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CANARYKING

Stuart Webber where are you ?

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Webber impresses and irritates me with equal measure. 

I don't like the way he talks about leaving in the future - it seems to be every other interview! 

"For me the way I view this is I am passing through Norwich City and the only thing I need to do is leave this club much stronger than when I arrived."

His choice of words are questionable sometimes. We want to look towards a bright future as a remedy to relegation, and although there are some comforting words, he also leaves you with a hint of anxiety that the clock is ticking and his exit is getting closer. It's hard to fully invest in someone when you know they're committed to leaving. 

Which is a shame, as his critical pro-active decision making is so refreshing. 

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If you want to progress in life & learn from your mistakes you have to be honest with yourself & with others, that’s exactly what he’s always been like since he’s been at the club. Everyone makes mistakes. I think someone like Stuart Webber is refreshing & needed in every day life.

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Thrilled to hear we can’t hope to hold on to players if a “top club” like Leicester come calling. A club that is more or less the same size as us but owned by people with resources and ambition. 

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4 minutes ago, Il Pirata said:

Webber impresses and irritates me with equal measure. 

I don't like the way he talks about leaving in the future - it seems to be every other interview! 

"For me the way I view this is I am passing through Norwich City and the only thing I need to do is leave this club much stronger than when I arrived."

His choice of words are questionable sometimes. We want to look towards a bright future as a remedy to relegation, and although there are some comforting words, he also leaves you with a hint of anxiety that the clock is ticking and his exit is getting closer. It's hard to fully invest in someone when you know they're committed to leaving. 

Which is a shame, as his critical pro-active decision making is so refreshing. 

I kind of agree that sometimes he could do with a bit more PR polish but I much prefer this to the kind of communication we used to get from McNally or, even worse, Doncaster.

I do think if he ends up at a bigger club though he'll have to be more careful with his words- the 'go watch someone else' comment after the Bolton game a couple of years ago would have absolutely blown up if he was even at a club like Newcastle or West Ham, let alone one of the real big boys.

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2 minutes ago, Jim Smith said:

Thrilled to hear we can’t hope to hold on to players if a “top club” like Leicester come calling. A club that is more or less the same size as us but owned by people with resources and ambition. 

And competing for the Champions’ League...

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I'm a bit mixed about this.

In some ways I admire his upfront and robust approach - can be hard to take as a fan but the reality is that he isnt a fan so wont be crying over it and I respect the way he appreciates just needs to get on with improving.

Tone on player sale is slightly different though - no longer just on our terms but also lines on needing to recognise what players have done and mention of Covid impact - probably confirms some player sales pretty much done deal.

Most worrying aspect for me (although probably not for some) was comments re Farke - about 100% backing but up to him if he wants to stay. That does worry me that Farke has been tapped up during lock-down and is planning to go. Goes against what Farke has said previously about never walking away from a contract but also might explain poor form of team since we started up again.

One things for certain...it's going to be an interesting couple of months... which in itself is more exciting than this season has been!

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2 hours ago, sgncfc said:

The thing is Jim, that for every one fan who thinks like you do, there are dozens who think like me. You a democrat?

All for democracy and I don’t actually think you are right that there is a 12-1 sort of ratio of the type you suggest. There are though a lot of fans who have been ground down or who simply unquestionably lap up and accept some of the spin that comes out from the club and don’t see that the reality is their stance/model  is less to do with what they think is most likely to bring success and more to do with enabling them to retain ownership and control without putting any money more in. 

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7 minutes ago, Top corner said:

If you want to progress in life & learn from your mistakes you have to be honest with yourself & with others, that’s exactly what he’s always been like since he’s been at the club. Everyone makes mistakes. I think someone like Stuart Webber is refreshing & needed in every day life.

If you find it refreshing I'd recommend Matthew Syed's books, particularly Black Box Thinking. Webber's comments turned me onto them and I find them really insightful.

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3 minutes ago, Bethnal Yellow and Green said:

And competing for the Champions’ League...

Yes because their owners have resources and ambition. 

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27 minutes ago, king canary said:

2 things...

1) The bit at the start about the criticism of the players/coaches. Abuse isn't OK but if you're a professional footballer/football coach then criticism from fans comes with the job. If these young players and coaches want to become top players and managers then they're going to have to learn to cope with far more stick then they get from our relatively mild fans. The whole faux hard man 'come down here and say that' rubbish is reminiscent of some of the more childish posters on here.

2) Making it sound like there only options on the table were do what we did spending wise or 'risk the clubs future.' If spending more than £6-7m after promotion to the richest league in the world is a risk to the future of the club then I think we've got some serious issues. 

 

Webber speaks some sense but as well as the points you make I noticed 

1) Players will leave on his terms but he is just passing through NCFC. I do not expect him to stay beyond what he wants and he is ambitious but so are players ... Bit hypocritical.

2) Doesn't want others to pay out what they can not afford "like the government" yet takes £2.5m, from said government to pay staff.... Bit hypocritical.

I think he has been poor this season and hopefully he has learnt or we should replace him if he gets it wrong again.

Hope he does a great job and I hope he is as good as he things he is.

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31 minutes ago, king canary said:

2 things...

1) The bit at the start about the criticism of the players/coaches. Abuse isn't OK but if you're a professional footballer/football coach then criticism from fans comes with the job. If these young players and coaches want to become top players and managers then they're going to have to learn to cope with far more stick then they get from our relatively mild fans. The whole faux hard man 'come down here and say that' rubbish is reminiscent of some of the more childish posters on here.

2) Making it sound like there only options on the table were do what we did spending wise or 'risk the clubs future.' If spending more than £6-7m after promotion to the richest league in the world is a risk to the future of the club then I think we've got some serious issues. 

 

1) The reality is that you are right, however he is just being a good leader and trying to protect his staff as much as possible. Rightly so too - the recruitment was a massive let down, so fair play to him for holding his hands up.

2) Fans use hindsight all the time to say what was wrong or right. So, in hindsight, especially looking at the other relegated clubs (whoever they may be), he was right not to spend too much. COVID has left a £20m hole in our finances. Thank god we didn't blow another £7 million on Callum Robinson (or £10 million on Amadou, for that matter). Neither of those transfers would've saved us. Villa spent £140 million and look where that's got them!

This season hasn't worked, but at least: a) we still have a club, and b) puts us in a good position to give it another shot next year.

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14 minutes ago, Jim Smith said:

Thrilled to hear we can’t hope to hold on to players if a “top club” like Leicester come calling. A club that is more or less the same size as us but owned by people with resources and ambition. 

But they have recently won the league and competing for a Champions league place

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10 minutes ago, Jim Smith said:

All for democracy and I don’t actually think you are right that there is a 12-1 sort of ratio of the type you suggest. There are though a lot of fans who have been ground down or who simply unquestionably lap up and accept some of the spin that comes out from the club and don’t see that the reality is their stance/model  is less to do with what they think is most likely to bring success and more to do with enabling them to retain ownership and control without putting any money more in. 

How condescending is that?

What a way to describe fellow fans!

SG was right. You're in the minority.

That doesn't mean you're not entitled to your view or that you should be belittled for having it.

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21 minutes ago, Jim Smith said:

Thrilled to hear we can’t hope to hold on to players if a “top club” like Leicester come calling. A club that is more or less the same size as us but owned by people with resources and ambition. 

And has anyone with those resources approached us? 

 

So what was your point? 

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23 minutes ago, Jim Smith said:

Thrilled to hear we can’t hope to hold on to players if a “top club” like Leicester come calling. A club that is more or less the same size as us but owned by people with resources and ambition. 

I'm sorry but Leicester are a way, way bigger club than us in almost every regard. Palace? Burnley? Brighton? That's about our level.

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I have always found it astonishing how willing people appear to be to waste other people’s money.  If football clubs at the top level can only survive if they have a mega-rich owner - as seems to be the case - just what does that say about the state of the game?  It’s utterly ridiculous.  There simply has to be room for a more self-sustaining model otherwise what is the point? 

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39 minutes ago, Mason 47 said:

If you find it refreshing I'd recommend Matthew Syed's books, particularly Black Box Thinking. Webber's comments turned me onto them and I find them really insightful.

Thanks for the recommendation, i just googled Black Box & the quick summary of the book sounds interesting. A possible summer read. Cheers

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1 hour ago, Jim Smith said:

Yes because their owners have resources and ambition. 

Leeds, Forest, Derby, Sheffield Wednesday and probably others I've forgotten have all had several incredibly wealthy owners over the past decade who had lots of resources and ambition, but none of them have managed to achieve what we have and get promoted to the Premier League- although obviously that's going to change next week.

Just because you're rich and ambitious doesn't mean you'll automatically be more successful at running a football club than someone less rich.

 

40 minutes ago, TheGoogler said:

I'm sorry but Leicester are a way, way bigger club than us in almost every regard.

Only in the past five years, I'd say.

Pre-2015, their only major honours were three League Cups, and they'd only qualified for Europe three times, which is a similar history to us. Their stadium is slightly bigger than ours at 32,000 and they've spent the last 50 years going up and down between the top two divisions, with one season in the third tier; just like us.

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1 hour ago, Il Pirata said:

I don't like the way he talks about leaving in the future - it seems to be every other interview! 

"For me the way I view this is I am passing through Norwich City and the only thing I need to do is leave this club much stronger than when I arrived."

Will he be in terribly high demand after the season we've just had?

Sure, he's doing a good job of building the club in the long-term, but a huge part of a Sporting Director's remit is to work with the head coach to build a squad that gets results, and he simply hasn't done that this season. His only saving grace is that he didn't waste much money in doing so.

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5 hours ago, Bethnal Yellow and Green said:

Webber didn’t fly to Romania just to watch the player. He was there to negotiate a potential transfer and meet the player. (If the reports are accurate).

Webber and Farke are generally on the same page - the Pritchard sale being their only major disagreement it seems. 

Do you think we will get the player?

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3 hours ago, Kenny Foggo said:

Webber speaks some sense but as well as the points you make I noticed 

1) Players will leave on his terms but he is just passing through NCFC. I do not expect him to stay beyond what he wants and he is ambitious but so are players ... Bit hypocritical.

2) Doesn't want others to pay out what they can not afford "like the government" yet takes £2.5m, from said government to pay staff.... Bit hypocritical.

I think he has been poor this season and hopefully he has learnt or we should replace him if he gets it wrong again.

Hope he does a great job and I hope he is as good as he things he is.

Regards 1) you have changed his meaning and words slightly. He said all the players have a minimum of 3 years left on their contracts and whilst under contract they will be going on our / his terms. He will have no contract when he leaves so as he stated months ago, if you have a contract you should honour it. Therefore I disagree and this is not hypocritical at all, he is saying that if you sign a contract you should honour that contract. 

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5 minutes ago, Well b back said:

Regards 1) you have changed his meaning and words slightly. He said all the players have a minimum of 3 years left on their contracts and whilst under contract they will be going on our / his terms. He will have no contract when he leaves so as he stated months ago, if you have a contract you should honour it. Therefore I disagree and this is not hypocritical at all, he is saying that if you sign a contract you should honour that contract. 

He mentions it at every opportunity. If a big club came for him he would be off... I would not be happy with my manager doing one thing and demanding another... Also, why sign for a club if the man that you are impressed with is off himself the next season. He should keep silent about his plans and concentrate on the clubs plans.

In my opinion... 

Edited by Kenny Foggo

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2 hours ago, Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm Flailing Tube Man said:

Will he be in terribly high demand after the season we've just had?

Sure, he's doing a good job of building the club in the long-term, but a huge part of a Sporting Director's remit is to work with the head coach to build a squad that gets results, and he simply hasn't done that this season. His only saving grace is that he didn't waste much money in doing so.

Or looked at another way, he has had massive success working with clubs that have absolutely no spending power. He has turned Norwich from a club close to administration to a club with no debts. He has turned a rubbish academy into something the envy of most producing Cantwell, Aaron’s, Godfrey, Lewis and the new crop about to emerge ( based on what he said today that’s a min  £80m ). His cv player wise shows Maddison, Krul, Bundeia, Zimmerman, Pukki ( to name but a few ). 
If he feared relegation would effect him in the future he would not have signed a new contract as unlike Lakey he always stated the likelihood would be that we would be relegated. 

 

 

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11 minutes ago, Kenny Foggo said:

He mentions it at every opportunity. If a big club came for him he would be off... I would not be happy with my manager doing one thing and demanding another... Also, why sign for a club if the man that you are impressed with is off himself the next season. He should keep silent about his plans and concentrate on the clubs plans.

In my opinion... 

Hi Kenny

my response was in relation as to why we can demand loads of money for our players and he can just leave. They are under contract and cant just demand we let them go for pennies. Hope that makes sense.

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4 hours ago, king canary said:

The bit at the start about the criticism of the players/coaches. Abuse isn't OK but if you're a professional footballer/football coach then criticism from fans comes with the job. If these young players and coaches want to become top players and managers then they're going to have to learn to cope with far more stick then they get from our relatively mild fans. The whole faux hard man 'come down here and say that' rubbish is reminiscent of some of the more childish posters on here.

 

It kind of goes along with my posts  which caused so much anger yesterday. The players are human beings and put in a huge mental and physical effort this season - and in the promotion season too.  It wasn't enough, but the nonsense people were spouting on Saturday and Sunday was utterly ridiculous. Disappointment is one thing, but getting angry with players and accusing them of not trying etc is just a huge insult to them.

 

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A good interview.

I think I would take away from it that we need one player sale to compensate for Covid. Hopefully anymore than one sale is then available for investment.

Personally I would love to keep Todd.  I wonder whether Buendia will make the return journey to Getafe given that they may will be in Europe next season?

See what happens with our young defenders. I am not averse to some churn providing we reinvest. 

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All sounds very bleak to me, basically if we come straight back up it'll be the same **** again because we can't afford to spend the required money to stay there and establish ourselves and never will. 20th in the prem is our ceiling it seems...

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1 hour ago, Well b back said:

Or looked at another way, he has had massive success working with clubs that have absolutely no spending power. He has turned Norwich from a club close to administration to a club with no debts. He has turned a rubbish academy into something the envy of most producing Cantwell, Aaron’s, Godfrey, Lewis and the new crop about to emerge ( based on what he said today that’s a min  £80m ). His cv player wise shows Maddison, Krul, Bundeia, Zimmerman, Pukki ( to name but a few ). 
If he feared relegation would effect him in the future he would not have signed a new contract as unlike Lakey he always stated the likelihood would be that we would be relegated. 

I agree that the jobs Webber has done both here and Huddersfield have been, on the whole, fantastic.

However, I was just pointing out that Webber, just like Farke and the vast majority of our playing squad, have made lots of mistakes in their first crack at the top level as a result of their lack of experience and their stock may have dropped slightly as a result. They'll obviously hope that any potential suitors will see it as a case of them making their errors here, learning from them, and being more 'ready' when they get their second chance.

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1 hour ago, Well b back said:

Hi Kenny

my response was in relation as to why we can demand loads of money for our players and he can just leave. They are under contract and cant just demand we let them go for pennies. Hope that makes sense.

Get that but if you are demanding commitment then maybe don't mention you'll be off at every available opportunity.

Did Webber leave Huddersfield better off... Seems to have come undone a bit...

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