Webber interview with the times

[GJL Mid-Norfolk Canary 1,735]

Comes across as if he's doing us a favour by being here. Intimating that he's happy to walk away at any moment and do something else.

Strikes me a man who thinks his work is done here and can do no more. Don't think his heart is fully in it.

[Disco Dales Jockstrap 1,891]

22 minutes ago, Mello Yello said:

I suggest those that support our DoF and his 'ascent of man' ventures, should attend today's game wearing a carabiner in a belt loop. There'll be at least a baker's dozen showing their admiration and support to 'Our Stu'.....'Oh yeah'....

 "Onwards and Upwards!".....

One gif that sums up our season:

The attempted climb...the fall...the parachute payments.

OTBC

[yellowrider120 761]

2 hours ago, king canary said:

If people who moaned he should do an interview were moaning about him doing an interview then sure it would be a contradiction but it isn't.

Personally I think this is awful PR and he comes across as extremely arrogant. I'm not sure after a year of failing miserably at my job I'd pull the 'I don't want to be here but I've been begged to stay you're all lucky to have me you ungrateful swines. Oh also I'm only giving 90%' card.

I agree - typical Webber 'shoot from the hip' arrogance. Truly nauseating how the old codgers at the top 'begged' him to stay! NCFC is truly a laughing stock and it's the way the Board operate that is the major problem.  

[Worthy Nigelton 1,037]

1 hour ago, chicken said:

Did they oppose McNally sacking Gunn? Clearly not. They certainly didn't get in the way did they?

Yes, results did Hamilton, but again, they still got rid.

And Worthington's departure, still sits uncomfortably with some of the support as well. One of the best managers we have had in the last 25yrs. In many ways he worked with a lot less than Farke was given to work with. And came incredibly close to keeping us in the premier league with one of the oldest squads assembled on a shoestring of freebies, cheap buys and Huckerby, with an additional Ashton when he was allowed to sign him.

It doesn't at all fit with your agenda, sorry, argument.

I was a huge Worthy fan but to say he worked with less than Farke had is simply not true. Farke's team was made up of freebies and untested foreigners whilst selling the crown jewels. Worthy signed Crouch, Harper and in Huckerby, a player we all knew was the best player in that league by an absolute country mile. He was so much better than everyone else at the time it was ridiculous. Worthy got backed more than Farke, to argue otherwise is simply untrue.

[FenwayFrank 2,457]

People are cherry picking which parts of the interview they want to quote, for a bit a balance here’s another one

 

If someone wants to criticise me for doing two hours in the gym at 5.30am I’ll take that all day. If someone wants to criticise me for going on a run at 10pm, bring it on. I’d never do a climb at a time when it’s business critical.

[chicken 2,604]

2 minutes ago, Worthy Nigelton said:

I was a huge Worthy fan but to say he worked with less than Farke had is simply not true. Farke's team was made up of freebies and untested foreigners whilst selling the crown jewels. Worthy signed Crouch, Harper and in Huckerby, a player we all knew was the best player in that league by an absolute country mile. He was so much better than everyone else at the time it was ridiculous. Worthy got backed more than Farke, to argue otherwise is simply untrue.

Crouch wasn't the player he became at that point, he was young, and he was only on loan until Christmas. Harper was pretty similar. Huckerby was a real coup.

However, to say Farke relied upon freebies is an absolute joke. Stiepermann, Vrancic, Leitner, Hernandez - all cost around £1m or more. Hanley was £3m.

You compare promotion sides and I think you'll find Worthington's was the one that cost a lot less, even with inflation taken into account. Especially if you consider players he himself signed. We already had Fleming and Mackay, for example. 

[GodlyOtsemobor 2,248]

'We give 90%, we give 90%'! 

'We're Norwich City, We give 90%'! 

[Rock The Boat 1,325]

40 minutes ago, Jambomo said:

Fans are crazy sometimes. Where does this idea come from that we somehow own these people?

You see it when players have outside interests and are seen doing other things “Well they should be training/focusing on the club instead” etc etc as though people can’t have outside interests or hobbies like other people that keep them having normal lives.

Webber is an employee of the club, not of the fans. Just because we buy tickets and merchandise, or show up on match day, doesn’t mean we are buying the bloke. He gets paid for bringing his skills and experience, not for his whole existence.

If the club weren’t happy with his work, or that things would be suitably managed whilst he’s away, then he wouldn’t be going.

I also don’t agree with the point that other companies wouldn’t support this. If one of my team came to me wanting to do a challenge like this then I’d do all I could to support them. You have to help your staff reach their goals in life if you can, then they remain happy and productive people who are happy to stay working with you.

I used to ask my staff a simple question: "Who pays your salaries?"

They looked at me quizzically: "HR?", "Finance department?", "CEO?" were some of the typical replies I got.

"No, you are all wrong. It is our customers that pay our salaries. If they don't buy our products, we have no job and no salary. Remember this"

Ultimately, Webber is accountable to the fans whether they are season ticket holders, restaurant goers or merchandise purchasers. And yes, if you are in the top job, you do have to devote yourself because you have ultimate responsibility to all your employees and their families. 90% is not enough. That's why people in the top job are so well paid.

[A Load of Squit 5,134]

2 minutes ago, Rock The Boat said:

I used to ask my staff a simple question: "Who pays your salaries?"

They looked at me quizzically: "HR?", "Finance department?", "CEO?" were some of the typical replies I got.

 

How did you end up employing such stupid people?

 

[CirclePoint 200]

4 hours ago, Cantiaci Canary said:

Personally, I'm happy to stick with SW and let him do things in his unconventional way ... until we end up in an equal or worse place to where we were when he arrived.

His arrival has brought with it two EFL titles, Pukki/Buendia/Krul/Vrancic/Rashica etc., a clearing of the debts, a dragging of the facilities into the 21st century, an awesome academy with an army of prospects and the minimum expectation to at the very least always be a major contender for a trophy lift.

There's more to life than work. If he has an ambition to climb Everest and raise money for a worthy cause then we should be flexible and generous enough to support him ... especially if he has shown to the owners that it won't dent the progress of Norwich City F.C.

Sure, we all wanted to survive in the Prem this time or at least look more competitive but the circumstances of 21st century football and the size of Norwich's punch always made that a tough challenge - very few fans on here thought we would finish higher than 17th in August - despite expecting the signings to be better than they were.

Give the guy a break - yes, familiarity breeds contempt but he's done a very good job here that a lot of fans from similar sized (and bigger!) clubs remain envious of.

I hear what you are saying and I agree with  you on what Webber has done for NCFC 100%. He has rebuilt the club in a manner that is sustainable and attractive to players and staff in it’s own way. However, how can you disregard his comment of:

“I’m already ready to walk out the door. I’m ready for the next stage of my life.”

My feeling is Webber has done all he can do. His heart is no longer in it and he has signaled to the footballing world that his head is turnable.

What player is going to sign for a club who’s footballing director has openly said he has one foot out the door? The stability of the club is now in question.

When will 90% become 80%, or 75%? Or, sorry, can’t make the meeting on Monday because I have a phone call with my Sherpa?

Delia & Co should find the courage to say thank you and find the next person to build on the growth Webber has begun, rather than wait for it to crumble back to what it was before making a change.

Don’t get me wrong, I think Webber has worked wonders. But, his comments, combined with NCFCs current league position, do provoke the question:

Was Farke the right one to go, or should it have been Webber?

Which one was actually 100% committed to the club?

So as much as I acknowledge what Webber has done for NCFC, it’s time for him to clear his desk. If he doesn’t, then the summer transfer window is going to be a circus.

[chicken 2,604]

 

40 minutes ago, Greavsy said:

Webber job is to be the best he can in the role he is paid to do. If successful the fans / board everyone is happy.

We haven't achieved this season, and next year he's putting in 10% less effort.

Football is an entertainment business and he is one of ncfc component parts.

This is very different to "appease" though. 


He isn't there to cave into what fans think is best. Or how they think the best can be achieved. As much as many will believe that to be the case. He will undoubtedly have to make decisions for the best of the club, which fans may feel isn't. A bit like the Dark Knight, he's there to make the decisions we need, not the ones the fans want, so to speak.

We also need to get shot of this "entertainment business" malarkey. It's come from the US who are masters of 'spectator sports'. It makes it sound like WWE wrestling. First and foremost football is a sport, it ranges from amateur to professional (to excess IMHO). If you go and watch a team on a Sunday morning that friends or relatives play for, are you going to be entertained? No.

It always used to be referred to as a "spectator sport", in other words, a sport that is heavily funded by spectators that go to "watch" and "support" their team.

Will we always be "entertained"? No, of course not. Therefore it isn't an entertainment business. It isn't the cinema, or the theatre, or ballet, opera or a gig. It's a sport. When you go to watch boxing, you have no idea whether it will last one round or the full limit. You have no idea. Some are over in a blink of an eye. Some drag out with cautious low punch numbers until a points decision. Both could be deemed to be unentertaining.

It's an attitude that has arrived with Sky and the TV money. "Super Sundays" and all the other rubbish. 

[chicken 2,604]

1 minute ago, A Load of Squit said:

How did you end up employing such stupid people?

Might be worth going to look up management theory x and y. I don't 100% subscribe to it but if you work for large companies, some people genuinely don't care so much about who sorts out the pay roll, just that they get paid at the expected time.

Some people do genuinely have bigger concerns than who actually pushes the button to be paid. Some people just don't have the education or understanding.

Just like there are folks on here, who will have different experiences and apply them to a football club. Not all apply, not all transition well, or compare well. 

[hogesar 9,618]

49 minutes ago, king canary said:

So if the business can function with no issue without him why are the owners apparently begging him to stay when he doesn't want to? What are we paying his sizable salary for?

There's an argument if he's going to take more of a backseat his pay should reflect that but my point was more that I dont see having his knowledge and experience still around the club whilst NA or whoever feels there way into the role as a bad thing.

[chicken 2,604]

16 minutes ago, FenwayFrank said:

People are cherry picking which parts of the interview they want to quote, for a bit a balance here’s another one

 

If someone wants to criticise me for doing two hours in the gym at 5.30am I’ll take that all day. If someone wants to criticise me for going on a run at 10pm, bring it on. I’d never do a climb at a time when it’s business critical.

Stop doing that! You can't actually quote context at people and expect people just to take facts like that?!!

[Disco Dales Jockstrap 1,891]

10 minutes ago, FenwayFrank said:

People are cherry picking which parts of the interview they want to quote, for a bit a balance here’s another one

 

If someone wants to criticise me for doing two hours in the gym at 5.30am I’ll take that all day. If someone wants to criticise me for going on a run at 10pm, bring it on. I’d never do a climb at a time when it’s business critical.

But nobody is, has or will criticise him if those things are completed in his own time, which the gym and run appear to be. Many people do those things and it doesn't impact on their job role. He's trying to create a false disagreement about things that people aren't really going to say sh1t about. 

I don't think it's much to ask that a Sporting Director, who is paid very well by our club, gives 100% to his job role. That's the least we would expect from the players isn't it? Should we really expect less from Webber? 

OTBC

 

[CirclePoint 200]

“I’m already ready to walk out the door. I’m ready for the next stage of my life.’ But they wanted me to stay and I’m incredibly grateful to them for that.”

How nonsensical is this comment?

That’s like saying, “I was ready to walk out on my wife for the next relationship in my life, but she wanted me to stay and I’m incredibly grateful for that.”

 

 

[(Hoola)Han Solo 324]

8 hours ago, vlad666 said:

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/stuart-webber-if-we-lose-im-upset-but-my-life-isnt-to-appease-norwich-fans-dz97jfprq

A few quotes that stuck out to me. 
 

I sleep easy at night because ultimately as I said to Delia and Michael, ‘If 90 per cent of me isn’t enough, it’s fine because I’m already ready to walk out the door. I’m ready for the next stage of my life.’ But they wanted me to stay and I’m incredibly grateful to them for that.

 

Balancing the books is a win. Having good owners is a win. 

That’s why I don’t get angry or upset if we get relegated because I look at it and go, ‘Norwich City and football will go on for ever, long after I’ve disappeared’.”

 

 

 

 

Funny how Webber has gone from wanting to establish us in the Premier League to almost be accepting and be ambivalent towards relegation. Small club mentality controlling the club.

Edited April 23, 2022 by (Hoola)Han Solo

[tea total 79]

5 hours ago, GodlyOtsemobor said:

This, this shows the problem with being a nicey nicey club. No other club in the country would "beg" someone to stay who says they can only offer 90% (and I would bet that is on a good day, most of the time it will be 70%) if it were me I'd have let him walk out the door if he's ready. There's plenty of other people out there who can do his job. 

Plenty of other people that can do his job? Can be hard to find imo. Webbers 90% is way better than Jed Moxey`s 200% for example! It`s not about being a nicely nicely club it`s about being realistic and working within your means. On reading an interview this morning by a reporter who follows Bournemouth saying that if the financial gamble on gaining promotion fails they don`t go up then a lot of their players will leave! Webber may still be up the mountain but 90% of our players will still be here. Which would you rather have?

 

[Indy 3,283]

1 hour ago, chicken said:

First of all, employers have absolutely no right to determine what you do in your own time. They can challenge your performance and professionalism if it is impacting upon your job, and go down that route if needs be. However, it's clearly in his time, so the rest - we simply don't know.

As for taking a break or leave - how do we know that isn't the case? It's one hell of an assumption... 

Also, one thing seemingly not picked up on is that he plans to be in South America in June. Coincidence or taking advantage of being there for work to take a couple of days leave and go climb a mountain etc?

Indeed they do, and most book time off from their 28 days holiday, but generally in busy priods they don’t take time away, January was key time and he’s away for a fortnight! He’s heading to South American in a June I believe to climb another mountain.

I totally agree if it’s in your own time no issues with anything he does, including taking additional holidays, but while at work a man in such a key position should be 100% focused while at work not 90%! After such a ****e season he’s got to be more accountable to those who’s club this is and that’s the fans. He might not really give a **** about this club as it’s just a job the fans do. Yes he’s done a great job to get us where we are, but that’s no reason to lose focus and allow us to go back to where we were.

Not a great interview, in my opinion.

Edited April 23, 2022 by Indy

[chicken 2,604]

11 minutes ago, Disco Dales Jockstrap said:

But nobody is, has or will criticise him if those things are completed in his own time, which the gym and run appear to be. Many people do those things and it doesn't impact on their job role. He's trying to create a false disagreement about things that people aren't really going to say sh1t about. 

I don't think it's much to ask that a Sporting Director, who is paid very well by our club, gives 100% to his job role. That's the least we would expect from the players isn't it? Should we really expect less from Webber? 

OTBC

 

I think the issue is context. Angry people are perceiving this literally means his job. People not so inclined are reading this to mean of his general life focus.

Hard to criticise unless folks know 100% for sure which it is.

Not to mention people have literally been suggesting this is taking up time he is paid to do other things... 

[(Hoola)Han Solo 324]

If he is only 90% here and has ambitions to go mountain climbing, then let him do so and bring in someone with real ambition, drive and commitment to progress us. Almost sounds as though he’s doing us a favour. No one is bigger than Norwich City, and especially a sporting director who completely fu.cked our summer recruitment.

[chicken 2,604]

2 minutes ago, Indy said:

Indeed they do, and most book time off from their 28 days holiday, but generally in busy priods they don’t take time away, January was key time and he’s away for a fortnight! He’s heading to South American in a June I believe to climb another mountain.

I totally agree if it’s in your own time no issues with anything he does, but while at work a man in such a key position should be 100% focused while at work not 90%! After such a ****e season he’s got to be more accountable to those who’s club this is and that’s the fans. He might not really give a **** about this club as it’s just a job the fans do. Yes he’s done a great job to get us where we are, but that’s no reason to lose focus and allow us to go back to where we were.

Not a great interview, in my opinion.

In our heads it's a busy time. In reality, is it?

And again, you are using the token 28 days holiday to suggest he gets the same, or has exceeded it. I suspect though, that like many other people,  he may well be able to earn more holiday through time owed in lieu. Either way, again, we don't have the full picture or all the facts. That never seems to stop some folks wanting to jump to a conclusion.

What do we know? Ever since Webber has arrived at the club, we know that the signing of a player isn't something that happens inside of a week, or two weeks. They scout for long periods of time and watch players for over a season in some cases. Rupp, for example, had been watched for some time and we brought forward his signing.

So in January, it's likely we already knew we weren't going to sign anyone. In fact, I believe we were pretty much told that before the window opened. 

[A Load of Squit 5,134]

5 minutes ago, Indy said:

Indeed they do, and most book time off from their 28 days holiday, but generally in busy priods they don’t take time away, January was key time and he’s away for a fortnight! He’s heading to South American in a June I believe to climb another mountain.

 

"Some people said, ‘You did Kilimanjaro in January.’ Yes, I did, because we had zero funds to sign a player. What am I going to do? Sit in my office for 30 days? When I do Ecuador, it’s in June. When I do Mont Blanc it’s the September international break. When I do the Himalayas it’s during the World Cup.

[Jambomo 215]

24 minutes ago, Rock The Boat said:

I used to ask my staff a simple question: "Who pays your salaries?"

They looked at me quizzically: "HR?", "Finance department?", "CEO?" were some of the typical replies I got.

"No, you are all wrong. It is our customers that pay our salaries. If they don't buy our products, we have no job and no salary. Remember this"

Ultimately, Webber is accountable to the fans whether they are season ticket holders, restaurant goers or merchandise purchasers. And yes, if you are in the top job, you do have to devote yourself because you have ultimate responsibility to all your employees and their families. 90% is not enough. That's why people in the top job are so well paid.

A salary buys you an employees expertise, experience, skills. It does not buy you their whole life.

Webber is accountable to Norwich City FC, if fans stop paying the money then yes, I’d expect them to see that as an issue and act, until that happens things will be as they are now.

All this crying from fans because he is going up a mountain is ridiculous. People, even those at a high level, are allowed to do things outside their core job and if the club are happy with it and the arrangements in place, then I don’t see a reason for fans to be crying about it tbh. It’s **** all to do with us.

[Indy 3,283]

2 minutes ago, A Load of Squit said:

"Some people said, ‘You did Kilimanjaro in January.’ Yes, I did, because we had zero funds to sign a player. What am I going to do? Sit in my office for 30 days? When I do Ecuador, it’s in June. When I do Mont Blanc it’s the September international break. When I do the Himalayas it’s during the World Cup.

June is a key month for setting up signings, the job doesn’t stop for the World Cup! Anyhow it’s not what he’s doing it’s his admission that he’s not focused on his job here and he’s only stayed because he’s been begged to stay even though he’s only giving it 90%….his words, if you’re happy with a man not fully motivated then fine, but it makes me think of how he handled Cantwell and Buendia and our signings maybe if he’d given 100% focus we’d not be so poor!

Like I said it’s all about opinion and for me a very poor interview!

[A Load of Squit 5,134]

3 minutes ago, Indy said:

June is a key month for setting up signings, the job doesn’t stop for the World Cup!

Perhaps you should do his job, you seem to know more about it than he does.

[CirclePoint 200]

20 minutes ago, (Hoola)Han Solo said:

Funny how Webber has gone from wanting to establish us in the Premier League to almost be accepting and be ambivalent towards relegation. Small club mentality controlling the club.

Very good point! 

[canarybubbles 1,915]

4 hours ago, PurpleCanary said:

Posters wanted to hear from Webber and when he gives a long interview they complain that he's got an attitude problem, or should that be an altitude problem...

I normally agree with your posts, Purple, but I can't with this.

1) I accept that it is almost impossible to usefully connect with the fans when we're in the middle of a woefully inadequate season, so it's best to say nothing and wait until the season is over. So why did Webber give this interview now? More pertinently, why did he give it to The Times and not to EDP or PinkUn? It is hard to come up with any other reason other than he thinks he is a very important person who is not answerable to the little people - the NCFC fans. Giving this interview to the PinkUn would have raised hackles and been controversial. Giving it to a national newspaper, and effectively saying that he's ready to walk out at any moment but out of the goodness of his heart he decided to stay, is deeply disrespectful of the fans (and also, incidentally, to Delia and Michael). He clearly thinks we're sh*t.

2) What we wanted to hear about from him was not his mountaineering exploits. I think most of us couldn't give a damn if he goes climbing mountains as long as it doesn't impact on his job at Carrow Road. Frankly, I couldn't give a f*ck if he puts a flag on top of Everest or falls down a crevasse. We wanted, not unreasonably, to know why this season has been an unmitigated disaster from start to finish. As I said, I recognise now might not be the time to talk about this. But neither is it the time to give interviews to a national newspaper about his extra-curricular activities. It is exactly the wrong thing to do.

The fact that he gave this interview in the first place goes a long way to explaining why this season has been such a disaster.

[Ken Hairy 3,760]

I'm more than 90% certain I'm ready for him to walk out of the door too 👍

[Indy 3,283]

10 minutes ago, A Load of Squit said:

Perhaps you should do his job, you seem to know more about it than he does.

Great response! Yes June isn’t important at all, no signings or sales are overseen at such a key point, but we do tend to do our business in August, so good!