James Maddison transfer

[Crabbycanary3 994]

I know a lot of people 'know' what happened but here is an article for those not totally in the picture. Interesting that Naismith was mentioned in it

https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/ed-balls-james-maddison-leicester-4825491?fbclid=IwAR1Q9ACFbci0dKx-1SOkYD4UZBUxDl8l5B4-RF5Qr6bpDVkPwTZNODJ-P_E

[cambridgeshire canary 6,680]

Meanwhile in a parallel universe we didnt sell him and went bust.

 

We owe a lot to that transfer

[wcorkcanary 4,329]

Like an Alcoholic , we had to admit we had a problem, then we had to have the gumption to deal with it. Its not all been plain sailing since but we aint doing too bad now are we? Kudos to all those involved in steering the Good Ship Canary to its present position. Long may we plough our own furrow.

[Newtopia 517]

It is strange how people talk about ‘football clubs’ being run like a business, there is no way any business I have ever worked for would allow itself to be so financially reliant on a single transaction.  Those decisions take real balls, if the owners did not take those risks, their clubs would probably not be challenging for the promotion to the premiership.  It shows how difficult it will be when Delia steps down, she probably needed to experience the roller coaster before committing to the current model, it is an impressive approach, without huge investment we have multiple talented players coming through, who will fund the next generation of players, the real risk to the process is if players stay too long and the next generation of players do not get the opportunity to play.  Controlling an organisation which balances promotion aspirations, giving young players / managers / coaches opportunities, and selling valuable assets is tough job, especially if they have their own career aspirations.  #Deliarocks #webberisinvaluable

[horsefly 4,287]

It's also about time that Ed Balls was given the credit he is due for his major part in transforming the club. Many on this site have pilloried him for no more reason than he was an ex-Labour Party minister. The reality is he worked voluntarily as chairman playing a major role in turning the club into an organisation that is run on economic and footballing principles that are the envy of very many clubs. 

I remember very well the long interview he gave on Radio Norfolk explaining that the club would take its time to  completely rethink it's structure for the next managerial appointment after Alan Irving. Can anyone genuinely claim that he didn't do an incredible job in planning the subsequent Sporting Director and Head Coach structure, and appointing exceptional individuals to those posts?

The man is Norwich City through-and-through, and I for one thank him heartily for the exceptional work he did in playing such a major role transforming the club to its present eminent position.

[Nuff Said 5,091]

Agreed horsefly. I would add that what he did could be seen as not that transformatory (if that's a word), i.e. bringing in a sporting director. But if it was that easy, every club would be doing it. As it is, how many clubs would like to be us now? Probably pretty much everyone below us in the league - "Why aren't we Norwich?"

[The Bristol Nest 513]

Just now, horsefly said:

It's also about time that Ed Balls was given the credit he is due for his major part in transforming the club. Many on this site have pilloried him for no more reason than he was an ex-Labour Party minister. The reality is he worked voluntarily as chairman playing a major role in turning the club into an organisation that is run on economic and footballing principles that are the envy of very many clubs. 

I remember very well the long interview he gave on Radio Norfolk explaining that the club would take its time to  completely rethink it's structure for the next managerial appointment after Alan Irving. Can anyone genuinely claim that he didn't do an incredible job in planning the subsequent Sporting Director and Head Coach structure, and appointing exceptional individuals to those posts?

The man is Norwich City through-and-through, and I for one thank him heartily for the exceptional work he did in playing such a major role transforming the club to its present eminent position.

I couldn't agree more. Ed is a true fan and brought the kind of high calibre chairmanship that most clubs outside of the top six would love to have.  

[horsefly 4,287]

10 minutes ago, Nuff Said said:

Agreed horsefly. I would add that what he did could be seen as not that transformatory (if that's a word), i.e. bringing in a sporting director. But if it was that easy, every club would be doing it. As it is, how many clubs would like to be us now? Probably pretty much everyone below us in the league - "Why aren't we Norwich?"

Yep! you're right that the idea of a sporting director/head coach set up is not transformational in and of itself. I think what was transformational was the principles upon which he set it up. Webber and Farke were told that there wouldn't be £millions gambled anymore, that they would be expected to bring into the team talented young players from abroad, and those developed through the youth system. Some of those would be sold on for profits that would sustain future development and squad improvement. We have seen the fruits of that approach: economically self-sustaining (not dependent upon the whim of some diletante billionaire) and some of the best football we have ever seen.  I wonder how many other teams would love to be in that position?

[Beefy is a legend 224]

After about 5 games this season I was having a ding-dong with a guy on the Facebook fan page. I had asked for his assessment of our progress over the last 3 years and his reply was 'back where we started'. That presumably being a judgment based upon us being in the same league division as when Farke and Webber came in.

IMHO it was a remarkably myopic view. The club is transformed. Had Maddison been injured, we would have survived but clearly 3 or 4 players would have had to go and much of the recruitment wouldn't have occurred, including Buendia, Pukki and Hernandez. 

But nevertheless that one transfer was crucial to us and we were an injury away from not being able to rebuild the squad. These days, we are a million miles from that. By a willingness to invest in, and play, the best youth, we've created half a dozen players worth tens of millions of pounds and have completely secured the financial safety of the club. We've basically dealt with Covid as if it wasn't a major issue. Three years ago it would have been a disaster. Now it's an inconvenience but one we can ride out. 

That's not even mentioning that the football on the pitch is, for me, the best we've played since the early 90's. We are a club where young players want to come as there is a genuine route to the first team. And where attacking players know they can express themselves. No longer will a Grant Holt want to leave the club because of the playing style. 

What has happened here is remarkable. We are dominating this league in a manner that I've never seen before. We've won this league and been promoted several times in the last 15 years, but never with this degree of panache and dominance. I know we are nowhere near finishing off the job, but it feels almost inevitable. 

'Back where we started'. I think not. 

 

 

[Nuff Said 5,091]

2 hours ago, horsefly said:

Yep! you're right that the idea of a sporting director/head coach set up is not transformational in and of itself. I think what was transformational was the principles upon which he set it up. Webber and Farke were told that there wouldn't be £millions gambled anymore, that they would be expected to bring into the team talented young players from abroad, and those developed through the youth system. Some of those would be sold on for profits that would sustain future development and squad improvement. We have seen the fruits of that approach: economically self-sustaining (not dependent upon the whim of some diletante billionaire) and some of the best football we have ever seen.  I wonder how many other teams would love to be in that position?

Doh! Transformational.

[Fuzzar 1,702]

1 hour ago, Beefy is a legend said:

After about 5 games this season I was having a ding-dong with a guy on the Facebook fan page. I had asked for his assessment of our progress over the last 3 years and his reply was 'back where we started'. That presumably being a judgment based upon us being in the same league division as when Farke and Webber came in.

IMHO it was a remarkably myopic view. The club is transformed. Had Maddison been injured, we would have survived but clearly 3 or 4 players would have had to go and much of the recruitment wouldn't have occurred, including Buendia, Pukki and Hernandez. 

But nevertheless that one transfer was crucial to us and we were an injury away from not being able to rebuild the squad. These days, we are a million miles from that. By a willingness to invest in, and play, the best youth, we've created half a dozen players worth tens of millions of pounds and have completely secured the financial safety of the club. We've basically dealt with Covid as if it wasn't a major issue. Three years ago it would have been a disaster. Now it's an inconvenience but one we can ride out. 

That's not even mentioning that the football on the pitch is, for me, the best we've played since the early 90's. We are a club where young players want to come as there is a genuine route to the first team. And where attacking players know they can express themselves. No longer will a Grant Holt want to leave the club because of the playing style. 

What has happened here is remarkable. We are dominating this league in a manner that I've never seen before. We've won this league and been promoted several times in the last 15 years, but never with this degree of panache and dominance. I know we are nowhere near finishing off the job, but it feels almost inevitable. 

'Back where we started'. I think not. 

 

 

I agree with nearly all this, but can't help wondering what we have missed out on with Covid. Would we have invested in a new stand if (some of) the money from the Godfrey (and Lewis) sale were available to us?

But that we have built such a strong building from such shaky foundations prior to the Maddison sale is very impressive indeed.

[Beefy is a legend 224]

I don't think that a new stand was ever seriously on the agenda at this time. But there's no doubt that those sales were used to provide a buffer against any possible Covid related financial issues. 

[Mr Tea 105]

Naismith.

A name that pops up every now and then and pretty much always linked to the financial problems of the club.

Hell of a thing to have hanging over your surname.  ( not that he gives / gave a sh*t ) 
 

 

[repman 634]

It wasn't just the vision to change the structure of the club that was spot on by Balls, but the appointment of a young, forward thinking sporting director to lead the charge. Plenty of clubs have similar roles and even this club in years prior has transfer committees and what not. It would have been easy for the club to have appointed someone reasonably experienced in football and probably get plenty of praise from supporters for doing so. Instead, they gave Webber a serious amount of power on arrival, including the ability to choose the next head coach. Looking back now, it's hard to imagine any of the recent success happening if Webber had never joined the club.

[chicken 2,604]

11 hours ago, Beefy is a legend said:

After about 5 games this season I was having a ding-dong with a guy on the Facebook fan page. I had asked for his assessment of our progress over the last 3 years and his reply was 'back where we started'. That presumably being a judgment based upon us being in the same league division as when Farke and Webber came in.

IMHO it was a remarkably myopic view. The club is transformed. Had Maddison been injured, we would have survived but clearly 3 or 4 players would have had to go and much of the recruitment wouldn't have occurred, including Buendia, Pukki and Hernandez. 

But nevertheless that one transfer was crucial to us and we were an injury away from not being able to rebuild the squad. These days, we are a million miles from that. By a willingness to invest in, and play, the best youth, we've created half a dozen players worth tens of millions of pounds and have completely secured the financial safety of the club. We've basically dealt with Covid as if it wasn't a major issue. Three years ago it would have been a disaster. Now it's an inconvenience but one we can ride out. 

That's not even mentioning that the football on the pitch is, for me, the best we've played since the early 90's. We are a club where young players want to come as there is a genuine route to the first team. And where attacking players know they can express themselves. No longer will a Grant Holt want to leave the club because of the playing style. 

What has happened here is remarkable. We are dominating this league in a manner that I've never seen before. We've won this league and been promoted several times in the last 15 years, but never with this degree of panache and dominance. I know we are nowhere near finishing off the job, but it feels almost inevitable. 

'Back where we started'. I think not. 

Re youth - I think it is incredibly important to highlight. It's not just bringing through local talent like Cantwell but really scouting well and picking up free, cheap or worthwhile investments for the academy and youth teams. Maddison, Godfrey, Aarons and Lewis we all signed as youngsters from other clubs.

Soto was signed on a free and is looking very promising at the moment. Mumba looked great before his injury and was relatively inexpensive in comparison to say, a more established pro - but we had those already.

Then you move onto those slightly older like Sorenson and Placheta who both look like players who could quickly increase their transfer value. They have also added depth and strength to our squad.

Now we just need to see Siti and Sinanni to see what those lads are capable of. Like you say, "back where we started" we are most certainly not.

No over the hill dead wood that offer little on or off the pitch. Although he was joking, I think it was also partly true that if Tettey could play on to 40 he would be getting the yearly contract. Vrancic is 31 but still very much having an impact. A lot of folks are quick to say which area of the pitch they would improve on but despite some attempts at scapegoating, there really aren't any players who are standout rubbish and in our squad.

We really have carried a lot of passengers over the years. Expensive ones at that too. Jarvis, Naismith, Elmander, Hooper, Mulumbu etc.

[Beefy is a legend 224]

One thing that I think is most crucial to our recruitment strategy now, is that we only really sign players who are going to appreciate in value, not depreciate. 

That one step has changed everything in terms of the financial well being of the club.

Webber has been an inspired appointment.