Snoots

[quote user=" Badger"][quote user="Snoots"] Becchio''s last season at Leeds, August ''13 to January ''14. Four full months. 19 goals scored. During his time at Leeds he scored one goal every 2.5 games(approx). That implies almost 19 league goals in a 46 game league season. It beggars belief that he was given virtually no opportunity under Hughton and is experiencing the same again under Adams.[/quote]The fact that he has been shunned by both managers might suggest that there is something up with his training or attitude? Why else would both managers just ignore him?[/quote] You may be right although I think he played in one pre-season game and scored two goals. Not significant, I know, but he still found the back of the net twice. I have no idea what his attitude is like in training or how well or badly he has been treated by Hughton and Adams, but the fact is that he is the most proven, fit striker we have at the club at this level and he is not being given a chance yet alone a run. I can''t imagine he is overtly rude or aggressive or even sullen in training but personality clashes between managers and players (if true) are ridiculous and unprofessional. I don''t understand why Jerome would be perceived as a better option than Becchio who is already on our books and earning good wages. Didn''t Jerome claim that he was frozen out at Stoke ?

[quote user="Orford65"]Do we really need another average striker?We seem to attract them like flies![/quote] Becchio''s last season at Leeds, August ''13 to January ''14. Four full months. 19 goals scored. During his time at Leeds he scored one goal every 2.5 games(approx). That implies almost 19 league goals in a 46 game league season. It beggars belief that he was given virtually no opportunity under Hughton and is experiencing the same again under Adams.

Agreed, the club''s CEO McNally did play a huge part in earlier success. The CEO has to make the decisions and accept the ultimate responsibility for those decisions and, as such, he also played a (disastrously) huge part in our relegation from the Premiership.

[quote user="lake district canary"][quote user="First Wazzock"]Last week NA said he thought he would stay... http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2646454/EXCLUSIVE-Gary-Hooper-demands-transfer-Norwich-City-following-relegation.html[/quote] Interesting. However, it is the Daily Mail............. [/quote] Sorry LDC but why does that make the story less credible, or should I say more unlikely, than if it had been reported in any other newspaper''s sports pages ?

Not looking forward to it all Splutcho because all foreigners are lazy and money hungry.

[quote user="splutcho"]Every so often there''s another thread about how all foreigners are lazy and money hungry and that we should be purchasing solely English players, and I look forward to it because I enjoy laughing at stupidity.[/quote] Show me that thread laughing boy !

[quote user="splutcho"]I look forward to people jumping on him for not being English.[/quote] Why would they and why are you looking forward to this putative inevitability ?

I agree with the points in the last post above. It''s also the case that he has 3 years left on his contract so simply put the Club should make it clear he ain''t for sale. If he is allowed to go , any credibility that the Board still has will be completely destroyed. Either we are serious about getting back into the PL at the first attempt or we are not and letting Ruddy go would undoubtedly reveal to the fans that it is the latter.

[quote user="Herman "]You know things are bad when you find yourself agreeing with Lincoln.[/quote] Ha ha !!!

For obvious reasons, there have always been plenty of opportunities for whites but as the demographics have changed and enlightenment has set in so these opportunities have become available and accessible to all, including female people.

Unbelievable. Good spot Rivvo.

Here you go El Convento ........ Norwich City’s England international John Ruddy is ready to stay at Carrow Road and lead the Canaries’ bid to bounce back following Premier League relegation. Comments Email Print Ruddy has already been linked with a £5m move to Crystal Palace since the end of the league season, but despite missing out on a World Cup squad place earlier this week the 27-year-old sees his future with the Canaries. “I’m not a quitter, definitely not,” he said. “I signed a new contract with Norwich in October. I’ve got three seasons left on that contract. The situation is the same as it was last summer. There was a bit of interest from Chelsea, but Norwich didn’t receive a bid they deemed acceptable. If that’s the same case this summer then I’ve no problem with that. I’m very happy at Norwich. My family are very settled. Unless the club turn around to me and say we’ve accepted an offer for you, then I’ll be a Norwich player come next season. Norwich fans are fantastic. They’ve been very good with me. I had a tough time when I first joined here and they could easily have turned against me but they stuck by me, and I would like to think I have repaid their faith.” Ruddy, speaking to the Daily Telegraph, revealed how much his England snub had hurt him after Roy Hodgson opted to name Joe Hart, Ben Foster and Fraser Forster in his 23-man squad and leave Ruddy on stand-by. “I don’t think enough people really understand how much it does mean to players to miss out on a World Cup squad – or any international squad. I was very hurt by the fact that I’d been overlooked,” he said. “Some people might call me bitter but it’s not bitterness. It’s just sheer disappointment at not being able to be a part of it. You have similar disappointments in any walk of life but being in the England national side, in a game watched worldwide, it gets magnified. “I am patriotic. This is England. This is a World Cup. This is an opportunity to wear those Three Lions on your chest. That’s something that any young boy or young girl – or any grown-up – would give anything for. “I’ve been in squads for the last two years, and never really got a fair crack of the whip in terms of game time. I’ve never kicked up a fuss. I have given my all when there with England. It’s something I’m very proud of. The one thing people can’t take away from me is the cap I’ve got hanging in my house now. If that’s the only cap I earn then it’ll be the proudest moment of my career by a million miles. To represent your country is the pinnacle. “I found out a couple of days before Roy phoned me that I would be on standby. To have 48 hours to digest it before speaking to him really gave me a chance to think over what I was going to say to him. “It gave me a chance to get it off my chest, which is healthy, I needed to do that for my own personal satisfaction, to let Roy know that I do care. I made it perfectly clear to Roy I felt he made a bad call.”

Agree with Kangaroo Court. Ruddy has always struck me as a genuinely honest and decent person. He has previously referred to his 4 year contract and stated how happy he and his family are in Norfolk and does so again : " I’m very happy at Norwich. My family are very settled. Unless the club turn around to me and say we’ve accepted an offer for you, then I’ll be a Norwich player come next season. Norwich fans are fantastic. They’ve been very good with me. I had a tough time when I first joined here and they could easily have turned against me but they stuck by me, and I would like to think I have repaid their faith." That seems pretty clear and straightforward to me and I find it refreshing that one of our players should step forward and pin his green and yellow colours to the flag. What a boost that is for all of us at this time.

Just read the John Ruddy interview and was delighted with what he said. Great attitude and possesses that rare commodity called loyalty. Sounds like he really is genuine about staying with us and with commitment like that from a goalkeeper who really should be in the England World Cup squad it sends out a truly positive message and gives us a great foundation to start the re-building of our team for the Championship next season.

That''s another season over and what a poor one it was. The Pink''un MB has been a source not only of comfort from fellow fans and posters in the bad times, and how frequent they have been, but also shared enjoyment and exhilaration on those few occasions during the season when we have had something to celebrate. My Pink''un MB POTS (poster of the season of course) is Ricardo. Great grasp of stats, always constructive and informative and the unstinting contributor of thoroughly enjoyable "reports from the stand" after every home game. Thanks Ricardo. My candidate for the dubious accolade of Pink''Un MB pantomime villain, a veritable Neil Warnock of the message baords, has to be Wiz. Whatever you think of him he always has something provocative to say and (occasionally) makes some good points. I wouldn''t go so far as to describe Wiz (or is it 1st Wiz now) as a lovable rogue but the MB wouldn''t be the same without him. Finally, my outright winner for the most short-tempered and most frequent distributor of gratuitous, random and uninventive insults to fellow posters such as "Cock", "Moron" and so on is ........ Morty.

Well Ricardo, I will avoid being drawn into this minor spat and simply say thank you very much for all the time and effort you have put into your reports this season. I''m an "ex-pat" supporter so your reports after each of our home games have become a regular read for me over recent seasons and I always look out for them. I would enjoy buying you a pint of draught Peroni one day. here''s to next season. Cheers. Snoots, formerly Lord Snooty.

[quote user="Waveney Canary"]They got it badly badly wrong this year. The carra on Sunday needs to make sure that the Board have to pay the cost. So sing in loud sing in proud. Sack the board sack the board[/quote] Yep, let''s all make complete fools of ourselves. I think this is a really stupid idea, in fact, moronically childish. We should write a line under this season and get behind the club and Board who, whatever you think, have the best interests of the club at heart. They are unlikely to make the same mistake twice. Let''s get behind them and rebuild for the future.

[quote user="STAN"]How many Grant Holt''s are there floating about the football league? The sad reality is Grant Holt is/was one of a kind.[/quote] You''re right. It was an incredible signing by Gunn. He was criticized for so much but given so little credit for bringing another legend to Norwich.

[quote user="pete"]Robin Sainty a representative apparently of the Norwich Supporters Trust (Never heard of them) interviewed today on SSN said a more experienced manager would have gone for it in last 15 minutes. So is he saying if Chris Hughton was in charge an experienced manager he would have gone for it? I think not would have required a 180 degree change in football philosophy.[/quote] Ah, well there you have it. If Robin Sainty said that why am I arguing against ! I don''t know who the NST is either but I''m a member of the newly formed ION... Group , an acronym for If Only Neil (or Norwich) ...

[quote user="ZippersLeftFoot"][quote user="Skijumptoes"]If Bradley hadn''t hit the post, if RvW''s header went in… There''s so many fine lines that we''ve been the wrong side of. Not aggressively going at chelsea certainly wasn''t one, that was a success getting a draw away, we would''ve been butchered if we pushed against them. A draw could''ve been enough, as it stands Sunderland simply played a blinder which we could never compete with in this kind of final run-in.[/quote] Agreed, it seems alost every third game since Hull away was a missed opportunity for a point here or there - Bradleys shot wide at craven cottage, the dire performance against West Brom at home. I also agree that a point at chelsea was a great effort, but I dont agree it was ever enough - it was a win only game and while keeping it tight for 80 mins was right, we needed a soupcon more attacking commitment at the end of the game. That was NOT the reason we got relegated - but it was another poor tactical choice. [/quote] I fully understand where you are coming from, but had NA thrown on Hooper, RvW or both and weakened our defence and we suddenly leaked a couple of goals which, personally, I could have seen happening, then NA would have been berated for his lack of experience. The expression "Damned if I do and damned" if I don''t comes to mind ! It still p__ss_s me off when I remember Hooper''s stupid sideways pass and Marshall''s heroics and acrobatics at Cardiff. If only ........... !

[quote user="Ginja"][quote user="Snoots"][quote user="Ginja"]We just don''t get the luck either, Sunderland got that very dodgy penalty at Chelsea in the last 10, but we can''t one even if the player is fouled twice in the same second. Add the stonewall penalty and clear goal not given at Man Utd and the dodgy pen given against us, you can''t help but think we have had a bit of bad luck season at times.Can anyone really think of match where we got the result we didn''t deserve, where we were truly lucky to win?[/quote] Was it really a clear goal ? I thought the whistle had been blown before the "goal" was scored.[/quote]I see your point, but I''m just saying we were doing well and if even one of those decisions had gone in our favour we could have had a very different result IMO.[/quote] I can''t argue with that. Of course, in truth we blew our chances a long time before but there isn''t any doubt that we have been blighted by bad luck recently. Playing Man Utd when we did and then when the spotlight has gone, Sunderland going there and getting a win. The unsynchronised timing of these last few crucial games, WBA gaining safety just before the Sunderland game and so on. However, it all tracks back to indecision on the part of the Board and it was that the f__________d us in the end.

[quote user="Ginja"]We just don''t get the luck either, Sunderland got that very dodgy penalty at Chelsea in the last 10, but we can''t one even if the player is fouled twice in the same second. Add the stonewall penalty and clear goal not given at Man Utd and the dodgy pen given against us, you can''t help but think we have had a bit of bad luck season at times.Can anyone really think of match where we got the result we didn''t deserve, where we were truly lucky to win?[/quote] Was it really a clear goal ? I thought the whistle had been blown before the "goal" was scored.

[quote user="Jimmy Smith"]It''s made me pretty complacent actually. It''s been near impossible for me to get to some games, Plastics taking all the allocation of the Man U, Liverpool and Man City tickets (did manage both the Manchester clubs once though, a 4-0 and 6-1 defeat!). It costs me about £100 petrol and the rest for me to go to a home game before even thinking of tickets. Now I don''t have the option to stay at home and watch, I''ll be enjoying my trips to Huddersfield and Wigan next year. Hopefully our team will actually turn up this season.[/quote] I remember being completely p_________d off that having been to the Charlton away game when we were relegated from the Chumps I was then unable to buy tickets for the Charlton away game the following season when we won promotion because they had quickly sold out.

[quote user="72season"]1 keeping chris far too long 2 playing one up front 3 swapping the team around constantly Like to have seen us really go for it at Chelsea instead of playing safe should have played the wolf hooper and elmander up front Johnson howson and Redmond midfield with the back four as played like to have seen us play two strikers up front for most of season with settled team , 72 season we played with 11 regulars mostly who new exactly what each other would do and play , two strikers bone and cross who supported each other , support your strikers get the ball to them and you will score . Stringer and Forbes were like a wall at the back again they could read each other like a book . Lets go for it against arsenal and play three up front and see what happens .[/quote] We would have been slaughtered had we "gone for it" even with 15 minutes to go. Let''s face facts, even with the defensive strategy that NA played, time and time again Chelsea were unlucky not to have scored. Our players did play well but without doubt we also had a large slice of luck in front of our own goal. The revelation for me was how exciting we looked up front with Redmond replacing Elmander in the striker role, for the first time this season, with the result that we so nearly pinched all three points. As for why we have been relegated, it is clearly down to the fact that our Board, having appointed Chris Hughton in the first place, clung too long to the hope that he would come good, and vindicate their faith in him. He should have been sacked long before the Swansea away game but most certainly within minutes of the final whistle of that match. I went and it was the most abject, abysmal performance I have ever personally witnessed from a Norwich team. Hughton should have gone after Cardiff away and failing, that , after Southampton away. He''s the reason we went down but the ultimate responsibility is the Board''s. Having survived the first two seasons in the PL it was criminal that we failed to consolidate our position in the third season.

Gus Poyet''s ''miracle'' happened when Sunderland were not docked points The Premier League side got off incredibly lightly after fielding Ji Dong-won when he was ineligible and the result is a mess • Sunderland rivals in legal fight for points deduction Ji Dong-won''s case brought Sunderland a Premier League fine but Norwich, Cardiff and Fulham are unhappy with the punishment. Photograph: Lee Smith/Action Images Before anyone accuses this so-called Gang of Three of sour grapes, just imagine the fuss if it was one of the clubs competing for the title that had fielded an ineligible player and escaped a points deduction. Imagine if it was Manchester City with Fernandinho, or Chelsea with Willian, or Liverpool with Mamadou Sakho, rather than Sunderland and Ji Dong-won. Then consider the way the piped music of the Premier League would have turned into a heavy metal moshpit. There would have been uproar. Alternatively, drop down to the other end of football to understand a little more about why Norwich, Cardiff and Fulham believe Sunderland were let off too lightly in the Ji case and have instructed lawyers to take it up with the league. Look at what has happened to AFC Wimbledon over the past week, docked three points for fielding an ineligible player. Or the mother of all punishments that left Altrincham, an even smaller club, on their knees a few years ago. At their level, Altrincham will always struggle to be heard above the din of the higher leagues. Yet it is some story. As one campaigner wrote in a letter to the Football Association at the time: "Altrincham''s crime was not to cheat, nor was it to engage deliberately in any type of misconduct, it was simply to sign an English footballer from another English club in good faith." The player in question, a Liverpudlian by the name of James Robinson, had been scouted playing for Accrington Stanley reserves. What Altrincham did not know was that he had previously had a short spell at IVB, an Icelandic club, and that meant they needed international clearance. A cross was marked in the box when it should have been a tick. Accrington were fined £250 but nothing more because he never played in their first team. Altrincham were not so lucky. The 18-point deduction is the highest doled out for this kind of offence – and it meant automatic relegation from the Conference. As Geoff Goodwin, Altrincham''s chairman at the time, remembers it: "It ripped out my heart." They were reinstated the following season because Scarborough were demoted for breaching financial rules and Canvey Island withdrew from the league. That, however, is not the point, and it is not too difficult to guess what they make of Sunderland getting off with a fine from the Premier League for not having Ji''s international clearance. Goodwin''s take on it, when we spoke a few days ago, was short and to the point. "The football authorities in this country look at the smaller clubs and just stand on them," he said. It is tempting to wonder what they make of it at Oxford City, too, bearing in mind they were docked three points in March after fielding a player they did not realise should have been suspended and have just been relegated from Conference North – by two points. For them, there has been no Altrincham-style reprieve and there is already a human cost. The manager, Mike Ford, has just been informed that dropping down a division has cost him his job. On it goes. Harrogate Town, another Conference North club run by a skeleton staff, were docked three points in September for fielding three players in a match when their registrations had not been completed properly. Wimbledon''s case came about because a virus had closed down the club''s offices. The member of staff who was meant to sign off the forms was ill and the message never reached the team''s manager. Another genuine mistake and, again, one that had to be punished. It is not that these clubs have lost points that is strange. It is that, higher in the leagues, another club kept all theirs. "All you want is some level of consistency," Goodwin says. "Instead, it''s one rule for one and one for another. That''s unfair." And he is right. That is partly what has compelled Norwich and Cardiff to bring Fulham on board and start exploring the possibilities of legal action. They will inevitably be accused of meddling and it is easy to imagine it being thrown back at them – with a degree of justification – that if they wanted to stay in the league they should have won more games rather than relying on one of their rivals losing points through an administrative error. Equally, they are entitled to fair play and openness and there is something profoundly unsatisfactory about the way Sunderland''s breach of rules B14.5 and U11 was handled. There has never been any explanation about why the relevant authorities were so keen to keep it schtum. These stories always come out sooner or later and the attempt at secrecy created the suspicion there was something to hide. Memo to Richard Scudamore: this is an industry that finds it almost impossible to keep a secret. Sunderland cite the fact that three of the four league games in which Ji played were defeats. Yet who thought up this theory that playing badly should mean getting away with it? The club have still broken the rules over a sustained period, no matter how their games panned out. Every case is different, naturally, but Gus Poyet is correct when he says there should be a clear punishment that everyone knows. There is for falling into administration, or racism, or any manner of other offences – just not for fielding an ineligible player. Link to video: Gus Poyet praises Sunderland improvement For the record, Sunderland drew 1-1 at Southampton when Ji was a second-half substitute, and they also beat Milton Keynes Dons 4-2 in the second round of the Capital One Cup. Sunderland were losing 2-0 when the South Korea international was substituted after 49 minutes but, again, that is missing the point. The Football League had the option to throw Sunderland out of the cup. Instead, a fine was issued, followed by another pact of secrecy, and Sunderland went all the way to the final, earning an awful lot more money than they were made to hand over in return. So what happens So what happens next? My suspicion is that the Gang of Three will ultimately become a Gang of One (whoever finishes third from bottom) if Sunderland stay up. Poyet described his team as needing a "miracle" after losing 5-1 at Spurs last month but, since then, they have thrashed Cardiff, come within two minutes of winning at Manchester City and been the first-ever team to condemn José Mourinho''s Chelsea to defeat at Stamford Bridge. The 1-0 win at Manchester United on Sunday leaves them three points clear of the relegation zone with two home games to follow against West Brom and Swansea. The miracle is almost complete. But it is not just Norwich, Cardiff and Fulham who consider it unfair. Steve Bruce and Sam Allardyce, the managers of Hull and West Ham respectively, have said the same. Other clubs, such as West Brom, have expressed concerns. A few miles from the Stadium of Light, Seaham Red Star were automatically docked three points by the Northern League this season because of a mix-up concerning the forms for a loaned player. To recap, this is what the league''s chairman, Mike Amos, said of the registration process: "Sometimes it''s not just a wrong ''un but a right wrong ''un – a deliberate attempt at cheating. On other occasions it''s the result of an innocent and unfortunate mistake." Seaham, he said, fell into the second category, but the deduction was mandatory so it would not "leave us open to allegations of bias or worse". It is a shame the Premier League did not have a more defined system because what we have now is getting messy. It also has the potential to become a great deal messier and, when staying in the top division is worth tens of millions of pounds every year, nobody should really be surprised it has come to this. The Fiver Sign up for The Fiver email The Guardian''s free football email, delivered every weekday at around 5pm - hence the name. Sign up for The Fiver email Print this Article history Football Sunderland · Cardiff City · Fulham · Norwich City · Premier League Sport More comment Related 4 May 2014 Premier League believes legal challenge over Sunderland player would fail 3 May 2014 Sunderland face fight over ''lenient'' punishment for ineligible player 3 May 2014 Premier League: the weekend''s matches – in pictures 28 Apr 2014 Premier League: 10 talking points from the weekend''s action Guardian Bookshop: You Are The Ref 3 Think you know football? This is the cult classic comic strip putting some of the toughest, most unusual referee judgements to the reader, asking: what would you do? Released 1st May. Click here to pre-order for £9.99 (save £5)