Right, I've had enough....

[albyella 0]

I consider myself to be an "average" poster, not too aggressive one way or the other. But, sometimes the heart rules the head - anyway, I have put pen to paper (email actually), below is a copy - if I get a reply, I will post it on here......I can''t believe things have got so bad that I felt the urge to do this....

 

Dear Neil

As a lifelong supporter, and a businessman, I like to think I can form a balanced opinion of the current affairs within NCFC. However, the current situation does have me worried to the point where I feel I have to express my concerns.

Norwich City FC is an institution in Norfolk (and for exiles such as my family and I). As a club and county, we have experienced the high’s and low’s that is normal in football – through all of it the supporters have been the backbone of the club and pound for pound must rate as some of the best in the country.

In any business, prudence is essential for stability and longevity – but football at this level is not just any business, and prudence has to be considered with a duty to be ambitious.

I could write “War & Peace” about this, but I appreciate you are a busy man and would not have the time to read it – therefore, I ask that you seriously consider with the board which direction you intend to take this club. If prudence is the priority, then I fear this club will suffer as it has probably not suffered before. I believe this would result in lower level football, which in turn would mean lesser gate attendance, which would ultimately lead to reduced revenue – it would be a self-perpetuating spiral downwards.

Ambition may not mean instant success, but if the custodians of the club show willing and if success is a long time coming at least the supporters will understand the intent and would continue with the support that is the envy of many “larger” clubs.

So, I urge you all to take a long look at your future plans and back NCFC with investment – anything less would be abhorrent in my opinion.

The real mark of intent from any management will always be apparent when things get tough – this probably applies more in the football industry than any other. To take charge and run a football club requires a sense of adventure as well as the ability to feed the club when situations dictate. It is critical that running a football club is not viewed as simply a “nice thing to do” – anyone who takes the decision to be involved in the owning/running of a football club must be prepared to have deep pockets, and to provide when there is a genuine requirement.

We have all enjoyed the highs of premiership football, but to experience the personal and financial satisfaction that goes with it there has to be real commitment – without it, I fear this institution will wither and die as we know it, and that would be a travesty and something that I would not be able to have on my conscience should I be in the position to be able do something about.

Kind regards

[gazzathegreat 0]

A great AND very controlled and articulate email Albyella. I wish I could say the same for mine. I was so incensed yesterday I sent one to Doncaster (one of a long long line of them to be honest).

I don''t know what sort of response you will get, he rarely answers direct questions, just goes on about the board having the best interests of the club at heart. It''s a sad fact that many of us are trying our best to come to terms with how bad things are - and the board sit in their ivory tower and tell us that they are a model for other clubs to follow (see Shortfab''s post) and that no investors are interested in us. A scandal.

Here is my email to him by the way.

Dear Neil

I am writing to you to ask a few questions and to challenge the board via yourself.

First of all, most of the fans I know are delighted to have (at long last) a credible, experienced manager appointed. The last one we had of his calibre was Martin O''Neill, though ancient history to you and part of our former regime.

I would first of all like to know what can Mr Roeder expect in the way of transfer monies in the next window? Will he be encouraged to buy (and not just accept quick fix loan signings) and will the board stand by his choices and assessments? Will you listen to him and back him in his choices? We have seen from the past three years that buying cheap is a one way ticket to League One (the third division).

Will the academy now be given better status (it''s at present more of a charity under your current regime). Most of us cannot understand why the board give more preference to taking on more debt to fund land purchase ahead of investing in the core business of NCFC which of course is football. Glenn Roeder was very successful at Newcastle in bringing on young players - we should be doing the very same here (as our near neighbours are doing also, with a greater degree of success) - though lately the board seems to have thought more of opening new catering outlets rather than funding our players of the future.

Mr Roeder spoke frankly of the task ahead during his post match interview yesterday. He sounds a very honourable man and one who is clearly determined to turn the club around. I wonder if the board can match his drive and ambition and also learn from him and his footballing knowledge.

To this end can you tell me how far the board has gone towards attracting outside investment? We all know the Turners have some personal wealth, but are they likely to give any of that to the club while the major shareholders with 62% of the shareholding could tell them how to spend their own money? We have recently seen that Ipswich are attracting not just one, but two possible investors. We are constantly drip fed platitudes and soundbites (aside from Delia''s annual outbursts at the AGM) that no one wants to invest in Championship clubs. Can you then explain why Ipswich are able to attract investment and we are not? Is it not the case that the major shareholders are NOT doing all they can to attract outside investment? Who would really want to sink viable sums into the club when they would have little say in how the club is run? It was once said by Mr Watling that never again should any person have control of the football club, but that is exactly what has happened (after the lesson of Mr Chase, this is inexcusable).

Can you also explain why a club who has made a profit for the past three years is so underfunded on the pitch? Do the board just hope that buying cheap and selling big (and diverting funds to things off the pitch) is going to keep them going? We don''t need hotels and land to build flats on, what we need is a team and management system to take and then keep that team in the Premiership. This is what NCFC is about, it is NOT a property development company, or shouldn''t be.

I can assure you Mr Doncaster that come February and the annual season ticket letter, you will not get 20,000 takers unless the ambition bit starts to take over from the prudence. Prudence has taken us (in ten years) from near relegation to near relegation.

If we are relegated, would the club then have to go into administration? How would we pay off all the debts on lesser income?

I would welcome a valid response to my concerns. Please do not patronise me with the usual spin, I have heard it all before.

Regards

[Rush 0]

Well said, I doubt you will get a honest reply............................................its getting too hot in the kitchen.

OTBC

[Old Boy 0]

Please remember your emotional investments can go down as well as up.

Actually, I feel exactly the same way as you.

[Hardhouse44 261]

Excellent.

However your reply will be simple and consistent.

He will tell you in what ever waffle he has chosen this week that Norwich City FC''s ambitions are to be a force within the championship and ultimately re-obtain our rightful position in the Premiership.

He is likely to go on to point out that in the appointment of the Glenn Roeder, a manager and player held in high esteem within the footballing community the board has clearly signalled it intentions to fulfil these goals.

He may well go on to point out, without stating any details or amounts that Glenn will be backed by the Board in any loan acquisitions and transfer dealing to the best of their ability.

He will most probably finally, reiterate the first line of waffle about our ambition to be a premiership club and thank you for letter and interest.

We will then as a club go on to sign a couple of nobodies as loan signings in the next few weeks and the in January do what we have been doing for the last 3 seasons with a couple of exceptions and sign as couple of players from championship clubs that are surplus to requirement. Why oh why we think that player that other midtable championship club don''t want will be good enough to achieve success is beyond me but that’s what I''d say will happen.

Could be completely wrong but I very much doubt it.

[Syteanric 1]

Hardhouse says it right.. so right infact he could be Doncaster himself!

 You''ll get Fobbed off Albyella and Gazza.. but then i suspect u both already know that

jas :)

[albyella 0]

A good email Gazza - if nothing else, we are ensuring that the feelings of true fans are being aired. Maybe we won''t get an answer, but regardless of anyone''s opinion of Neil D he is an intelligent man who holds a high office, so these types of communication will not be ignored (I know he read mine as I got a read receipt). Throughout the many years of supporting NCFC with a passion, I cannot remember ever feeling so despondent about the future of the club. In my opinion the major shareholders need to bale out and allow serious investors to move this club forward again - they are out there (as the folk down the A140 know), but the comments from DS about finding "idiots" to come in and invest just confirmed the patronising view that is being taken at the top. If we end up playing League 2 football, I would still be there when I could (almost exclusively away nowadays) but the good folk of Norfolk and beyond deserve better than that. 

[Clever Farke 64]

The club is ruled by fear from top to bottom. Starting from the top and filtering down. You always feel they are out of their depth, board and players alike. I sincerely hope Roeder can introduce a new paradigm, a new culture of winning. I think he is being realistic in the way he is going about it and I think we may well have been lucky to get the right man at the right time. It will still be a great achievement if he keeps us up. Maybe the board will have got lucky at last, it is certainly the last chance saloon for them. But I can''t imagine Roeder will hang around next year with the same culture in place. There has to be a complete overhall at the top and a farewell to Deels, Munby, Doomy et al.

[Hartsons Gut 0]

Mine below. I think everyone should email him.

 

Dear Neil

I am writing to you not to have a go as it wont achieve anything, but
i just want to say that i am upset. I have supported Norwich since i
was born and have never known it so bad. I cant help but look back at
the Munich goals and look at now. It makes my stomach go weak when i
think of them times, the celebrations after the 1-1 draw at home
against Munich.

Who would of though we would be looking at league 1, even though we
are "little old Norwich." I want to ask you if we have already put
plans in place for a league 1 budget. Should we get relegated will we
go into administration and face a points deduction. I worry that 20
million debt will get even greater and we simply wont be able to
survive. I will be sick if this club dies.

Glen Roeder needs backing with some money that is for sure, but just
how much? I am not expecting you to give figures, but i think that us
fans need honest reasurance that he will be able to spend and not
survive on free transfers.

I also want to know what this boards ambition is. I would be happy if
we finished 5th or 6th in the championship each season, but not below
11th. We wanted to be like Charlton, why did that not happen? I worry
that we get a full house most weeks and we are still in massive debt.
If we go back to the Hamilton days of 14000 will we be able to survive?

Everyone makes mistakes, but it must stop as too many have been made.
I will support Glen, as i feel that he is the best manager we have had
since Martin o''neil. Just one last thing, do you think O''sulivan would
be interested in investing in our club and has anyone contacted him?
Ipswich have an invester, how did they do it?


Many Thanks

[gazzathegreat 0]

[quote user="albyella"]A good email Gazza - if nothing else, we are ensuring that the feelings of true fans are being aired. Maybe we won''t get an answer, but regardless of anyone''s opinion of Neil D he is an intelligent man who holds a high office, so these types of communication will not be ignored (I know he read mine as I got a read receipt). Throughout the many years of supporting NCFC with a passion, I cannot remember ever feeling so despondent about the future of the club. In my opinion the major shareholders need to bale out and allow serious investors to move this club forward again - they are out there (as the folk down the A140 know), but the comments from DS about finding "idiots" to come in and invest just confirmed the patronising view that is being taken at the top. If we end up playing League 2 football, I would still be there when I could (almost exclusively away nowadays) but the good folk of Norfolk and beyond deserve better than that. [/quote] I think to be honest the board are very very rattled, as in Delias''s outburst at the AGM when she used to term idiots. She was sitting just a few feet away from me and looked very worried, as did all of them, Munby was really quiet that night and Doncaster even fluffed his lines a couple of times. Surely they must have realised their approach heading a football club had to go downhill eventually. Of course there would be willing investment if they ever took their blinkers off and went looking. But do they really want any powerful outside interest and does anyone want to invest their hard earned with Delia telling them what to do with it? Please post your reply so we can all read it?

[albyella 0]

Gazza wrote:

I think to be honest the board are very very rattled, as in Delias''s outburst at the AGM when she used to term idiots. She was sitting just a few feet away from me and looked very worried, as did all of them, Munby was really quiet that night and Doncaster even fluffed his lines a couple of times. Surely they must have realised their approach heading a football club had to go downhill eventually. Of course there would be willing investment if they ever took their blinkers off and went looking. But do they really want any powerful outside interest and does anyone want to invest their hard earned with Delia telling them what to do with it? Please post your reply so we can all read it?

I have had a thank you from Neil D for my email, and my thoughts are noted - he has invited me to call him, which I will. Once I have spoken to him I will copy him with my intended post, as I want to ensure it is balanced and factual - if I were in his position I would be concerned that any communication could be misrepresented. If he requests that I don''t post anything regarding the conversation, then I will honour that - I think that is only fair.