Howson wants out

[Coq au vin 0]

There''s not a direct train from Norwich to Burnley is there??

[Lessingham Canary 99]

Morgan wrote;

There''s not a direct train from Norwich to Burnley is there??

There is nice Norwich to Manchester flight (50 mins) then a short drive to Burnley, lovely ;-)

Having said that would be sorry to see Jonny go, but if he does look forward to us signing a young tenacious, athletic replacement that suits the new ethos.

[Willmeister 35]

Would be a disaster to sell. There was no coincidence our massive dip in form coincided with his injury. I really think most of our fans won''t realise just how good he is until he has gone.

[Bethnal Yellow and Green 1,557]

I think many know he is a good player and wouldn''t expect him to be sold without being replaced. But all the circumstances are now lining up that this is the best time to sell.

If Norwich are going to rebuild then a few established players will need to be moved on so resources can be spread across the team in a more balanced way.

I doubt anyone will be happy to see him go, but needs must at times.

[Icecream Snow 761]

[quote user="TIL 1010"]Just read the article and the headline is misleading saying Howson wants out when it is in fact his agent merely saying he will not sign a contract extension offered to him which in itself surely shows the club have a desire to keep him rather than generate some cash ?The quote attributed to Webber i am sure is a previous generalisation with regard to finance and not specifically aimed at Howson. My view is it is Archant trying for a change to create a story rather than copy a story from some other source which is their norm.[/quote]I think they''ve been fed the story by Webber. After the McNally era (and the falling out within it) they''d already been quick to flag articles as "Rumour"Bearing in mind Nick Mashiter announced our new scouting setup back in April 29th, https://twitter.com/nickmashiter/status/858345900439220225 he''s either in the know, or gets fed stories from Stuart Webber. Surprised me when he put out a story about Howson £4m to Leeds which was quickly shot down, but that was probably just Webber''s opening salvo.

[Jim Smith 2,317]

[quote user="Icecream Snow"][quote user="TIL 1010"]Just read the article and the headline is misleading saying Howson wants out when it is in fact his agent merely saying he will not sign a contract extension offered to him which in itself surely shows the club have a desire to keep him rather than generate some cash ?The quote attributed to Webber i am sure is a previous generalisation with regard to finance and not specifically aimed at Howson. My view is it is Archant trying for a change to create a story rather than copy a story from some other source which is their norm.[/quote]I think they''ve been fed the story by Webber. After the McNally era (and the falling out within it) they''d already been quick to flag articles as "Rumour"Bearing in mind Nick Mashiter announced our new scouting setup back in April 29th, https://twitter.com/nickmashiter/status/858345900439220225 he''s either in the know, or gets fed stories from Stuart Webber. Surprised me when he put out a story about Howson £4m to Leeds which was quickly shot down, but that was probably just Webber''s opening salvo.[/quote]

This. Amazed at how many of our fans have bought it and are banging on about "he want''s to leave" or "don''t want players who don''t want to play for us." This is the club manufacturing a situation where they can justify selling Howson without too big a fan backlash and not a player or his agent forcing a move against the club''s will.

[SwindonCanary 455]

Beginning to ''throw the baby out with the bath water'' 

[willo 0]

[quote user="Jim Smith"]I would add that if we can get good money I can see the rationale for selling Howson, provided that we can use the money to bring in a couple of decent defenders. he''s a great player but not as consistently influential as he should be and goes missing in games too often.

What I object to here is the spin from the club again, really worries me that this is a massive downsizing exercise being spun as rebuilding.[/quote]

Sorry Jim your points don''t make sense. Downsizing is rebuilding surely?

The whole point is the club cannot afford the lucrative deal Howson is on for another 2/3 years, likewise, I would assume JH is looking for one last hurrah as he''s heading into his 30''s. If he knows a lower end Prem team is in for him, keen to pay him at least what he is on now, it makes sense for him and us. In 2 years time, his market value will be nowhere near the value now, in fact, next season with only one year will be greatly reduced.

Even if the club have spun this as you state, it makes sense all round to me.

[Highland Canary 76]

Jim and Swindon get it.

[simmo_2 6]

Johnny Howson is the best player on NCFC books, to sell him will be suicidal.

I fear this smells of anyone who could oust the captains armband from Russel Martin seems to leave club, teachers pet must be whispering again.

5m keeps getting mentioned, that is ridiculous. We can''t keep giving our best players away like we did Nathan Redmond last year (Yannick Bolasie 2 months later twice the fee, who was better player with more promise to get better)

[Donkey dangler 0]

simmo2,

Anything less than £7m will be poor. Howson is a better player than Johnson.

[Donkey dangler 0]

[quote user="Highland Canary"]Jim and Swindon get it.[/quote]

We are downsizing as fast possible.

[Bagster 101]

If you have a business that is doing well then you can afford to be a it extravagant but when you are not doing so well you have to cut your cloth.

We had one chance to keep the status quo and we blew it. Now we have to rebuild not only our team but our finances.

I believe the board are doing the right thing:)

[Jim Smith 2,317]

What by hanging out to dry last season''s player of the season and a player who has never caused any problems during his time with us, souring his relationship with the fans? I just think that this kind of spin is grubby and just shows that despite all the soundbites keeping the fans off the board''s back is their number 1 priority not genuine honesty and openness with supporters. Its interesting also that there has been no announcement about season ticket sales this year, no doubt waiting until the numbers look as respectable as possible before that will again be spun by the clubs PR people.

I agree though we blew our chance last season, both times we were in the premier league and again last year. Again all entirely the fault of the board due to their inertia and lack of genuine desire/ambition to actually stay in the prem and consolidate. So whilst we may have to "downsize" now (although not as fast as we seem obsessed with doing it) it does not mean we have to like it or can''t pass comment on it.;

[lake district canary 4,531]

Jim, the writing has been on the wall for several seasons - and we still have the same core of players who blow hot and cold. We need to change the mentality of the squad. No player is safe - change is needed, it looks like change is what we will get.  

[Jim Smith 2,317]

[quote user="lake district canary"]Jim, the writing has been on the wall for several seasons - and we still have the same core of players who blow hot and cold. We need to change the mentality of the squad. No player is safe - change is needed, it looks like change is what we will get.   [/quote]

I completely accept that change is needed although I think perhaps there is a danger of too much change, too soon. I still remain of the view that had the board acted swiftly before Christmas last season we would have made the playoffs and were well capable of beating any of the four sh*t teams that contested them.

My objection here is the spin/deceit and the club again taking the fans for idiots.

[Mike 2]

[quote user="Willmeister"]Would be a disaster to sell. There was no coincidence our massive dip in form coincided with his injury. I really think most of our fans won''t realise just how good he is until he has gone.[/quote]

Absolutely... To move on you do not continually sell your best players. His absence in the last season coincided with a massive dip in our form that we never recovered from. As I said, POTS 2016 / Runner up 2017.

You can not spin this as a positive move for the club, it is not.

[lincoln canary (& Golden Coppel) 0]

I love this common reaction of fans that say sell and take the money! In three months they''ll be regretting it when they realise we haven''t reinvested the money. Should we actually reinvest, the likelihood of Norwich replacing Howson with somebody as good is low.

Remember, we were only a decent DM and a couple of defenders short of walking this league last season. We don''t need to cull the heart of the team. Players like Martin and Howson are needed for stability.

Anyone thinking we can start the season with 8/9 new faces in the starting eleven and hit the ground running is mistaken. If that is the case it''ll be a season of transition and more than likely we''ll finish lower than last season.

I hope the article is nonsense and Howson stays. Great player, hardworking and a loyal caring servant to the club. Sod £6 million, I want to watch Howson.

[ROBFLECK 132]

I can see Huddersfield coming in for him. With the Webber connection and the fact that he''s got PL experience... >If they pay up...he could go to Huddersfield? What do you reckon?

[lincoln canary (& Golden Coppel) 0]

[quote user="ROBFLECK"]I can see Huddersfield coming in for him. With the Webber connection and the fact that he''s got PL experience... >If they pay up...he could go to Huddersfield? What do you reckon?[/quote]

Yep, I could see that. Hope not though.

[Bethnal Yellow and Green 1,557]

Wouldn''t fit the Huddersfield model of buying younger players, and having players who fit Wagner''s high intensity game.

Burnley seems a good fit for him - although Dyche is trying to get the job at Palace so depends on what happens there.

Can''t see many Prem teams wanting him really, not because he isn''t a good player, but due to his age it would represent bringing in a player who is likely to show no improvement, only a decline, in the next few years.

[Coq au vin 0]

@BYG, where did you find out about the Dyche/Palace connection??

[lincoln canary (& Golden Coppel) 0]

[quote user="Bethnal Yellow and Green"]Wouldn''t fit the Huddersfield model of buying younger players, and having players who fit Wagner''s high intensity game.

Burnley seems a good fit for him - although Dyche is trying to get the job at Palace so depends on what happens there.

Can''t see many Prem teams wanting him really, not because he isn''t a good player, but due to his age it would represent bringing in a player who is likely to show no improvement, only a decline, in the next few years.[/quote]

Disagree with your comments. Remember the Huddersfield model, was actually Stuarts Webbers model. So now he''s gone the philosophy may change. Regardless, Howson is super fit and would be more than competent performing high press and intensity game.

Granted his age is against him, but anyone who knows the player and has scouted him accordingly will know he rarely suffers injury, and will have at least 2-3 years at the top of his game, before he starts to decline. A three year contract for Howson is low risk for teams like Burnley and Huddersfield.

I can actually see a West Brom or Stoke City looking at him.

[Bethnal Yellow and Green 1,557]

While it was Webber who wanted that model in place, Wagner is very much the executor of the high press game - they are not likely to change style while he is the head coach there.

The new Sporting Director is the fella from Celtic, who Norwich were linked with before, and he set up at model there of never bringing in a player over the age of 26 for a fee.

While Howson is fit and rarely injured, the proponents of the high press rarely bring in players over 25/26 as this is the point where they start to struggle with such a high intensity. It is to do with recovery time and having that explosive power that tends to fade first with age.

I can see Stoke and WBA thinking about Howson, although I''m not sure he''d massively improve on what those clubs have now. Not really sure if Howson is a Pulis style player, but now Darren Fletcher has left they will be in the market for a midfielder - not that Howson and Fletcher are similar players of course.

[Indy 3,297]

Shame we can''t persuade Pulis to buy Naismith as a replacement for Fletcher!

[AJ 1,218]

I certainly hope if he does move he goes to an established Premier League club. Howson is technically a very good footballer that does the unnoticeable things well, and doesn''t really do anything spectacular. Fletcher has just gone from WBA to Stoke so I wonder if there''s any room for Howson there

[Indy_Bones 441]

Firstly let me say that I do like Howson as a player, and when he''s on form, he''s easily one of our top 3 players (and has been for some time), however - if he''s THAT good - why has nobody even made any genuine effort to take him away from us???We sold a worse player in Johnson for 7 mil, a worse player in Grabban for 7 mil, and yet it appears that no other club thinks that Howson is even worth a decent bid?Whilst he''s clearly one of the best players we have at the minute (again, on his day), he''s not irreplaceable IMHO, and let''s face it, he''s given us a number of years of unstinting service, and if there''s a genuine chance for him to play another few seasons at the top level rather than staying in the champs with us, then I''d argue that he''s sort of earned that from us anyway.I''d often be willing to take a slightly less talented player overall, but who has the genuine consistency to do the job wanted week-in, week-out, than I would a slightly better player who only shines a handful of times a season (even if they''ve been decent in a number of other games).IF we get a sensible bid that reflects his ability (but taking into account his age, contract etc) then I think it''s a sensible move from both parties to allow it to happen (especially considering the expected savings on wages).

[Coq au vin 0]

You don''t like Howson as much as RVW though do you?!

[Indy 3,297]

Morgan you bring up a very good point there, we''ve spent over seven million pounds on four players all of whom have been failures and value plummeted.

Its little wonder that so many have gone this season, not only AN, but the backroom / scouting staff and system. Bloody expensive not to have at least one to cash in on!

[Bethnal Yellow and Green 1,557]

Not likely to know about unsuccessful bids for players, so hard to say how much interest there has been in Howson. The club have always made sure he has a couple of years at least on his contract which has helped as well I''m sure.

Unlike Johnson and Grabban Norwich have never wanted to sell Howson. I believe there was interest in him in both the windows last season, but the club basically said ''No way'' and clubs didn''t even make bids knowing they would fail.

I guess this summer is a different matter and the club are letting it be known, in a soft way, that he is available if anyone is interested.