"fantastic facilities already in place"

[TeemuVanBasten 3,328]

"There's a real carte blanche to go and do it as I believe is right and you don't get many opportunities like that at big football clubs. To have that opportunity at a club the size of Norwich City, with a Category One Academy, fantastic facilities already in place and a great fanbase is quite unique and I'm very appreciative of that"

- Stuart Webber, April 2017

 

"Our facilities at Colney have to be improved, we have not got a choice,' he said. 'It has to be best in class if we want to attract and attain some of the best players in the world"

- David McNally, November 2015 

 

 

McNally in response to fans who were calling for a Carrow Road expansion. He also intended to prioritise Colney investment over the new City Stand.

 

And yes, I know you tend to go with the PR machine guff when joining a club, but a lot of what existed when Webber walked through the door, including the Category One Academy, was there thanks to McNally making the required investments to secure Category One status.... immediately after taking us to the Premier League, which was as soon as we could afford to do so.

 

Just getting a bit frustrated with the narrative that is all seemingly based upon that time Webber made the "p*ssed up the wall" comments.

 

Edited October 17, 2022 by TeemuVanBasten

[KeiranShikari 1,524]

I remember seeing before and after photos of Colney after the recent development, it was unrecognisable. If it actually was fantastic then we probably shouldn't have spent the best part of £10m quid on it over the last 5 years.

 

 

[TeemuVanBasten 3,328]

8 minutes ago, KeiranShikari said:

I remember seeing before and after photos of Colney after the recent development, it was unrecognisable. If it actually was fantastic then we probably shouldn't have spent the best part of £10m quid on it over the last 5 years.

I don't doubt how good it looks, or that it wasn't needed. Its the main thing I'll give Webber credit for. He did what was needed at Colney, which is what McNally said was needed in his last season.

Its harsh however to criticise McNally for what it looked like before this, when he walked through the door we were a League One side who had to beg banks for a repayment holiday.

Upon promotion to the Premier League various debts were owed in a lump sum. It was astonishing really that McNally took us from League One to Category One Academy Status in less than three years. 

Edited October 17, 2022 by TeemuVanBasten

[A Load of Squit 6,260]

What existed when Webber walked through the door was portakabins.

"A gym that was shoehorned into a conservatory. An ageing squad. Portacabins aplenty at Colney"

https://www.pinkun.com/sport/norwich-city/canaries-ncfc-stuart-webber-new-deal-analysis-8509624

 

 

[chicken 3,087]

You were arguing this in another thread and have taken it to a new thread... where are folks to respond? A bit excessive IMHO.

Having driven past Colney a few times on the way to visit family over the last few years, I can definitely say it has changed exponentially. I think it's also fair to say that the academy wasn't really an integrated part of "a system" back then either. It was there, we did enough to retain the category A, which is incredibly important for us as I believe it expands our reach and our appeal. As the basic 90min rule covers a lot of sea and rural countryside, it's deadly important.

One of the things Webber has done is to integrate it all and unify it. All the facilities have become much better. I believe the youth teams have dedicated pitches now, whereas before, they didn't.

I don't think you have to take away from either person. McNally was perhaps constrained with money and facing the choice of players for the team Vs minimum money to get cat A (now cat 1) over the line. That said, Webber didn't see it that way and saw investment in Colney and the academy facilities as important to how this club could run.

And in that sense, he has done well. People largely have said they wouldn't take the Murphey's back, between them we got £20m+. Not bad for two relatively unproven Championship wingers. As much as they may have been here under McNally's tenure, there is a process that wasn't really happening before Webber arrived. In fact, it could well be argued that if it wasn't for Neil Adams becoming manager, the Murphey's may not have been put into the position of being used regularly. It certainly sped their introduction to the first team squad along with some of the others from that Youth FA Cup triumph. Carlton Morris and Harry Toffolo two others.

It was one thing fairly challenged by fans for a number of years up to that point. 

[TeemuVanBasten 3,328]

2 hours ago, A Load of Squit said:

What existed when Webber walked through the door was portakabins.

"A gym that was shoehorned into a conservatory. An ageing squad. Portacabins aplenty at Colney"

https://www.pinkun.com/sport/norwich-city/canaries-ncfc-stuart-webber-new-deal-analysis-8509624

Connor Southwell the BTEC journalist excelling again... how old was he at the time, 8?

"It's worth remembering the environment in which he inherited.  Norwich had no head coach. No real assets in their first-team"

Of course not. Asides from the fact that two of those that Webber released went on to play Premier League football again.... and we had a Portuguese International up front in the Championship... and Sergi Canos who is now a Premier League player... and 3 x current England Under 21 Internationals.

And asides from the fact that Webber immediately converted Pritchard, Jacob Murphy, and Jonathan Howson into £27m in cash. Plus about £4m more for Rudd, Jerome, and Dorrans that season. Good going for a team with 'no real assets in the first team'.

Edited October 17, 2022 by TeemuVanBasten

[KeiranShikari 1,524]

I read that 'in the first team' line as having played in the first team, granted that's still half a team's worth.  Murphy twins, Howson, Oliveira (I have a feeling asset wouldn't be the first word our management used to describe him) and Pritchard (long term injury in summer so not an immediate asset). The likes of Maddison, Godfrey,  lewis, Cantwell and Aarons were all unknowns in terms of Championship quality and I'm pretty sure Canos left a window before Webber got here..

Those first 2 Webber summers were really fascinating though. Also great case studies on why it's good to wait and see, I'm pretty sure I was most excited about Franke and Marshall as far as incomings wenr - didn't make 10 appearances for the club between them.

 

 

[wcorkcanary 4,784]

7 hours ago, TeemuVanBasten said:

Just getting a bit frustrated with the narrative that is all seemingly based upon that time Webber made the "p*ssed up the wall" comments.

Get another hobby mate.

[CDMullins 498]

Can Colney play centre back?

[A Load of Squit 6,260]

1 hour ago, CDMullins said:

Can Colney play centre back?

No but having sh!t facilities could deter one from signing for us.

 

[hogesar 10,766]

Oh dear.

[littleyellowbirdie 3,140]

11 hours ago, TeemuVanBasten said:

I don't doubt how good it looks, or that it wasn't needed. Its the main thing I'll give Webber credit for. He did what was needed at Colney, which is what McNally said was needed in his last season.

Its harsh however to criticise McNally for what it looked like before this, when he walked through the door we were a League One side who had to beg banks for a repayment holiday.

Upon promotion to the Premier League various debts were owed in a lump sum. It was astonishing really that McNally took us from League One to Category One Academy Status in less than three years. 

To be fair, I'm not sure anyone's as critical of McNally as you're suggesting. We had a record spend in 2013/2014 that simply didn't deliver. RvW's goal against Everton must have been the most expensive goal ever. Naismith was a desperate purchase to try and survive who didn't deliver. Naturally, huge numbers of the usual suspects were calling for his head at the time of relegation. Perhaps something can be learnt from that, given everyone's a bit more forgiving with hindsight. I also remember him talking about not commenting on a game straight after and having the evening to wind down to reflect. 90%?

Lambert's Premier League season was very similar to Farke's first in that he was asked to keep us up pretty much with what we had. He pulled it off, but the fact that he left as fast as he could the following summer and there seemed to be a lot of rumour of a rift with the club, suggested he felt too much was asked of him to keep the club up with so little, even though he achieved it.