Feeling apathetic

[Badger 2,405]

Sorry to be positive but looking forwards to the new season. I hope that we will push for promotion after we settle down a bit but even if we don't I am sure that I will enjoy this season more than last year! I can understand the disappointment at last year's performance which was the worst in my 50+ going to matches and I am sure that some will not return.

People losing interest isn't a new thing though - it it quite normal. I am still in touch with loads of the people that I used to go matches with in the 1970s and hardly any of them go now - they just dropped out over the years as "life" (careers/ family) got in the way or interest just declined. I think that it is a good thing that those who have lost their passion for the club stop going as it allows renewal with newer fans with a new enthusiasm to replace them.

We will have better times ahead and we will also have worse times ahead as well - I don't know when they will be but health permitting, I will be there to see both.

[horsefly 4,300]

Last season was a massive let down, and instantly forgettable (If only!). So I suppose it's no surprise that many feel very disappointed after Saturday.  However, perhaps a broader perspective might help engender a  little positivity. The vast majority of football teams in the country exist outside of the PL and don't stand the slightest chance of ever getting close to such heights. For the fans of those clubs, aspirations to be sloshing around the lower leagues in the EFL is about the best for which they can realistically hope. The fact that we support a club for whom the aspiration to become established in the PL is now transformed into an expectation that it should do so, is something that for many fans would be pure fantasy. Justified or not, that expectation brings with it a heightened sense of grievance when it is not realised. But it is always worth reminding yourself what it must be like to be a die hard fan of Walsall (etc).

[Canarywary 106]

I feel similar to the OP and others.

Maybe if this US investment comes to something it will give us all a bit more optimism about the possibility of staying up if we manage promotion this season? Knowing that we'd have a bit more in the bank to spend on players upon promotion, it would change how we felt about it all? Meanwhile, I am quite excited to see us with some of these new midfielders.

[Hank shoots Skyler 2,094]

47 minutes ago, Badger said:

Sorry to be positive but looking forwards to the new season. I hope that we will push for promotion after we settle down a bit but even if we don't I am sure that I will enjoy this season more than last year! I can understand the disappointment at last year's performance which was the worst in my 50+ going to matches and I am sure that some will not return.

People losing interest isn't a new thing though - it it quite normal. I am still in touch with loads of the people that I used to go matches with in the 1970s and hardly any of them go now - they just dropped out over the years as "life" (careers/ family) got in the way or interest just declined. I think that it is a good thing that those who have lost their passion for the club stop going as it allows renewal with newer fans with a new enthusiasm to replace them.

We will have better times ahead and we will also have worse times ahead as well - I don't know when they will be but health permitting, I will be there to see both.

I do think there is a difference between growing out of it due to life commitments and just losing touch with the direction of the club at this moment in time. The fact these thoughts are coming from posters on a Norwich City forum clearly demonstrates this. I still have a desire to follow and see the club succeed, its just difficult to get super-excited when you're no longer on board with the vision or can't see what they can build towards in the near future. That won't stop me supporting on a matchday its just an underlying feeling, last season was a bit of an existential crisis wasn't it?

I think if you asked all the people who feel a bit of a lack of passion right now to step aside then they'd be a hell of a lot of empty seats at Carrow Road... but I'm sure people will start to feel better if we can start stringing some good results together, particularly if the new signings can reinvigorate the central midfield (the biggest failing of last season) and give us some new hopes of possible competence in the PL. 

[hogesar 9,672]

Football's definitely different if this forum is anything to go by, but I'm not sure it's the case for most fans in the ground, thankfully.

When I started hardcore attending matches at 14 or so, and into my late teens with friends, I have to say we didn't give a t*ss about the "vision" of the board, who our Sporting Director was or anything. We went to go and watch a match of football and hopefully our team would win. IF we didn't win we'd moan about everything that was wrong then go back next week or travel to Swansea as if all the faults we'd mentioned the week before were irrelevant.

I like discussing the details on here but ultimately I like to go and watch football. I like the matchday experience and I like the social aspects that go along with it. Unless our owners / board / manager are destroying the longevity or existence of the football club it won't stop me going to matches and enjoying them.

[TheGunnShow 5,940]

When teams lack confidence, many fans lack passion. If we were to win four or five on the spin now, it would be a totally different ball game.

We just have to hope and to keep on keeping on.

[Hank shoots Skyler 2,094]

1 minute ago, hogesar said:

Football's definitely different if this forum is anything to go by, but I'm not sure it's the case for most fans in the ground, thankfully.

When I started hardcore attending matches at 14 or so, and into my late teens with friends, I have to say we didn't give a t*ss about the "vision" of the board, who our Sporting Director was or anything. We went to go and watch a match of football and hopefully our team would win. IF we didn't win we'd moan about everything that was wrong then go back next week or travel to Swansea as if all the faults we'd mentioned the week before were irrelevant.

I like discussing the details on here but ultimately I like to go and watch football. I like the matchday experience and I like the social aspects that go along with it. Unless our owners / board / manager are destroying the longevity or existence of the football club it won't stop me going to matches and enjoying them.

I do agree with you there. As I said, it won't stop me supporting on a matchday its just an underlying feeling. The forum is the place to think a bit more deeply about the direction of the club and the bigger picture, the matchday experience will always be about getting behind and hopefully seeing the team win.

IMO people on here (not applying this to you by the way) often confuse the state of the match thread or the negativity of posts with the actual support on the pitch. Generally our fans are pretty great on a matchday and I'd wager that there are plenty of fans singing and cheering in the stands who then share similar negative or apathetic sentiments about the club's wider position. 

[king canary 7,606]

1 hour ago, Hank shoots Skyler said:

I do think there is a difference between growing out of it due to life commitments and just losing touch with the direction of the club at this moment in time. The fact these thoughts are coming from posters on a Norwich City forum clearly demonstrates this. I still have a desire to follow and see the club succeed, its just difficult to get super-excited when you're no longer on board with the vision or can't see what they can build towards in the near future. That won't stop me supporting on a matchday its just an underlying feeling, last season was a bit of an existential crisis wasn't it?

I think if you asked all the people who feel a bit of a lack of passion right now to step aside then they'd be a hell of a lot of empty seats at Carrow Road... but I'm sure people will start to feel better if we can start stringing some good results together, particularly if the new signings can reinvigorate the central midfield (the biggest failing of last season) and give us some new hopes of possible competence in the PL. 

I sit in a bit of a weird middle ground that life has certainly taken me away from Norwich City (my dad, who I attended with since I was 13 passed away and I've no desire to go on my own, kids, money etc etc) and I do think it easier to keep the excitement if you go to games. I certainly wouldn't have drifted in this same way if life had moved in different directions.

I do think my apathy is largely aimed at football as a whole. I just find myself struggling to connect with a competition that is so driven by money and I also don't get the reflective pride some do from supporting a club trying to do things differently. It just leaves me a bit cold. It isn't the clubs fault but we're caught in no mans land and it is tough to see that changing. 

[Badger 2,405]

1 hour ago, Hank shoots Skyler said:

I do think there is a difference between growing out of it due to life commitments and just losing touch with the direction of the club at this moment in time.

There is a difference, I agree, but the motivation is connected. Most of us have family/ career  concerns at some time in our lives, but some carry on going to matches whilst others don't. This not unusual - it is part of a natural turnover of fans. My Dad stopped going regularly when Ron Saunders was manager - he said that he couldn't stand the style of football, but having 4 kids (3 including myself under 10) was certainly part of it. He started going again after retirement.

Other fans/ friends I used to go with have stopped going after previously being passionate - there are a variety of reasons - several stopped going when seating was made compulsory + some stopped with previous relegations + the whole Chase thing. It is harder to maintain your motivation if things aren't going well + you have a lot of other commitments in your life. It is natural for people to want to rationalise this in some way to explain why they have lost their passion, but the reality is that it is just life becomes more complicated and they don't want to do it anymore - they find that they can take their pleasure in other ways.

For all the apathy and negativity that we see on twitter and message boards, I think that Carrow Road will be pretty full on Saturday and those that stop going will be replaced by others who have more enthusiasm.

[Badger 2,405]

59 minutes ago, king canary said:

I sit in a bit of a weird middle ground that life has certainly taken me away from Norwich City (my dad, who I attended with since I was 13 passed away and I've no desire to go on my own, kids, money etc etc) and I do think it easier to keep the excitement if you go to games. I certainly wouldn't have drifted in this same way if life had moved in different directions.

I do think my apathy is largely aimed at football as a whole. I just find myself struggling to connect with a competition that is so driven by money and I also don't get the reflective pride some do from supporting a club trying to do things differently. It just leaves me a bit cold. It isn't the clubs fault but we're caught in no mans land and it is tough to see that changing. 

You might find as you get older you end up going with your kids! It is certainly something that helped maintain my passion as did living away from Norwich for most of my career - the fortnightly pilgrimages to Carrow road were more than just going to a football match + living in London made away games easier!

The money thing has been cited by some of my friends as well as yourself and others on here, but if you look at the data, football is more popular now than it has ever been. In the last year of the old First division City's average attendance was 13,858 . The "season of glory" when we finished third, we had an average attendance of 16,154!

[Capt. Pants 4,234]

Very much looking forward to Wigan, and hopefully seeing us win.

The overall social/matchday experience is great for me and from that perspective matters little about form or which Division we're in.

I can fully understand why some who can't enjoy a similar experience are feeling a bit deflated at the moment as that exciting journey we were on with Farke has ended and we haven't really started a new one, yet.

 

[......and Smith must score. 1,343]

On 01/08/2022 at 11:49, hogesar said:

I'll be in Italy yet genuinely slightly gutted at missing the match!

Can anyone be slightly gutted ? 🤨

I genuinely think you'll have more fun where you'll be than you would watching 90 mins of Smith-ball 

[Nexus_Canary 1,016]

Yup total apathy. First time in over 15 years. 
I feel worse now than I did under Chris Hoooootan.

Smith just does not give me any faith at all. His appointment was totally underwhelming. I feel like I am waiting for him to be fired to get behind his successor as I am certain we will not achieve under him.

[......and Smith must score. 1,343]

5 minutes ago, Capt. Pants said:

Very much looking forward to Wigan, and hopefully seeing us win.

The overall social/matchday experience is great for me and from that perspective matters little about form or which Division we're in.

I can fully understand why some who can't enjoy a similar experience are feeling a bit deflated at the moment as that exciting journey we were on with Farke has ended and we haven't really started a new one, yet.

 

Admire your optimism but following NCFC for me right now feels very flat and a bit meh.

All those hammerings last season knocked most of the spirit out of me and I feel it's going to take some time to get the mojo back, especially under this manager.

That said two or three wins usually puts a different complexion on things but they need to come pretty sharpish or the manager will find the natives howling at his door.

[1902 1,167]

Im pretty apathetic too, though I'm having that experience with sport in general if I'm honest. 

I'm a massive cricket fan as well as a football fan, and it also doesn't have the same appeal to me as it once did. Sorry to those of you who hate the game, but I'll have a rant about it just to explain my systematic frustration with the world of sport. 

I have seen the joys of cricket completely degraded by the IPL, the decisions of the big three and domestically by the short term obsessions of the ECB. A non-sensical county calendar which changes year in year out with an absolute Micky mouse tournament for made up teams is interrupted by a money flashing contest for Bollywood stars and media moguls whilst international cricket basically becomes a conduit to stuffing the calendar with as many ashes series as is possible. It's just money, money, money. 

Football has always had this element but it's getting worse and I hate to see fans of my club rip into each other for systematic problems caused by the influx of every dodgier money. Every time I see a PSG shirt it just makes me sick to my stomach, and to see Newcastle escape a relégation fight last year through the same willy waving contest from the Middle East's strategic rivals made me almost give up.

Norwich's failure to compete seems pre-ordained unless we join the charade and that's depressing as all hell.

[corbs 147]

I’ve felt for many years that there is just too much top level sport. It’s a cash cow, and it’s mercilessly milked. Sometimes less is more. It’s all beamed into our living rooms and bars constantly. I’ve lost count of how many versions of cricket there are. A rugby match v the Oz used to be a special occasion for instance- not now. I used to love watching Sportsnight with Coleman, supporting the English teams in Europe, against exotic Italian defenders. Now, there is nothing but over familiarity. Also, one goes into a pub, big game on, fans of the global franchise playing are not even watching, as if we all have attention deficit disorder. I know, jumpers for goal posts and all that….

[Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm Flailing Tube Man 3,820]

10 hours ago, paddycanary said:

Puglia has been on my hitlist for years. I met a couple years ago and (if memory serves) they told me about a mid-August festival where they build straw effigies/characters on the beaches and light them at dusk followed by a party all night. Sounds like my cup of tea! If that's correct, should be coming up soon.

That would be San Lorenzo on August 10. The authorities nowadays have banned burning things on the beaches and there are heavy fines for anyone caught, but most years my friends and I went to the beach all night with pizza and beer and stayed there until sunrise. 

[littleyellowbirdie 2,550]

It's a good thing;I think slightly depressed and despondent fans will probably motivate the squad to try harder than angry ranty fans. 

Edited August 2, 2022 by littleyellowbirdie

[littleyellowbirdie 2,550]

7 hours ago, 1902 said:

Im pretty apathetic too, though I'm having that experience with sport in general if I'm honest. 

I'm a massive cricket fan as well as a football fan, and it also doesn't have the same appeal to me as it once did. Sorry to those of you who hate the game, but I'll have a rant about it just to explain my systematic frustration with the world of sport. 

I have seen the joys of cricket completely degraded by the IPL, the decisions of the big three and domestically by the short term obsessions of the ECB. A non-sensical county calendar which changes year in year out with an absolute Micky mouse tournament for made up teams is interrupted by a money flashing contest for Bollywood stars and media moguls whilst international cricket basically becomes a conduit to stuffing the calendar with as many ashes series as is possible. It's just money, money, money. 

Football has always had this element but it's getting worse and I hate to see fans of my club rip into each other for systematic problems caused by the influx of every dodgier money. Every time I see a PSG shirt it just makes me sick to my stomach, and to see Newcastle escape a relégation fight last year through the same willy waving contest from the Middle East's strategic rivals made me almost give up.

Norwich's failure to compete seems pre-ordained unless we join the charade and that's depressing as all hell.

Completely agree with the sentiment here; this is why I'm okay with fun seasons in the Championship with the odd miserable season in the Premier League to fill up the coffers. If we do get a foothold in the Premier League without selling out then that's a bonus. 

One of the nice things about the women's football is it hasn't been consumed by greed yet. 

Edited August 2, 2022 by littleyellowbirdie

[Greavsy 2,414]

10 minutes ago, littleyellowbirdie said:

It's a good thing;I think slightly depressed and despondent fans will probably motivate the squad to try harder than angry ranty fans. 

Get that drum in........job done

[Harry53 209]

On 01/08/2022 at 12:56, hogesar said:

Don't leave until Friday hence missing the first home game but Capri is on the list! 🙂

I wasn't given much choice, one of my friends is Italian and has lived in the UK for 8 years now, and when I said we wanted to go to Italy he was keen on making sure we went southern!

 

Herculaneum is well worth a visit. 

 

[hogesar 9,672]

11 minutes ago, Harry53 said:

Herculaneum is well worth a visit. 

 

Thanks! Will take a look.

[essex canary 496]

 

 

21 hours ago, king canary said:

I do think my apathy is largely aimed at football as a whole. I just find myself struggling to connect with a competition that is so driven by money and I also don't get the reflective pride some do from supporting a club trying to do things differently. It just leaves me a bit cold. It isn't the clubs fault but we're caught in no mans land and it is tough to see that changing. 

The bulk of the problem is with football as a whole and that isn't the Clubs fault. 

The Club hasn't exactly gone out of its way though to promote the concept of we are all in this together with its family niches in the Boardroom and Executive Team. That lies at its door.

On the pitch Smith and Shakey haven't had a fair crack of the whip yet and it is perfectly possible to get a result on Saturday.

[Badger 2,405]

12 hours ago, hogesar said:

Thanks! Will take a look.

Don't forget Pompeii!

+ There are some "interesting" roads - not great if you don't like heights. I took the train everywhere last time I went + car hire abroad is very expensive atm.

Edited August 3, 2022 by Badger
clarified sentence

[Badger 2,405]

32 minutes ago, essex canary said:

The bulk of the problem is with football as a whole and that isn't the Clubs fault. 

 

Some certainly think so, yet football is more popular than it has ever been* judging by attendances.

* Well, since the 40s/ and 50s.

[sgncfc 1,227]

I'm never apathetic. I pretend to be sometimes when it hurts too much - like most of last season - and I am able to rationalise the Cardiff result as insignificant in the big scheme of things, but never apathetic.

I do think the older generation is beginning to turn off the EPL. Those of us who like "football" are much more inclined to the EFL and perhaps now also the women's game, which is much more like the competitive and normal game we are happy with.

I've just read that Phil Foden has signed a new long term contract on a basic £225,000 a week. He's a decent player but £11.7m a year for a 22 year old, inconsistent, sometimes England player...…just how much would George Best be earning in today's game?

The EFL is at least just about still in touch with itself - though they are following a similar path. 

I dream of a salary cap to give us our game back.

[Badger 2,405]

2 minutes ago, sgncfc said:

I dream of a salary cap to give us our game back.

The proposals limiting football expenditure (amortisation and wages) to 70% would limit wages (whilst also ensuring that owners get a good profit 😉). Given that they have passed UEFA, I'd have thought that they are likely to be passed in English football too.

[essex canary 496]

1 hour ago, Badger said:

Some certainly think so, yet football is more popular than it has ever been* judging by attendances.

* Well, since the 40s/ and 50s.

Commonality in terms of troubled times. When we reach the position that the likes of Pompey can again win the League, we will have turned the corner.

 

[Robert N. LiM 4,350]

On 01/08/2022 at 12:51, hogesar said:

But one of those title wins were behind closed doors too which is partially why I think fans felt such a lack of attachment even going into the Prem season last. Dowell for example was excellent at that tail end of the championship season but I have no affinity to him, despite number 10's typicaly being my favourite type of player to watch, because I wasn't there for most of it.

Yup. Saw a good post on Twitter along these lines, that because of the 20-21 season being behind closed doors, it's essentially been wall-to-wall misery at Carrow road since the Blackburn promotion game (he obviously forgot the Man City win, but the point stands).

Seems to me that match-going supporters feel a bit like punch-bags at the moment ("someone make it stop!"). But a run of decent results/performances will soon get the interest back.

That said, I thoroughly agree with @1902's excellent post about the cricket. The utter pointlessness of top-level sport is always there in the background, no matter how much a beautiful through-ball from Emi Buendia or Keira Walsh might make you forget it for a while.

 

[Unhinged Canary 375]

On 02/08/2022 at 10:58, TheGunnShow said:

When teams lack confidence, many fans lack passion. If we were to win four or five on the spin now, it would be a totally different ball game.

We just have to hope and to keep on keeping on.

Fellow Porter?