Chelsea talking to Webber

[Mello Yello 2,296]

If our Stu gets the gig at Stamford Bridge he'll be under continuous mountain pressure to be successful....

[Google Bot 3,278]

32 minutes ago, Christoph Stiepermann said:

On his replacement I'd actually be okay with Adams, i'm much happier with the thought of him as SD than I was when he was appointed manager.

Personally, I think it would be the end of the current "Top 26" era that we developed with McNally and Webber.  Adams would be great for championship mediocrity but while we're on this step we need to progress forwards and start to bring in fewer, more established players into the mix.

Why I think that is Adams would more easily succumb to the pressure of penny pinching and become a safety in numbers guy.  He's a club man through and through, lacks external experience and that makes it much harder to challenge the board or sell them a dream that you've brought to the table. 

Call it ego, or whatever, But I don't doubt it when Webber thinks he could be sitting in the crowd watching us play in Europe in the future, he's still the "kooky" one at the club - the ideas man.  On the flip, Adams is just too realistic and grounded. 

If we needed someone to steady the club, then yes, he'd be a great replacement.

Edited October 12, 2022 by Google Bot

[Capt. Pants 4,244]

Emi to Chelsea.

Probably nick Gibbs off us as well.  

[Disco Dales Jockstrap 1,891]

TBH, I'm not fussed as to whether he's viewed as a success, failure or somewhere in-between by fellow city fans.

Personally, I think he comes across as a d1ck, so:

1) I won't be sad to see him go.

2) He should be a great fit at Chelsea.

OTBC

[Cliff the Canary 63]

3 hours ago, horsefly said:

He has had to work within a self-funding model that has inevitably made PL survival extremely difficult. The result of the promotions he has helped secure have seen far more millions coming into the club than anyone might consider him to have wasted. He was very astute in his honest and carefully explained ambition to make NCFC a top 26 club. He knew that the self-funding model meant that we would very likely have to build up our cash supplies and squad improvements over a period of promotions and relegations. The only other alternative would have been recklessly to gamble on borrowing multi-millions that could bankrupt the club upon relegation. He has never lied about the limits of his ambitions for the club (limits necessitated by financial reality), and thus I think he will rightly be judged to have very largely met those aspirations. 

This is the perfect! Whilst I’ve been critical of Webber he has been hamstrung by the model he’s had to work! It always amazes me how Norwich fans aim their discontent at Webber, Farke, D Smith et al but the root of our failure is down to the ownership model 

[Capt. Pants 4,244]

Webber's biggest failure is the standard of recruiting when he did have a bit of money to spend vs that when we were scratching around for freebies and the bargain basement.

He clearly did amazing work in improving our infrastructure but I doubt that's what Chelsea are interested in. 

[Big Vince 318]

6 minutes ago, Cliff the Canary said:

This is the perfect! Whilst I’ve been critical of Webber he has been hamstrung by the model he’s had to work! It always amazes me how Norwich fans aim their discontent at Webber, Farke, D Smith et al but the root of our failure is down to the ownership model 

Agreed. And the ownership model is not changing one jot with the boy Attanasio coming in because he has already declared that he is going to sit on the board playing second fiddle to the Socialists. Therefore no upgrade at all on the boy Foulger.

[Ken Hairy 3,773]

So, looks like Joe Shields from Southampton is getting the gig, that does of course mean Southampton would be on the look out. 

[Ian 1,129]

9 minutes ago, Ken Hairy said:

So, looks like Joe Shields from Southampton is getting the gig, that does of course mean Southampton would be on the look out. 

Quick Google indicates Shields would be Head of Recruitment not Sporting Director?

[Capt. Pants 4,244]

6 minutes ago, Ken Hairy said:

So, looks like Joe Shields from Southampton is getting the gig, that does of course mean Southampton would be on the look out. 

No Shields is getting the Director of Recruitment Role. 

Chelsea have a Technical Director, Sporting Director and Director of Recruitment, and a huge salary bill!

Webber would apparently have a more condensed role than he has here.

 

[Ken Hairy 3,773]

Ah my mistake 👍

[Newtopia 517]

8 hours ago, TeemuVanBasten said:

I wouldn't mind Webbers job being essentially split in two and Rob Newman and Grant Holt coming on board for the recruitment side and Neil Adams doing the technical side and academy development etc. 

So have a technical director and a separate recruitment lead. 

That is all a bit nostalgic, I would keep our old player out unless they are genuinely excellent at their jobs.

[littleyellowbirdie 2,551]

Not that I'd imagine him leaving BM any time soon, but hadn't Daniel Farke originally had his eye on being a Sporting Director? 

[A Load of Squit 5,170]

57 minutes ago, Google Bot said:

Personally, I think it would be the end of the current "Top 26" era that we developed with McNally and Webber.  Adams would be great for championship mediocrity but while we're on this step we need to progress forwards and start to bring in fewer, more established players into the mix.

Why I think that is Adams would more easily succumb to the pressure of penny pinching and become a safety in numbers guy.  He's a club man through and through, lacks external experience and that makes it much harder to challenge the board or sell them a dream that you've brought to the table. 

Call it ego, or whatever, But I don't doubt it when Webber thinks he could be sitting in the crowd watching us play in Europe in the future, he's still the "kooky" one at the club - the ideas man.  On the flip, Adams is just too realistic and grounded. 

If we needed someone to steady the club, then yes, he'd be a great replacement.

When did you spend all this time with Neil Adams? Your assessment of his character and motivation seems quite comprehensive. 

[littleyellowbirdie 2,551]

36 minutes ago, A Load of Squit said:

When did you spend all this time with Neil Adams? Your assessment of his character and motivation seems quite comprehensive. 

Quite. One thing we know is that Neil Adams has spent a lot of time with Stuart Webber, so if he does finish up assuming Webber's role then Adam's own attitudes will be consistent with Webber's and the board's aspirations for the club, including Attanassio. 

Also, when Adams joined the club as a player, he joined it in a season where we finished 12th in the Premier League, a year after we'd finished 3rd in the Premier League and had a famous win against Bayern Munich. I've no doubt he'd passionately like to see the club return to the sort of stature it had when he joined. 

Edited October 12, 2022 by littleyellowbirdie

[By Hook or Ian crook 917]

Hopefully we get some compensation for him. I will drive him down there myself should my services be needed 

[Canary Jedi 579]

I wonder where we would be now if Webber had stayed at Huddersfield or gone somewhere else? Yes we’ve yo-yo’d a lot but with that has come financial stability and one of the better squads in the championship. Would this have happened anyway?

[repman 635]

57 minutes ago, Capt. Pants said:

Webber's biggest failure is the standard of recruiting when he did have a bit of money to spend vs that when we were scratching around for freebies and the bargain basement.

He clearly did amazing work in improving our infrastructure but I doubt that's what Chelsea are interested in. 

With the talk of Chelsea looking to institute a multi club group like Red Bull or City, you'd have to think any sporting director at the club which is the senior member of the group would have a pretty big influence over it. That's presumably why Chelsea initially went after a guy from Red Bull. The link to Coritiba shows we are maybe trying to do similar, but Chelsea's ownership has the cash to go and buy a number of clubs globally. 

[mastoola 183]

Webber has been the best thing that has happened to our club in modern times. He has modernised our training facilities and created a modern outlook on how we should act as a top level football club. Anyone who thinks bad of him should look at the performance and money that he has generated in the time he has been here. I for one hopes he doesn't leave the club because it will be a bad day for Norwich City

[Google Bot 3,278]

49 minutes ago, A Load of Squit said:

When did you spend all this time with Neil Adams? Your assessment of his character and motivation seems quite comprehensive. 

His character and motivation was all over canary call for god knows how many years, if you can't get a read on someone after that you've got to be off the spectrum.

He's already too ingrained within the system and has no external experience to bring to the table to advance us in that role. If Webber were to leave I'd be looking for improvement, not a company man to steady the ship for a few season. 

In fact, I don't even think Adams is highlighted for that role.

People need to appreciate that there's a massive difference between assistant and full-time sporting director of a club.  Many are just presuming he would be Webber's successor, and it's dismissive of the assistant job having it's own place and skillset that is more suiting of his perceived character, and also the experience and relationships he has around the club.

99% sure that were Webber to leave, Adams would remain in that role aiding whoever was to replace him.  Because, otherwise we'd be placing a single inexperienced man into what we've already defined to be a two person role. 

It just ain't happening.

Edited October 12, 2022 by Google Bot

[wcorkcanary 4,334]

7 hours ago, Capt. Pants said:

No Shields is getting the Director of Recruitment Role. 

Chelsea have a Technical Director, Sporting Director and Director of Recruitment, and a huge salary bill!

Webber would apparently have a more condensed role than he has here.

 

Ideal man to go in somewhere, tell em where they're going wrong, make ruthless changes and save money within the Club.

Dunno if ld let him loose with 3 or 4 hundred million in the next transfer window though.

[AJ 1,222]

2 hours ago, wcorkcanary said:

Ideal man to go in somewhere, tell em where they're going wrong, make ruthless changes and save money within the Club.

Dunno if ld let him loose with 3 or 4 hundred million in the next transfer window though.

Why? He's tried to buy players we need that best suit the financial position of the club. Those early years remember we literally had to sell players to have anything to spend. Due to financial constraints these have always had to be educated guesses to a point, but in this time he's unearthed a whole host of players who have done well here, not least Pukki and Buendia, but Vrancic, Stiepermann and Argos. Sargent and Nunes look to have potential too. Tim Krul and Gibson to a point as well, Olly Skipp can be included in that too. Unfortunately Bexit made that job a lot more tricky, and accompanied with others noticing our success in the German market has raised their player values so we've had to look elsewhere with perhaps more mixed success. 

At Chelsea he wouldn't have that problem, he'll have a whole host of scouts at this disposal, and obviously a lot more money. If he can still unearth gems and do a brilliant job on a shoestring budget, imagine what he can do with actual money on the table. There's no doubt he would do an excellent job there, especially as they like snapping up talented young kids. 

Norwich will sorely miss him when he's gone. 

Edited October 13, 2022 by AJ

[A Load of Squit 5,170]

9 hours ago, Google Bot said:

His character and motivation was all over canary call for god knows how many years, if you can't get a read on someone after that you've got to be off the spectrum.

He's already too ingrained within the system and has no external experience to bring to the table to advance us in that role. If Webber were to leave I'd be looking for improvement, not a company man to steady the ship for a few season. 

In fact, I don't even think Adams is highlighted for that role.

People need to appreciate that there's a massive difference between assistant and full-time sporting director of a club.  Many are just presuming he would be Webber's successor, and it's dismissive of the assistant job having it's own place and skillset that is more suiting of his perceived character, and also the experience and relationships he has around the club.

99% sure that were Webber to leave, Adams would remain in that role aiding whoever was to replace him.  Because, otherwise we'd be placing a single inexperienced man into what we've already defined to be a two person role. 

It just ain't happening.

His stint on Canary Call ended in 2014.

Since then he's coached a team to win the most prestigious trophy available for them to win.

Defined the role of Loans Manager so well that other clubs use it as their model.

Worked along side the current SD which has meant he's been involved in all that is related to transfer windows, etc.

He's not inexperienced, he's seen more in his time in football than many other SD's, working with Webber has also meant he has been able to learn from one the games highly rated SD's.

The SD manages a team so he wouldn't be a 'single man', he would head up a team, and if he was given the role I would imagine they would recruit an assistant to maintain the continuity. 

[littleyellowbirdie 2,551]

I wonder if there's an external appointment out there, very popular at the club, who knows the club inside out who might be interested. 

Busy with another job at the moment, but I doubt there's huge urgency to replace. 

Edited October 13, 2022 by littleyellowbirdie

[Capt. Pants 4,244]

By all means give Adams the opportunity to apply for the role, but the benchmark for the successful applicant should be Stuart Webber not Adams.

We have to widen the net and consider external applicants, it's too good an opportunity not to. 

[littleyellowbirdie 2,551]

Oh God, here we go again: Why do people have to be so negative about somebody before they've even started? Adams wasn't given a fair crack of the whip as manager because people were so quick to sneer at him, regardless of his outstanding FA Youth Cup win, but were ready to accept a youth manager from Germany without too much fuss. Seems to me it's a case the grass is always greener on the other side. 

I've said it before, but when Adams first got involved in Norwich he came as a Premier League player to a Premier League club that had just finished third in the Premier League. With that as his first experience, I don't see that there's any reason to believe that he somehow supports mediocrity at the club; if he did, I have no idea why a man of Webber's aggressive ambition would have taken him on as his assistant in the first place. 

Not to say I'm against an external appointment either if it's the right fit, but Adams doesn't deserve this sort of derision. 

 

Edited October 13, 2022 by littleyellowbirdie

[A Load of Squit 5,170]

12 minutes ago, Capt. Pants said:

By all means give Adams the opportunity to apply for the role, but the benchmark for the successful applicant should be Stuart Webber not Adams.

We have to widen the net and consider external applicants, it's too good an opportunity not to. 

Agree 100%, don't dismiss Adams and put him in the 'assistant' role permanently.

Be careful with that 'benchmark for the successful applicant should be Stuart Webber' comment as some people don't think he's been successful. 😀

[Robert N. LiM 4,378]

55 minutes ago, littleyellowbirdie said:

I wonder if there's an external appointment out there, very popular at the club, who knows the club inside out who might be interested. 

Busy with another job at the moment, but I doubt there's huge urgency to replace. 

Be still my beating heart

[canarycop 206]

Wasn't Rob Newman at a City game a little while back. He could be a good appointment should Webber leave. Experience at West Ham and may be up for a new challenge as a Sporting Director as opposed to current head of recruitment role.

[Bonzo 198]

15 hours ago, A Load of Squit said:

What commercial experience does the SD require? Isn't that Sam Jeffery's job?

 

Sam Jeffrey's job is responsible for all revenue generating areas of the club i.e. ticket sales, sponsorship and the commercial operations related to the ground. The Sporting Director is responsible for budgeting and planning for all player related commercial activities such as negotiation of player contracts signing players and so on (spending the money or most of it).

 The Sporting Director is also a pretty big beast in the context of his or her responsibility in facing off to the owners and Directors of the business. It is a board level position. The daily activities will entail commercially related discussions with Board members. This person needs to be on a par with a commercially astute Board member in order to have any credibility in the role.