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Saint Canary

How to make yourself unpopular

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Right, for those of you who feel Delia is a goddess I think it''s best if you look away now.  Here begins the rant, strap yourselves in.

There is no denying she and the board had done well for City leading up to us winning the title but from that point on they have been far too prudent and not ambitous enough.  From the moment we won this league, we acted like a club that knew it would not be in the Premier League for long and we got what we deserved - relegation.  Now Worthy and his "managerial" skills have to take some of the brunt for us going backwards over two seasons but the board seem to be imune from criticsm.  Let me be clear when I say backwards I mean purely on the pitch not business wise.

I really think the board have cost this club in the last two season''s and at precisely the same time each year, the summer.  Both times they have failed to back "their man" enough.  Had they financed the purchase of a £3m striker at the start of our Premier League campaign things could have turned out so different, we spent roughly £5-6m in the Prem on transfer fee''s and half of that was spent too late!  It was a last ditch effort at survival because I really think that the board could not believe their luck, we still had a chance of survival because 3 other clubs were doing just as bad as we were. 

Skip forward to last summer and again they do not back "their man".  The board told us we do not have to sell.  Which was true but they omitted half the sentence because they should have said, "We do not have to sell, unless we want to buy".  All the summer signings were bankrolled by the sales of Helveg, Jonson & Svensson and the wages saved on the release of other players.  Work it out, we spent less than we recieved because £150k of Hughes fee is in performance clauses like promotion (money saved there!).  All the other signings like Etuhu have come from the Francis/Ashton monies

Not spending last summer was a real mistake, we went into a season with 4 midfield players and we missed the boat big time.  We were title favourites and were a much more appealing destination for players than we are now.  From a lack of spending in the summer we had to resort to signing short term loan solutions and later to our best player wanting to leave.  Ashton''s leaving was painful for one reason, we could not match his ambitions because as a club we were going nowhere!

I truly believe Worthy''s time is up but I also think the board could have done more to help him, spending money in January is too late unless you are in a good position.  The buys in the winter windows have merely covered over the reality that the board did too little in the summer.

Let the stoning commence!Time [O]

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I`ll ignore the Delia  slight , and lob a pebble at you ! 

The main theme of your arguement  is the board  not giving  enough cash for Nigel to purchase  " key " players   ?     IMO   our bad two seasons  is NOT about   cash !      I watched  the game  against Ipswich  , and  it was boys against men ,  and the boys won with great credit !   their entire team , on that day , can`t have cost  more than  a few thousand quid   .... but they played us off the park  !! 

You tell me why this should be so ?? 

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I think its the "Huckerby factor". 2 years ago they got lucky by some well placed loan signings from Nigel and the lift that that generated and Huckerby signing permanently created some tangible momentum to see us to the title.

Last season they thought they could do the same- see how it goes in the Autumn and then create momentum with a big name signing. It failed.

They have tried it again this time. Cash in on Ashton and hope that Earnshaw creates the same effect. But early signs are not good, and there is simply too much ground to make up this time as well.

I agree with you that they have left it too late in the past two seasons. This means we had to gel a team together twice and then again at each transfer window. Hardly a platform for this much-vaunted "stability".

HOWEVER while we might feel that the timing has been badly thought out, let us not forget that they have at least tried and have actually put significant funds to the manager. This did not happen in the past. Monies from Sutton, Fox, Eadie, Bellamy all disappeared before, now at least we see signs of it being reinvested. That is a very good thing.

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I''m sick to the back teeth Saint with all this hero/saviour rubbish regarding that sacred cow called Delia Smith. She has only LOANED city money, and could I believe, recall her investments anytime.

She glorifies in her position when City are doing well, and vanishes from sight when we''re doing badly. Her ludicrous and stubbon backing of the manager will ultimitly destroy this club.

Her celebrity status is far more important to her I believe, then the club status is. You will gather I don''t like her, and you''d be dead right!.

In the past, whilst seeing through her public image, I have been prepared to go along with the myth giving to her by our star struck supporters. But since her ''infinite devotion'' to a useless manager, I find it hard to justify her even being on the board.

In my opinion, like NW she has to go.

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Everyones entitled to their own opinion Wizard, but perhaps you could suggest who else may have been prepared to have "only LOANED city money" particularly at the time when she was putting her cash in. There are obviously some valid criticisms to be made regarding Delia''s ''reign'' but to simply condemn her involvement outright seems to be very harsh.

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Hi Wiz & Saint C,

Watling ''loaned'' money to the club but ultimately never called in the debt; how many people put money into a football club ever expecting to get it back?  It is entirely possible she will insist on repayment but who really knows?    She is not a saint but we could have far worse owners of the club (tahn, southampton immediately spring to mind).      

SCs key point is whether funds were restricted when the manager needed it.   Basically we will never know but for the prem season it looks possible but for this season I think not.  My personal opinion is that in fact it is the manager who restricted flow of the funds in bothe occassions but that is nothing more than pure speculation.

Last season I think the opinion was that hux, WLY, Leon and sven would be good enough so decided against buying another striker - when it became clear that injuries and ability would limit our goal scoing ability we moved and moved well.  

This summer we made a late bid for Morrison who chose elsewhere indicating a not insubstantial amount was free for the manager butit was not spent, either through choice, not having suitable people to buy or thinking the squad was good enough as was very publically proclaimed.   That last statement does not suggest that Worthy wanted more cash to strengthen a weakened squad that the board were refusing him - recall the pressure he applied to get Hux signed?  There has been none of that since. 

They are merely my views on what has happened.

This board have supported the manager with cash like no other in our clubs history.  Unlike hearts it is not Delia who decides on purchases, choses the tactics or picks the 11.  That is all the managers responsibility.

Delia is a passionate fan who has influence at the club (thats what putting cash into any business gives you) but who, unfortunately for you,  I and many others (not just a mythical minority squit![;)]),  holds a different view on the one key issue the club is facing right now - Is Nigel Worthington the best manager for this club.  

Whether that is delia, the whole board or another owner entirely that balance of power always has and always will lay in the hands of a privileged few, even clubs owned by fans face the same situation. Judging them on whether they are a good or bad board based on whether they agree with your view on one issue is too limiting - even though I agree with you that the best thing for the club is for an amicable parting of ways from Nigel Worthington.  

I am not a ''KTFer'' nor a ''campaigner for the beatification of Delia'' but other than (unacceptably)- delaying a decision  (fiddling while rome burns is too strong as the club will survive NW) beyond my own timescales I am struggling to see what this board has done wrong. 

However I respect both your views and hope you are happy to disagree - and join me in a chant of Worthy Out tonite!

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[quote user="1st Wizard"]

I''m sick to the back teeth Saint with all this hero/saviour rubbish regarding that sacred cow called Delia Smith. She has only LOANED city money, and could I believe, recall her investments anytime.

She glorifies in her position when City are doing well, and vanishes from sight when we''re doing badly. Her ludicrous and stubbon backing of the manager will ultimitly destroy this club.

Her celebrity status is far more important to her I believe, then the club status is. You will gather I don''t like her, and you''d be dead right!.

In the past, whilst seeing through her public image, I have been prepared to go along with the myth giving to her by our star struck supporters. But since her ''infinite devotion'' to a useless manager, I find it hard to justify her even being on the board.

In my opinion, like NW she has to go.

[/quote]

Actually they have cancelled their loans at times mate...  It aint their fault they arent multi billionaires...........................  and hey her celebrity status helps her make more cash she can put into NCFC.  get a grip Wiz...

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I don''t object to Delia & Micky Wynn...........I do object to their 51% foothold in the club though!

They are both business people not football people........Not as bad as Rupert Lowe at Southampton, or that chump of a chairman at Hearts........Delia and Co, think success is financial stability before success in the league......She thought Hamilton was the bee''s knees.........Nuff Said!

It infuriates me that clubs in more serious financial predicaments are currently outperforming us in the league, Leeds, Binners, etc....... The board, maybe need to stop drinking ''de-caf''and wake up to what''s really going on - before we do spiral out of control! When Delia & Co start wearing  personalised tracksuits and start training with the squad at Colney.....be afraid, be very afraid!...... ;~)

I can''t see Neil D, Chairman Roger or Baz Skipper and Co - having ever kicked a tennis ball around a school playground! But, then again?

 

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You have an excuse for your thoughts Saint....it sounds like you have been drinking ( and you can hardly be blamed for that ). Wizard, I''m afarid, has no such excuse. He is just plain deluded. What ails Norwich City has nothing to do with money. There are clubs that have splashed far less about that are showing more passion and determination, and who know how to perform the basics of football. Our board has not been astute and are ultimately responsible for hanging on to Worthington for far too long. For that they are clearly accountable. If Worthy is not fired at the end of this season at the latest then, and only then, would I retract what I have said to Wizard.

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Just to make a point - there are at least, to my knowledge, 15 people living in Norfolk who are worth more than double what Delia & Michael are worth. Not one of them has put any money City''s way and I know 3 of the above are fairly regular guests in the corporate boxes. You do NOT put money into a club like Norwich and expect to recoup massive profits, it just won''t happen.

Give credit where it is due Wiz!

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