City 101 83 Posted January 2, 2023 Yes if Webbers good at one thing it’s spending multi millions on some of the poorest players around . In fact we now have mostly a squad of utter garbage. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
keelansgrandad 6,679 Posted January 2, 2023 I cannot see where comparing previous regimes is relevant. We have broken our transfer records several times to end up mid table 2nd division with no manager. And apparently no more money. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Billyboybunters 26 Posted January 2, 2023 I do wonder if the Attanasio’s had a part to play in Smiths dismissal. Young Mike was looking at fan engagement etc I remember from their video. It would kind of go with the fact that Webber was saying it was the whole package they looked at, as I felt he wanted to keep Smith on a bit longer. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
littleyellowbirdie 2,598 Posted January 2, 2023 (edited) 3 minutes ago, City 101 said: Yes if Webbers good at one thing it’s spending multi millions on some of the poorest players around . In fact we now have mostly a squad of utter garbage. Still, if fans aren't providing an atmosphere that has any hope of inspiring players to step up, then you can't really say whether the players have got it in them to be good enough. Assuming there's a manager in place to develop them obviously. Edited January 2, 2023 by littleyellowbirdie Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
norfolkngood 1,091 Posted January 2, 2023 2 minutes ago, Billyboybunters said: I do wonder if the Attanasio’s had a part to play in Smiths dismissal. Young Mike was looking at fan engagement etc I remember from their video. It would kind of go with the fact that Webber was saying it was the whole package they looked at, as I felt he wanted to keep Smith on a bit longer. well the club is getting cheaper for the Attanasio's to buy a champs club is cheaper than a PL club Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KeiranShikari 1,468 Posted January 2, 2023 6 minutes ago, Google Bot said: Saying they still believed in Dean is a concern. Stu is a guy who should be ahead of the curve, not sure what he was seeing that suggested improvement was on the horizon... Maybe that's his way of putting some respect on Smith's name post dismissal, though? That would be another part of the self preservation. If Smith was moments from turning it around then his appointment and recruitment are obviously fine. Those pesky fans just won't stop getting in the way. Although even that's pretty bad because caving to fans shouldn't be something a sporting director does if he truly believes in what he's doing. Ultimately the interview was a wishy washy attempt to regain some traction with fans but he's so entrenched in his own narratives it doesn't come across as genuine at all. To me, anyway. 1 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
norfolkngood 1,091 Posted January 2, 2023 1 minute ago, KeiranShikari said: That would be another part of the self preservation. If Smith was moments from turning it around then his appointment and recruitment are obviously fine. Those pesky fans just won't stop getting in the way. Although even that's pretty bad because caving to fans shouldn't be something a sporting director does if he truly believes in what he's doing. Ultimately the interview was a wishy washy attempt to regain some traction with fans but he's so entrenched in his own narratives it doesn't come across as genuine at all. To me, anyway. If Webber had a better Relationship with fans he could of asked the fans to trust him as he believed smith was the best for the club , IF he believed smith was the man   Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ken Hairy 3,781 Posted January 2, 2023 Cowley has just been sacked by Portsmouth, Webber ready to pounce. ...đŸ˜‰ Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KeiranShikari 1,468 Posted January 2, 2023 2 minutes ago, norfolkngood said: If Webber had a better Relationship with fans he could of asked the fans to trust him as he believed smith was the best for the club , IF he believed smith was the man   I think honesty really is the only policy if he actually cared about salvaging his reputation with Norwich fans. If he genuinely believed in Smith then he should have kept him, told fans that they're giving him the next couple of transfer windows and to deal with it. That would have annoyed a few but I think most fans would like to know where the club stood. If not then obviously sack him and admit they got it wrong, not whatever half arsed excuses he gave today.. Anything but that and he'll get armchair analysts like me putting his every word under a microscope. I get that he's got a stressful job, a young family and his mountain stuff to think about but I don't think that means he has to be a ****. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shefcanary 2,466 Posted January 3, 2023 (edited) I've not watched the interview but my sense is that it was all a bit meh from the reaction on here. That is telling in itself! Apathy is the worst thing for an organisation. ****, if we can't hate Webber, but we're still performing **** under an interim who is left to criticise (Keith Scott enters here). Just reading the reaction here makes me feel this is the end of an era. Can't wait for Mike to get going. Else it's National league here we come. Edited January 3, 2023 by shefcanary Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
canarybubbles 1,946 Posted January 3, 2023 I loved the bit where he talked about managers sitting on their sofas eating Quality Street. By the look of him in that interview, Webber is the one who's been stuffing Quality Street down his neck. Or in view of last year's recruitment, should that be Quantity Street? 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
canarybubbles 1,946 Posted January 3, 2023 More seriously, I thought he looked tired, too. Tired, and close to beaten. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Indy 3,322 Posted January 3, 2023 7 hours ago, keelansgrandad said: I cannot see where comparing previous regimes is relevant. We have broken our transfer records several times to end up mid table 2nd division with no manager. And apparently no more money. Funny that, as Webber came in with massive criticism of McNally’s wasting of money on a poor signings and leaving the club mid table championship skint! Funny how history has repeated itself and how Webber didn’t learn from the previous regime! Be careful of your criticism! Time for Webber to go in my opinion but it won’t happen as it’s all too comfortable at the top. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kenfoggo 247 Posted January 3, 2023 Webber looked and sounded like a beaten man who has run out of ideas. The squad and the set up that he has engineered at the Club is not working. This is his responsibility, not the fans. He should own that responsibility and yet he comes across as arrogantly blaming everyone else , especially those naughty fans who were so toxic towards poor Dean Smith, rather than looking at his own performance.  I would like to be more positive about supporting our club, but at the moment there seems so little to be hopeful or enthusiastic about. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
A Load of Squit 5,222 Posted January 3, 2023 1 hour ago, Indy said: Funny that, as Webber came in with massive criticism of McNally’s wasting of money on a poor signings and leaving the club mid table championship skint! Funny how history has repeated itself and how Webber didn’t learn from the previous regime! Be careful of your criticism! Time for Webber to go in my opinion but it won’t happen as it’s all too comfortable at the top. Webber didn't make that criticism of McNally, he was referencing the lack of investment in the infrastructure. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tommo 51 Posted January 3, 2023 Clearly play offs is our best hope now - even if Burnley or Sheff Utd totally collapse then it would still mean us winning the vast majority of games, we have suffered too many defeats already. Whoever walks through the door will not only need to hit the ground running instilling a new confidence in the team, clear tactical system but for me we need to see what business we can do in January, starting with offloading Rashica permanently.  Secondly they will be joining us with the full knowledge that Webber is only likely to be around for another 6 months. Dean Smith when he joined us made a specific point about wanting to get assurance on Webbers future at the club before joining us. I think it’s fair to say Webber is on his last leg with us, albeit his wife will continue the Webber legacy Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
FCC 77 Posted January 3, 2023 I think he spoke well and rationally.  I thought he was humble in admitting he didn’t realise the importance of the relationship Daniel had with the fans. I think recent signings have been questionable, but criticism of this interview is harsh.  I think he explained the position, and if he is going to get pelters for this there really is no point in him stepping in front of the cameras. I don’t think this team is good enough to go up, so I’m hoping for someone to come in and start building. 4 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hogesar 9,760 Posted January 3, 2023 12 minutes ago, FCC said: I think he spoke well and rationally.  I thought he was humble in admitting he didn’t realise the importance of the relationship Daniel had with the fans. I think recent signings have been questionable, but criticism of this interview is harsh.  I think he explained the position, and if he is going to get pelters for this there really is no point in him stepping in front of the cameras. I don’t think this team is good enough to go up, so I’m hoping for someone to come in and start building. I think its good that he's come out and spoken, for those who aren't desperate to try and turn it around into some Webber bashing exercise. The fact the best some can do is criticise his weight tells you everything. He knows there's a set of fans who cry for Webber to come out and speak and when he does, will cry about what he's said. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TheGunnShow 6,019 Posted January 3, 2023 13 hours ago, wcorkcanary said: He looks constipated. And a bit chubby for someone who's in training, maybe, just maybe, he's full of shoite. Might be building muscle as let's face it, climbing needs a lot of upper body strength. Distance running, on the other hand, doesn't. IIRC, the Klitschko brothers used to gain weight in training camp before their fights as they were putting muscle on. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
canarybubbles 1,946 Posted January 3, 2023 (edited) I'd like Webber to look inside himself and ask himself honestly if he is up for this anymore. If not, I think he should step down as gracefully as he can manage. He still has some credit in the bank but it's rapidly diminishing and the club really doesn't need another six months of internal conflict. If he decides that he still has that hunger which he showed at the beginning, I don't care about him beating his chest and saying Mea Culpas - I just want him to use his undeniable talents to try to put right what has gone wrong over the last 18 months, starting with rebuilding the rapport with the fans and ending the harmful vendetta with the local media. I hope he wouldn't see this as a humiliation, and I hope we'd all be ready to move on. And, obviously, I hope he picks the right person to take over from Smith (which, whoever makes the decision, is a bit of a lottery). Edited January 3, 2023 by canarybubbles 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TeemuVanBasten 3,327 Posted January 3, 2023 13 hours ago, GodlyOtsemobor said: Missed our relegation side to league one then? I mean, yeah this lot aren't world beaters by any stretch but for the love of Christ Alan Gow and David Mooney aren't getting into this side. 3 goals in 9 games for David Mooney is no worse than Pukki's ratio this season. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Indy 3,322 Posted January 3, 2023 1 hour ago, A Load of Squit said: Webber didn't make that criticism of McNally, he was referencing the lack of investment in the infrastructure. Yes he did……he criticised the previous regime for wasting the money! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mello Yello 2,303 Posted January 3, 2023 Rearrange these Stu....."Flush am Busted I a"..... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TeemuVanBasten 3,327 Posted January 3, 2023 (edited) 2 hours ago, Indy said: Funny that, as Webber came in with massive criticism of McNally’s wasting of money on a poor signings and leaving the club mid table championship skint! Lets be clear here, Webber left at the end of our relegation season with two seasons of parachute payments ahead of us. Not in mid-table in the Championship. Webber undoubtedly has us in a much worse position, with one season of parachute payments left. Edited January 3, 2023 by TeemuVanBasten Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TeemuVanBasten 3,327 Posted January 3, 2023 1 hour ago, FCC said: I think he spoke well and rationally.  I thought he was humble in admitting he didn’t realise the importance of the relationship Daniel had with the fans. I think recent signings have been questionable, but criticism of this interview is harsh.  I think he explained the position, and if he is going to get pelters for this there really is no point in him stepping in front of the cameras. I don’t think this team is good enough to go up, so I’m hoping for someone to come in and start building. If he doesn't understand that you need the fans on board to be the 12th man. And if his recruitment has been so poor that it has left us insufficient quality to challenge for promotion. Then the criticism seems perfectly valid to me. Not least because he failed to concede that his recruitment has been poor, again. 1 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Indy 3,322 Posted January 3, 2023 (edited) I’ve been very pro Webber till last season, but it’s clear he doesn’t ever hold up his hands, he is very much a sloping shoulder it’s not my fault, it’s someone or something else! Of course signings are always going to be hit or miss, but getting the right level & quality of scouting and reporting teams should negate such big failings as we’ve seen over the past two seasons! His job is to ensure the structures are in place for the best results, these are failing and thus he’s failing in his role as DOF. There comes a point where if someone like Webber believes his importance is bigger than the club his focus isn’t on the job, it’s clear his performance is dropping off and his interaction with fans has been testing since Farkes sacking, the manner he was treated. Webber’s been on the defensive since. Edited January 3, 2023 by Indy Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hogesar 9,760 Posted January 3, 2023 2 minutes ago, TeemuVanBasten said: If he doesn't understand that you need the fans on board to be the 12th man. And if his recruitment has been so poor that it has left us insufficient quality to challenge for promotion. Then the criticism seems perfectly valid to me. Not least because he failed to concede that his recruitment has been poor, again. I don't know of a Sporting Director in world football that comes out mid-season to criticise his own recruitment whilst those same players are still trying to get the football club promoted. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TeemuVanBasten 3,327 Posted January 3, 2023 1 minute ago, hogesar said: I don't know of a Sporting Director in world football that comes out mid-season to criticise his own recruitment whilst those same players are still trying to get the football club promoted. He shouldn't criticise his own recruitment. He should resign his position because he has failed to recruit well for 3 years. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mello Yello 2,303 Posted January 3, 2023 Shame...Stu an'Â Chelsea would have been a good fit.... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PurpleCanary 5,585 Posted January 3, 2023 He does look a bit jowly, but then it is the look of someone who hasn’t been away trying to climb mountains but someone who has been stuck at a desk putting 100 per cent effort into his job as sporting director of Norwich City.đŸ¤© 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites