

http://www.pinkun.com/norwich-city/fulham_5_norwich_city_0_1_1486847 Let''s face it the rot started with the Fulham defeat last August. So many of the comments, made after that game, are as true tonight as they were then. Many people suggested that Hughton should walk that day and although it seemed extreme at the time, the writing seemed to be on the wall even then. Perhaps when the inquest is held on this season, the question should be "How can a squad like that achieve a ten game unbeaten run" and then win only two games in the last twenty?. Beating teams like Man Utd and Arsenal means nothing when we are unable to win the so called six pointers. How many people silently predicted relegation as soon as they saw this seasons fixture list ? and hoped that it would be us sending Lambert and Villa down and not the other way around. Having achieved so much in the last three seasons, it is a Bl**dy shame that it looks like going to waste in the next couple of weeks.

Doesn''t Hughton have a three year contract?. Will we decide to keep him and his sidekicks and put any compensation money into the squad. OR part company with him and start from scratch again. Was his contract a rolling one , so we would have to pay three years, not two?

[quote user="djc"]Pardew as future city boss? No thanks.[/quote] No, not for me neither. Last season, I believe that he signed an 8-9 year contract, funny how times change !

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2318770/Alan-Pardew-slams-Gary-Neville-wake-Newcastles-6-0-defeat.html#comments Spotted this in the Mail today and wondered if Alan Pardew had been taking lessons from Glen Roeder. It doesn''t seem so long since he wondered whether he had missed a City fan''s tenure as a manager. Anyone fancy Pardew as a future city boss ?.

I''m probably missing the point, but I doubt that many people advocate sacking Hughton today. They would rather he went when the season is over. Or do they believe in the "New manager syndrome"?

If the last few appointments have proved anything at all, it is that a succesful appointment is a huge matter of luck. Paul Lambert was a Div 0ne boss when he joined us and was ultra succesful here, but he has hardly been a success at Villa this season. Hughton''s appointment looked to be the right one when he arrived here but once again his success his arguable. Two of the front runners when Lambert left here were treated with derision by lot''s of City followers, but Mackay and Bruce have done the job perfectly in the championship this season. Many people mention Ian Holloway as possible boss here, but his magic touch seems to have deserted at Palace. I would chose Malky Mackay, but I doubt that he would come here.

[quote user="basil brush"]I think Hughton is on borrowed time whatever happens. The most likely scenario is this: 1. We stay up - just 2. Fans expect a more attacking and positive style with some new signings. 3. Hughton largely still plays it cautious as 2012/13, with few results. 4. Sacked by Christmas. Any Norwich fan who thinks there is going be a major change in style next season will be disappointed. It won''t happen. There may be a slight improvement, but generally speaking Hughton is a conservative, defensive manager. In many ways the antithesis of Lambert. So we know what type of football he desires- How long as fans can we put up with it?[/quote] If Hughton stays, he will want to spend the money on his style of players. Would another manager necessarily want any of his players ?