What the Hucks ?

[Lessingham Canary 108]

Strong rumour that more changes at Colney, head Physio  Stuart Wardle gone, and Hucks for the chop, anyone picked up on that ? Mr Webber and Farke are not messing, if you are not contributing to their tune you are out !

[Year of the tiger 66]

Broughton gone too. Seems to confirm recent rumours

[kick it off 2,062]

Not stopped there.

Hucks, Broughton, wardle (head physio) and head of academy scouting phil church.

Head of every staff department has now gone since Webber took over in April. Webber certainly making his Mark and stamping his authority.

[Matt Juler 208]

I wonder if Mr Huckerby is just a little too popular in these parts for Mr Webber''s liking?

[king canary 8,750]

If he wasn''t doing his job well then it is right he leaves. We don''t owe ex players a living.

[Mr Tea 140]

Well ,If he''s not part of a under performing team then he should go.

But that''s an if, and one that''s hard to write.

Its true that discipline has been terrible at time , the trashing of some of the facilities at the training ground just shouldn''t happen.

Then again you could argue that if he''s a great coach then that should be enough to keep him there and others can police the kids in their behaviour .

[hogesar 10,761]

Apparently 20 jobs or so now been told to leave? Apparently Huckerbys position isnt to be replaced so sounds like a finance based decision.

[lincoln canary (& Golden Coppel) 0]

[quote user="Matt Juler"]I wonder if Mr Huckerby is just a little too popular in these parts for Mr Webber''s liking?[/quote]

My thoughts exactly. Roeder worked in similar ways.

[Parma Ham's gone mouldy 2,461]

Nobody owes ex players a living, however brilliant or popular.

Norwich is a wonderful place to live and many ex-players want to stay here. A name and a job within football are thus a dream for many after they hang up their boots.

The above can of course lead to the apochryphal ''Costa del Colney'' endemic mindset, whereby life is a bit too good, a bit too comfortable.

Roeder comparisons and insinuations of making such decisions ''to shore up his power'' might do Stuart Webber a disservice.

The alternate view might be that he is a practical man, dealing empirically with what problems he finds.

Parma

[king canary 8,750]

@hoegsar

Not according to Michael Bailey

"Just to add some meat to bones. Believe up to 20 jobs reviewed, but only five departures - & there are plans to replace those people. #ncfc"

[king canary 8,750]

@parma

Totally agree with that.

I''ll add that I''m always a touch concerned about adding former legends to the coaching staff as it can lead to situation like this.

[hogesar 10,761]

Ah, contradicts a certain son of Mr Huckerby!

[non-scoring strikers 153]

A positive move in terms of developing our academy setup. For far, far too long we''ve only produced lower league tradesmen (at best), so I''m sure an overhaul of this part of the club was at the forefront of Webber''s mind since he came here.

[king canary 8,750]

@Hoegsar

It does seem a bit of a mess. I just think none of us can know if Hucks was a good coach or not but I''m already seeing words like ''outrage'' and ''disgrace'' on twitter.

[Diane 500]

Will always be a legend in my eyes and Im sure most ncfc fans will feel the same.

[SwindonCanary 457]

Adams stays = A top coachHucks leaves = ?      

[canarydan23 4,758]

I don''t agree that there is an absolute rule that club''s don''t necessarily owe their legends.

Huckerby had opportunities to leave us, for bigger clubs and almost certainly better contracts. He also, at financial and familial cost to himself, opted to play for San Jose as opposed to a club who might line up against Norwich one day.

As such, I think there is at least a small debt from NCFC to Mr. Huckerby.

Furthermore, I''m sure the club has a PR budget, probably running to six-figures per annum. Having Huckerby in and around the club is undoubtedly a PR boost.

It also seems to contradict what Webber said last week. Players need role models and need to be taught to be good professionals. You say that one week and then the next you sack a man who, despite all the excesses and temptations available to a professional footballer, has remained loyal and devoted to his wife, and anyone who had run into Hucks around the city or in the gym will attest to his good manners and openness with supporters.

There is more than a whiff of the Roeder about Webber. For his own preservation his arrogance had better not be ill-founded as the minute performances start to drop, this sort of thing will be dragged up and the vitriol he will face will be significantly greater than it would be following a normal bad run.

Furthermore, he''s an Under 23 assistant coach. If there is a disciplinary issue with a team it permeates from and is the responsibility of the head coach of the team but I don''t see Matty Gill''s name on the list of departures and you can bet your bottom dollar he didn''t request Huck''s sacking because they''re good mates and Cringleford Vets team mates.

At best, it''s a PR own goal and reflects badly on Stuart Webber''s judgement. At worst, we''ve another pathological narcissist in a position of authority at the club.

He''s put a lot of pressure on himself and Farke. There will be many a fan now hiding their pitchforks behind their backs waiting for the opportunity to bear them on Mr Webber.

[hogesar 10,761]

Oh I know King. It was always going to cause an overreaction. 

Just repeating what the lad is saying..

"Well 13 went yesterday and more will go today, only 2/3 will be getting replaced."

[PurpleCanary 6,378]

[quote user="canarydan23"]I don''t agree that there is an absolute rule that club''s don''t necessarily owe their legends.

Huckerby had opportunities to leave us, for bigger clubs and almost certainly better contracts. He also, at financial and familial cost to himself, opted to play for San Jose as opposed to a club who might line up against Norwich one day.

As such, I think there is at least a small debt from NCFC to Mr. Huckerby.

Furthermore, I''m sure the club has a PR budget, probably running to six-figures per annum. Having Huckerby in and around the club is undoubtedly a PR boost.

It also seems to contradict what Webber said last week. Players need role models and need to be taught to be good professionals. You say that one week and then the next you sack a man who, despite all the excesses and temptations available to a professional footballer, has remained loyal and devoted to his wife, and anyone who had run into Hucks around the city or in the gym will attest to his good manners and openness with supporters.

There is more than a whiff of the Roeder about Webber. For his own preservation his arrogance had better not be ill-founded as the minute performances start to drop, this sort of thing will be dragged up and the vitriol he will face will be significantly greater than it would be following a normal bad run.

Furthermore, he''s an Under 23 assistant coach. If there is a disciplinary issue with a team it permeates from and is the responsibility of the head coach of the team but I don''t see Matty Gill''s name on the list of departures and you can bet your bottom dollar he didn''t request Huck''s sacking because they''re good mates and Cringleford Vets team mates.

At best, it''s a PR own goal and reflects badly on Stuart Webber''s judgement. At worst, we''ve another pathological narcissist in a position of authority at the club.

He''s put a lot of pressure on himself and Farke. There will be many a fan now hiding their pitchforks behind their backs waiting for the opportunity to bear them on Mr Webber.[/quote]That is a well-argued post but in the end there is only one criterion, and that is the ability to do the job. I have no idea, but if Webber believes there is someone out there who can do the job better then it is his duty to make a change. As to owing a debt to Huckerby, surely that was paid by giving him a job in the first place.

[lincoln canary (& Golden Coppel) 0]

[quote user="canarydan23"]I don''t agree that there is an absolute rule that club''s don''t necessarily owe their legends.

Huckerby had opportunities to leave us, for bigger clubs and almost certainly better contracts. He also, at financial and familial cost to himself, opted to play for San Jose as opposed to a club who might line up against Norwich one day.

As such, I think there is at least a small debt from NCFC to Mr. Huckerby.

Furthermore, I''m sure the club has a PR budget, probably running to six-figures per annum. Having Huckerby in and around the club is undoubtedly a PR boost.

It also seems to contradict what Webber said last week. Players need role models and need to be taught to be good professionals. You say that one week and then the next you sack a man who, despite all the excesses and temptations available to a professional footballer, has remained loyal and devoted to his wife, and anyone who had run into Hucks around the city or in the gym will attest to his good manners and openness with supporters.

There is more than a whiff of the Roeder about Webber. For his own preservation his arrogance had better not be ill-founded as the minute performances start to drop, this sort of thing will be dragged up and the vitriol he will face will be significantly greater than it would be following a normal bad run.

Furthermore, he''s an Under 23 assistant coach. If there is a disciplinary issue with a team it permeates from and is the responsibility of the head coach of the team but I don''t see Matty Gill''s name on the list of departures and you can bet your bottom dollar he didn''t request Huck''s sacking because they''re good mates and Cringleford Vets team mates.

At best, it''s a PR own goal and reflects badly on Stuart Webber''s judgement. At worst, we''ve another pathological narcissist in a position of authority at the club.

He''s put a lot of pressure on himself and Farke. There will be many a fan now hiding their pitchforks behind their backs waiting for the opportunity to bear them on Mr Webber.[/quote]

My thoughts too, good post.

[Jim Smith 2,608]

I think that for a so called "community club" such as ours its nice to accommodate ex players if its possible and if they are up to the job. I guess its impossible for any of us to tell whether Hucks was a good coach or not. Ultimately, the academy has not produced many first team players for us (aside from Morris those who appear most likely to have a chance in the near future were brought in at the age of 18/19) and some of the results (not all) of the main academy side have not been outstanding so I suppose all coaches there must be under scrutiny although again other factors such as geographical location, pull of the club or simply whether its a good or bad year of recruits can have an impact..

Also if there is a discipline problem then it needs addressing.

That said hard to escape the conclusion, if 20 are on their way out at the same time, that there is not an element of cost cutting also going on here as we move to our "self-funding, no debt, sustainable future." Its probably a mixture of some who have unfortunately had to pay the price for relegation and last seasons failure and some others who were not justifying their continued employment.

[SwindonCanary 457]

If we are to develop our youngsters to play in the first team, we need top coaches to guide them. Are them men in position up to it ?

[BobLoz3 609]

The academy is clearly a huge part of Webber''s vision for the club moving forward and I would argue that it definitely needs to be now there isn''t as much money coming into the club. The ability to cast our nets wide and far, bring young players through to the first team and then sell them for significant profits is something a lot of fans have been crying out for ..."Why aren''t we like Southampton?! They always seem to produce great young talent" is a phrase often heard (not just here but throughout football).If the academy was failing (in SW''s eyes) then something needed to be done about it and these are the steps he''s decided to take.I am not SW''s biggest fan and I love Hucks (like we all do!) But maybe having a club legend in charge wasn''t the preference for SW and this could even come down to the emotional connection the owners feel towards Hucks. In that they perhaps let him get away with a bit more, or never question his ability to do the job, purely based on who he is and what he means to NCFC.Speculation, of course, from me!

[Jim Smith 2,608]

Although as some others have pointed out, Hucks was assistant U23''s coach so the academy bringing players through or academy indiscipline does not seem relevant to his departure.

[TIL 1010 5,246]

No doubt Stuart Webber or somebody from the club will speak on this situation and to that end remember the AGM is looming up shortly but let us just get the dust to settle on this shake up before making rash judgements based on press reports and the Devil known as social media.

[City 2nd 193]

Why all the fuss. Yes, Darren Huckerby served this club very well as a player, as did many others like Grant Holt for example. They were well paid for that existence, but they are part of history. Just because he played here does it mean he is owed a job? I don’t think so. Mr Webber came here with a job to do and it appears was head hunted for the position, so far, it looks like he, and those under his direction, are doing a good job!

If this good work is to continue, everyone needs to be singing from the same hymn sheet. Farke has been applauded for his recent discipline handling of Oliveira and Murphy. Appears to me that discipline is required throughout the club. And no one person is bigger than the club, Mr Huckerby and the youth set up included.

[KeiranShikari_2 0]

Exciting times.

[Guest]

It''s very tough, but Webber is simply doing what he was brought in to do.

It''s always a deep shame to see people being let go, but there could be a multitude of reasons as to why Hucks was let go (cost vs. benefit etc.). There''s no doubt he''s a brilliant character and will always remain a club legend, but there''s simply no room for sentiment in our current predicament.

[Guest]

Reading Webber''s comments it seems to me that it goes beyond the coaching and there was something wrong at this level that is not just about results.

Apprenticeships, for the want of a colloquial word, are just as much about education, emerging adulthood, manners, and responsibility, to club and individual.

[king canary 8,750]

''At best, it''s a PR own goal and reflects badly on Stuart Webber''s judgement''

No, at best we replace him with a better coach that benefits the under 23''s.