A question for those who praised our summer signings

[Arthur Whittle 0]

At the time i was being told how great they all were, superb signings, we will be challenging for promotion this year, Stichavka etc were just what we needed etc blah blah blah..........

If they were such great signings why do i feel this is the worst Norwich squad i have ever seen?

[Statto28 0]

Seen?? Surely that would require going to a game or two?

[gsr600 0]

this is the worst squad ive ever seen,ive seen more talent when my 3 year old plays with his friends in my garden,

[Smudger 0]

Simple answer... because it is Arthur!!!

[Arthur Whittle 0]

[quote user="Statto28"]Seen?? Surely that would require going to a game or two?
[/quote]

Im prepared to stake ive been to far more games than you son. I didnt jump on on bandwagon a few years back like most of the lot these days, when football became fashionable. Ive been going since i was a child and im now in my 70s.

[NCFC_Shaun 0]

[quote user="Arthur Whittle"]

[quote user="Statto28"]Seen?? Surely that would require going to a game or two?
[/quote]

Im prepared to stake ive been to far more games than you son. I didnt jump on on bandwagon a few years back like most of the lot these days, when football became fashionable. Ive been going since i was a child and im now in my 70s.

[/quote]

 

errr .... how is that any argument towards the topic ...?

hes saying to SEE the CURRENT players u wud have had to have gone to a game RECENTLY ....

i suggest you read the post b4 commenting ....

[blahblahblah 2]

[quote]

At the time i was being told how great they all were, superb signings, we will be challenging for promotion this year, Stichavka etc were just what we needed etc blah blah blah..........

If they were such great signings why do i feel this is the worst Norwich squad i have ever seen?[/quote]

Speaking for myself, because they played well at the clubs they were with before they arrived here. Nobody gets everything right all the time, and hindsight is easy.  A lot of them need to remember who they were before they came here.  I believe that the problem stems from a lack of communication on the pitch between players, and a lack of confidence in themselves and their colleagues, which leads to players questioning their instincts and losing out on 50/50s as a result.  We also don''t have enough muscle in the team, we are bullied too easily in the middle of the park and are losing the ball and retreating into our own half as a result.  We''re missing Etuhu, who may have been a tower of apathy at times but had the physical prescence to make the opposition think twice.  There is a lot of work to be done in the international break, I hope that Roeder and Clark are up to the task, and wish them all the luck in the world.

[Arthur Whittle 0]

[quote user="ipswichrscum"][quote user="Arthur Whittle"]

[quote user="Statto28"]Seen?? Surely that would require going to a game or two?
[/quote]

Im prepared to stake ive been to far more games than you son. I didnt jump on on bandwagon a few years back like most of the lot these days, when football became fashionable. Ive been going since i was a child and im now in my 70s.

[/quote]

 

errr .... how is that any argument towards the topic ...?

hes saying to SEE the CURRENT players u wud have had to have gone to a game RECENTLY ....

i suggest you read the post b4 commenting ....

[/quote]

I suggest you read my other posts before commenting on them numpty! I boycott games now but have been to 2 games this season which you would know if you actually read before you typed.

[Arthur Whittle 0]

[quote user="blahblahblah"][quote]

At the time i was being told how great they all were, superb signings, we will be challenging for promotion this year, Stichavka etc were just what we needed etc blah blah blah..........

If they were such great signings why do i feel this is the worst Norwich squad i have ever seen?[/quote]

Speaking for myself, because they played well at the clubs they were with before they arrived here. Nobody gets everything right all the time, and hindsight is easy.  A lot of them need to remember who they were before they came here.  I believe that the problem stems from a lack of communication on the pitch between players, and a lack of confidence in themselves and their colleagues, which leads to players questioning their instincts and losing out on 50/50s as a result.  We also don''t have enough muscle in the team, we are bullied too easily in the middle of the park and are losing the ball and retreating into our own half as a result.  We''re missing Etuhu, who may have been a tower of apathy at times but had the physical prescence to make the opposition think twice.  There is a lot of work to be done in the international break, I hope that Roeder and Clark are up to the task, and wish them all the luck in the world.

[/quote]

Thanks for a decent reply and a good one at that. far better put than the comments from Statto28 and IpswichRscum

[Faded Jaded Semi Plastic SOB 1,223]

Steady on Blahx3, this is a disgruntled forum for disgruntled posters, we will have no trouble here. Nice to hear a bit of sense at last. GR has inherited a dispirited set of players (for whatever reason), I do not believe we have a worse set of players than say Colchester (and I mean no disrespect when I say that), what is clearly lacking is a sense of belief and confidence. I am sure that GR is in no doubt over the task ahead, he now has a two week break to instill some confidence and self belief. I totally accept that there is a hell of a lot of work to be done, lets hope the break works to our advantage, and lets hope prudence is shown the door and that GR is allowed/able to bring in a couple of new faces.

[Tim Dawson 0]

Sorry this post is laughable, we had possibly the best central midfield partnership in the division last year, and people on here did nothing but rip Etuhu and Safri to pieces, i would give my right arm for those two to be back now ! You wanted new players and Safri and Etuhu gone, well you got it, be careful what you wish for !!!!!

[ricardo 8,034]

[quote user="Tim Dawson"]Sorry this post is laughable, we had possibly the best central midfield partnership in the division last year, and people on here did nothing but rip Etuhu and Safri to pieces, i would give my right arm for those two to be back now ! You wanted new players and Safri and Etuhu gone, well you got it, be careful what you wish for !!!!![/quote]

 

How very true.

There are none so blind as those who will not see.

[Arthur Whittle 0]

[quote user="Tim Dawson"]Sorry this post is laughable, we had possibly the best central midfield partnership in the division last year, and people on here did nothing but rip Etuhu and Safri to pieces, i would give my right arm for those two to be back now ! You wanted new players and Safri and Etuhu gone, well you got it, be careful what you wish for !!!!![/quote]

Please tell me where i have said i wanted Safri and Ethuhu gone.......Safri was one of my favourite players.

[NCFC_Shaun 0]

[quote user="Arthur Whittle"][quote user="ipswichrscum"][quote user="Arthur Whittle"]

[quote user="Statto28"]Seen?? Surely that would require going to a game or two?
[/quote]

Im prepared to stake ive been to far more games than you son. I didnt jump on on bandwagon a few years back like most of the lot these days, when football became fashionable. Ive been going since i was a child and im now in my 70s.

[/quote]

 

errr .... how is that any argument towards the topic ...?

hes saying to SEE the CURRENT players u wud have had to have gone to a game RECENTLY ....

i suggest you read the post b4 commenting ....

[/quote]

I suggest you read my other posts before commenting on them numpty! I boycott games now but have been to 2 games this season which you would know if you actually read before you typed.

[/quote]

 

again ...

when did I suggest you dont go to any games .. i was merely stating what he meant by his post so dunno what your on about their ..

[we8wba 0]

i said the following in the summer

cureton - cheap option and is he one season wonder - all fairness he started out good for you, maybe he just needs goal or two get back on track or maybe the service isnt there. but couple times i seen him this season he doesnt look as threating or postive as last year

strikhava - i said potentially good signing but may need time to adapt as many foreigners dont tend to find there feet straight away - like most foreigners they never average they either totally brill or cack, i dont think he is a lost cause yet he just needs time(before you lot moan i know you dont have all time in world)

russell - he is just an average champ midfeilder, does nout special, doesnt really put foot wrong, there were better options but the names which were banting around here havnt set world on light either ie murpey and thompson

marshall - thought be class signing - he still good but for price you paid he should be much better, you could got someone like myhill for least half the price, good championship keeper but not the best which he should be - but age is on his side, and maybe he needs confidence boost somewhere, few clean sheets would be nice for starters

[Tim Dawson 0]

You might not have said it Arthur but 95% of posters on here ripped the pair of them apart, hope you are pleased with yourself now.

[Arthur Whittle 0]

[quote user="ipswichrscum"][quote user="Arthur Whittle"][quote user="ipswichrscum"][quote user="Arthur Whittle"]

[quote user="Statto28"]Seen?? Surely that would require going to a game or two?
[/quote]

Im prepared to stake ive been to far more games than you son. I didnt jump on on bandwagon a few years back like most of the lot these days, when football became fashionable. Ive been going since i was a child and im now in my 70s.

[/quote]

So what exactly was your point then? Ive seen 2 games live and 3 games on TV, and bar the scum game we are a shocking team-the worst i have seen.

 

errr .... how is that any argument towards the topic ...?

hes saying to SEE the CURRENT players u wud have had to have gone to a game RECENTLY ....

i suggest you read the post b4 commenting ....

[/quote]

I suggest you read my other posts before commenting on them numpty! I boycott games now but have been to 2 games this season which you would know if you actually read before you typed.

[/quote]

 

again ...

when did I suggest you dont go to any games .. i was merely stating what he meant by his post so dunno what your on about their ..

[/quote]

[Arthur Whittle 0]

[quote user="we8wba"]

i said the following in the summer

cureton - cheap option and is he one season wonder - all fairness he started out good for you, maybe he just needs goal or two get back on track or maybe the service isnt there. but couple times i seen him this season he doesnt look as threating or postive as last year

strikhava - i said potentially good signing but may need time to adapt as many foreigners dont tend to find there feet straight away - like most foreigners they never average they either totally brill or cack, i dont think he is a lost cause yet he just needs time(before you lot moan i know you dont have all time in world)

russell - he is just an average champ midfeilder, does nout special, doesnt really put foot wrong, there were better options but the names which were banting around here havnt set world on light either ie murpey and thompson

marshall - thought be class signing - he still good but for price you paid he should be much better, you could got someone like myhill for least half the price, good championship keeper but not the best which he should be - but age is on his side, and maybe he needs confidence boost somewhere, few clean sheets would be nice for starters

[/quote]

Are you wolves or Norwich?

[chicken 0]

[quote user="Arthur Whittle"]

At the time i was being told how great they all were, superb signings, we will be challenging for promotion this year, Stichavka etc were just what we needed etc blah blah blah..........

If they were such great signings why do i feel this is the worst Norwich squad i have ever seen?

[/quote]

Arthur, Arthur, Arthur.

The problem you may find is that in a very turbulant summer many people chose to try and get behind the team which was yet to kick a ball, what is interesting is your contradiction.

I don''t mean to be harsh, and trust me fella I am not having a dig at you, but you answer your own question. You didn''t believe these players were any good in the first place. My opinion whether it be worth anything or not, is that this is the lowest point this club as a whole has been in for twenty years which is unfortunately all that my tender memory can provide me with (being 25).

Since relegation from the Premiership there has been limited belief as a whole from our club, fans included, in the manager or the players. People questioned Worthington when the board refused to back him, people questioned the players when little money had been spent. Then we got what the lynch mob wanted, the manager and many of the players out - as is what happens when you have a change of management. Who knows Grant may have been the deciding factor in the departure of those players that chose to leave and defenitely in Safri''s case.

However even I accept that I refused to be negative about the players that were brought in, and at least initially most of these players had looked good. I think you would find it hard to find many that don''t feel that Otsemobor, Lappin, Marshall and Chadwick have not impressed. The problem is consistancy - and whilst the club around them remains to be consistant we can hardly expect the players to be.

My issue with the likes of Whittle and Sudger is that they have played the easy tune. Question and doubt before it happens because if there is success their comments will be forgotten in the mayhem of celebration, should their comments become true they were suddenly right all along and shouldn''t we have all listened to them.

I am sick of this kind of mentality, its ruining the club. It filters through. The last comments we got from Delia and Michael were not confidence boosting, and I can''t blame them. If I were them I would be deflated as well.

And then with great audacity you ask the rest of this forum ". . . . why do I feel . . ."??!!!! The only person that can answer that question is you, if you struggle I would ask your GP for the number of a good shrink.

And to answer the question you are really trying to ask, this is not the worse squad you are likely to have seen - its the worse performing squad you have seen. I say that because if your trying to tell me that Carey and Milligan were a better paring than Russell and Fotheringham then maybe I need to see a GP! And to add to that squad, Forbes, Llewelyn, Coote, Sutch, Marshall, Marshall, Dalgliesh . . . . you should see my point.

The problem is that once more Norwich were relegated at the worse possible time. Palace and Southampton have both struggled as much as us, Southampton having slightly more tradition and history seem to be at least floating, as for us and Palace - the cost of relegation and trying to meet the over-hyped expectations of the fans has sent the ship rocking.

[NCFC_Shaun 0]

[quote user="Arthur Whittle"][quote user="ipswichrscum"][quote user="Arthur Whittle"][quote user="ipswichrscum"][quote user="Arthur Whittle"]

[quote user="Statto28"]Seen?? Surely that would require going to a game or two?
[/quote]

Im prepared to stake ive been to far more games than you son. I didnt jump on on bandwagon a few years back like most of the lot these days, when football became fashionable. Ive been going since i was a child and im now in my 70s.

[/quote]

So what exactly was your point then? Ive seen 2 games live and 3 games on TV, and bar the scum game we are a shocking team-the worst i have seen.

 

errr .... how is that any argument towards the topic ...?

hes saying to SEE the CURRENT players u wud have had to have gone to a game RECENTLY ....

i suggest you read the post b4 commenting ....

[/quote]

I suggest you read my other posts before commenting on them numpty! I boycott games now but have been to 2 games this season which you would know if you actually read before you typed.

[/quote]

 

again ...

when did I suggest you dont go to any games .. i was merely stating what he meant by his post so dunno what your on about their ..

[/quote][/quote]

 

erm ... why did u just quote it all, but not say anything else :S

[Arthur Whittle 0]

[quote user="chicken"][quote user="Arthur Whittle"]

At the time i was being told how great they all were, superb signings, we will be challenging for promotion this year, Stichavka etc were just what we needed etc blah blah blah..........

If they were such great signings why do i feel this is the worst Norwich squad i have ever seen?

[/quote]

Arthur, Arthur, Arthur.

The problem you may find is that in a very turbulant summer many people chose to try and get behind the team which was yet to kick a ball, what is interesting is your contradiction.

I don''t mean to be harsh, and trust me fella I am not having a dig at you, but you answer your own question. You didn''t believe these players were any good in the first place. My opinion whether it be worth anything or not, is that this is the lowest point this club as a whole has been in for twenty years which is unfortunately all that my tender memory can provide me with (being 25).

Since relegation from the Premiership there has been limited belief as a whole from our club, fans included, in the manager or the players. People questioned Worthington when the board refused to back him, people questioned the players when little money had been spent. Then we got what the lynch mob wanted, the manager and many of the players out - as is what happens when you have a change of management. Who knows Grant may have been the deciding factor in the departure of those players that chose to leave and defenitely in Safri''s case.

However even I accept that I refused to be negative about the players that were brought in, and at least initially most of these players had looked good. I think you would find it hard to find many that don''t feel that Otsemobor, Lappin, Marshall and Chadwick have not impressed. The problem is consistancy - and whilst the club around them remains to be consistant we can hardly expect the players to be.

My issue with the likes of Whittle and Sudger is that they have played the easy tune. Question and doubt before it happens because if there is success their comments will be forgotten in the mayhem of celebration, should their comments become true they were suddenly right all along and shouldn''t we have all listened to them.

I am sick of this kind of mentality, its ruining the club. It filters through. The last comments we got from Delia and Michael were not confidence boosting, and I can''t blame them. If I were them I would be deflated as well.

And then with great audacity you ask the rest of this forum ". . . . why do I feel . . ."??!!!! The only person that can answer that question is you, if you struggle I would ask your GP for the number of a good shrink.

And to answer the question you are really trying to ask, this is not the worse squad you are likely to have seen - its the worse performing squad you have seen. I say that because if your trying to tell me that Carey and Milligan were a better paring than Russell and Fotheringham then maybe I need to see a GP! And to add to that squad, Forbes, Llewelyn, Coote, Sutch, Marshall, Marshall, Dalgliesh . . . . you should see my point.

The problem is that once more Norwich were relegated at the worse possible time. Palace and Southampton have both struggled as much as us, Southampton having slightly more tradition and history seem to be at least floating, as for us and Palace - the cost of relegation and trying to meet the over-hyped expectations of the fans has sent the ship rocking.

[/quote]

Very fair comment

[Arthur Whittle 0]

[quote user="ipswichrscum"][quote user="Arthur Whittle"][quote user="ipswichrscum"][quote user="Arthur Whittle"]

[quote user="Statto28"]Seen?? Surely that would require going to a game or two?
[/quote]

Im prepared to stake ive been to far more games than you son. I didnt jump on on bandwagon a few years back like most of the lot these days, when football became fashionable. Ive been going since i was a child and im now in my 70s.

[/quote]

 

errr .... how is that any argument towards the topic ...?

hes saying to SEE the CURRENT players u wud have had to have gone to a game RECENTLY ....

i suggest you read the post b4 commenting ....

[/quote]

I suggest you read my other posts before commenting on them numpty! I boycott games now but have been to 2 games this season which you would know if you actually read before you typed.

[/quote]

 

again ...

when did I suggest you dont go to any games .. i was merely stating what he meant by his post so dunno what your on about their ..

[/quote]

So what is your point. He claimed i havent seen us play this year when i have. You then took the p:ss and jumped to his defence.

[Mello Yello 2,572]

[quote user="chicken"][quote user="Arthur Whittle"]

At the time i was being told how great they all were, superb signings, we will be challenging for promotion this year, Stichavka etc were just what we needed etc blah blah blah..........

If they were such great signings why do i feel this is the worst Norwich squad i have ever seen?

[/quote]

Arthur, Arthur, Arthur.

The problem you may find is that in a very turbulant summer many people chose to try and get behind the team which was yet to kick a ball, what is interesting is your contradiction.

I don''t mean to be harsh, and trust me fella I am not having a dig at you, but you answer your own question. You didn''t believe these players were any good in the first place. My opinion whether it be worth anything or not, is that this is the lowest point this club as a whole has been in for twenty years which is unfortunately all that my tender memory can provide me with (being 25).

Since relegation from the Premiership there has been limited belief as a whole from our club, fans included, in the manager or the players. People questioned Worthington when the board refused to back him, people questioned the players when little money had been spent. Then we got what the lynch mob wanted, the manager and many of the players out - as is what happens when you have a change of management. Who knows Grant may have been the deciding factor in the departure of those players that chose to leave and defenitely in Safri''s case.

However even I accept that I refused to be negative about the players that were brought in, and at least initially most of these players had looked good. I think you would find it hard to find many that don''t feel that Otsemobor, Lappin, Marshall and Chadwick have not impressed. The problem is consistancy - and whilst the club around them remains to be consistant we can hardly expect the players to be.

My issue with the likes of Whittle and Sudger is that they have played the easy tune. Question and doubt before it happens because if there is success their comments will be forgotten in the mayhem of celebration, should their comments become true they were suddenly right all along and shouldn''t we have all listened to them.

I am sick of this kind of mentality, its ruining the club. It filters through. The last comments we got from Delia and Michael were not confidence boosting, and I can''t blame them. If I were them I would be deflated as well.

And then with great audacity you ask the rest of this forum ". . . . why do I feel . . ."??!!!! The only person that can answer that question is you, if you struggle I would ask your GP for the number of a good shrink.

And to answer the question you are really trying to ask, this is not the worse squad you are likely to have seen - its the worse performing squad you have seen. I say that because if your trying to tell me that Carey and Milligan were a better paring than Russell and Fotheringham then maybe I need to see a GP! And to add to that squad, Forbes, Llewelyn, Coote, Sutch, Marshall, Marshall, Dalgliesh . . . . you should see my point.

The problem is that once more Norwich were relegated at the worse possible time. Palace and Southampton have both struggled as much as us, Southampton having slightly more tradition and history seem to be at least floating, as for us and Palace - the cost of relegation and trying to meet the over-hyped expectations of the fans has sent the ship rocking.

[/quote]

No, the real problem is that we the fans, just go ''Ho Hum'' whinge, moan, gripe, bleat - then take it on the chin and carry on as normal.

A bit like the petrol and diesel prices rising to over a £1.00 a litre.....we all bleat about it, but where''s the blockades this time? Without so much as a protest against the Government.....and we just shuffle our feet, shrug our conformist and oppressed shoulders......and dig deep into our pockets.

Incidentally, I don''t give a flyin'' flock what is happening at Palarse, Southtampon (or Leeds disjointed). I''m seriously concerned that we''re in deep sh*t if we are relegated. The common thing is the NCFC board has been in control for the last 10+ years......are we any better off - even after our ''ickle'' dabble with the top-flight? No, don''t think so.....But by golly! I bet the Stadio del Delia restyrunts, are fully booked for Christmas and New Year.

The ''offa the field'' gets the cream.......Finance for the football gets the offal......allegedly.

Too many club apologists and blinkered bozo''s.......

[ron obvious 0]

[quote user="Sons of Boadicea"]Steady on Blahx3, this is a disgruntled forum for disgruntled posters, we will have no trouble here. [/quote]

We didn''t burn him .......

[Dionysus 0]

To be honest, Chicken, I believe it is the over-optimistic yellow-and-green-tinted-glasses brigade that are ruining my club. The players we have been signing over the past few years quite simply do not match with our supposed ambition. If a few more fans were more vocal at the time of their signing, maybe the board would see that the cheap option would not be accepted and we would not have such a squad full of poo now.

For what it''s worth, this is how I felt about our most recent acquisitions:

Brown - Part of the Sunderland clear out. Not good enough for them so I didn''t expect him to be good enough for us.

Dublin - experienced and still has something to offer at Championship level. Not a player to help push for promotion though.

Strihavka - After being linked with players with a good goal-scoring record in Championship or League 1, we end up with a cheap unknown who only managed 12 or 13 goals in the season before we signed him. Not even played at under-21 level for his country.

Lappin - Cheap player from a poor Scottish Premier team. Mixed opinions from their fans. Saw him as no more than a squad player.

Marshall - Best loan keeper we had last season. Was expecting big things from him. Disappointed so far.

Cureton - Only ever played one full season at our level? Why? Had a feeling he was a one hit wonder who played well within a Colchester team with lots of highly-rated players. Another cheap option.

Otsemobor - Seemed like a good signing even though he had been frozen out at Crewe.

Russell - Never anything more than an average Championship midfielder. Certainly no replacement for Safri.

Brellier - Lots of teams before being released altogether. Won his contract at Hearts through a trial. Not a particularly good sign although the Hearts fans seemed to like him.

Chadwick - Always looked good when playing against us so I was hoping for better things from him.

No one should be surprised at our league position. The quality of player we have signed has gradually deteriorated since we gained promotion. Personally I feel it''s going to take at least a decent target man and new central midfield to keep us in the division.

[Steelsilver 0]

I disagree about needing another CM, we need a DM and a AM and use them with RM and LM, sorta like the England team with the DM dropping back when the AM (Gerrard) is forward running. From what i seen this season we getting caught out a lot by both CM''s moving forward together leaving a huge space in Midfield for the opposition to counter in. Very basic error in which Roeder should have picked out by now but one which still happened against Plymouth. I don''t think we have adequate cover for Hucks or Drury and that needs to be looked at carefully.

[Cluck 0]

I think I was one of the few who stated that you get very little for nothing in the modern world....while at the same time berating our hopelessly inept Board and the clown they took on as manager. The writing was on the wall for all to see...but unfortunately there was the usual hype and hysteria surrounding anything "new"....and as we know "new" isn''t always best. They were simply rejected "journeymen" chuffed with a contract at whatever club would take them.......

Equally I think I was nearly unique in keeping my feet firmly on the ground after our "magnificent" home draw against an Ipswich team who hadn''t won away all season.... Some were already booking the open top bus...but for me nothing whatsoever had changed. Smith was still calling the shots...an out of work "quiet man" had been brought in to rally the troops...and the players on the park were just as crap as ever.

When will most of you get a grip and accept the truth?..........

[ricky knight 0]

Some of us said they were not good enough at the time we did not need hindsight, how people believed they were good signings puzzled me, but as usual we were slagged to death for airing the truth.

[Shyster 0]

Yes, hands up, I was one of those who allowed the usual yearly dose of close season optimistic mindnedness to once again cloud my, otherwise, better judgement - but that''s all it was; optimism in the form of expectancy - I''m sure we all realised that the Board were never going to supply the funds necessary to sign world-beaters, but even with the money the hapless Grant did get I''m certain most of us at least expected to see most of those signings perform as well as they did at their previous clubs - I still reckon they can perform, but Grant totally lost ''em and now it seems that Roeder is unable to retrieve ''em.

A couple of quality loan signings the likes of Taylor might help kick some arses, but the way things are I wouldn''t hold my breath on both counts.

The Board have done this club over big time. [:@]

[canary cherub 1]

Palace and Southampton at least managed to finish in the playoffs in the past two seasons, something we never looked remotely like doing.

In any case, we haven''t got a monopoly over f***ups.  I don''t know all the ins and outs of their situation, but perhaps Simon Jordan should have kept his eye on the ball instead of prioritising the pursuit of Iain Dowie through the courts.  And Southampton are now burdened with debt because of Rupert Lowe''s vanity project, aka St Mary''s - did he think that forking out for a stadium befitting a top six Premiership side would miraculously turn them into one?

There is a common denominator in all three cases though - an owner with an ego as overinflated and combustible as the Hindenberg airship.