Who was the bigger flop? Naismith or RvW?

[The Great Mass Debater 1,092]

Just found myself watching the Norwich 4-5 Liverpool highlights. Naismith was superb in that game, looked the real deal and was so happy we''d finally signed someone with that quality in the final third.

RvW also had a goalscoring debut. Both of them signed for a similar fee, and similarly we had high expectations and thought we''d signed a gem.

RvW has been widely regarded as the biggest flop in Norwich''s recent (if not all time) history. But does he have a rival in Naismith?

[JB 115]

Naismith the bigger flop I would say. At least with RVW, I always felt he wanted to play for us and did genuinely want to give his all. Naismith, after the first game just seemed disinterested about the whole thing. On an attitude based argument, Naismith. As players, both hopeless.

[JF 694]

Naismith by a mile. He knew the league and came from a fairly big club where he had been getting time on the pitch at PL level.

[PurpleCanary 5,580]

Van Wolfswinkel was the key record summer signing, made under the best possible circumstances in terms of choice and getting it right, that was meant to take us on a step, after two mid-table finishes, or at the least secure another such. Naismith was an emergency January buy aimed at hauling us out of trouble we were already in.

[hogesar 9,725]

RvW better attitude than Naismith? Where on earth do some people get these views from?

[Hoola Han Solo 448]

Both would have been far better players if it wasn’t for Robert Snodgrass.

[Duncan Edwards 2,261]

RVW. Next!!!!

[curious yellow 184]

Does it matter?

[king canary 7,655]

Naismith because we haven''t been able to shift him and he''s got less of an excuse for being shite.

[lake district canary 4,544]

[quote user="Hoola Han Solo"]Both would have been far better players if it wasn’t for Robert Snodgrass.[/quote]

[:D]

[Dean Coneys boots 1,406]

Why we ever spent so much money on Naismith, when it was SO obvious he did not want to be here is beyond me. The worst decision for many a year by the powers that be. His heart was never in it from day one - and the only game he showed any passion in was against Liverpool which has more to do with his being an Everton man I think.

RVW at least wanted to come and do well. He just was in the wrong league for his physique and had his confidence shot to bits. Shame.

Naismith for me the bigger frustration. RVW perhaps the bigger disappointment because he was bigged up so much...and then did nothing.

[lake district canary 4,544]

My impression of Naismith is that he is the kind of player that can do well in a team of top class players - not as the supposed best player in a lesser club.  A player who needs to be inspired by the players around him - and without that he is pretty ordinary.  He was inspired enough to start with away at Blackburn when he linked so well with Wes and it looked very promising, but really, after that he couldn''t live up to the expectation. 

[AJ 1,224]

My impression of Naismith is quite simply that he''s not as good as everyone makes out. Very average player at best, and was never the answer to our problems. A wasted investment and we should never have pursued it once it went south in the summer.

As for the main topic, RvW still wins this one. I''ll never forget the ghost pass against Fulham

[Making Plans 940]

RVW wanted to do well but Naismith was just here for the dosh.

[Fuzzar 1,703]

Naismith. And we still get to enjoy him for another season.

[city4eva 213]

RVW. I was at Fulham when he made that ghost pass. That was the last straw for me.

as for attitude I dont think there was anything between them

[ZLF 274]

Both disappointments. But Naismith for me.

Depsite his goal famine, at least rvw had an actual fact that for those starting a minutea10 games, no player won more points per start than his 1.1 per game during his season here, not snoddy etc sonata least he can tenuously claim an impact on games, even if it wasn''t goals.

A most buzzard incredulous truth.

But we have had many worse players and bigger flops here than these two

[BroadstairsR 2,199]

We can mourn the failure of RVW forever and with justification for if our ''big'' marquee striker had been the success we all anticipated then Hughton''s team might have taken on a different hue, we might have avoided relegation and we might possibly still be in the Premier League.

However, ALL teams, particularly Premier League teams, make big bloomers in the transfer market. It is not a precise art getting the right man for the right price as there are so many variables that need to click into place.

The higher the league status, clearly, the bigger the financial hit. There have been dozens of big money transfers into the top league that have flopped .... look at Sunderland''s recent record, for example, whilst even the likes of Man. United under the expert stewardship of Alex Ferguson built up a catalogue of costly mistakes.

We are not alone and, despite the calamitous repercussions, should not dwell upon it ad nauseum.

Besides, in the relatively short space of seasons since RVW first donned the yellow signings of £8m have not only become commonplace but can now be viewed as trivial by comparison with some of the ludicrous amounts passing between the big clubs in this country and abroad.

We, ourselves, have had three such purchases in that time and I think I am correct in saying that all of Naismith, Klose and Pritchard were about that level of investment.

We are hoping for £25m or so for James Maddison, whilst perhaps it was true that Reading offered ''Ricky money'' for the petulant Nelson Oliveira.

I consider Naismith''s signing the biggest mistake. In terms of the eventual cost of equating dashed hopes with long-term expense there is probably little in it though.

Both signings were embarked upon with a total lack of circumspection, but I consider SN''s to be the most unfortunate as his cost continues to inhibit us financially at a time when we have to count the pennies. With RVW we had Premier League money to play with in what was a bit of an easy come, easy go situation. Once the Dutchman left the problem was solved (and we got a loan fee etc?) The Naismith saga seems to be dragging on forever at a time when we could do without it, with knobs on.

[Andy G 10]

I guess it is in the definition.

The biggest problem was the way RVW was marketed, he was put on a pedestal as the saviour.

The whole "Beware of the Wolf" and "Feed the Wolf" advertising campaign

Then all the special offers on shirt printing etc.

I can''t remember a time NCFC has flaunted a signing so much, building a player up before a massive fall.

We never had the same build up for Naismith.

I guess because of the expectation RVW was the biggest "FLOP".

However, on contribution and attitude, I must say that Naismith just hasn''t turned up, at least RVW put effort into the matches. He just wasn''t a right fit for us at that time or that level

If you said to me now, going into next season, who would you prefer on the books Naismith or RVW i''d have RVW. so I guess the biggest "flop" is RVW but the biggest waste of money is Naismith.