THE BIG INTERVIEW

[Sufyellow 222]

35 minutes ago, Branston Pickle said:

They’ll get more cash from selling casual tickets  to those who have moaned for years that we have too many season tickets?

Yep , if they can sell them. 

[Midlands Yellow 4,018]

16 minutes ago, king canary said:

Worth noting that while Delia gets mentioned lots, the most eyebrow raising quotes often come from MWJ. I believe it was him who talked about never selling to foreigners and sheikhs coming in on camels. This time he's saying the ownership transition was agreed while they were drunk?

 

[Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm Flailing Tube Man 3,827]

1 hour ago, PurpleCanary said:

DS: I do not have a crystal ball and I do not know at all. All I know is that football goes up and football goes down. Mark is surprised that we keep changing managers – my dream is that we have a manager long-term so I hope he is right. That is all I can say.

We had the one it should've been but we sacked him.

[cambridgeshire canary 6,757]

Just now, Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm Flailing Tube Man said:

We had the one it should've been but we sacked him.

Farke is gone. Hes left. Never coming back. Proved to be unable to keep us in the Prem twice. twice.

 

Move on.

[Feedthewolf 4,861]

3 minutes ago, king canary said:

I'm not saying it doesn't make sense that they drove it. I just find it out they can claim the clubs open to investment yet when Foulger wants to sell apparently the idea of investment didn't occur to the owners until suggested by the Webbers.

To be honest, I've long been very sceptical of the claims about how open we are to investment so maybe I'm just getting confirmation bias here. 

It's 'one of those', isn't it. None of us will ever know exactly what is thought or said behind the scenes, but it's certainly not beyond the realms of possibility that the alleged desire to speak to prospective owners was just a smokescreen until recently when they knew they were getting too old to continue.

As with everything, I'd expect the truth is somewhere in the middle ground; on the one hand they love running the club and don't want to part with it, and on the other hand they care deeply about it and want to make absolutely sure that when the time comes they hand over to the 'right' person.

A few years ago there was that ill-advised Henry Winter interview where they said something along the lines of "we don't even listen to offers... Tom will inherit our shares... I'm sure some fans won't like it but that's the way it is". That stance has obviously softened now, but I do genuinely think that in the past couple of years they've gone about the potential handover in the right way.

Love them or loathe them, they know the club inside out, know the area and the community, and want to make sure it remains in good hands once they've moved on. How we arrived at this point is almost immaterial now; all that matters is the cut of Attanasio's jib. I, for one, am impressed with what I've seen and heard so far.

 

[Capt. Pants 4,263]

Can't say I'm overly impressed by many of the answers tbh. Feels like the blind leading the blind.

But at least we know Knapper feels we need a younger 'roster' and Delia wants the drum back.

 

[rock bus 854]

Quite a ridiculous interview and scary how poor Delia and Michael are in the interview.

Right from the start she seems confused about the shares position.

Honestly think she is no longer suitable to be an owner of the club.

I'm a bit concerned that Mark Attanasio is willing to put up with it and joke along, I really hope (but doubt) that things are different behind the scenes. I appreciate this interview is meant to be less formal but honestly some of the comments and the approach clearly demonstrate this club is being running like a little retirement hobby than a professional club.

This is the most despondent I have felt about the club in a very long time (but presumably I'm just in the minority 20%!)

Edited December 1, 2023 by rock bus

[Feedthewolf 4,861]

36 minutes ago, Cowboy said:

Blimey. I suspected there would be a bit(!) of bluster from the usual suspects, but I didn't imagine for a minute that it would be such a load of old unfocussed drivel from ALL parties! Maybe things are clearer behind the scenes, but that interview is utterly shambolic from all concerned.

So literally everything Mark Attanasio has said in that transcript is 'shambolic, unfocused drivel'?

I suggest you read it again without your confirmation bias glasses on and try to find a bit more perspective.

Sure, there are some toe-curling one-liners from Smith & Jones, but if you can see nothing but 'drivel' in the Attanasio quotes then I seriously wonder about your capacity to understand what's actually happening at the club.

[PurpleCanary 5,576]

16 minutes ago, Feedthewolf said:

It's 'one of those', isn't it. None of us will ever know exactly what is thought or said behind the scenes, but it's certainly not beyond the realms of possibility that the alleged desire to speak to prospective owners was just a smokescreen until recently when they knew they were getting too old to continue.

As with everything, I'd expect the truth is somewhere in the middle ground; on the one hand they love running the club and don't want to part with it, and on the other hand they care deeply about it and want to make absolutely sure that when the time comes they hand over to the 'right' person.

A few years ago there was that ill-advised Henry Winter interview where they said something along the lines of "we don't even listen to offers... Tom will inherit our shares... I'm sure some fans won't like it but that's the way it is". That stance has obviously softened now, but I do genuinely think that in the past couple of years they've gone about the potential handover in the right way.

Love them or loathe them, they know the club inside out, know the area and the community, and want to make sure it remains in good hands once they've moved on. How we arrived at this point is almost immaterial now; all that matters is the cut of Attanasio's jib. I, for one, am impressed with what I've seen and heard so far.

 

Quite. If he wants to be then he is the future, and given that then his comments are much more significant than anything S&J might say about what, brutally, are emotive but transient or outdated issues.

The other point is that the triumvirate making themselves available to the Norfolk media outlets presumably is a sign that the rapprochement has solidified. I doubt Attanasio would have been impressed by the previous stand-off.

[king canary 7,643]

9 minutes ago, PurpleCanary said:

Quite. If he wants to be then he is the future, and given that then his comments are much more significant than anything S&J might say about what, brutally, are emotive but transient or outdated issues.

The other point is that the triumvirate making themselves available to the Norfolk media outlets presumably is a sign that the rapprochement has solidified. I doubt Attanasio would have been impressed by the previous stand-off.

He's saying the right things and he seems dynamic- it gives me hope that things like ground expansion will actually kick into gear rather than just be talked about while being endlessly kicked down the road.

[Indy 3,307]

9 minutes ago, PurpleCanary said:

Quite. If he wants to be then he is the future, and given that then his comments are much more significant than anything S&J might say about what, brutally, are emotive but transient or outdated issues.

The other point is that the triumvirate making themselves available to the Norfolk media outlets presumably is a sign that the rapprochement has solidified. I doubt Attanasio would have been impressed by the previous stand-off.

It makes me wonder if behind the scenes MA and his team are driving things, pushing MWJ & DS to do this interview and trying to look open with the fans while trying to control info coming out! MA knows he can’t afford for attendances to drop off! We only need to look at other clubs how they’ve tailed off and remember pre 2000 we only averaged between 13 to 16k

[lake district canary 4,540]

33 minutes ago, Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm Flailing Tube Man said:

1 hour ago, PurpleCanary said:

DS: I do not have a crystal ball and I do not know at all. All I know is that football goes up and football goes down. Mark is surprised that we keep changing managers – my dream is that we have a manager long-term so I hope he is right. That is all I can say.

We had the one it should've been but we sacked him.

Yes, we had the man in the building and let him get away nearly four years too soon - and please don't give me that "he failed twice in the PL" mantra, there are so many reasons why we couldn't stay in the PL, Farke was in an almost impossible situation both times.E

Every manager we've had since after Gunn had the potential to be that long term manager. Lambert - had he wanted to stay, Hughton, had the board held their nerve. Alex Neil could have overseen a rebuild well imo. But in Farke we had a perfect fit, foolishly cast aside by someone who was more responsible for the underlying problems than the head coach was.

Webber was just too big at the club and he wasn't up to that - as shown by not having the right person lined up to take Farke's place -  and that is a big reason why we've got into such a mess. Mr Wonderful messed up - and no wonder fans were fed up with him. Much more than 20% imo........

[KeiranShikari 1,425]

52 minutes ago, Midlands Yellow said:

 

Had forgotten about this quote. I guess she just meant white.

[Indy 3,307]

3 minutes ago, KeiranShikari said:

Had forgotten about this quote. I guess she just meant white.

Thing is in the current climate for that camel statement you’d probably get banned from CR! 

[Grando 263]

55 minutes ago, cambridgeshire canary said:

Farke is gone. Hes left. Never coming back. Proved to be unable to keep us in the Prem twice. twice.

 

Move on.

(Though he was very capable of getting us there...)

[Grando 263]

18 minutes ago, king canary said:

He's saying the right things and he seems dynamic- it gives me hope that things like ground expansion will actually kick into gear rather than just be talked about while being endlessly kicked down the road.

Though of course in our present predicament ground expansion is really the last thing we need.

[Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm Flailing Tube Man 3,827]

1 hour ago, PurpleCanary said:

MA:. One of the things I’ve learned from Commissioner Selig when I first bought the Brewers was that it’s never as bad as you think when it’s bad and it’s never as good as you think when it’s good. So, it’s not as bad as everyone thinks it is now.  

This is very true, and something that this forum needs to bear in mind, during the good times and the bad. 

[Harry53 209]

I was a bit worried when DS said (about getting Knapper) that she couldn't believe they found someone just like SW !!  Please no !!

[Petriix 2,847]

1 hour ago, Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm Flailing Tube Man said:

We had the one it should've been but we sacked him.

Absolutely this. I'm finding it unfathomable that they're holding on to the hope that Wagner will come good in the end when they so quickly turned on Farke just weeks after giving him that 4 year contract.

There's an incredible disparity between what we can see from outside and the beliefs held within the club. They see it as bad luck, an unforeseeable injury crisis and individual player errors. We see awful recruitment, flawed tactics and lack of oversight. It's hard to imagine how these things can realign without a seismic shift at the club. The word 'delusional' is maybe too strong but it's bordering on that level of wishful thinking.

The positives are clear: Knapper and Attanasio are making far more reasonable noises and the money side of things might not be as bad as it appears. We just need to remain patient and allow things to unfold. 

Unfortunately we are unlikely to see the sudden paradigm shift that many of us were hoping for. 

[Petriix 2,847]

1 hour ago, cambridgeshire canary said:

Farke is gone. Hes left. Never coming back. Proved to be unable to keep us in the Prem twice. twice.

 

Move on.

I'm sure we'll all be happy to move on just as soon as we're in as good a position as we were when he was sacked. Until then we can rightly point to the massive error of judgement that was sacking him. 

[Robert N. LiM 4,429]

Just now, Petriix said:

There's an incredible disparity between what we can see from outside and the beliefs held within the club. They see it as bad luck, an unforeseeable injury crisis and individual player errors. We see awful recruitment, flawed tactics and lack of oversight. It's hard to imagine how these things can realign without a seismic shift at the club. The word 'delusional' is maybe too strong but it's bordering on that level of wishful thinking.

I agree that it is a concern, especially the rejection of any criticisms of governance, but I would just add to this that it would be pretty unusual for owners to say in public anything like the bit I've highlighted. It's possible that they recognise some (or all) of this stuff but don't want to say it publicly. Mind you, given some of the stuff they did say publicly...!

[Canary Wundaboy 1,359]

Quote

CS: For both of you really – you touched upon fan concerns specifically around David Wagner. There have also been concerns over the long term and concerns over governance – what reassurance would you give the fans that the team you have at the moment at board level are the correct ones in terms of moving the club forward?

MJW: Can you elaborate on what you mean about worrying about governance over the last few years?

CS: Sure. There are some fans that would look at the previous sporting director, the fact that he was married to someone on the board. That has been a concern – there are others in terms of structure and perhaps responsibility over who takes decisions. What would you say to reassure those concerns?

DS: I just say that you have no idea. No idea of the work that has gone into this football club. That is what I would say. You have no idea.

MJW: I don’t recognise what you’re talking about, to be honest.

I am stunned reading that. Not just the responses which are almost unbelievable, but because Connor had an absolute wealth of counters and failed to press them in any meaningful way. What about the lack of a Chairperson since Ed Balls left? What about having 2 married couples making all the decisions related to the football club, resulting in a complete lack of partiality at the board level? 

I wonder if Attanasio shares the other 2's comfort at the governance setup in the club?

[Indy 3,307]

1 hour ago, Petriix said:

Absolutely this. I'm finding it unfathomable that they're holding on to the hope that Wagner will come good in the end when they so quickly turned on Farke just weeks after giving him that 4 year contract.

There's an incredible disparity between what we can see from outside and the beliefs held within the club. They see it as bad luck, an unforeseeable injury crisis and individual player errors. We see awful recruitment, flawed tactics and lack of oversight. It's hard to imagine how these things can realign without a seismic shift at the club. The word 'delusional' is maybe too strong but it's bordering on that level of wishful thinking.

The trouble was Webber the goldenballs in Delia’s eye was making the decision and let Farke go to protect himself! Lot of people at the time we’re calling for him to go!

Whatever Webber has done good or bad in our eyes the love she has for him have blinkered her duties.

Edited December 1, 2023 by Indy

[PurpleCanary 5,576]

4 minutes ago, Canary Wundaboy said:

I am stunned reading that. Not just the responses which are almost unbelievable, but because Connor had an absolute wealth of counters and failed to press them in any meaningful way. What about the lack of a Chairperson since Ed Balls left? What about having 2 married couples making all the decisions related to the football club, resulting in a complete lack of partiality at the board level? 

I wonder if Attanasio shares the other 2's comfort at the governance setup in the club?

There is a reason I highlighted that...

[Mark .Y. 352]

MJW: I think we had all had quite a lot to drink on that occasion.

 

I'm not D and MWJ's biggest critic, by a long way, but that statement really does appear to show a complete lack of professionalism.

[Capt. Pants 4,263]

1 hour ago, Sufyellow said:

Yep , if they can sell them. 

Well there were 100s of empty seats against QPR so that suggests to me casual fans aren't interested. 

It's not helped when the club sets the price for casual tickets at the start of the season and they're not cheap! There needs to be a bit more incentive and creative marketing. Our club are absolutely useless at that.

[OnDaBall 137]

It was extremely cringe worthy when Delia says how much she is relating to fans through The Lion and Castle and then immediately showing  absolute proof that she doesn't relate to fans at all by dismissing anyone who boos or is negative, as whingers and not real fans. It smacks to me of someone who has been in place for far too long and as such forgotten who the most important people are at any club, the fans.

Why aren't we Portsmouth?

[Ken Hairy 3,774]

He's really beginning to sound like a yanky Delia 🙄

[PurpleCanary 5,576]

I just want to go into these comments from Attanasio:

MA: It was a difficult night (at Watford). The first 26 minutes were pretty special, but the next 50 minutes were pretty awful. All of our deficiencies at this club were laid bare that night, and, frankly, it's not just the coaching. It's uniquely British to say 'coach out', but I've been here about 14 months and in two years we've had three coaches. That is not something you see in American sports - if you have two CEOs in two years, that is not a prescription for success. That is a sign of a knee-jerk reaction.

We should all give Ben (Knapper) a chance to assess things and make moves that are strategic and work in the middle to long term. I'm convinced HE [my emphasis] he will make the right choices.

The first highlighted quote is really pretty remarkable. Sitting there, next to S&J, who have been the owners until now, he talks about "...all the deficiences..." at the club. Not much room for nuance there.

As to knee-jerkism, he is chronologically right that we have had three head coaches, but historically S&J (and I think on balance this is a plus, though obvioulsy not always) have given managers/head coaches time to succeed.

As to the quotes about Knapper; none of that remotely suggests Attanasio thinks the status quo should - or is going to be - continued.

[norfolkngood 1,087]

2 hours ago, Mark .Y. said:

MJW: I think we had all had quite a lot to drink on that occasion.

 

I'm not D and MWJ's biggest critic, by a long way, but that statement really does appear to show a complete lack of professionalism.

if i was MA and just bought shares and loaned loads of money to buy D & MWJ out ,

Last thing i would want is Delia damaging my Product /Business in anyway ,

MA must have sat there thinking please do not say anything else oh there she goes again !