Monty13

I never asked you to change your view. I just put forward mine. I had not realised that Webber and the club were synonymous, although as I don’t think this about either it’s rather moot. It does explain where you’re at though. It’s fine, I’ve no interest in hearing more sermons.

I’ll say exactly what I said to the other guy. You believe that nothing the club did in any way influenced the sale of Buendia. Fine, stick to that belief despite the numerous indicators that might not be the case. I’m not wasting any more time arguing with ideologues.

True, although I don’t think he would have resigned without being pushed. He’s just a more loyal servant than most.

Look you believe that nothing the club did in any way influenced the sale of Buendia. Fine, stick to that belief despite the numerous indicators that might not be the case. I’m not wasting any more time arguing with ideologues.

I think if they’d just appointed him at the start there may have been less grumblings but it wasn’t like he was super unpopular. The whole scouring Europe thing didn’t exactly start his tenure off well though. I think if he’d been backed that January he may have achieved promotion. Given the result of sacking him though it’s hard to argue against the decision, it was a shame for him though, but I’m glad he’s still here.

This bit in spades. An obsession with this policy can’t bring success in the PL IMO. It is impossible for the majority of players in the squad to be a former crock, player who’s recently underperformed but might get it back or a youngster with potential. There needs to be a core of experienced pros who will play almost every week, aren’t learning on the job and who offer leadership and mental strength to those that are. We were and still are IMO just too unbalanced in this regard. We may get away with it in the championship due to the overall quality we have, but not in the PL.

I’m actually still begrudgingly Luke warm on Webber, I’d have happily seen him go towards the end of last season but despite the complete lack of humility and accountability he showed in his club end of season interview, he at least still seemed focused and determined. Overall I think his tenure could legitimately be quantified a success in many ways, but I agree you can’t ignore the questionable decisions and errors, especially given the absolute level of arrogance displayed around them. I hope we will be successful this year but I think we’ve again made too many gambles this summer, just the Championship is quite a bit more forgiving when you perhaps don’t get it right.

“One of them may go, maybe two or all three of them will go, who knows” You know very well he was talking about Buendia, Cantwell and Aaron's.

Oh we are doing cr@ppy analogies are we? In that case Webber drove arrogantly on to the road in the first place. I don’t think many are convinced we needed to sell Buendia before Webber started talking about selling him personally.

Schrodinger’s Buendia.

Yes we did, it was come and spend the money. If you want to put people off you issue the opposite message of hands off or maybe more neutrally just don’t address it. You don’t tell people we will sell if the price is right, that’s 100% putting them up for sale and trying to get the most money. "It might be the end of the journey for some of them, it might be a club comes in that is off the scale," he said. "One of them may go, maybe two or all three of them will go, who knows - but the facts are that this team isn't about one or two players. For us to be successful in the Premier League it's going to be how does the squad of 20 do, not if one player performs brilliantly. "When we sold James Maddison [to Leicester] everyone thought it was the end of the world and then a guy called Emi Buendia turned up - when Ben Godfrey left [for Everton] it was the end of the world and a guy called Ben Gibson turned up, and that's football." To be fair he called it right when he equated it to replacing Ben Godfrey for Ben Gibson. That’s exactly how our summer went.

Except if NCFC TV tell you something apparently.

No, I’m not confusing, I don’t know why I repeatedly keep having to tell you the same thing. I’m well aware Emi had previously wanted to leave when we were in the championship. “Despite us not wanting Emi to leave, once he made it clear that he wanted to go to Aston Villa, and they reached the level of deal we have got to, we were left with little option." Webber’s quote when Emi was sold is pretty symptomatic of my whole issue with the saga. Apparently we didn’t want him to leave? Yet we literally publicly touted him to clubs to fund the majority of summer spending and apparently started a bidding process for him. It’s completely contradictory. Note Webbers admission that only once he made it clear he wanted to go to Villa and the money was right was was when he felt there was little option. We know this didn’t happen till after Webber made his selling players interview and after the bidding process started thanks to Bailey (there’s a reason he’s on the naughty step). Everybody knows it’s spin Chicken there’s nothing to dispute because A) it’s expected and B) Webber won’t take any follow up questions that may give more insights. Listen to the Pinkun or On the ball podcasts and you will get more insight to the reporters actual opinions beyond reporting what’s been said. I’m sure they hoped a lot of things post the sale and summer, it’s clear they still did when he made his interview in October asking for time and only post relegation did the true defence of the clear failure start. Honestly I’m just truly bored of this now. If you want to believe everything Webber says in stage managed PR interviews, and more importantly not wonder about what’s not being said and what he doesn’t want to be scrutinised on you’re free to, as I keep saying. I’m going to choose to believe what best fits to me given it was signalled from the start. We sold him because we wanted to sell someone and he was the only one anyone was interested in. Continue to have a massive issue with anyone that reads it that way if you want, up to you. However if it wasn’t true Webber need only have modified his statements in such a way as to make it impossible to read it that way (it would change my mind if he had) and yet (for him) he has chosen his later words very carefully, standard PR.

If he is good enough for us to buy he will be too expensive for us to want to as things stand.

No, I’ve questioned the timing and what initiated that approach from Buendia. Webber would be an absolute moron to do an interview (especially one he doesn’t have to do) and lie. He’d also be an absolute moron to conduct a PR exercise with the underlying purpose of placating the fanbase and not spin it in the best light for the actions took by him and the club.

No I’m not, so maybe read what I’m actually saying before butting in and making accusations.

The bit in bold is the bit I agree with entirely, and that’s why I think it was such an important pivotal moment. The club made clear they wanted to sell a player to fund the recruitment. It’s pretty clear from reporting in hindsight the only player with the interest and cash likely forthcoming that window was Buendia. The only independent source (I’m aware of) that confirms Emi definitely wanted away is Bailey, and he is clear that was after Webbers interview and after the bidding process started. Webber completely spun his interview, as of course he has, while allowing no scrutiny and cross examination of his claims to confirm the details of what he was saying. That isn’t conspiracy, it’s just reality. You maintain it is a leap of faith the club didn’t want to keep Buendia. I say it’s obvious. You don’t tout your best players for sale if you want to keep them. The choice was don’t sell a star player and have virtually no funds again, or roll the dice and make the best use of the money you get. He literally told us that before doing it. The strategy was laid out. All the reporting is clear Norwich strategy was sell one of the best players to fund a restructuring. That was the narrative and it was one journalist and pundits alike raised eyebrows at. I’m not sure where you get the idea this is some alternative narrative. It was shear hubris IMO, we were already a weak side with Skipp gone, with Emi sold the task was almost impossible.

I think it’s because theirs would have changed the game and levelled things so was more of a dramatic moment. Plus the fact the player was carded and the ref got some player/supporter stick all makes some lovely TV drama. I wouldn’t read to much into it, it’s TV, if our missed penalty opportunity is what stopped us winning the game or even losing it I suspect it would have been featured on the short highlights, especially if our players had reacted similarly. edit: Unless I’m mistaken our club highlights is missing their penalty shout isn’t it? In which case hilarious 😂

Considering Cantwell’s lack of end product this season that’s a strong opinion. Cantwell not finding Josh yesterday was absolutely criminal.

Possibly. Possibly morale was destroyed by his sale. We were just about to embark on a PL season, not sure the argument he was being held back professionally holds water when he left to sit on a marginally bigger clubs bench.

Do you mean the Championship 20/21 season or the PL 21/22? could you explain your point?

Selling him on promotion was the mistake. Selling him on another relegation would have been entirely understandable, potentially even necessary.

Great pass from Sara too.

What they spent for what they got is pretty scary though. They’ve took our issue of using the budget on bringing in a large number of pretty average players to a whole new level. I know they lost a lot of players so some of it was necessary, but still.

I think the diamond is an acknowledgment we don’t need to play like we would in the PL to beat Rotherham away. Put more players in round holes and we have the quality. It was great to see Sarge not start on the wing. Aarons looked fired up and with Hayden dropping back to cover and more space he looked far more himself going forward.