Yellow Rider report

[Yellow Rider 0]

Sorry this is now old news, I tried to post at about 8.30 this morning but my system went down!

Anyway, as requested by some fans, this is my brief report of last nights forum in Diss. Incidentally if you were up and about  early this morning you may have caught my interview on Radio Norfolk?

Last night was (unfortunately) Damp Squib 2! Hyped up by the media, I hammered down the A140 to the ''showdown'' with the Board only to find that the meeting was again largely dominated by (IMO) relatively trivial and minor issues. Yes, there was an increased level of more tricky questions for the Board and management but it was only a marginal step up from the atmosphere of the AGM. Rider was first off and I went for a high risk stategy in trying to get the audience with me in identifying a trend since August last year of poor league results. Problem was that a reasonable number in the audience felt that not only did Worthy do a ''good job'' last season, some still feel he is doing the same this season!! After all, as Livermore said ....''it''s all down to injuries, inconsistency and missed chances''.

I asked a specific question about the Worthy contract only to be told, well you can read the fob off in the press report for yourself. Rider is nothing if not persistent and I will now pursue this issue within the club itself and see if I get anywhere.

This is a list of some of the main questions / issues raised:

Worthy contract

Worthy has lost direction, no method, team aren''t pulling together etc.

We don''t play the right football for Deano

Will capacity be increased

Smoking should be banned throughout

Fans should take their seats quicker after half time

More sponsorship

Are we talking to Spurs about Davenport

Board / manager are not ''hard enough'' - should be a designated penalty taker

All pretty mild stuff. Worthy Out boys - WHERE WERE YOU? To be fair I know that many of you do not live locally or could not get there but once again the Board feel that the ''silent majority'' are on their side and may be they are?      

[charlies dad 0]

Excellent report. and, im sorry, but if anyone thinks Worthington is doing a good job, they need a straightjacket!

[Canary Wundaboy 1,294]

[quote user="charlies dad"]Excellent report. and, im sorry, but if anyone thinks Worthington is doing a good job, they need a straightjacket![/quote]

 

Agreed.

Sad to hear about Diss I really am.

Just seems that the masses just dont care enough, have we lost hope that far???[:|]

[Making Plans 873]

Sounds to me as though it was a complete waste of time. Our Club is going down the pan and the supporters asked dumb questions like banning smoking, sitting down quicker after half time, ground capacity etc.

Just like meetings I attend almost on a daily basis at work really - seems like a good idea at the time but everyone leaves feeling they could have spent their time doing something more productive - like having a fag !

 

[charlies dad 0]

I think the masses do care. Its just that with the stage managed nature of such meetings and AGM,s they cant be heard. Canary call will be good after this weeks defeat to a pub team, with Adams coming in for another testing time, but as usual the minority will have the last word, like idiot Kip the other night and give a false sense of the balance of feelings in the county and beyond. I know a vast number of Norwich City Supporters, Fans and followers, i havent yet come across one who has anything good to say about this total debacle.  

[Fat Barman 0]

Just try contemplating the alternative to your point of view guys.

I''m not asking you to change your minds, or to stop complaining and I

definitely want to keep reading your views, even if we differ.

However, virtually no demos before, or after home games; hardly a

dissenting voice at the AGM, or at Diss, or any other club meeting (I

know Stalham''s been done recently too); no chants of Worthy Out at

games. Maybe you don''t represent the majority that you claim? To abuse

Kip, on the radio phone-in, as being a silly minority caller doesn''t

advance your position - it merely reminds people that there are still

others who disagree with your wishes for managerial change, and their

voices also have a right to be heard.

I don''t claim to be right, or wrong, but you might be premature in

claiming a majority, when you have a fairly even split, even just on

this message board.

[charlies dad 0]

Is that so? Well for starters, Kip, whom you so vigorously support, spouted forth the view that anyone disagreeing with him must be an ''ipswich fan'' hmmmm.. sounds familiar doesnt it? Of course when i did just that earlier i was told by you... to ''grow up'' people who indulge in mudslinging should expect it to be slung back at them. If you are happy with this putrid state of affairs thats your prerogative, im happy for you. Im not happy with whats happened in the last 18 months, guess what? im not alone. The ineptitude at Carrow Road is a total joke. Im having my say. Live with it.

[LinkNR9 0]

People ARE bothered, but (like me) they don''t attend these farcical meetings because they know that there is little chance of getting shot of Worthington because the Board don''t appear to have the will to change things (based largely upon the cost of sacking him). Sadly, they can''t see that it will cost them and the Club more in the long term.

[Fat Barman 0]

[quote user="charlies dad"]

Is that so? Well for starters, Kip, whom

you so vigorously support, spouted forth the view that anyone

disagreeing with him must be an ''ipswich fan'' hmmmm.. sounds familiar

doesnt it? Of course when i did just that earlier i was told by you...

to ''grow up'' people who indulge in mudslinging should expect it to be

slung back at them. If you are happy with this putrid state of affairs

thats your prerogative, im happy for you. Im not happy with whats

happened in the last 18 months, guess what? im not alone. The

ineptitude at Carrow Road is a total joke. Im having my say. Live with

it.

[/quote]

I''d forgotten Kip''s reference to other callers as Ipswich fans and you''re right to correct me on that.

Did you read all my post? I specifically defended your rights to hold

and air your views, I actually asked you to keep posting! All I asked

was for a moments reflection on whether you were really in the majority

- given the relatively small numbers actively working to have the

current manager/coaches removed. If personal contemplation inspires

such an attack on what I thought was a fairly tame post, perhaps you

are indeed better off focusing your attention on other people''s

perceived failings.

[gazzathegreat 0]

I wish I had gone to Diss, but there were two major things working against me, one I was working and had to get some Christmas shopping for Meeky''s two little ones and also I have almost lost my voice, which would have not sounded too impressive at a meeting!  I read the Pink Un report and saw that David Thornton asked a question (I know the man and he is about as passionate a supporter as you are likely to get). Well done too Yellow Rider!  Missed the R Norfolk bit, sorry, but I guess the meeting was like many of the ilk, glossed over with the usual Munbisms and stuff about catering. 

We take too long to return after half time?  Then try getting served in the Barclay bar instead of the directors'' box perhaps?  Oh dear, priorities! 

What upsets me is the stuff occuring on these boards between both "sides" of Worthy in or outs and the abuse that goes with it. I have read most of FatBarman''s, Charlie''s Dad etc and respect both posters.  Come on guys, none of this is personal.  It''s about football, not us.  I got very heated listening to Kip and may personally think him a trifle deluded but it is what he thinks and he has every right to say it. (The stuff about Ipswich fans is just a cover for not having a reasoned argument against Worthy out fans).  I don''t get too angry at what anyone says on here re the football club, it''s personal attacks which sometimes get too much.  I happen to agree more with Charlie''s Dad than FBM, but I do respect FBM for his views and at least he is able to put reasons behind his opinions. 

 

[Morph 11]

FB, would you agree that something is not quite right at the club - at

least judging by performances on the pitch. What''s your take on what is

causing the current malaise and genuine under-performance?

You know how people are, it''s just in our nature, that when things

aren''t going right people look for somebody to blame. In the national

team''s case when things are going RIGHT they look for people to blame.

From my perspective I could argue that it''s good that the club has

claimed to stand together on the current situation, but from the

perspective of the more critical fans that have seen the team over the

recent months it''s all too much spin and hollow words. People want

action. They want to see things getting better. They don''t want to hear

the usual tripe about the "rub of the green", "lady luck not on our

side", "good work rate" and all that stuff.

The PR machine is really working overtime and I''m not sure if they''re

simply trying to convince themselves that everything is alright. Nobody

has come out and said they know what''s wrong and what''s being done to

fix it. Even Worthy in his post-Wolves interview couldn''t find the

words to say what was wrong.

It''s that lack of understanding of the problem that worries me the

most. An infinite amount of keeping the faith isn''t going to help it

the coaching staff and players can''t put their fingers on what is

broken and how to fix it. Rabbit''s feet, four leaf clovers, horseshoes,

heather sprigs and so on just doesn''t cut it.

[Canary Wundaboy 1,294]

It''s just worrying that no-one seems to hold any hope anymore.

We know there''s no chance of getting Worthy out, so we don''t bother.

And everyone at the clud thinks the grass is still green, and that we must be "Ipswich Fans" for thinking otherwise, when all we have to do is look at the table...

[Bird Table 0]

[quote user="Canary Wundaboy"]

It''s just worrying that no-one seems to hold any hope anymore.

We know there''s no chance of getting Worthy out, so we don''t bother.

And everyone at the clud thinks the grass is still green, and that we must be "Ipswich Fans" for thinking otherwise, when all we have to do is look at the table...

[/quote]

 

I think you''re right, the reason there haven''t been more dissenting voices at matches is that so many fans seem to be feeling a lot of apathy and general hopelesness at the situation we''re in.

[Fat Barman 0]

[quote user="Morph"]

FB, would you agree that something is not quite right at the club - at

least judging by performances on the pitch. What''s your take on what is

causing the current malaise and genuine under-performance?

[/quote]

I do agree with many of the problems identified on here. This is being typed on the fly, so I may get a bit muddled, sorry.

It may sound like the company line, but I genuinely feel that the

stop/start season we''re enduring is heavily influenced by at least two

factors outside of the club''s control.

Injuries - don''t howl at me! - I''ve read that one of the reasons the

Millwall performance was so disappointing was because we had our "1st

eleven" on the pitch. We can all argue for an odd player (Marney, say)

being missing, but it was a very strong side. However, we had two loan

players facing their second match in 4 days after a period of no 1st

team football - their sharpness & stamina were always going to be

issues. Deano is still not back to full fitness either and the whole

team just haven''t enough minutes together on the same pitch! It''s not

all about individuals, when a side has as many enforced changes to

personnel and shape (would you say 16 variations in 22 games was

exaggerating?) as we''ve had, then rhythm and stability is lost. Through

no choice of the management we''ve had 3 left backs, 5? centre backs, 5

right backs, I forget how many midfield combinations and half-a-dozen,

or more strike partnerships! Tuesday was the first time all season that

the same 11 started, who''d started the previous match - not because of

Worthy''s tinkering, but enforced by injury; suspension; international

duty.

Confidence. Open to a bit more personal interpretation this one, but

it''s a bit of a catch 22. We need to win three, or four on the bounce

to install some real self-belief back into players who''ve had a

depressing run of results over most of the last 15 months.

Unfortunately, without the confidence it''s difficult to see us winning

the games first (am I making sense?). This is an area where Worthy,

backroom staff etc. can, however be asked questions - what attempts at

boosting morale, sports psychology techniques etc. have been tried, or

are planned? We''ve all done our bit at the games, but these players

heads never used to drop so easily - last year we''d have ripped into

Millwall looking for an equalizer, then gone for the win! I''d like to

see someone brought in, if necessary, just to tackle this side of

things. If nothing else, we could brainwash somebody into being able to

take a decent penalty.

I admit you have to question Worthy''s tactics and substitutions in

several games this year. Again, though, I feel the players need to be

held more accountable. Firstly because I simply can''t believe they''ve

been told to do some of the things we''ve seen this year - I

think they panic too easily under pressure and resort to rout one

football, not because they''ve been told to, but because they''re not

used to where their teammates are going to be (this is an echo of part

of my first point). Stability in selection breeds confidence in knowing

what to expect from those around you - Hendo makes different runs to

Leon, who''s different again from Lisbie & Thorne etc. Once that''s

more settled I''d expect to see big improvements - if not then that''s when I become more critical of the management.

Those are some of my views, pertinent ones I hope! I don''t think

there''s a quick fix and I''d welcome debate about where people think I''m

wrong, but I ask anyone who takes issue with me to try to think of

alternative fixes. If Nigel stays it doesn''t mean you can''t come up

with some other ways which might help improve things. If we assume what

is , for some, the nightmare of no change in management, in what other

ways might we change? I doubt Uri Geller, or Paul McKenna are on board

right now, do you think they should be? If not perhaps there''s a role

for an Ian Crook, or Robert Fleck (although God forbid they get any

more drinkers involved!)