Diego Forlan rejects a move to Sunderland

[San Miguel 0]

When I first read this I thought ''ha ha ha, Sunderland are having a bubble aren''t they!?''

but seriously, it does show that Keane & Co have high ambitions if they think they can attract players like Forlan to a fan-less grotty club in the North! I know they have the advantage of an ex-Man U manager with lots of big contacts and a rich board behind them.

however, should we be aiming higher in our transfers? so far Grant (who I know has little to go on) has been looking at the smaller clubs in the SPL (except Celtic with Marshall) and unwanted Championship and lower league players - Brown, Ostemobor, etc...

perhaps Grant can use his contacts to get us someone half decent from a team above us not below? Carlos Tevez maybe? (!)

[gissing canary 2]

Each team has there own way of progressing, for me if we had to choose 1, we should go for the Reading.

Just because birmingham are doing well, are you suggesting we go for a £13million + andy coles wages strikeforce?  You dont need it to get promoted, its about building a solid team, with depth and competition.  not about wasting millions, birmingham and west brom, have backers and are running a risk, with these crazy costs and wages.

 

[nutty nigel 7,902]

I tend to agree that Reading are a good example of teams that are progressing. Maybe they modelled themselves on us pre 2004/5??

Did anyone else hear the "Little Reading" comments on TV at the weekend?

 

[ricky knight 0]

its simple to be a good team you need good players, good players cost money, if Delia cant produce that due to lack of funds or other reasons, she should go. Reading are a one off next season is their test, ask Westham.

We cant hope to compete on SPL reserves and non league players, fact, or promising yougsters, we have to be adventurous, at least go halfway, we want it all for nout it seems to me.

Before i get pelters, i want city to do well, i feel great when we are winning, i just cant and wont settle for mediocrity.

[Pyro Pete 2,354]

If true, it shows Keane is planning for Premiership football next season, as the transfer fee and wages required to obtain Forlan''s services would amount to a fair bit. But it demonstrates both Keane and his backers have high ambitions, and expect to have the income to fund them.Obviously Norwich are not in the same position as Sunderland just now. We do not have a high profile manager like Keane, or new backers wanting to invest in the team. Plus we cannot tempt players in with the promise of Premiership football or high wages. With the parachute payments gone we are back to where we were prior to Premiership promotion.

[ricky knight 0]

thats one of my points with Grant he has not got the profile to attract players, where a Keane type manager people want to play for. City are scared of that type of manager, 1, he would not be a yes man 2, he would want to buy good players, which means spending.

[Smudger 0]

[quote user="ricky knight"]thats one of my points with Grant he has not got the profile to attract players, where a Keane type manager people want to play for. City are scared of that type of manager, 1, he would not be a yes man 2, he would want to buy good players, which means spending.[/quote]

Very true Ricky...

I will be most upset with Granty if he does not get serious money to spend in the summer because it will be his fault as much as the boards.  We need a strong manager to stand up to them and demand that they stump up some cash... if Granty is not strong enough to do this then it will ultimately be his job that is on the line before anybody has to walk from the boardroom.

[can u sit down please 0]

Grant has got a profile he can use thru West ham and Scottish football in general but was Gunn not brought in to help with that side of things?

Bowen,Steve Clarke,Sir Alex,Eric Black, steve Bruce.........rest my case......

[mbncfc 1]

[quote user="ricky knight"]thats one of my points with Grant he has not got the profile to attract players, where a Keane type manager people want to play for. City are scared of that type of manager, 1, he would not be a yes man 2, he would want to buy good players, which means spending.[/quote]

Has there ever been a time in the past where we have attracted someone of that reputation as manager in the past? Martin O''Neill possibly I guess.

I''m not being sarcastic. It''s a genuine question.

[Syteanric 1]

when we got O''neill all he had done was take wycombe up.. hardly a proven track record...

jas :)

[ricky knight 0]

With respect O''neil''s standing as a player was far greater than Grants and would get alot of respect from that, anyway i was not over impressed with his standard of football in his short tenure, very long ball.

[mbncfc 1]

[quote user="jas the barclay king"]

when we got O''neill all he had done was take wycombe up.. hardly a proven track record...

jas :)

[/quote]

Agreed. But Ricky used Roy Keane as a comparison to PG because of his higher profile. Soomething MON certainly had. 

Roy had never managed before either, as is the case with Steve Staunton too...

[nutty nigel 7,902]

[quote user="ricky knight"]

anyway i was not over impressed with his standard of football in his short tenure, very long ball.

[/quote]

O''neill''s reputation as a manager for us is based on what he achieved afterwards and what he could have achieved here. I agree in his short time here I wasn''t impressed with the football we played.

In my time supporting City our managers were never people from top clubs like Manchester United and Roy Keane. We had Ron Saunders (Oxford), John Bond (Bournemouth), Ken Brown (Norwich), Dave Stringer (Norwich), Mike Walker (Norwich), John Deehan (Norwich), Gary Megson (Norwich), Martin O''Neill (Wycombe), Gary Megson (Bradford), Mike Walker (no club?), Bruce Rioch (QPR), Brian Hamilton (Norwich), Nigel Worthington (Norwich) and as far as I can make out Peter Grant (West Ham) being the only one to come to us directly from a top flight side.

 

[Syteanric 1]

[quote user="ricky knight"]

With respect O''neil''s standing as a player was far greater than Grants and would get alot of respect from that, anyway i was not over impressed with his standard of football in his short tenure, very long ball.

[/quote]

thats a good point.. but Wenger, Mourinho and Ferguson all came from a low division (or in the case of mourinho) amateur background.. they had no tenure as a player and had to build that respect.. no reason Grant cant do the same

jas :)

[mbncfc 1]

Sorry Jas.

Reading back my original post, it was a little ambiguous. My fault. It should have read:

[quote user="mbncfc"]

Has there ever been a time in the past where someone with such a high footballing profile has been attracted to Norwich to become the club''s manager? Martin O''Neill possibly I guess.

[/quote]

I remember Bryan Robson was linked with us when Mike Walker walked out. At the time it was a similar situation to when Keane joined Sunderland this year, but Robson and Chase pretty much laughed off the suggestion between them.

[ricky knight 0]

Ron Saunders, John Bond and Mike Walker (colchester) all were a success at previous clubs, and went on to premier clubs, most of the others were promoted from within.

The difference now is we are now geared for premier league football a base set by these previous managers, Walker actually making us a top 3 side. Worthington taking us up in his tenure.

If we are to be ambitious, we need the manager in place to do that, this is Grants first job and i say again a cheap option, he was at best a good club player, here he did nout, he is a good coach 2nd in command but how many of these have failed as a no 1.

If he was not still on a honeymoon period, his results since taking over would make him sackable and some of the football being played is way below standard expected at carrow road.

I sincerely hope he proves me wrong if he does i will come on here and say, i was wrong but i cannot see it, anything but playoffs next season to me is failure..

[ricky knight 0]

[quote user="jas the barclay king"][quote user="ricky knight"]

With respect O''neil''s standing as a player was far greater than Grants and would get alot of respect from that, anyway i was not over impressed with his standard of football in his short tenure, very long ball.

[/quote]

thats a good point.. but Wenger, Mourinho and Ferguson all came from a low division (or in the case of mourinho) amateur background.. they had no tenure as a player and had to build that respect.. no reason Grant cant do the same

jas :)

[/quote]

they started out at lesser clubs than city though and came through the ranks, Mourinho learned off bobby Robson, not a bad teacher, Wenger was a student of management and ferguson started at somewhere like St Mirren, i believe, though will stand corrected. In any case they started pretty much at the bottom.

Grant has no pedigree and at this time we need a manager with experience and respect imo.

[WestMidlandCanary 0]

[quote user="San Miguel"]

When I first read this I thought ''ha ha ha, Sunderland are having a bubble aren''t they!?''

but seriously, it does show that Keane & Co have high ambitions if they think they can attract players like Forlan to a fan-less grotty club in the North! I know they have the advantage of an ex-Man U manager with lots of big contacts and a rich board behind them.

however, should we be aiming higher in our transfers? so far Grant (who I know has little to go on) has been looking at the smaller clubs in the SPL (except Celtic with Marshall) and unwanted Championship and lower league players - Brown, Ostemobor, etc...

perhaps Grant can use his contacts to get us someone half decent from a team above us not below? Carlos Tevez maybe? (!)

[/quote]

 

"A Fan-less Grotty club in the North"?

That''s a bit disresepectful don''t you think? Have you ever been to the Stadium of Light?

Of all the clubs we''ve visited as away season ticket holders, the fans of Sunderland and Newcastle lead the way for hospitality and friendly banter. Nowhere in either City were we made to feel anything but welcome. Given that there was always a link between us and Sunderland from the past, your comment is out of order, even if it was meant as a joke.

[mbncfc 1]

[quote user="ricky knight"]

they started out at lesser clubs than city though and came through the ranks, Mourinho learned off bobby Robson, not a bad teacher, Wenger was a student of management and ferguson started at somewhere like St Mirren, i believe, though will stand corrected. In any case they started pretty much at the bottom.

Grant has no pedigree and at this time we need a manager with experience and respect imo.

[/quote]

I think this is always the classic argument when appointing a new manager Ricky. Whether to go for experience or enthusiasm.

I remember having a similar debate with my grandad before Worthy was appointed.

Both work, both fail. Personally I think PG was a good choice, although not my favourite for the job. But I can certainly see where you''re coming from too Ricky.

Time in the end will prove whether PG is a good appointment or not, no matter what we do or say.