portmanking

Put it this way - I don''t see Wickham being forced to drop down to League Two to prove himself before gaining an opportunity at Championship level.Wickham was the star of the U19 European Championships and will go on to partner Rooney within 3-4 years.We are appreciating him fully while we''ve got him.

*Chortle* It just gets better and better on here...The New Delhi air must be getting to your head old chum.

[quote user="I am a Banana"][quote user="Canary_on_the Trent"]Huddersfield really have been spending over the past 18 months, no way we could afford to bring him in as just cover.[/quote] he wouldn''t come here as cover though IMO. Is there nothing coming through the academy? [/quote]*Snigger*

[quote user="ncfcstar"]Originally there was no chance of me getting to the game, but it now looks like I will be free tonight [:)].  I''m assuming my season ticket seat will have been snapped up, so do I go?  I won''t be able to get into Norwich until 19:20 anyway, but I guess I''d be able to pick my ticket up if I bought it now? So the question is do I go or not?   [/quote]Don''t waste your money.

[quote user="morty"][quote user="portmanking"][quote user="CDMullins"][quote user="Yellow Rider"][quote user="CDMullins"]More of a liabitilty than an asset, said so all last season too.[/quote] Shows what you know about football then - i.e. not a lot. The boy was voted by his fellow professionals in Div. One into the team of the season. Argument over I''d say.    [/quote] Honestly, I dont how you can rate him him. Its time to be realistic, this is his 3rd season for us, Would he really be playing for us if he were ''that'' good? Would he really be kept out of the Republic of Ireland squad by Keith Andrews, Keith Fahey, Paul Green, Keith Tracey if he were ''that'' good? For his one piece of magic, he''ll give the ball away a dozen times, we might have got away with that in League One, we wont in the Championship. Boasting about having a player voted player of the season in the third tier of English football....................Jeez I thought we wanted more than that.[/quote]Strange - I was saying just that on here yesterday and was shouted down - some deluded souls even compared Hoolahan to other one-footed ''maestros'' such as Messi and Maradona! HA![/quote]People are highly unlikely to be even vaguely interested in an Ipswich fan''s opinion posted on a Norwich city message board on any of our players.[/quote]That''s a shame, I come on here because I like debate. And let''s be honest I''m never far from the truth as the many posts above this one suggest.

[quote user="CDMullins"][quote user="Yellow Rider"][quote user="CDMullins"]More of a liabitilty than an asset, said so all last season too.[/quote] Shows what you know about football then - i.e. not a lot. The boy was voted by his fellow professionals in Div. One into the team of the season. Argument over I''d say.    [/quote] Honestly, I dont how you can rate him him. Its time to be realistic, this is his 3rd season for us, Would he really be playing for us if he were ''that'' good? Would he really be kept out of the Republic of Ireland squad by Keith Andrews, Keith Fahey, Paul Green, Keith Tracey if he were ''that'' good? For his one piece of magic, he''ll give the ball away a dozen times, we might have got away with that in League One, we wont in the Championship. Boasting about having a player voted player of the season in the third tier of English football....................Jeez I thought we wanted more than that.[/quote]Strange - I was saying just that on here yesterday and was shouted down - some deluded souls even compared Hoolahan to other one-footed ''maestros'' such as Messi and Maradona! HA!

Don''t give up the day job Darren! Oh.....

Draw a fair reflection?!You were diabolical, second to every ball, one-paced, square at the back, lightweight on the deck and in the air... need I go on?A severe reality check for you boys.

[quote user="Seat0123"][quote user="portmanking"][quote user="City1st"]Where on earth did you get the figure of 16 player departures?LeftColbackTrotterBalkesteinWright DWright PlugUpsonMurphy BalkesteinLeavingBruceCounagoLisbieGarvanQuinn SteadMartinHealy"The owner is putting me under pressure to get players out before we can bring players in," Clegg told the Green `Un."The manager and myself still have the same four or five players in mind".Four or five doesn''t sound many when you are replacing 16. Is the reason they were all leaving is because they are fringe players or is it Clegg''s need to ''sell and cut the squad'' because you are skint (or in meltdown as you refer to it) ?Could the lack of money be because 3000 other farmhands don''t share your delusions and have not renewed their season tickets or could it be that after years of poncing of everyone else you are being made to pay your way for once ?I will conceded one thing though. Your ramshackle, shambles of a club will be challenging for the spot above relegation again this season. [/quote]LeftColback - Loan player, albeit a fantastic one but replaceableTrotter - Loaned to Millwall not involved in squadBalkestein - Loaned out not involved in squadWright D - Moved out Wright Plug - Moved outUpson - No first team appearancesMurphy - Loan player, decent striker but replaceableBalkestein - Added an extra Balkestein to fit your agenda?!LeavingBruce - Loaned out to Leicester, not wanted or good enoughCounago - Could potentially stay as a squad playerLisbie - Bag of sh*te, not wanted or good enoughGarvan - Moved outQuinn - Not wanted or good enoughStead - Moved outMartin - Likely to remain in first team squadHealy - Barely playedSo in conclusion, we''ve let a LOT of waste within our squad go. In effect we''re only going to miss the presence of the following:ColbackMurphyD. WrightR. WrightIf we''re bringing in 4-5 new players I''d say we''re doing EXACTLY what we have needed to do for years, clear the dead wood and have a refined squad.[/quote]I don''t speak to pieces of excrement. But if anyone else chooses to acknowledge this binner''s presence, they could maybe point out that replacing 15 human beings with 5 human beings, means you still have much fewer human beings. And if one of those human beings gets injured, one gets suspended, one is having an off-day, has a family tragedy etc. then you are relying on presumably youth human beings to replace them if you have 10 other senior professionals gone.[/quote]Ah yes but we actually have an Academy which produces players capable of performing at this level - watch out for the likes of Luke Hyam, Jack Ainsley and Billy Clark this year.Besides replacing 15 with 5 would still leave us with a squad of 23 senior pros. Please don''t worry about us, I know you like to think you''re just going to waltz to the Pride of Anglia tag this year but write us off at your peril.

Oh and to answer your question about fringe players - I would consider 10 of the 15 players that have left/or leaving to be fringe players. We will be putting those wages towards a smaller pool of key players who will naturally require good wages.

[quote user="City1st"]Where on earth did you get the figure of 16 player departures?LeftColbackTrotterBalkesteinWright DWright PlugUpsonMurphy BalkesteinLeavingBruceCounagoLisbieGarvanQuinn SteadMartinHealy"The owner is putting me under pressure to get players out before we can bring players in," Clegg told the Green `Un."The manager and myself still have the same four or five players in mind".Four or five doesn''t sound many when you are replacing 16. Is the reason they were all leaving is because they are fringe players or is it Clegg''s need to ''sell and cut the squad'' because you are skint (or in meltdown as you refer to it) ?Could the lack of money be because 3000 other farmhands don''t share your delusions and have not renewed their season tickets or could it be that after years of poncing of everyone else you are being made to pay your way for once ?I will conceded one thing though. Your ramshackle, shambles of a club will be challenging for the spot above relegation again this season. [/quote]LeftColback - Loan player, albeit a fantastic one but replaceableTrotter - Loaned to Millwall not involved in squadBalkestein - Loaned out not involved in squadWright D - Moved out Wright Plug - Moved outUpson - No first team appearancesMurphy - Loan player, decent striker but replaceableBalkestein - Added an extra Balkestein to fit your agenda?!LeavingBruce - Loaned out to Leicester, not wanted or good enoughCounago - Could potentially stay as a squad playerLisbie - Bag of sh*te, not wanted or good enoughGarvan - Moved outQuinn - Not wanted or good enoughStead - Moved outMartin - Likely to remain in first team squadHealy - Barely playedSo in conclusion, we''ve let a LOT of waste within our squad go. In effect we''re only going to miss the presence of the following:ColbackMurphyD. WrightR. WrightIf we''re bringing in 4-5 new players I''d say we''re doing EXACTLY what we have needed to do for years, clear the dead wood and have a refined squad.

[quote user="Legend Iwan"][quote user="portmanking"]Reports in the North-East say it''s all over bar the shouting. The way I see it is that Fulop is already too good for the Championship - ask Leicester fans. Boyd is probably too good for the Championship but is yet to even prove himself![/quote] Yeah but there are a number of goalkeepers in the Championship who I think are too good, however, unless they want to be on the bench in the Prem they have no choice but to come down to this league and hope to get back to the Premiership through promotion. [/quote]Well I would personally place Fulop above the likes of Lee Camp, Andy Lonergan, Lee Grant and Julian Speroni who have been some of the best in recent years. Speroni probably pushes him close. But you''re right, Fulop has no choice but to join us if he wants first team football and hopefully he will prove his worth.

[quote user="Legend Iwan"]Port, I''m not saying he isn''t a good purchase, especially for yourselves - simply that I don''t believe he is on the same level as that of Boyd. Is he even yours yet? [/quote]Reports in the North-East say it''s all over bar the shouting. The way I see it is that Fulop is already too good for the Championship - ask Leicester fans. Boyd is probably too good for the Championship but is yet to even prove himself!

[quote user="ucl-canary"]''With all your great signings....''sarcasm[/quote]I was fully aware of that...

[quote user="ucl-canary"]Stop trying to convince yourself that ipshite aren''t going down and go away.. If scummers were so confident of going up this season with all your great signings how come you can''t sell any season tickets? I doubt you will even sell out the derby and some city fans will be in the home end like last time.. [/quote]''With all your great signings....''I would just add that we are only now beginning to make our move in the transfer market, Premier clubs are only now culling their squads and we will reap the benefits from this.If you really think we are going down then I''d suggest you''re the ones with the heads in the sand.

[quote user="John"][quote user="Brendo "][quote user="Legend Iwan"][quote user="portmanking"]They are dotting the I''s and crossing the T''s re. Fulop - certainly one of the best signings in the Championship so far this summer.[/quote]   Do you actually think this is on the same level as Kris Boyd?   [/quote]No Iwan, but come on, he is a class keeper. I for one would swap Ruddy for him hands down. [/quote]Personally, i wouldn''t so much as consider swapping him for Ruddy.Ruddy has been touted as a future England, the 6ft 4 man was seen as the best man between the sticks in Scotland at the mere age of 23, and appraisals directed toward him have been constant as a result, rating him as the brilliant prospect he always seemed to be.Fulop? I think scrimmage put some perspective on that with the obscene amount this sc*mmer seems to rate him, neither have i ever thought much of him myself.We''ve made a number of better signings, and if they honestly think bringing in a new keeper is what they need to push them into play-off contenders, considering how much they''ve lost, and how much they''re lacking infront of that position they really do suffer delusions of grandeur.They''re squad is far worse than it was at the end of last season, and arguably worse than it was at the start. If i were them, i''d worry, even more so if Wickham is expected to start the season on the sidelines.[/quote]Yeah, jeez, so much so Everton were really busting a gut to hold onto this future England hope. Best keeper in the SPL?! Sheesh, praise indeed...You do realise that Fulop is just the start of our new signings? Wickham will be a miss but it will do us good not to rely on a player who is a GENUINE England hope...

[quote user="thirdlion"][quote user="Brendo "][quote user="Legend Iwan"][quote user="portmanking"]They are dotting the I''s and crossing the T''s re. Fulop - certainly one of the best signings in the Championship so far this summer.[/quote]   Do you actually think this is on the same level as Kris Boyd?   [/quote]No Iwan, but come on, he is a class keeper. I for one would swap Ruddy for him hands down. [/quote]Really? You''d swap a young keeper with rave reviews for a 35 year old who''s never made it in the Premiership, and loses his place to perma-crock Gordon? No. [/quote]Eh?! My ill-educated Norfolk bredren.... Fulop is aged 27 and will certainly have his best years ahead of him including definite re-sale value! Win-win!

[quote user="Legend Iwan"][quote user="portmanking"]They are dotting the I''s and crossing the T''s re. Fulop - certainly one of the best signings in the Championship so far this summer.[/quote]   Do you actually think this is on the same level as Kris Boyd?   [/quote] Courtesy of the Daily Mail earlier in the summer:"Martin Fulop has rejected the chance to return to Manchester City instead preferring to compete for a number one place elsewhere. The Sunderland goalkeeper filled in for Shay Given on loan at Eastlands last season and was offered the chance to return but with interest from West Brom, Anderlecht and Olympiakos the Hungarian is confident of securing a decent move." So as it happens yes I''d suggest it is as good as signing Boyd - he''s been courted by a number of top flight and Champions League outfits so it''s certainly quite a coup. For a club supposedly on the brink of meltdown you''d have thought we''d have been in the market for bargain basements such as Ruddy not Fulop.

[quote user="City1st"]"I never knew Marton Fulop was a ''low cost young player''I think you will find that it is the departure of fringe players to make way for indispendable first team regulars" Blimey, things must be quiet on the farm if the well known typing error Cortwanking has turned up.Have you actually signed the new keeper or is it the same arrangement as you have with Bruce or the arrangement you had with Bailey, Derry and Chopra ?Tell us, did Keane tell you he was signing ''fringe players'' when he signed Martin and Priskin ? Will Kennedy be a fringe player next summer ?Why are you having to get rid of 16 other players, were they all fringe ?What has happened to Operation Premiership ?Why have 3000 fellow farmhands failed to renew their season tickets ?Does you nickname the Binmen refer to your lowly job of collecting up unwanted Sunderland rubbish ? [/quote]They are dotting the I''s and crossing the T''s re. Fulop - certainly one of the best signings in the Championship so far this summer.With regards to Bailey - I''m not aware we had any interest... Derry - he chose to play for Warnock again... Chopra - I''m afraid the deal for him is still in the pipeline!Martin and Priskin are likely to have parts to play this season, especially the latter. The signing of his compatriot Fulop will help.Kennedy will provide good competition for our excellent young left back Shane O''Connor and is equally as positive an influence off the field.Where on earth did you get the figure of 16 player departures? And yes, I don''t see how it''s hard to comprehend that the players leaving PR this summer are ones not in Keane''s matchday 16.Operation Premiership is still very much on the go, it''s just City folk who are trying to make themselves believe we aren''t going to be challenging.

[quote user="TheGoogler"]So, the Scum suffer an injury to their star striker and what do they do? Sign a goalkeeper from - yep, you guessed it! - Sunderland! http://www.twtd.co.uk/news.php?storyid=16796&title=sunderland_keeper_close_to_joining_town What a bizarre club run by a bizarre man.[/quote]Yes, incredibly bizarre, how dare he sign a Premier League keeper.We have plenty of deals rumbling on behind the scenes don''t you worry your little head.

[quote user="City1st"]"Will be interesting to see if the invisible man gets his chequebook out now" Unlikely. Clegg has repeatedly stated that the club has to stand on it''s own two feet ie break even. For too long they have been poncing off all and sundry.A cursory glance at their accounts certainly don''t back the ludicrous claims by their fans about the millions spent on transfer fees, unless we are back in familiar binner accounting processes where sleight of hand is the order of the day ie there are more payments due on this year and next year accounts.The blunt fact is the club has been grossly overspending. Pretty much the only flexible outgoing is wages, hence the eight players who have left, the eight up for sale and the stated aim of bringing in only four or five others. Net loss of eleven or twelve players. If that has been to target then that is what will happen.That is why Keane is all over the place with player sales and signings, why the two incoming players have only been an inexperienced youth and an over the hill veteran. If Keane can get the paupers back within budget then he will have done his job, whether he is allowed to remain to develop the club through using low cost younger players will remain to be seen.For those who take a perverse delight in the misfortunes of our hapless neighbours then gird your loins and hold your sides - it''s going to get funnier as the seaon progresses. [/quote]I never knew Marton Fulop was a ''low cost young player''... http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,12874_6281218,00.htmlI think you will find that it is the departure of fringe players to make way for indispendable first team regulars.

Utter bobbins - the money goes to the club, it is not Marcus Evans Group FC...Evans can only take a profit from the club after five consecutive years making a profitIf anything, Evans will be glad to have the debt as he can offset the debt via tax.

[quote user="morty"][quote user="portmanking"][quote user="morty"][quote user="portmanking"]Agreed - but as I have already said twice, Sheepshanks organised the deal so that Evans can only make money out of the club once it has made a profit for 5 consecutive years, stopping Evans doing a runner with all the money if we were to get promotion next May. The only way we can realistically make money is by being in the top flight.[/quote]Evans either has very, very deep pockets then, or theres things that you don''t know about the deal.Or maybe he is a genuine fan, who wants you promoted at any cost, I guess it could happen.But rich people don''t get rich by being stupid with their money.[:)][/quote]Of course he has deep pockets - you do know he failed to buy out the Daily Mirror for £800m a few years ago don''t you?The terms of the takeover were 100% visible to all shareholders so we''ve known all along about the 5-year profit plan. You''re right people don''t get rich by being stupid, but he knows we must speculate to accumulate in some areas of our team.[/quote]No, I didn''t know he was that rich to be honest.Are there not a certain amount of fans suspicious of all his secrecy though? I think I would be.[/quote]Do a Google search for Marcus Evans Daily Mirror if you are that way inclined.Some people are suspicious, others understand why he likes his anonymity. He talks in the programmes and on the website now and then outlining his views and outlook - very much in the same mould as Randy Lerner at Aston Villa who prefers to be in the periphery.I for one would rather this than someone stealing the spotlight and meddling.

[quote user="morty"][quote user="portmanking"]Agreed - but as I have already said twice, Sheepshanks organised the deal so that Evans can only make money out of the club once it has made a profit for 5 consecutive years, stopping Evans doing a runner with all the money if we were to get promotion next May. The only way we can realistically make money is by being in the top flight.[/quote]Evans either has very, very deep pockets then, or theres things that you don''t know about the deal.Or maybe he is a genuine fan, who wants you promoted at any cost, I guess it could happen.But rich people don''t get rich by being stupid with their money.[:)][/quote]Of course he has deep pockets - you do know he failed to buy out the Daily Mirror for £800m a few years ago don''t you?The terms of the takeover were 100% visible to all shareholders so we''ve known all along about the 5-year profit plan. You''re right people don''t get rich by being stupid, but he knows we must speculate to accumulate in some areas of our team.

Agreed - but as I have already said twice, Sheepshanks organised the deal so that Evans can only make money out of the club once it has made a profit for 5 consecutive years, stopping Evans doing a runner with all the money if we were to get promotion next May. The only way we can realistically make money is by being in the top flight.