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Andy Larkin

My two penneth for what its worth…

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I have only posted here once so obviously the vast majority of you will have little regard for what I have to say… but I read this forum a lot and so here is my two penneth worth of insight, thoughts and emotional outpourings.

I was born in 1966. I attended my first game in 1970, sitting on the wall at the front of the River End, so I guess I''m appraching my 38th year as a Norwich fan.

I didn''t get to choose my team, it was chosen for me by my Grandad who took me to Carrow Road week in week out.

I cried when I saw us lose for the first time, in fact I cried many times during that first season, but I was only 4 years old (going on 5) so I guess I could be excused.

My grandfather was a typical Norfolk man… hard working, quiet and dependable. He said little, but what he did say was worth listening to.

He told me that the important part of supporting a team was that you followed them through thick and thin. You took the highs with the lows in equal measure because being a football fan meant that you got your fair share of both. He made me realise that no one team has the divine right to win everything all the time, but you hope and you pray that your team wins more than it loses.

He believed that you supported the players whilst they were on the pitch and you held your counsel until you got to the pub or social club or workplace or wherever you went to discuss your football.

Granted, these views may seem very old-fashioned and naieve these days and I am sad to say that in the prevailing 37/38 years I have not always abided by them.

I was arrested after the Chase demos and threatened with expulsion from all sporting arenas as a result of standing up to a Met Policeman on horseback. Fortunately I was able to persuade the judge that I was not a full time hooligan and that my actions were borne out of the frustrations I was baring at the time… that the Chairman was selling my club down the river. I prevailed!

The current situation that we find ourselves in is desparate for sure, but by no means lost. The appointment of Glenn Roeder did not make me leap up and down with excitement, but I thought that it would be someone of his ilk.

Having listened to his press conference however, I am quiet impressed with his calm approach, I am buoyed by his holding counsel on our current squad and I am moderately excited by the contacts he has within the game.

As someone posted on here a few minutes ago, we have had the arm-waving and shouting manager that did not work. Roeder''s apparent charisma bypass is misleading. He is actually a very intelligent man that believes in playing football the right way. He was a nice player to watch when he played the game, a clever thinker and a good passer and that has been apparent in the teams that he has managed thus far.

He is bringing in a completely new team behind him (Nigel Pearson has been mentioned here and other places besides) which can do nothing but good, so the very least you can do is to get behind him and his team and give them 100% support.

This takes me back to the early part of my post. Whatever the scenario, whatever situation we are in… we are first and foremost supporters of Norwich City Football Club.

Support your team 100%. If you don''t like it, don''t go! But strop this endless back stabbing, both here and at Carrow Road. Don''t applaud and cheer when a player you don''t like is taken off. I mean, I''m sure that does the lad''s confidence the world of good don''t it.

We don''t have a god-given right to romp away with this league, there are many teams as big as Norwich and many that are bigger, and all we can do is get behind the lads 100% of the time.

Sky''s coverage of football has all but ruined the game that I love. It has made football fans completely unrealistic to their teams chances of glory. We are never going to get as close to winning the top league as we got under Mike Walker. And as for West Ham fans belittling our appointment… well have any of you ever thought of them as anything other than whining, moaning a**eholes anyways? Why is their opinion so important? I have a friend that is a Newcastle season ticket holder. He holds Roeder in high regard, he says he had an impossible job and almost pulled it off. So reel your necks in a little bit, get behind your team and be a true supporter.

I wish Glenn Roeder all the best… he''s nobody''s fool and he knows what he has taken on here, so get behind the lad and make him feel welcome at least!

Please!

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you are absolutely right. Roeder did very well at Newcastle. . . he is of a good pedigree.

also this back stabbing is unbelievable. OK the board have made mistakes but this appointment is a brilliant one for a team such as Norwich.

i am especially pleased if the talk of his newcastle back room staff is true.

 

I just honestly hope that "fans" (i say that laughing) on here dont ruin our club by not being able to ever see the positives in anything.

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What you say makes complete sense - a real breath of fresh air on this board !

I think that the reason that fans expect instant success these days and moan if they don''t get it is because of the high admission prices charged and the high wages the players are on. It''s almost like we are paying premium prices so we naturally expect a premium product.

I agree totally that SKY has ruined the game....now let''s get behind the boys !

 

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Andy, this may only be your second post but what a great post, you make a lot of valid points and your grandad sounded a very sensible man, like you i have followed the canaries for the last 35 years and tho i read this board everyday i post very rarely as most people on here post utter rubbish and i find it very saddening.

Great post tho, more of the same please, take note, Smudger and cronies !!

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Well said Andy! Agree with your thoughts and sentiments on Roeder entirely and on the need for all fans to get behind the team.

Only point I would add (and it is significant) is that supporting the club through thick and thin like you and I have done must not blind us to the problems and we must be prepared to stand up and confront those who we believe have messed up and by that i mean our board and, in particular, The Stowmarket Two.  The current mess is as much their fault (and argubaly more so) than it is the fault of Worthy or Grant.   

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An excellent post and one which deserves a far wider audience.

It''s certainly one that the majority of football fans, not just Norwich City supporters could and should bear in mind!

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Good post Andy.

It seems that for some people it didn''t matter who was appointed, they were not going to be good enough, and therefore it''s just another chance to have a rabid snap at the board - No ambition, cheap etc.

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[quote user="andy larkin"]I have only posted here once so obviously the vast majority of you will have little regard for what I have to say… but I read this forum a lot and so here is my two penneth worth of insight, thoughts and emotional outpourings.

I was born in 1966. I attended my first game in 1970, sitting on the wall at the front of the River End, so I guess I''m appraching my 38th year as a Norwich fan.

I didn''t get to choose my team, it was chosen for me by my Grandad who took me to Carrow Road week in week out.

I cried when I saw us lose for the first time, in fact I cried many times during that first season, but I was only 4 years old (going on 5) so I guess I could be excused.

My grandfather was a typical Norfolk man… hard working, quiet and dependable. He said little, but what he did say was worth listening to.

He told me that the important part of supporting a team was that you followed them through thick and thin. You took the highs with the lows in equal measure because being a football fan meant that you got your fair share of both. He made me realise that no one team has the divine right to win everything all the time, but you hope and you pray that your team wins more than it loses.

He believed that you supported the players whilst they were on the pitch and you held your counsel until you got to the pub or social club or workplace or wherever you went to discuss your football.

Granted, these views may seem very old-fashioned and naieve these days and I am sad to say that in the prevailing 37/38 years I have not always abided by them.

I was arrested after the Chase demos and threatened with expulsion from all sporting arenas as a result of standing up to a Met Policeman on horseback. Fortunately I was able to persuade the judge that I was not a full time hooligan and that my actions were borne out of the frustrations I was baring at the time… that the Chairman was selling my club down the river. I prevailed!

The current situation that we find ourselves in is desparate for sure, but by no means lost. The appointment of Glenn Roeder did not make me leap up and down with excitement, but I thought that it would be someone of his ilk.

Having listened to his press conference however, I am quiet impressed with his calm approach, I am buoyed by his holding counsel on our current squad and I am moderately excited by the contacts he has within the game.

As someone posted on here a few minutes ago, we have had the arm-waving and shouting manager that did not work. Roeder''s apparent charisma bypass is misleading. He is actually a very intelligent man that believes in playing football the right way. He was a nice player to watch when he played the game, a clever thinker and a good passer and that has been apparent in the teams that he has managed thus far.

He is bringing in a completely new team behind him (Nigel Pearson has been mentioned here and other places besides) which can do nothing but good, so the very least you can do is to get behind him and his team and give them 100% support.

This takes me back to the early part of my post. Whatever the scenario, whatever situation we are in… we are first and foremost supporters of Norwich City Football Club.

Support your team 100%. If you don''t like it, don''t go! But strop this endless back stabbing, both here and at Carrow Road. Don''t applaud and cheer when a player you don''t like is taken off. I mean, I''m sure that does the lad''s confidence the world of good don''t it.

We don''t have a god-given right to romp away with this league, there are many teams as big as Norwich and many that are bigger, and all we can do is get behind the lads 100% of the time.

Sky''s coverage of football has all but ruined the game that I love. It has made football fans completely unrealistic to their teams chances of glory. We are never going to get as close to winning the top league as we got under Mike Walker. And as for West Ham fans belittling our appointment… well have any of you ever thought of them as anything other than whining, moaning a**eholes anyways? Why is their opinion so important? I have a friend that is a Newcastle season ticket holder. He holds Roeder in high regard, he says he had an impossible job and almost pulled it off. So reel your necks in a little bit, get behind your team and be a true supporter.

I wish Glenn Roeder all the best… he''s nobody''s fool and he knows what he has taken on here, so get behind the lad and make him feel welcome at least!

Please![/quote]

If the Web Team ever decide to hold a Post Of The Season award, then your''s gets my vote Andy.

Fantastic - well said pal [Y]

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[quote user="Yellow Rider"]Only point I would add (and it is significant) is that supporting the club through thick and thin like you and I have done must not blind us to the problems and we must be prepared to stand up and confront those who we believe have messed up and by that i mean our board and, in particular, The Stowmarket Two.  The current mess is as much their fault (and argubaly more so) than it is the fault of Worthy or Grant.   

[/quote]

I agree YR. I remain un-blinkered to the failings of this board and, as my reference to the Chase era suggests, I did take my feelings to the streets eventually. I was a bit more militant in those days but I felt I had a valid reason.

My uncle used to play for City (Bunny Larkin, he of the ripped shorts fame) and he has spoken to me in great length about Chairmen and Board of Directors. Believe me, he has little time for them and their knowledge of the game, be that at Brum where he started, Watford, Doncaster, Wisbech or even Attleborough Town… he refers to them all in un-glowing terms.

Same s**t, different club!

The thesis of my post remains the same however… once a Norwich City Supporter always a Norwich City Supporter… no matter the circumstances!

OTBC

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[quote user="Huge Hairy Canary"]

 It''s almost like we are paying premium prices so we naturally expect a premium product.

[/quote]

To be fair though HHC is that so hard to understand - afterall, if I pay more money for anything in life dont I have an expectation to receive a better product as a result?  If not then Porsches would surely cost the same as a Skoda.  Maybe I have misunderstood you point though - its been a long day already!

I agree with what you say though about Sky being the ruination of football today - cant be right when only the same two/three teams are capable of winning the league each year.

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brilliant post, very well thought and very honest as well as correct. some need to stand up and be counted. smudger, cluck, wiz, twosheds, ricky, can any of you say in all honestly what was said at the very beginning of the post about supporting your team through thick and thin etc is untrue? don''t like the board, thats fine but please support the team

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A really well constructed post, if only that could get published in the EDP comments page or Match day Programme.

I think there all valid points. Fans expect to much. Our frustration in my eyes still boils down to that afternoon at Craven Cottage. That hit us hard, not just because we got relegated, but the way we got relegated being thrashed 6-0.

 

I agree with everything you say, and if we go down then so be it. It would be nice though to see Hucks pull his shorts up and start working hard instead of having a monthly rant to the pink’un or EDP. We are in a tough position now, but the players and the staff need to dig deep, they need to have a long look at themselves. They might not be the best team that has worn the yellow and green but it is there responsibility to get us out of this mess. And if they show fight and passion then I as a fan will back them all the way and I hope others will. There is no better stage to kick start a season than a derby game against the scum…..

 

Good luck Glen,

On the Ball City!!!

 

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[quote user="andy larkin"]I have only posted here once so obviously the vast majority of you will have little regard for what I have to say… but I read this forum a lot and so here is my two penneth worth of insight, thoughts and emotional outpourings.

I was born in 1966. I attended my first game in 1970, sitting on the wall at the front of the River End, so I guess I''m appraching my 38th year as a Norwich fan.

I didn''t get to choose my team, it was chosen for me by my Grandad who took me to Carrow Road week in week out.

I cried when I saw us lose for the first time, in fact I cried many times during that first season, but I was only 4 years old (going on 5) so I guess I could be excused.

My grandfather was a typical Norfolk man… hard working, quiet and dependable. He said little, but what he did say was worth listening to.

He told me that the important part of supporting a team was that you followed them through thick and thin. You took the highs with the lows in equal measure because being a football fan meant that you got your fair share of both. He made me realise that no one team has the divine right to win everything all the time, but you hope and you pray that your team wins more than it loses.

He believed that you supported the players whilst they were on the pitch and you held your counsel until you got to the pub or social club or workplace or wherever you went to discuss your football.

Granted, these views may seem very old-fashioned and naieve these days and I am sad to say that in the prevailing 37/38 years I have not always abided by them.

I was arrested after the Chase demos and threatened with expulsion from all sporting arenas as a result of standing up to a Met Policeman on horseback. Fortunately I was able to persuade the judge that I was not a full time hooligan and that my actions were borne out of the frustrations I was baring at the time… that the Chairman was selling my club down the river. I prevailed!

The current situation that we find ourselves in is desparate for sure, but by no means lost. The appointment of Glenn Roeder did not make me leap up and down with excitement, but I thought that it would be someone of his ilk.

Having listened to his press conference however, I am quiet impressed with his calm approach, I am buoyed by his holding counsel on our current squad and I am moderately excited by the contacts he has within the game.

As someone posted on here a few minutes ago, we have had the arm-waving and shouting manager that did not work. Roeder''s apparent charisma bypass is misleading. He is actually a very intelligent man that believes in playing football the right way. He was a nice player to watch when he played the game, a clever thinker and a good passer and that has been apparent in the teams that he has managed thus far.

He is bringing in a completely new team behind him (Nigel Pearson has been mentioned here and other places besides) which can do nothing but good, so the very least you can do is to get behind him and his team and give them 100% support.

This takes me back to the early part of my post. Whatever the scenario, whatever situation we are in… we are first and foremost supporters of Norwich City Football Club.

Support your team 100%. If you don''t like it, don''t go! But strop this endless back stabbing, both here and at Carrow Road. Don''t applaud and cheer when a player you don''t like is taken off. I mean, I''m sure that does the lad''s confidence the world of good don''t it.

We don''t have a god-given right to romp away with this league, there are many teams as big as Norwich and many that are bigger, and all we can do is get behind the lads 100% of the time.

Sky''s coverage of football has all but ruined the game that I love. It has made football fans completely unrealistic to their teams chances of glory. We are never going to get as close to winning the top league as we got under Mike Walker. And as for West Ham fans belittling our appointment… well have any of you ever thought of them as anything other than whining, moaning a**eholes anyways? Why is their opinion so important? I have a friend that is a Newcastle season ticket holder. He holds Roeder in high regard, he says he had an impossible job and almost pulled it off. So reel your necks in a little bit, get behind your team and be a true supporter.

I wish Glenn Roeder all the best… he''s nobody''s fool and he knows what he has taken on here, so get behind the lad and make him feel welcome at least!

Please![/quote]

[Y] Excellent.

I get so used to the slating all things NCFC at the moment that it was so refreshing to read the above.

Cheers !

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Like yourself i only ever read the posts on here, but thought i''d sign up to say thats the best post i''ve read in ages!

 

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It''s a fantastic post, and something that should be recognized.For those that have had more time on these forums, it was nothing short of obvious that whoever we got would result in criticism

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Like you Andy, my first game was in 1966, at the River End, but with my Dad.  he would say the same if he were still alive. This is your team, you support it through the good and the bad, thats what being a supporter is all about. Well said, post of the year!!

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As a lurker and only occasional poster, I agree, this is a great post.Things on here so often descend into a black and white "either you''re against the evil Delia and her cronies or you think they walk on water" war that it''s very refreshing to hear the voice of the dedicated supporters who live in the real world.

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Like you Andy I post rarely, but read often. I often begin to compile a reply ,in annoyance, to some of the more regular posters who come out with the usual drivel only to give up and think what is the point. However, yours is the best post in a long, long time and mirrors my feelings about the appointment of Glen Roeder perfectly. I hope other posters here heed your words.

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Andy, a very articulate post and totally agree.  I too was born in 1966 and have City in my blood and will support them through thick and thin, especially on Sunday.

I was disappointed when I heard of Roeder''s appointment, but over the day, I now feel that in the absence of Jewell (who I would have loved, but in reality was never going to come here) he is not a bad choice.

In our current situation, taking a risk on an inexperienced manager would not be the right course of action, whereas Roeder has bags of experience and whilst his record is not brilliant, he will hopefully have learnt from some of his less sucessful times. 

Let''s hope that we can start with a win on Sunday and let''s get out of the relegation zone and take the pressure off - also be bloody nice to go above Palace.

Glen Roeder''s green and yellow army....

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Like a few people on this post i too watch and look alot at the comments, and i have been disgusted that some people call themselves supporters of the club.... SUPPORTERS?? dont that mean come 3pm on a saturday or 1200 on a sunday in this case (thanks to SKY, as Andy says and the local police) we get behind the boys rally the troops and stop our club getting relegated by making Carrow Road a wall of noise, like the good old days!!!  Ok we might not save them, but why not help out........

 

GREAT POST ANDY..........

all together now........................

FLYING HIGH UP IN THE SKY, I WILL KEEP THE GREEN FLAG FLYING HIGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Well said, Andy Larkin.

Sometimes you have to put away those nostalgia goggles and look at the state we''re in now, and when you think about that, Roeder''s a pretty sound appointment.

This morning I was pretty annoyed, but the more I think about it, the more I think we could have done worse.

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An excellent post from someone who has the right to say it as it is, yes I was not happy at the appointment, and yes I am not happy with the Board, but come 3pm every saturday there is only one team I want to follow, and I will follow even if we relegated to the Conference, we don''t choose to be Norwich Fans, its what we are, through and through, forever.

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Absolutely fantastic post.It''s about time that some of the posters on here took a deep breath, stopped what they were doing and sat down and read this post, read it again and then read it again just to ensure that what you''ve said actually gets into their brains.Andy, in fact, I''d have to say that this is probably one of the best posts I''ve ever read on here.  OK so you may not win over everyone with your support of Roeder BUT what you have said is calm, well thought out, measured and ultimately totally convincing.Well done!

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