The Norwich post-mortem - article

[Daniel Brigham 0]

Hello! If anyone''s interested, here''s my article for The Little Yellow Bird Project on the moment everything changed: the 6-2 loss

to Newcastle, how that happened and how it went wrong afterwards. Plus

some positive stuff as well, too. And why Alex Neil must stay. Cheers!

[ec-p 117]

Thanks Daniel, good read!

[Fuzzar 1,861]

Great read Daniel. Don''t think anyone could argue with much of that, though you never know on here!

[ricardo 8,034]

An interesting theory Daniel but I don''t buy it. Lots of games left and many differing styles of opponent to combat. Smaller and less endowed teams like Norwich cannot simply set their own stall out without regard to the obvious superiority of many of their rivals.The season was lost in the 3 month period from Jan 1st. Failure to turn losses into draws is the problem, Sunderland have won the same number of games as us but Allardyce was canny enough to realise that you need to stop losing before you can start winning. I can remember John Bond explaining to the press after a particularly sterile home 0-0 draw that his main object was to stop the losing run because once you get on a bad run it gets progressively more difficult to get out of it. If AN is at fault at all its because he continued to go for the points instead of closing games down and settling for a stalemate. I site the Sunderland game as an example we wanted to win but at all costs we must not lose. In the end I think we beat ourselves.

[Daniel Brigham 0]

I do agree, Ricardo, that you have to adapt a gameplan against stronger opponents. It can be foolish not to. But the changing of style also left the players unsure of themselves and unsure of the system - Russell Martin has said so (while also admitting the tinkering was often enforced because they kept losing). Being attack-minded also suited the strengths of the players. I don''t agree with your point that AN wouldn''t settle for a stalemate post-New Year - against the likes of Villa, Palace, Swansea and Bournemouth we set up very deep with the hope of playing on the break. They were defensive performances. Failure to turn losses into draws was often down to individual errors, no matter what system they were playing. And that, ultimately, is what cost us.

[Tumbleweed 106]

I do also think genuinely that we didn''t get the rub of the green from the refs. Was it 8-1 own penalties or something? We were the victims of some pretty egregious decisions and to me they didn''t come any where near evening out.

Despite all this we were one game, (home v Sunderland) from being safe. We lost that and many, many points from winning positions. This season more than any other I can recall, we blew it. And that is what I find most disappointing from a manager like AN who I thought tougher than he proved to be.

[ricardo 8,034]

[quote user="Tumbleweed"]I do also think genuinely that we didn''t get the rub of the green from the refs. Was it 8-1 own penalties or something? We were the victims of some pretty egregious decisions and to me they didn''t come any where near evening out.

Despite all this we were one game, (home v Sunderland) from being safe. We lost that and many, many points from winning positions. This season more than any other I can recall, we blew it. And that is what I find most disappointing from a manager like AN who I thought tougher than he proved to be.[/quote]Blaming bad luck for our relegation is just using a different a crutch to lean on. Luck is simply a random event brought about by chance rather than our own actions and as such we have no control over it. All relegated teams think they have been unlucky and can point to various incidents that might have been a turning point if only things worked out differently. Luck plays a part in football so you have to accept it and move on.Where we could have made a difference neither the manager nor the players made enough of the right choices at the right times and looking at the table and the stats we ended up where we deserved to be. In many ways I think we were very naive and probably a more experienced manager would have kept us up although it may not have been very pretty to watch. If you want to survive as a relative minnow you sometimes have to be West Brom or Stoke. Long term I prefer the Alex Neil style but there is more than one way to skin a cat. In our case we are at the bottom of the ladder with the one hundred and seventy million quid cat smiling down from the top of the wall.

[Livinginhope 0]

given what has

happened in the last 3 seasons, it is clear that something other than

manager or player issues within the NCFC organisation was not working

well; we the fans are stakeholders too and I for one would appreciate some honesty and

transparency.

Everybody now acknowledges that the transfer dealings are perhaps the

most significant area where our efforts foundered. This is an area

that has traditionally been cloaked in secrecy and whilst

negotiations are ongoing, one can understand why but now that the wheels

have fallen off our wagon, a light needs to be shone upon this area

of NCFC.

The role of the CEO: symptoms of a parsimonious approach are not

hard to find. The team was clearly treated more as a cash-cow than a

sporting endeavour and we have now seen the consequence. Do we need

to limit the CEO to the role that is performed by such an office in

other companies?

Perhaps a better structure is required: let the CEO control the

finances and house-keeping but no more and let us have a director or

directors of football who oversee the footballing side of the club

and particularly any transfer dealings.

[Nuff Said 5,960]

Cash cow? For who exactly?

[Rock The Boat 1,332]

[quote user="ricardo"]An interesting theory Daniel but I don''t buy it. Lots of games left and many differing styles of opponent to combat. Smaller and less endowed teams like Norwich cannot simply set their own stall out without regard to the obvious superiority of many of their rivals.The season was lost in the 3 month period from Jan 1st. Failure to turn losses into draws is the problem, Sunderland have won the same number of games as us but Allardyce was canny enough to realise that you need to stop losing before you can start winning. I can remember John Bond explaining to the press after a particularly sterile home 0-0 draw that his main object was to stop the losing run because once you get on a bad run it gets progressively more difficult to get out of it. If AN is at fault at all its because he continued to go for the points instead of closing games down and settling for a stalemate. I site the Sunderland game as an example we wanted to win but at all costs we must not lose. In the end I think we beat ourselves.[/quote]

And we probably would have got away with that strategy o nicking a point here and there from drawing games that we lost because Klose was coming good at the right time. It was really cruel luck that he picked up a season-ending injury just when it seemed he had stabilised the defence and made us more solid at the back.

This season hasn''t been a big failure in one single area that had we put it right we would have been ok, but there were lots of smaller things that all played their part and culminated in our relegation. It''s why we have a thread subject of pivotal moments in the season and there are around ten or a dozen very valid points that posters have made.

[Rudolph Hucker 0]

This season has left me scratching my head for answers, it has been an absolute clusterf@ck, including:

Awful kit - especially that pink aberration on the goal-keeper.

Embarrassing dealings over Brady.

Lack of strengthening where it was obviously needed.

Obvious lack of managerial experience. Can anyone point out an occasion when an Alex Neil substitution improved us?

A lack of personality in the squad: Jonny Howson is a fighter but he isn''t a fist pumper and apart from him it took the arrival of Tim Klose to show us what a leader looks like and the fans took to him like thirsty people to water. Had he stayed fit we had a chance. Tettey maybe, but his lack of discipline was a big problem.

Problems at Boardroom level leading to nepotism and resignations.

A lot of bad luck but that isn''t an excuse for failing to see games out or hold leads.

The jury is out on AN for me but, given a lack of recruitment, a largely inherited squad and problems at Board level maybe he did well under the circumstances and he never wore a defeated look, he kept his head up, he has character even if he team lacks it.

The supporters clearly deserve better and they gave better support than the team deserved.

I am not sorry McNally is gone. He can point to outstanding success in his period and despite the current relegation many other clubs would envy what Norwich achieved under his tenure. But, our greatest attributes are also our biggest faults and he often appeared to cross the line without restraint.

It is going to take some inspired and decisive decisions now to stop Norwich City going into a downward spiral. We need good money for assets we can''t hold onto without the pyrrhic victories of a McNally strop; likewise we need fresh recruits got in EARLY - starting with the striker department and without pointless heckling.

We need a new leadership structure with the right people, again, we need it early and positive.

If we dally and procrastinate we have absolutely no chance of promotion next season.

[Mello Yello 2,572]

NCFC = Nepotism & Cronyism Football Club........

[Rock The Boat 1,332]

Good to see you back posting, Rudolph.

[Scot-e-dog 34]

Like many, the jury is still out on AN for me. While I appreciate we didn''t recruit in the summer, I also didn''t see any real evidence of him making any noticeable positive impact during the season. By way of example and as has been pointed out before, there was not one substitution this season that made any difference to a game.

Perhaps more worryingly, is exactly what Daniel points out (and why I am erring on the side of get rid) - AN was well known for putting out side that were supremely well organised, where everyone knew exactly what their role was. As this season wore on, we saw more and more shambolic performances where no one seemed to have a clue. AN massively lost his way this season and, while he has admitted to mistakes, he doesn''t say what they were and I thus remain sceptical that he has what it takes to regain his mojo.

Daniel''s "why he must stay" argument is based upon faith that AN will get his mojo back. This is a classic stick or twist? We will not kno whether we were right until we turn over the next card.

For me, it''s a stick, but with a 10 game rolling target (based around getting into the play-offs as a minimum). As soon as this 10 game rolling target is unachievable, then we twist.

[PurpleCanary 6,381]

[quote user="Livinginhope"]

given what has

happened in the last 3 seasons, it is clear that something other than

manager or player issues within the NCFC organisation was not working

well; we the fans are stakeholders too and I for one would appreciate some honesty and

transparency.

Everybody now acknowledges that the transfer dealings are perhaps the

most significant area where our efforts foundered. This is an area

that has traditionally been cloaked in secrecy and whilst

negotiations are ongoing, one can understand why but now that the wheels

have fallen off our wagon, a light needs to be shone upon this area

of NCFC.

The role of the CEO: symptoms of a parsimonious approach are not

hard to find. The team was clearly treated more as a cash-cow than a

sporting endeavour and we have now seen the consequence. Do we need

to limit the CEO to the role that is performed by such an office in

other companies?

Perhaps a better structure is required: let the CEO control the

finances and house-keeping but no more and let us have a director or

directors of football who oversee the footballing side of the club

and particularly any transfer dealings.

[/quote]

I will leave the football side to others, and carry that point on, with a look at the non-football management. We had a double-act in Bowkett and McNally. Both gone in a short time. As to the latter, I think there is enough information and informed opinion to decide that his virtues were also his vices. And that while his virtues were particularly suited to getting us out of the mess he found when he walked in, they ran the risk of being counter-productive once the club had been stabilised. It seems he was not afraid to be unpopular inside Carrow Road and outside. I wondered a while ago if he had become less forceful towards Archant journalists but I now gather there may have been little change there. Under the circumstances the farewell assessments by Paddy Davitt and other were masterpieces of restraint. You can argue that dealing with reporters is not that important a part of the job, but if McNally was equally abrasive with agents and other managers and CEOs (people quite able to stand their corner and hold grudges) that would be more serious.In short, overall he was A Good Thing, but now him leaving was also A Good Thing.  The surprise was not that the directors accepted his resignation. The surprise would have been had they not.Ed Balls has already made the crucial pledge that McNally''s replacement will  already know the football business. There is a temptation to go for the opposite of the previous incumbent when picking a successor, so someone tough enough but less overtly confrontational and perhaps more willing to delegate may arrive. They also need to be able to work with the chairman, in the way McNally and Bowkett did as that double-act early on.There is, sooner or later, a massive strategic decision to be made. In essence do we carry on yo-yoing on do we embark on a more ambitious - and risky - plan?  I don''t know whether McNally was the man for that kind of long-term thinking, especially after a bruising seven years in the job. Bowkett might have been (there is an indication that is the case). All academic now. So, as important as is the choice of a new chief executive, I would pay as much attention to whether Ed Balls has the time (he has the brains and probably the vision) to chart a strategic course through for the next decades.

[Mello Yello 2,572]

I personally think the NCFC board has gone full circle since our fall into the 1st Division.......The ''recent'' 2 appointments and 2 departures don''t exactly instil me with hope for the challenge of the Championship......Hope I''m wrong......

[Donkey dangler 0]

Get the coffin ready!

[Rudolph Hucker 0]

Thanks for that ''Rock the Boat.''

Purple, I agree with your assessment especially paragraph 1.

[PurpleCanary 6,381]

[quote user="RUDOLPH HUCKER"]Thanks for that ''Rock the Boat.''

Purple, I agree with your assessment especially paragraph 1.[/quote]Equally, Rudolph, I found myself nodding in agreement with your post. As to how things will turn out, I am less pessimistic than many, but there certainly are some crucial decisions that need to be got right.

[Ray 111]

Purple, re your following paragraph, you missed off Referees'' Assessors but other than that - thank you.

It seems he was not afraid to be unpopular inside Carrow Road and outside. I wondered a while ago if he had become less forceful towards Archant journalists but I now gather there may have been little change there. Under the circumstances the farewell assessments by Paddy Davitt and other were masterpieces of restraint. You can argue that dealing with reporters is not that important a part of the job, but if McNally was equally abrasive with agents and other managers and CEOs (people quite able to stand their corner and hold grudges) that would be more serious.

[PurpleCanary 6,381]

[quote user="Ray"]Purple, re your following paragraph, you missed off Referees'' Assessors but other than that - thank you.

It seems he was not afraid to be unpopular inside Carrow Road and outside. I wondered a while ago if he had become less forceful towards Archant journalists but I now gather there may have been little change there. Under the circumstances the farewell assessments by Paddy Davitt and other were masterpieces of restraint. You can argue that dealing with reporters is not that important a part of the job, but if McNally was equally abrasive with agents and other managers and CEOs (people quite able to stand their corner and hold grudges) that would be more serious.[/quote]Ray, I would not be surprised if Carrow Road was not already trying to rebuild bridges with Archant. Which is a start with more than just symbolic importance. To be honest, given some of the refereeing injustices, I wouldn''t blame McNally for earbashing the assessors (and I could give a damn about their feelings) but perhaps that was counter-productive...More seriously, there is a piece of Westminster wisdom that all political lives end in failure. It applies elsewhere. It is a shame that McNally left Carrow Road with a diminished reputation, even if that was partly self-inflicted.

[93vintage 16]

Besides behaviour, treatment of staff and the general disorganisation previously commented upon, it''s a boardroom level footballing strategy that''s our biggest weakness.The forward planning of our football should be directed from the top, but seems to have been left largely to McNally and Ricky Martin, with little input from the rest of the board. The ''footballing board'' was a largely virtual entity, an ad hoc structure where McNally and Martin consulted with the Chief Scout and manager.In the boardroom only McNally had any football expertise, and we could do with a Director of Football sitting on the board

alongside a Chief Exec who oversees budget, finance and commercial

operations. I actually see Ed Balls as a step up, with the jury being out on Tom Smith (albeit probably an improvement on Fry). A beefed up ''football board'' with a more formal role in liason with the main board would be a wise move too.Strategy-wise we''re not getting the best bang for buck by continuing to buy older ready-made players at the expense of development. The purchase of 18-20 year olds, whilst good, came too late and was a largely piecemeal attempt at redressing the balance.As a club we need to refocus on development instead of trying to solve squad deficiencies via writing a large cheque. The latter becomes too frequent a habit and is a poor strategy for a smaller club with a smaller budget. We''ve aimed at ''achieve promotion'' and ''stay in the Premier League'' thinking that the money received will solve all our problems, but it never does, as these aims have conflicted with a sustainable longer lerm development policy.After four seasons in the Premier League we should be comfortable, but instead we''ve struggled to compete, the money has mostly gone on wages and fees for players that won''t have a long term future at the club or generate much in the way of transfer profit. A handful of big profits have been made (transfer fee inflation probably being a big factor), but too many players have left for little or nothing, having not contributed much.The bottom line is we need to invest in younger players with the aim of developing them. We need to squeeze more value out of transfers, look a bit further than one season ahead when we''re planning our future, otherwise we''ll fail to compete and end up going nowhere.

[Livinginhope 0]

The TV rights cash, gate receipts and marketing revenue pouring in; our best player Bradley Johnson sold for £7m and not much paid out in transfer signings. So that excess comes into the club and probably gets paid to the shareholders - that I do not know but it is the lack of investment in a PL level team that I am critical of. If you want to share in the big spoils, you have to spend some cash and we did not.

[Ray 111]

Hi Purple,

Re Assessors, may be a chicken and egg situation, but what I know is that publicly and vehemently screaming at an assessor with a face full of vitriol, an assessor who may have already writtten in his notes that it was an awful decision, will not win friends and influence people, probably the opposite. So ultimately it becomes a self fulfilling prophecy, because that treatment will have been fed back to all at the Referees Association surely.

I agree with you there is a great deal of healing/building of bridges to be done. I think RM''s use of the word ''culture'' in his interview after Watford, tells us all.

[PurpleCanary 6,381]

[quote user="Livinginhope"]The TV rights cash, gate receipts and marketing revenue pouring in; our best player Bradley Johnson sold for £7m and not much paid out in transfer signings. So that excess comes into the club and probably gets paid to the shareholders - that I do not know but it is the lack of investment in a PL level team that I am critical of. If you want to share in the big spoils, you have to spend some cash and we did not. [/quote]Frankly we deserve it, and we put it to good use. I paid for my tropical island from the money siphoned off for shareholders, and ricardo bought the company that brews Peroni.