Dean Coneys boots

It is sad to see people starting to turn on Farke. It really is not his fault that the board have not backed him. And, in truth, he has worked miracles given the utter shambles he started with. Short memories from some- not so long ago we were staring another possible league one return in the face. The bottom line is that Alex Ferguson would struggle to have done much better with the squad we have, the lack of experience and a spend of peanuts in the summer. The truth is that our squad, even when promoted, comprised some league 1 standard players (Heise, Srbeny, etc) - many mid champ level (Hanley, Trybull, Leitner, Zimmo) some top champ (Onel, Lewis, Vrancic, etc) and almost no prem quality (Pukki on form- er that is it) Yes in that group are also some young lads with value due to future potential- but as of now- the table speaks volumes. Lots of effort but too few points. Again not Farke's fault. Lay your anger at the feet of the board- or else buy into the idea that this is all part of a genius plan and be happy. But Farke, for my money, is not to blame. Would be gutted to see him made the scapegoat.

It isn't a joke https://www.expressandstar.com/sport/football/wolverhampton-wanderers-fc/2020/01/20/former-wolves-man-ben-marshall-signs-for-12th-tier-side/ but all sorts of possibilities as to why. Perhaps he just wants to enjoy social football? Perhaps he hasn't been well mentally or physically? He might want to get a job outside of football? He might loath training. Good for him if it is what he wants. But a strange one certainly - given his age and undoubted quality which is far above the 12 tier. Unless of course, which seems likely, it is a publicity stunt...or a joke with his mates.

Fabulous three points - come on you yellows

We will dominate for sixty minutes but fail to advance on a 1-0 lead and then they will get an equaliser followed by a jammy VAR winner.

Daniel Farke has stated we are not interested in bringing a CB or a Striker. Paddy D reports on twitter that this is because he doesn't think we need them!! I find this worrying. I like DF, he is an excellent young manager/coach, but is he sliding into Alex Neil territory by showing far too much loyalty to the current players? Have we overhyped the young talent- Godfrey, Aarons, Lewis et al.... who despite undoubted skill and potential, especially going forward, have yet to show they can actually defend at this level. Are we really going to sell them all for £40 million as many suggest or, in hindsight, will one go on to a great career and others not so much? Are our spectacles a little green and yellow? Or do they just need more time? If so it is unlikely to be here... Have we also shown too much loyalty to Champ standard players like Hanley, Stieperman, Zimmo, instead of replacing them? I ask because when DF defends not getting a CB by saying 'Amadou's best games have been at CB' I want to pull hair out. Maybe they have- but they still haven't been good enough for this level!! Surely the goals against column speaks loudest about our need for reinforcements at the back.

Would be Naismith #2 - a player at very end of career seeking final pay check with nothing to prove. No thanks

Hasn’t played since early November so fitness might be an issue

Football manager suggests a player worth around 5 million who is championship standard. How accurate that is - anyone’s guess!! He seems to be a central midfielder who can play wide right as well

Might be physicality is what the coaching team are signing - but proof will be in pudding. We certainly need it having looked lightweight in the middle

Actually Hootun kept us up. Boring certainly but it worked. I also think we might have stayed up if we hadn't sacked him. Again boringly. But maybe we needed three or four tedious seasons to establish and then begin to work out how to attack via better investment.

In the premiership defence is more important than attack. Unless you are top six you have to shut up shop and only then work on scoring goals - boring but true. And hence why so many bottom sides play negative football. We, on the other hand, opted to play open attacking football and - even more naively- failed to upgrade an already leaky defence. Because of that we are where we are. bottom line is that our individual players are better than our overall team, especially in terms of shutting up shop. In this division a team that cannot keep clean sheets will always be relegated

Strikes me as a waste of resources. We have fluffed our lines and barring a miracle are down. We need defenders and permanent contracts not a six month loan for an attacking midfielder

It’s over. Anyone can see that. The worst points haul at this stage of all our premier seasons. Some good incidual players and raw talent but not enough physicality or quality to compete. Every impartial fan says the same - we don’t deserve to be doing better given the refusal to spend on promotion. And don’t give me VAR - the table is nit lying. We are bottom for a reason and will be doing down. Which makes spending money on a midfield six month loan rather inexplicable. We should be signing players for the future ahead of the likely exodus

I think most reasonable people can see that poor Farke has been hung out to dry. Would you criticise Lewis Hamilton for failing to do well if he was given a cheap hatchback to race in?

Yes I can see us going down, losing out to other teams for top players and then overspending in others and then just missing out. We have been there before and don’t tend to do well when we fancy ourselves

Any players considering a move to Norwich will have even more serious doubts now. It amazes me how many still maintain there is a genius plan at play at NCFC when we can’t buy a win for love nor money!

A better analogy would be Mrs DCB running in happy because she purchased a speed boat when the family car was in need of replacing...

Hope you are right. And I look forward to seeing him play But, sadly, I am less excited with the deal overall as I have reservations. How long for him to bed in? I ask because his father has stated openly that he only wants to play in the top division and, given that we have so few points, we are very, very unlikely to be in that division beyond this summer. So then we lose him having paid quite a chunk for what gain exactly? I guess the hope is that he helps us survive. But haven't we done the 'too little too late panic signings' before and had claimed we have learnt from them? At this stage young promising full time signings would surely be the prudent option given that few have survived with 14 points at this stage. And again given our leaky defence- one injury away from disaster - I was hoping for a really decent young CB and CDM who could transition into our next season. I will put my tin hat on.

Good signing but seems a strange one given that we are scoring goals but not defending so well. Let us hope it is just a first buy and that CB is coming hot on his heels... I remember another season when everyone could see we needed a CB but kept buying number 10s!

Here is something that has me scratching my head. Taken individually 3/4 of our defence are very highly respected and said to be worth millions - Godfrey, Aarons and Lewis. And yet collectively our defence has been poor last season as well as this. 1. Are they over rated? 2. Are they too young to play together at same time? 3. Are they struggling to defend due to tactics played? 4 Are they better attacking than defending? 5. Are they let down by midfield? 6. Do they just lack experience?

I worry he has been a little prone to injury recently and, whilst great in champs, may struggle at this level now. Which is to say - great he is on the way back but I don’t think he actually improves us much - and we need that

Exactly this. You do not need a budget of multi millions to buy a car to get you from A to B. But if you spend only £200 do not be surprised if it doesn't start or breaks down on the way. Between spending massive amounts a club does not have- and spending so little as to guarantee struggling lies a sensible middle ground. And the very purpose of this post is to ask why we dont seem to find that sensible ground?

I would like to see a reasonable spend in the summer before a premiership campaign to give us a chance of competing. Instead we only ever get panic spend in january or else a risible spend as this year thus far. I remain convinced that signing Ashton in September would have kept us up. That signing Klose in September the second time. I think two or three better signings this summer likewise. Either our board needs to show more desire when promoted or step aside in my opinion. As we seem to have hit a glass ceiling that is entirely linked to our inability to set a realistic budget to compete at the next level. Unless something changes we seem doomed to stagnate as a decent champ side who sells best players to survive. If palace and shelf utd and Burnley and bournemouth and watford can do it...

Perhaps. But then every time we are in a relegation fight, even prior to VAR, we point to small decisions, poor refs, etc.. It is what fans do when they feel the rub of the green isn't with them when, in fact, they are consistently losing out in games because they are struggling to dominate. Everything then comes down to fine margins. The hard truth is that we seem too lightweight against the big bully boy sides and not quite skilful enough against the top sides. What was needed were a couple of big athletic players to give us some grit and better defenders to shore us up at the back. A defence that leaked plenty in the Champs, and two to Preston this weekend, were never going to cut it at the top level.

That is my gripe. My overall frustration is not over the prospect of a return to the championship, which I actually like as a division. My frustration is that we have- for the first time in ages- got a really special manager and a good young team and we are not making the most of this rarest of combinations. We have chosen, instead, to look a gift horse in the mouth. I believe a modest risk in financial backing in the summer would have secured our place in the premiership this season. We can all see how close we are, and yet how far! Then this team could have added a couple more and onwards and upwards. But without that backing we have left our manager with an impossible task (which must frustrate him more than us) and thus lacked the necessary depth and class on the pitch to give it a shot. Only by two or three decent signings take note, and this is absolutely tragic. Because it will inevitably lead to dropped heads, exits and the breaking up of what we have. Sure we will have loads of money to spend if we go down- but remove the manager and what of it? Plenty of teams have had cash but poorer managers, etc... Indeed we had exactly that when we blew millions buying every AMC on offer and Naismith, et al... So back to my bottom line. Really frustrating to see one of the best management playing teams of all NCFC time being given no backing. It seems very short sighted. I think the fans have EVERY reason to call the board out on the enormous risk they are taking in letting us bounce down again. Of course it could work...but it is just as likely, more I think, that it wont. Then the wheels will come off and poor little old Norwich will once again be left asking what if?