Yobocop's Big Question of the Week - Heroes and Villains

[Yobocop 1,390]

Hey fellow Norwich City fans!

Yobocop's Big Question of the Week is here, and this time, we're delving into the history of our beloved club.

Whether it's a player who brought us unforgettable moments of glory or someone whose actions left us disappointed, let's discuss the Heroes and Villains who made a massive impact on or off the pitch at Norwich City.

What about Heroes and Villians from those who have played against Norwich? 

Who do you consider a true hero, a legend whose legacy will live on forever? And who do you think had a negative influence, leaving a mark we wish could be forgotten?

Share your thoughts, stories, and memories with the community, and let's engage in a spirited discussion!

Looking forward to hearing your insightful responses!

COYY!

Yobocop 

[king canary 8,390]

Obvious hero number one for me is Hucks. Was the catalyst for an incredible promotion campaign and did everything he could to force a permanent move to Norwich against the wishes of his agent and Man City. Very rare to see a player of that quality connect to the club in quite that way.

Villain, Malky McKay. Fantastic for us but for me the racism incidents that stained his reputation as a manager have coloured how I view his time here. Real shame.

[Danke bitte 1,142]

Hero: we’ve been over this many times recently but has to be Daniel Farke. Bringing some amazing football, some ridiculous results and some fantastic anecdotes and times I never thought I’d see. A period of footballing brilliance and celebrity we probably won’t experience again for some time.

Villain: Chris Wilder has to stand out for me in recent years owing to that bizarre rant about the lateness of our team bus and generally creating a new rivalry against Sheff Utd causing some of our fans to get beaten up. Though I appreciate he’s gone on to say good things about our club that incident has tainted him for me. 

[ZLF 331]

Hard to argue with hucks, an instant impact but crucially sustained that across multiple seasons.     My alternative would be keelan, loyalty, class, stepped up again in the top tier and a complete renegade.

As for villain, that is so much harder to nail amd most of the ones I'm thinking of are because of attitude after leaving the club, prob sherwood nicks it just ahead of Danny Mills.

As for opponents it would have to be Kevin Muscat.

 

Edited July 31, 2023 by ZLF

[Walcombe canary 77]

My Hero is Duncan Forbes

Villain for me - Naysmith - All that is wrong in Football. Sulky Footballers on lots of money. Hope somebody can treat him the same at Hearts

[mrdi 410]

In recent times, Grant Holt takes some beating on the hero front. 

Ex-NCFC villains: Andy Townsend, Tim Sherwood, Danny Mills. 

[Branston Pickle 4,059]

I’d agree with Hucks and Holt, certainly in more recent times; off-pitch, Stringer (and Machin) is often forgotten but he paved the way for our 92/3 season, Walker got lucky with what he inherited.

Villains is tough, as very few for us - but Mills always seemed to hate us which is odd for a local lad. 

I thought the villain thing was going to be opposition players - as a teenager going to games in the mid 80s we always used to love to hate Eric Gates…he really played up to it  brilliantly, a bit like Holt with the binner fans.

[shefcanary 2,854]

I'm joining the oldsters here and going with Duncan Forbes. Led the team for that promotion in 71/72 that brought us into the modern age of football, had very little in the way of traditional fancy footballing skills but the biggest heart (and of course the loudest voice).

Villain has to be Danny Mills as well. What a ****!

[SwearyCanary 1,314]

My era, because era is very important in terms of me lacking depth of historical knowledge of our greats, Holt is for me a hero. 

Villians, I dislike Mills but it’s only really as a pundit as that’s the time I’ve known him, so Naismith is my villain. Mercenary, took the money and produced little aside from a good debut and showed zero interest in the club. Other non performers have at least been outwardly nice guys. Naismith just seemed not to give a f***. I may have him wrong but it’s what I’ve interpreted from him 

Edited July 31, 2023 by SwearyCanary

[king canary 8,390]

It is interesting that the hate for Andy Marshall seems to have died away somewhat.

Lambert obviously also made himself a villain. I didn't care that much about him going to Ipswich as he was out of work but his antics when he came here were ridiculous.

[SwearyCanary 1,314]

Just now, king canary said:

It is interesting that the hate for Andy Marshall seems to have died away somewhat.

Lambert obviously also made himself a villain. I didn't care that much about him going to Ipswich as he was out of work but his antics when he came here were ridiculous.

Part of me felt his Carrow road performance was just that. A bit contrived as he knew he would get the Ipswich fans on side easily and bought him another chunk of time in what was yet another big disappointment in terms of his impact. Extended his pay day that little bit more knowing he was likely to struggle there  

[It's Character Forming 1,201]

Lambert as Hero and Villain !

[dylanisabaddog 5,776]

Hucks is the obvious choice for hero. 

For villain I'd second Tim Sherwood with a special mention for Glen Roeder. 

[greendoor 20]

1 hour ago, Danke bitte said:

 

Villain: Chris Wilder has to stand out for me in recent years owing to that bizarre rant about the lateness of our team bus and generally creating a new rivalry against Sheff Utd causing some of our fans to get beaten up. Though I appreciate he’s gone on to say good things about our club that incident has tainted him for me. 

Worst violence I've seen at a football game, I'm sure someone broke their jaw. 

[TheBaldOne66 768]

Simple for me, 

Hero: Iwan Roberts, stood talking to him with my kids before a game outside Carrow Road when he played for us, guy came over said to him he needed to get inside and he replied “these guys are more important!” Which showed the class of the man as my kids idolised him ag the time.

Villain: Mel Machin, was outside the ground as a young kid with my dad before a game and he walked by us and I said “Mel, can I have your autograph please?” His response, “its Mr Machin to you!” To which I burst out crying as I was only about 8 yrs old. Didn’t like him at all after that! 

Edited July 31, 2023 by TheBaldOne66

[king canary 8,390]

1 hour ago, SwearyCanary said:

Naismith just seemed not to give a f***. I may have him wrong but it’s what I’ve interpreted from him 

His comment about how he'd play for Rangers (or Hearts? Can't remember which.) for free when he had a year or so left on his deal wound me up so much. If he was that desperate to play for them he could have cancelled his contract but he clearly wasn't going to do it. 

[Segura 96]

1 hour ago, TheBaldOne66 said:

Simple for me, 

Hero: Iwan Roberts, stood talking to him with my kids before a game outside Carrow Road when he played for us, guy came over said to him he needed to get inside and he replied “these guys are more important!” Which showed the class of the man as my kids idolised him ag the time.

Villain: Mel Machin, was outside the ground as a young kid with my dad before a game and he walked by us and I said “Mel, can I have your autograph please?” His response, “its Mr Machin to you!” To which I burst out crying as I was only about 8 yrs old. Didn’t like him at all after that! 

Great story about Machin - my dad played cricket against him and similarly was not too complimentary!

As for heroes, hard to chose, but I think Holt probably shades it, the heartbeat of the team in an incredible three year period.

[TIL 1010 5,115]

Hero.....Kevin Keelan.

Villian....Muscat the thug.

[The Raptor 1,470]

Hero has to be Huckerby. As others have said the catalyst for a title winning season. 

Dean Ashton as villain. Signing a new deal only to lumber round the pitch doing **** all and looking unfit. Until the game before the transfer window opened when he put a bit of effort in and scored a hatrick. Complete mercenary. If he'd have put the effort in the rest of the games we probably would've had a good chance of going back up. 

Had to mention Kevin muscat too. What a thug he is.

[Mr Apples 1,385]

Re: Naismith there is some justice...he was appointed as Interim Hearts Manager last year and they wanted to make him the full-time Manager only to realise he didn't have the requisite coaching badges so he's currently Technical Director until he gets them (if he doesn't get the boot first). Just to make things even better, his Head Coach is a certain Frankie "loves a pie" McAvoy, what on earth could go wrong? 🤔 😁

Hero - Hucks.

NCFC Villain - Fozzy and his lack of flicks.

Oppo Villain - The World's worst superhero, Captain Fist Pump.

Apples

[Herman 10,936]

Heroes, have been quite a few in my time of watching, I've been lucky. Wes, Hucks, Roberts, McVeigh, Holt, Bellamy, Eadie, Buendia, Pukki etc. Too hard to choose one.

Villain, got to be Roeder. What an arsehole.

Oppo villain, Alan Brazil. Binner and now highlights how rubbish some football broadcasting is.

[nutty nigel 7,817]

Hero is Trevor Hockey. Only played 13 games but had a massive impact on that season. Met him later and that cemented his status in my eyes. 
 

Hockey is a werewolf…

[Channon’s Windmill 393]

Hero to me, and it may seem an odd one to some was Mick Channon, after a dazzling career with Southampton and England he was at the twilight of his career, but boy…did he have class, great to see him get a trophy with us in 85.

Danny Mills/ Tim Sherwood as the villains.

opposition villains : Alan Brazil and David Speedie

[Kenny Foggo 1,172]

Hero.. can not choose between Flecky and my first season idol Kenny Foggo.

Villain? Kevin Muscat for that tackle on Bellamy.

 

Edited July 31, 2023 by Kenny Foggo

[BroadstairsR 2,272]

Dave Stringer .... one of the club's most loyal servants.

Muscat deserved to be thrown out of the game, it wasn't just Bellamy he injured there were other notches on his stud-lined boots.

[Capt. Pants 4,777]

Lambert for both.

Players then I'd probably say Holt and Naismith. The latter pretty much milked us for every penny he could.

[Google Bot 3,706]

Mel Machin jumps out as a hero for me.

He was friends with my Dad and he'd come up to see us kids train some nights and they'd be talking by the side and he'd give us advice and joke around a little saying he was scouting for Norwich or England.  I knew he was connected to the club and an ex-player, but never really knew to what extent as I was so young.

It was only after we won the milk cup and obviously see him on photos around it all and on TV,  then we went to an open day at Carrow Road (That summer?) where you could hold the Milk cup, and he was chatting with us for ages... Bringing players over, got Ken to come over, and I was in awe.

Villains, has got to be Andy Townsend for the sign he gave the Barclay on his return with Chelsea.  Done it with such a smarmy look on his face too, what a prize ****.  There were a few trying to get over the bars to rip into him after that.  Still can't stand him to this day.

 

[Faded Jaded Semi Plastic SOB 1,196]

Hero - Hard one, but having been really impressed when watching him in training at Trowse and never forgetting it, I will go for David Cross.

Villain - Andy Marshall and that switch to Ippo...........

[Mr. Raumdeuter III 77]

Hero: I’ve been delving into season review tapes on YouTube’s Norwich City Archives, and it’s reaffirmed my love for Iwan Roberts. There always seems to be an aura of gratitude and communion with team mates and fans. He played with emotion, and he was a hell of a player for us finding his form in the 98/99 season and being our talisman until the torch was transitioned to Huckerby as Iwan was in his last season. 
 

Villain: Kevin Muscat and Christian Daily broke my childhood heart. The injuries to Bellamy and Mulryne always created an “if only” they were in the team, we could make the playoffs. 
It happens to be my big “if only” of all time as a Norwich fan in my early thirties. If Bellamy, Mulryne and Eadie would’ve all avoided injury, and stayed fit, what a special team that could’ve been but we never got them all in harmonious unity, only partially, in an era that seems to be dominated by injuries to our best players. 
 

Edited August 1, 2023 by Mr. Raumdeuter III

[Fifty 50]

Hero: Bryan Gunn

Villain: Robert Chase