So Peter knows better than Burley, Curbs & Mowbray does he.

[BlyBlyBabes 0]

WTF is going on?

Give Safri a new contract & get him onside FFS.

I''m annoyed.

OTBC

[Shack Attack 0]

You''re not the only one Bly.

If Safri leaves it will undo a lot of the good work done so far this summer in my opinion. It sends out a message that the board don''t believe we can challenge for the play-offs and that this will merely be a season of re-building.

I don''t know what Curbs has got to do with it though, unless West Ham are also interested!

[Hotdog 0]

do we even know if Grant wants to sell Safri, has he ever stated this because i thought it was just rumours. I think Grant knows that every player has there price and if a bid of 1.5 Mill came in it would be to good to refuse especially with Safri being away for African cup of nations and he always seems to get injured playing for Morocco

[The Penguin 0]

Totally agree,

we should do all we can to keep Saf`s.

Quality player, the sort we have to keep if we have any hopes of getting out of this division.

[mbncfc 1]

You see, I''m not convinced about blaming PG or the club for all this specualtion.

PG has said he wants to keep him, but made a pretty sharp remark about him being away and possibly representatives seeing what they could sort out.

Could it be Safri is wanting to leave?

Another point is, considering the number of people who think Safri makes the team tick, this is the first mention that we should renew his contract. Even though it expires next summer.

If he stays, great. If he goes, we need another midfield body. There we are.

[First Wizard 0]

[quote user="BlyBlyBabes"]

WTF is going on?

Give Safri a new contract & get him onside FFS.

I''m annoyed.

OTBC

[/quote]

Sorry BB Babes, but I''m not annoyed, in fact, I agree with this transfer if it does happen.

With The African Cup, Ramadan fasting and the ''I''m too tired'' quotes from  Safs, I say let him go and thank him for a FEW good memories. He''s just another link to the old Worthy regime. And before anyone says anything, Hucks is different!.

Anthing from a million quid and over and I''d rip their arms off!.

[Indy_Bones 441]

Don''t see why you find it so hard to understand? Can you also clarify when Safri was genuinely linked to a West Ham move???

[Faded Jaded Semi Plastic SOB 1,023]

Bly - See where you are coming from, I am a big fan of Safri but talking to my Dad last night (he has no axe to grind so to speak), he pointed out that Saf misses quite a few games through international duties, tiredness and injury which is no good to a team that plays 46+ games in a season so I am coming round to the viewpoint that if we get a decent fee for him and that money is used to bolster the team/squad it may not be a bad thing. I think Grant is trying to build a team such that we are not over reliant on any one player, I assume that Brellier is the man to "replace" Safri, all he has to do now is crack who the back up for Hucks will be......(and maybe the Safr money will go towards answering that problem). 

[Master J-Do Pur 0]

I fear Safri has lost his desire to play for Norwich. It sometimes happens to players, they need a change of scene to find their form again. It is a shame because in the premiership he was my favourite player but to have someone who doesn''t want to play half the time suggests his heart isn''t in it anymore.

[megson 0]

Well according to Grant today he wants to keep him, has had no official contact, and he''s aprt of the plans for next season.

If saf goes it''ll be through his own (or agents) doing, in which case I''m happy for him to leave.

If a player isn''t 100% commited to the team then they are not worth having, especially at this level where we can''t afford too many passengers.

He also doesn''t play enough games for me either, which is a shame as I agree he''s one of the more talented players in squad.

I''d rather he stayed, but if he wants to go, and we manage to get a decent fee I won''t be overly upset.

It would leave us with a hole to fill in the squad though.

[Matt Morriss 69]

[quote user="1st Wizard"][quote user="BlyBlyBabes"]

WTF is going on?

Give Safri a new contract & get him onside FFS.

I''m annoyed.

OTBC

[/quote]

Sorry BB Babes, but I''m not annoyed, in fact, I agree with this transfer if it does happen.

With The African Cup, Ramadan fasting and the ''I''m too tired'' quotes from  Safs, I say let him go and thank him for a FEW good memories. He''s just another link to the old Worthy regime. And before anyone says anything, Hucks is different!.

Anthing from a million quid and over and I''d rip their arms off!.

[/quote]This is my point from my Safri post, people are too hung up on these issues with Saf. Agreed they are negative, but is it Safri''s fault that the ANC is scheduled during our season? No. Should Safri be denied his religous beliefs? No. And the tired thing was probably mis qouted and out of context. Safri obviously isnt the fittest guy in the team, and may need more rest than others. This all happened after his international duty, and it was Grants words that he was ''too tired'', in his antagonistic way, remember how he slagged off the fans the 2nd he was here? Its just his way of motivating people. Despite these issue''s, which for me have been and always will be non issues, Safri is an excellent player and our best midfielder and is crucial to our SQUAD this season.No, he wont play 46 games....but neither will Dion. He is still integral to our success. There will be games where we need to scrap, Etuhu and Brellier will be used for this. There will be other games where were 1-0 down and creating nothing, and need to change it. Subs win matches, if you dont have options of different styles of play on the bench you wont win the league. Theres no point in having players like Chris Martin and Chadwick on the bench to bring on unless you accompany them with a player that will use them. We need a passer of the ball. If Saf goes and we buy nowt we will not have one.This will be detrimental to our play and ability to win games were losing, theres no doubt on this. Were building a squad to win promotion.Safri should not be allowed to leave.

[Ginja 26]

[quote user="BlyBlyBabes"]

WTF is going on?

Give Safri a new contract & get him onside FFS.

I''m annoyed.

OTBC

[/quote]So long as a replacement is found, I''ll quite happily say goodbye to him. He''s good but won''t be able to ever commit to a full seasons worth of games, especially this season and if the rumors are true that he wants to leave because of Grant then I say there is no point keeping him. BUT we must have a replacement, and a good one at that.

[AJ 1,218]

I agree Bly,

This can easilly be solved by offering Saffers a new contract.

This obviously proves that Grant isn''t a big fan of Safri and wouldn''t miss him if he left.

Then large majority fans however obviously think otherwise...

[Dicky 0]

[quote user="Sons of Boadicea"]Bly - See where you are coming from, I am a big fan of Safri but talking to my Dad last night (he has no axe to grind so to speak), he pointed out that Saf misses quite a few games through international duties, tiredness and injury which is no good to a team that plays 46+ games in a season so I am coming round to the viewpoint that if we get a decent fee for him and that money is used to bolster the team/squad it may not be a bad thing. I think Grant is trying to build a team such that we are not over reliant on any one player, I assume that Brellier is the man to "replace" Safri, all he has to do now is crack who the back up for Hucks will be......(and maybe the Safr money will go towards answering that problem). [/quote]

Totally agree SOB - on his day Safri can be good, but saw very little of that last season.  Sometimes players need to move on for the good of them and the team.  If we can add £1.5million to our transfer pot (or reduce our debts to help us in the future!), whilst building a more settled team rather than talented individuals, then it''s maybe no bad thing.

At the end of the day, the manager and board will do what they consider to be in the best interest of the team and we should support them.

OTBC.

[Graham Humphrey 13]

I would happily take £1m+ for him, considering how injury-prone he is and that he seems more committed to playing for Morocco than he does for Norwich I think that would be a very good deal. As long as we bring in someone else.

[The Voice of the Thorpe Area 0]

Cash in on him!!!!!!!

He''s over-rated, inconsitant and missing during large parts of the season due to Africa cup and injury.

[Stevo 0]

I''m a big fan of Safri. I think he has the best range of passing at the club and on his day he gets the team ''playing''. However, I don''t think he and Etuhu compliment eachother as well as you''d like them to. I always felt that Saf tended to sit off a bit too much and my gut feel is that Brellier will be play closer to his markers and give the opposition less time. I''d be happy if he stayed but anything over a million and I''d take it. Age, contract length, absences throughout the season all suggest to me that a million plus would be good business. Combine that fee with extra funds from the existing transfer kitty and we could bring in good replacement.

2 other points.....in answer to the thread title, PG has managed Safri and worked closely with him so arguably he does know more about him than managers from other clubs who would base their opinions on scouting reports and / or games between their 2 clubs. Also a mate of mine who is a Cov fan said he was nicknamed ''Tampax'' before he signed for us......"one week in, 3 weeks out".

[Beaker 0]

are you sure curbishely is still manager of charlton?

[In Dubious Battle 0]

[quote user="ZippersLeftFoot"]

The stats are clear,  3 seasons on and no safri tends to mean no wins (0607 1 win from 11 without Safri (15 wins in 35 with) , 0506 2 from 16 without safri (16/30 with) 0405 2 wins in 20 without, 5 in 18 with).   Thats just  5 wins in 47 league games (win 10.6%) over three seasons that we have won without him against 43% with him (36/83) - letting any player leave when we win 4 times as many games with as without him is s decison that needs carefully consideration.

[/quote]

Arguement over we must keep safri at all costs!

[renegade tootsie 0]

If someone will give us 1.5 million for a player who is injured for a quarter of the season, weak due to ramadan for another month and who buggers off to the african nations for another month, then we should bite their hands off!  His impact is not as great as people perceive, he is just the best ball player in a poor team over the past two seasons.  He makes clumsy tackles, gets sent off, lacks pace, oh and a lot of rumours point to him wanting to go elsewhere.

What were your reasons for keeping him exactly?

[quote user="BlyBlyBabes"]

WTF is going on?

Give Safri a new contract & get him onside FFS.

I''m annoyed.

OTBC

[/quote]

[Mazy Run 0]

It was pretty clear that Safri and Grant had some sort of falling out soon after Grant arrived. Didn''t Grant drop Youssef in favour of Robinson for a while? No wonder Youssef was p-''d off. I seem to remember veiled references to disagreements having been patched up in interviews Youssef gave before Christmas. Then there was Grant''s ''too tired'' jibe, which seemed designed to publicly humiliate Safri. That sort of man management might work in the short term, but leaves a residual feeling of discontent - so it wouldn''t surprise me if Youssef feels he no longer belongs here. I had to smile ruefully at the Pink Un line the other day about WBA''s interest ''testing City''s resolve to keep Safri'' - I don''t think that resolve will take much testing. All of which is a great shame, because I agree with posters on this and other threads that Youssef is a genuine quality player, and he has been very committed to the Canary cause in the past. I fear his days here are numbered, which means I won''t get to wear my green Morocco shirt again...   

[Essex_Canary 6]

I can honestly say I can''t remember a single telling contribution that Safri made last year, or a game where he was head and shoulders the best player on the pitch. I also can''t see where he fits into the team - our midfield was collectively weak last season, at no point did we get on top and control the midfield area and I think that this is probably as much down to Safri and Etuhu in the middle as anything. With Brellier in there to sit in front of the defence, Etuhu in there to bomb forward and 2 wingers I can''t see where Safri fits, or what job he would do.

In my view therefore he is a back-up, squad player for this season and if we can get even £500k for a squad player, in the last year of his contract, who is a bit injury prone and away for 5 weeks midseason I would snap someones hand off for it and use the cash to bring in a young promising central midfielder who can spend time on the bench and give us options in the future. With Micky Spillane & Rossi Jarvis also able to cover central midfield I think we''ll be fine without Safs

First XI

-----------------Marshall----------------

Otsemobor---Dublin----Shackell---Drury

Chadwick---Brellier---Etuhu---Huckerby

----------Strihavka---Cureton-----------

2nd XI

--------------------Gilks--------------------

Cave-Brown---Doherty---Spillane---Lappin

Croft-----Safri------Fotheringham-----Eagle

--------------Brown---Martin---------------

 

 

 

 

[FilletTheFishWife . 0]

[quote user="BlyBlyBabes"]

WTF is going on?

Give Safri a new contract & get him onside FFS.

I''m annoyed.

OTBC

[/quote]

 

We''ve got Julian "never heard of before but looks good on YouTube" Brellier

so who needs Youssef "we loved him but we''d rather have 1.5M in the bank" Safri.

Unfortunately "Emperor''s new clothes" syndrome dominates this board .

[O.T.B.C 0]

[quote user="BlyBlyBabes"]

WTF is going on?

Give Safri a new contract & get him onside FFS.

I''m annoyed.

OTBC

[/quote]

And the other side of the coin then Bly, how about the fact that grant watches him everyday in training, watches him injured and away from Norwich as he plays for his country!

He may not have given a positive response to questions about Saf''s future but at the end of the day he is the manager and if he thinks that he is not part of his plans then so be it, but I have not heard him say that.

[Smudger 0]

Have people not read Grant''s other statements to the press today?

He is dropping big hints that his summer spending is over...

Any cash from the sale of Safri would be yet more dissappearing down that mysterious black hole inside Carrow Road, more than likely to never be seen again!!!

Have no concern over Safri being sold (as I agree that he is over-rated).

I do have a problem with any money raised from his sale not being immediately re-invested in to finding a replacement for him though!!!  [:@]

[Green and Yellow 0]

[quote user="AJ"]I agree Bly,



This can easilly be solved by offering Saffers a new contract.



This obviously proves that Grant isn''t a big fan of Safri and wouldn''t miss him if he left.


Then large majority fans however obviously think otherwise...
[/quote]

Disagree with you on that one. Grant and Safri fell out last season and ,in my opinion, have never seen eye to eye since. A new contract will not purchase a disenchanted heart.

 

[Pinks 0]

Safri with religeous holidays, injury and international games is a luxury we can''t afford. Just for comparison:

Safri

3 seasons       71 starts

 

Holt

4 seasons       175 starts

Get a million $ quid for the part timer and get someone in who isn''t injury prone and off galavanting to Congo every other weekend.

 

[In Dubious Battle 0]

[quote user="Smudger"]

Have people not read Grant''s other statements to the press today?

He is dropping big hints that his summer spending is over...

Any cash from the sale of Safri would be yet more dissappearing down that mysterious black hole inside Carrow Road, more than likely to never be seen again!!!

Have no concern over Safri being sold (as I agree that he is over-rated).

I do have a problem with any money raised from his sale not being immediately re-invested in to finding a replacement for him though!!!  [:@]

[/quote]

Just wanted to point out that you have taken what grant actually said and altered it for your own agenda.

What he said was:

"I will see - we''ve got until August 31. Even though that''s the transfer window, maybe I can still use the loan system then."

and

“We''ll see where the boys are. I still feel there may be one or two positions where I could get an extra body in. But David was vital. I''d probably say at the front part of the field that will be it. Midfield and defence I''ll still have a look at and assess that over the next few weeks. We will see how they come through the pre-season games.”

Not really the same as saying spendings over is it?

[In Dubious Battle 0]

[quote user="Smudger"]

Have people not read Grant''s other statements to the press today?

He is dropping big hints that his summer spending is over...

Any cash from the sale of Safri would be yet more dissappearing down that mysterious black hole inside Carrow Road, more than likely to never be seen again!!!

Have no concern over Safri being sold (as I agree that he is over-rated).

I do have a problem with any money raised from his sale not being immediately re-invested in to finding a replacement for him though!!!  [:@]

[/quote]

Just wanted to point out that you have taken what grant actually said and altered it for your own agenda.

What he said was:

"I will see - we''ve got until August 31. Even though that''s the transfer window, maybe I can still use the loan system then."

and

“We''ll see where the boys are. I still feel there may be one or two positions where I could get an extra body in. But David was vital. I''d probably say at the front part of the field that will be it. Midfield and defence I''ll still have a look at and assess that over the next few weeks. We will see how they come through the pre-season games.”

Not really the same as saying spendings over is it?

[7rew 0]

He is dropping big hints that there willbe no more strikers - midfield and defense he''s hinting that he wants more but no one is iminent.