Let's try to look beyond this mess.

[South Norfolk Old Boy 0]

What now Delia & Michael? How are you intending to defend a manager who declared himself satisfied with his side''s performance at Preston? Are we to expect a season of away defeats next year with a manager, and presumably a board, satisfied with results? Well with the season ticket money safely tucked away I suspect that’s exactly what we will get. And there’s nothing we can do about it as the directors continue to develop their company at the expense of their football team. Following the near financial meltdown of the Chase era the board, who did a magnificent job at the time, have remained terrified of doing anything that might damage the stability that they managed to create. None of the director profess to understand football. Some are supporters of long standing but so are many thousands of others. They are all business people with varying degrees of success and some know how to run a company - and that’s what they are doing. They are focused on running the company. Even with full houses and excellent sales and support the company would still lose money every year if it were not for outside activities such as catering, land sales (thank you Uncle Bob!) etc. The board are completely financially focused and, when they see season ticket revenue safely tucked away in the bank they have little or no concern about what’s happening from a football perspective because the money is non refundable and the next crunch point is a year away. All the other outside football activities are unaffected by league position and it goes without saying that the quality of the football provided is not their concern as they probably rationalise by telling themselves that they can have no impact on it anyway. The only way the good ship Carrow Road could be financially affected and the only thing that they haven’t budgeted for is the dismissal of a manager and the financial compensation needed to make it happen (not just for the manager but the backroom team too, who are also on lucrative rolling contracts no doubt). This will impact financially and, remembering that this is a board who are scared stiff of returning to the bad old days they would much prefer to leave things as they are adopting the old adage – if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. To them it ain’t broke.

When this mess finally gets resolved, as it surely it will one way or another, the next city board must contain people who look beyond just financial statements. It needs to have football people on there too. People who have graced the game, not just played it, and who understand it. They need not even be Canary Legends as not all of them “graced” the game.

I remember when Geoffrey Watling stepped in to tell Uncle Bob that he had been rumbled he also said that the club should never again return to the situation where all the power and decision making rested in one person’s hands. I wonder if, in hindsight, he might have widened that to two people or that the hands that power rested in should understand that this is a football club in the entertainment business as well as a limited company. It''s about customers enjoying their entertainment on a Saturday afternoon.

R.I.P. Geoffrey – I wonder what you would make of the gulf between board and customers. I have a horrible feeling that we could do with you in the coming months.

[Mr.Carrow 376]

   Superb post. As far as im concerned there was no real attempt from the top down to keep the club in the Premiership, and no real attempt to get back up this season. As you have described there seems to be a real complacency at the top level within the club-the "business" as they see it is financially thriving so what incentive have they got to radically change things?

   A read of Munby and Doncasters statements in the accounts is illuminating-Munby stating that anything above championship mid-table is City "punching above their weight" (highest season-tickets and crowds in the league,biggest away support,money from parachute payments,land deals,Ashton sale etc.??) and Doncaster wittering on about how expensive the overrall package is when signing a new player and is therefore a "huge risk" which the club is basically loathe to take. So that would be why we failed to sign Crouch last season when he was available for a bargain 2million and why we went into this season trying to get promoted with the smallest squad in the division (including FOUR goalkeepers)? It also explains why we are actually 3million in PROFIT on transfers since we were promoted despite 26million tv money received to date. It just doesnt even begin to add up.

   Ive had a season-ticket for 15 consecutive years but i wont be renewing for next season. I am quite prepared to take the rough with the smooth but i cannot take the club not even TRYING to be successful on the pitch.

[mystic megson 0]

At last, the penny is starting to drop.  Good work, Mr C. 

It''s high time the board stood up to be counted, but they''ve been quite happy to hide behind Worthy and let him take all the flak.  By doing so they have allowed this poisonous situation at Carrow Road to get out of hand. 

And by the way, what''s happened to the hotel? Little or no sign of progress last time I was there, except a crane to make us think there''s work going on.  Are we in a financial mess too? 

 

 

[lucky green trainers 0]

i can''t see worthy surviving beyond another away defeat. 

[Rossi 0]

I''m not for one moment suggesting corruption here, but let me see.

Next game - the true home of worthington, who just happen to be in a relegation scrap, although another win would probably do it for them survival wise and it would be a brave man to bet for a norwich win on current form.

As much as I''d love to see Worthington sacked after his spiritual return, i''d have to say that the only thing that will nail his departure firmly in dfeats from now to the end of the season (well maybe winless.) Now that is a possibility. Sing and cheer the boys to victory? I''ll be as quiet as a mouse, it''s the only way, or maybe we could stoop low enough to applaud the other team ! NO what am i thinking, it''s all your fault delia.

[FU MAN SHOE 0]

[quote user="Mr.Carrow"]

   Superb post. As far as im concerned there was no real attempt from the top down to keep the club in the Premiership, and no real attempt to get back up this season. As you have described there seems to be a real complacency at the top level within the club-the "business" as they see it is financially thriving so what incentive have they got to radically change things?

   A read of Munby and Doncasters statements in the accounts is illuminating-Munby stating that anything above championship mid-table is City "punching above their weight" (highest season-tickets and crowds in the league,biggest away support,money from parachute payments,land deals,Ashton sale etc.??) and Doncaster wittering on about how expensive the overrall package is when signing a new player and is therefore a "huge risk" which the club is basically loathe to take. So that would be why we failed to sign Crouch last season when he was available for a bargain 2million and why we went into this season trying to get promoted with the smallest squad in the division (including FOUR goalkeepers)? It also explains why we are actually 3million in PROFIT on transfers since we were promoted despite 26million tv money received to date. It just doesnt even begin to add up.

   Ive had a season-ticket for 15 consecutive years but i wont be renewing for next season. I am quite prepared to take the rough with the smooth but i cannot take the club not even TRYING to be successful on the pitch.

[/quote]

 

Hindsight is a wonderful thing and emotion is distracting to self evident truths, but we should have seen the 6-0 drubbing at Fulham last season as the shape of things to come...Huge support from the stands but with little commitment on the pitch even with a slightly better team. The board will ride this petering out wave till it goes flat on the company profit line. I predict thereafter an exodus and it will be for new people to rebuild another big wave of success, which can only come from success on the pitch.

 

"Lets be ''avin you"...I should say so, we''ve been well and truly had, for our love of Norwich City and our undying observance of the footballing sabbath.

[gazban 0]

Sadly, LGT you are wrong, the board wont back down now, they blew their chance when the charmed worthy got his Man of Month. The flukeiest run of wins i,ve seen, well, until our last 5 home wins. We could and probably should have lost the lot! I wont be renewing as he hasn''t been replaced and I would bet my season ticket cash that he will not be able to turn it around. I''ve seen managers struggle and then build a successful team, but he has managed to dismantle a successful team and offered no improvement throughout the season. Hes here until Oct at the earliest with odd flukey home wins keeping his job alive.

I''m gutted as you can probably tell as I have lived away for 10 years missing our glory time and the depths of the chase out, but after being a season ticket holder for the past 4 years the entertainment and after a false dawn, the quality has slowly ebbed away. I hoped more would do the same and not renew, so if they sacked him I could go back, but its not to be.

I will be writing to the club in the next few days with my renewal form telling them why I will not be renewing. Pity there are another 2000 waiting for my ticket, but do they know what they are letting themselves in for!

[Camberwick Green<IMG src="http:new.pinkun.comforumsimagesline.gif"><BR>Breathe the pressure, Come play my game Ill test ya !!!<BR><A class=authorlink href="http:" target=_blank><A><BR> 0]

Tremendous post by the old boy.

"the only thing they didn''t budget for was the dismissal of the manager...(and team)"

Sweet lord. isn''t that the truth.....

 

[Pyro Pete 1,893]

I just think the board are refusing to take responsibility here. By keeping Worthington in charge all the blame is conveniently shouldered by him alone. But the moment he is sacked (or leaves the club by mutual consent) the spotlight turns on the board of directors. They then become immediately responsible for the team''s future by having to find a new manager. More importantly, to select the right manager. It''s a tough choice, certainly. A huge responsibility. But this seems to be a situation the board are trying to avoid at all costs. They simply don''t want to take on that responsibility.So what happens if ten games into next season the team are still struggling in the league, and there is no "Plan B"?The board need to face up to the fact that Norwich City are, at present, a team in decline. If they continue to bury their heads in the sand, we may also become a club in decline, as fans drift away in disillusionment.