THE BLAME GAME

[Rudolph Hucker 0]

On Saturday, I listened to a few short periods of Radio Norfolk commentary of the Norwich match in between watching England lose at Rugby and with images of England getting tonked by the Aussies still fresh in my mind over an early breakfast.

As usual, Norwich seemed to define their forthcoming performance in a cameo first ten minutes: you just knew it wasn''t going to get any better. It was whilst doing that man thing, channel surfing, that I saw Earnshaw had scored via Jeff Stelling and Co. Great, I thought, if we can at least get three points the performance can be consigned.

I decided to listen to the monotone Adams and waffling Waller for the last ten minutes. The game seemed to be petering out. The commentators seemed almost sophorific through what they were watching and relaying, and then Hull equalised and it all felt like a defeat. I was annoyed with myself for looking in anticipation at the other results and league position a win would give us: I wonder if our players were similarly complacent. Nothing had changed and I switched the radio off thereby missing Grant''s post match comments.

Today was busy at work so it was 8-30pm when I logged on to this web-site and saw Grant''s comments and the reaction.

My first thought was about Worthington''s ''Don''t care what the fans think'' comment which for me was the watershed signalling his decline. The Norfolk mentality doesn''t respond well to criticism of anything about which the people are remotely parochial.

However, Worthington had a rocky start before all his later success and as I recall actually apologised to the fans, who forgave him in an instant and even gave up singing ''you don''t know what you''re doing'' on the back of that entente cordiale.

Grant won''t say sorry; Grant want a sea-change in the atmosphere at Carrow Road and he wants it despite the team.

At the end of last season the team performed despite the fans and the atmosphere, to their credit. Now it seems they cannot perform without unequivocal support.

I gave up my season ticket. I didn''t like the football but would have tolerated that, however, I also didn''t like the complacent and patronising attitude of the Club towards their loyal support and that put my decision in balance. What finally tipped it was the atmosphere and attitude of the supporters.

I have been to one game this season on my son''s season ticket in the heart of the Barclay Lower. The atmosphere was pathetic and the denizens of that section are a disgrace to the history of this Stand. I was shouting and screaming for players to get stuck in, and did so too in the Cathedral Lounge in previous seasons, what happens, my boy goes back for the next game to hear remarks from those regularly around him about how vocal his old man is....like it''s a bad thing.

Years ago, me and my mates used to stand, surge and sway  like sardines in a tin; screaming, bawling and passive smoking for 90 minutes to come out hoarse. We set off songs and roared the team on. The stand was mainly lads and blokes all crammed together while the modern Barclay is much more eclectic; but that shouldn''t be an excuse.

The passion has gone. It was there in the promotion year and for part of the Prem season but since Fulham the Club has collectively sulked and the supporters as a body have sulked. They''ve sulked a long time too; their ''loyalty'' has aided long and drawn out responses from a Board who actually needed a shock.

I have said before, nothing makes more noise than empty seats, but of course, Norwich fans prefer to turn up and sulk.

Now, I know this Board is full of passionate people who care and vent their frustrations with rhetorical posts. Don''t be offended, you are not the majority.

Maybe Grant is right?  Perhaps the fans should have seen the worth of another undeserved three points and lifted themselves and the team by raising the sound levels. Perhaps City fans are too sensitive. Perhaps Grant will eventually turn his passion on a Board which needs a few home truths.

I don''t regard myself as a fickle supporter, I have just been around the block too many times and am annoyed by the whole situation I see repeated again. I wish I knew the answer to this chicken and egg conundrum: the atmosphere will not improve until supporters see the players are giving their proper all and many of our players will not improve until the supporters shake off their inertia.

The only catalyst in the whole mix is Grant and he is playing with another manager''s players and needs time. The only thing within the gift of the supporters is their support and they have to decide if this is something they wish to effect or not. It is another Norfolk trait, I am afraid, to ''cut off our noses to spite our faces'' and perhaps, as we don''t have allegiances to another Club this is something we need to consider at a time like this because, at the end of the day, there is nowhere else we would want to go.

Good thing there is another home game so soon. We still want our team to win well don''t we?

[Chris Meadows 0]

best post i''ve seen on this board for ages. summed everything up perfectly.

come on guys lets just make Carrow Road a cauldron of noise as Granty said today. i''ll be trying to get some the River End singing as much as i can(its a very tough challenge) some of em sing  but they do need a catalyst or 2. Up untill the last year i was proud to be part of the Norwich City crowd at Carrow Road but from the end of last year and this year its been nothing short of embarrassing

[Yellow Rages 0]

Rudolf...................You return to us with a blinder!

Is this the mark of things to come? The best post I have ever seen from you. please keep it up.

I agree fully. I do however think that the modern football arena is probably a contributary factor. It does promote a more sedate following.

One question I wanted to ask on the back of the current rant is one that I direct at those who were silent during the game. Why was that? It the case from most accounts that the ground was pretty quiet and I''m just wondering why that might have been.

Maybe I might be looking at this in a black and white fashion but if you were dissapointed with the side, then why did you go? Why did you want to be there?

I''m not having a go, I genuinely want to understand. If I was annoyed to the extent of not singing for my team,  I wouldn''t go. I feel that part of my place and point of being there is to gee the team up and create an atmosphere. I might be alone here but I thought that was the point. I can''t see the point in spending my saturday miserable and going to the game. I see every Saturday as renewed optomism with the hope we will get three points. We were going to get three points and then it all went tits up but before it went sour we had no support. That''s what I don''t get.

 

[ncfc0405 0]

Fantastic post Rudolph.

You''re right about the chicken-and-egg conundrum. But the way I see it you either have a vicious circle or virutous circle.

Football is so much about confidence, and fans play the biggest role in building confidence.

In a vicious circle, if the players perform badly, the fans get on their backs (or become indifferent), the players'' confidence declines, their performances suffer further, and so it spirals downward.

In a virtuous circle, if the players perform badly, the fans maintain their vocal support, the players confidence improves, their performance improves and so we progress.

I''m not saying fans don''t have the right to be constructively critical, but vocally supporting your team through thick and thin is a no-lose proposition as far as I can see. It costs nothing and without it we''re going nowhere.

[macdougalls perm 0]

Great post Rudolf.

[mbncfc 1]

Everyone on this board should take the time to read Rudolph''s post...

Tonight we will find out about the character of those fans present, as well as the players.

[Mook 0]

I''ve tried to make this point on other threads, but you have put it far more eloquently than I can.

Disregarding whether or not it affects the team, singing, dancing, shouting and getting into the spirit of football is FUN!! In fact, more often than not it''s the best part about going to football.

To me, Carrow Road on a Saturday is 20,000 people taking their seats, putting on their glummest expressions and say "Entertain me - I deserve it". That''s not how to create an atmosphere...

[Ginja 43]

Excellent post rudolph, I personally am going to be mature about this take grants comments on the chin, realise he meant no offense and move on. I will be there tonight to do what I always do sing, shout and cheer!What will you do? be childish and sulk and mope? or will you try and do something positive for the club instead of adding to it problems.

[Saint Canary 0]

[quote user="Rudolph Hucker"]

It is another Norfolk trait, I am afraid, to ''cut off our noses to spite our faces''

[/quote]

Unfortunately this is very true.  I can see tonight being a bit of a “who blinks first competition” in that Grant wants the fans to be vocal in support of the team and the fans wanting something from the team to be vocal about.

[Mr.Carrow 394]

A good post indeed. However, the `fortress Carrow Rd.` thing was built during a period where everyone accepted we were a skint club desperately trying to punch above our weight. Many fans are sulking now because it has become apparent that over the last few years we have become a relatively wealthy club with absolutely no intention of being successful on the pitch. We have made a huge profit in the transfer market since the Prem season and all the income that entailed- and the squad is now weaker than when we went up.

I think most people are happy to get behind a club which is straining every sinew to achieve success on the pitch, but when it isn`t even trying??.....No chance.