Guardian - DWJ & MWJ opted for (insisted on?) Roeder.

[BlyBlyBabes 0]

Story in today''s Guardian:

Norwich turn to Roeder to bring harmony and safety

Louise Taylor
Wednesday October 31, 2007
The Guardian

Glenn Roeder said his first role as manager of Norwich is to get the club''s discontented fans pulling behind the team. The former West Ham and Newcastle manager has identified Sunday''s derby at home to Ipswich as the ideal occasion to start winning over supporters underwhelmed by Norwich''s recent performances and his appointment.

"We have a great opportunity this weekend to get the fans on-side. I''m sure we can get the crowd to be our 12th man," he said, seemingly undaunted by his new team''s position, three points adrift at the bottom of the Championship. "And I certainly know how important Sunday is. Norwich versus Ipswich is as massive as Newcastle versus Sunderland. It''s an ideal game to start with. I know the majority of people will doubt us and not expect us to win - which is how I like it."

 

Norwich fans may be surprised by Roeder, who steered West Ham to seventh in the Premier League in 2001-02 and Newcastle to seventh after inheriting a relegation-threatened side from Graeme Souness. Although things subsequently went wrong, culiminating in his sacking last spring, he was unlucky with injuries.

He has excellent, high-level contacts. He is much admired by Arsène Wenger - who considered making the 51-year-old his director of football - and has been involved with Arsenal''s academy in recent weeks. At West Ham he helped produce a string of high-calibre young players including Joe Cole, and this ability to develop youthful talent may prove vital at Norwich.

Carrow Road regulars had been hoping Paul Jewell, the former Wigan manager, would take the place of the sacked Peter Grant but the majority shareholders Delia Smith and Michael Wynn-Jones opted for Roeder. Despite yesterday''s lukewarm welcome from fans, the precarious league position and a divided dressing room, the new manager is delighted with his inheritance. "The fact there were 24,000 supporters for the last home game and the team are in the bottom three is phenomenal. I like a challenge and I''m ready for it. I''ve been in this position before and always managed to turn it round."

Guardian seems to be making a point. Do they know something?

Might go some way to explaining Munby''s solo appearance yesterday?

OTBC

[blahblahblah 2]

[quote]He has excellent, high-level contacts. He is much admired by Arsène

Wenger - who considered making the 51-year-old his director of football

- and has been involved with Arsenal''s academy in recent weeks.[/quote]Anyone who has Arsenes'' ear and works with Arsenals'' academy should be able to bring in a few decent young players on loan.  Maybe he has better contacts than Jewell, which might even enable him to reduce the loan fees ?  I wonder if Jewell would have been able to offer the same reach into the Premiership ?

[Canaries for Ever 0]

No, it''s just that whenever Norwich is mentioned, these are the names that will always be written about. Papers know nothing.

[komakino 282]

I''m glad Smith and Jones were out of the way yesterday, as it did give us a degree of professionalism, regardless of who we appointed. I''m no big fan of Mumby, but at least he didn''t come across as an old sentimental fool...