Delia Smith interview on BBC in February

[Bigfoot 0]

We are beginning to see how PC became a billionaire.

The time to invest in NCFC was in the first season on return to the Prem. Whwere was PC then?

PC''s bid came at a time when i have no doubt he felt the board would be at its weakest and vulnerable and he could pay the least for the control of the club.

Who brought this confidential matter into the public domain. PC and why? To create this very situation where brothers fight brothers.

The real point is this. What is the true value of the club. If it isn''t 20 million but double the amount why should Delia accept the offer.There is no such thing as a free lunch in business, someone always pays.

Delias right to refuse the offer. She''s playing tough with a billionaire and he''s been handbagged and doesn''t like it!

OTBC

[Time to go Delia 0]

Delia is far from right and this club will end up relegated because of it .

[WeAreYellows49 0]

[quote user="Bigfoot"]We are beginning to see how PC became a billionaire. The time to invest in NCFC was in the first season on return to the Prem. Whwere was PC then? PC''s bid came at a time when i have no doubt he felt the board would be at its weakest and vulnerable and he could pay the least for the control of the club. Who brought this confidential matter into the public domain. PC and why? To create this very situation where brothers fight brothers. The real point is this. What is the true value of the club. If it isn''t 20 million but double the amount why should Delia accept the offer.There is no such thing as a free lunch in business, someone always pays. Delias right to refuse the offer. She''s playing tough with a billionaire and he''s been handbagged and doesn''t like it! OTBC[/quote]

 

I think you will find his money has been tied up previously, but why let that get in the way of anything lol.

[Camuldonum 0]

[quote user="WeAreYellows49"]

[quote user="camuldonum"]I wonder how long it will take for Archant Towers to catch up with this story...............[/quote]

Cam, you are a well balanced neutral, can I ask what your take is on this whole debarcle please?  I am genuinely interested, as from the inside looking out it doesn''t look rosey in the NC garden.

[/quote]

I think there are too many things that we don''t know about this but from Archant''s point of view the first account (which I suspect was provided for them rather than sought by them) was an unmitigated disaster journalistically and I was quite surprised at how poor the first version was.  Most of the questions they now want answered are the very questions they should have asked before publishing the first story and setting off this hare.

So why didn''t they?  Well there are two possibilities I think.  The first is that Cullum''s men stipulated no further questions "at this stage".  The second is that having the biggest story they''ve had about Norwich for many years (I would think) they didn''t want to ask too many questions in case it fell down - hence the ridiculous situation of ringing up Delia and then declining, on their own admission, to reveal the full contents that she was supposed to be "answering".  That''s a very questionable practice and it smacks, to me, of a newspaper desperate not to lose a story by someone putting in a reality check.  But this happens every day - stories fall down before your very eyes and you just have to shrug and go and find another one.

I have no idea what their relationship is with Norwich at the moment - Doncaster and Co still seem to be talking but there isn''t a great deal the club can do to be truthful because just as Archant are dependent on Carrow Road for their news so Carrow Road are dependent upon Archant because none of the dailies have the slightest interest in the Championship in general and TV is no help for "in depth" coverage.  Archant don''t have a competitor in Norwich so where do City go?  I don''t expect the EDP to suddenly go all investigational because that would have to come from the top and I don''t think the Editor goes for that approach.  They had Clarke, a local MP, presiding over one of the worst run government departments even for this lot (and being fired for it) and he got a pretty easy ride from them over that.  He was monstored by the dailies but to the EDP it seemed to be an "unfortunate accident".  And, in general, you don''t get an OBE by rocking the boat or so I believe.

I suspect but do not know but there is now, at least temporarily, a realisation that they may have backed the wrong horse and if they have there will have to be a bit of bridge building I suppose.  And that bridge building will take place.

I''d really like to give Cullum the third degree but, sadly, we have no market for it (unless Delia begins to shed blood and then we might have).  I am a neutral in this although I''d love to see Norwich do well and it was exciting to see them in the Premier League and to tell my daughter re Man U: "You''re 2-0 up with ten minutes to go" and her saying: "You''re having me on, Dad".  What a great game this is!

I understand the background to the frustration of Norwich fans  but I don''t think either Delia or Mr C are either all good or all bad as some have suggested - like most of us they are a mixture of both and, like most of us, will seek to serve our own ends if we can. The PR department for his lot will issue smily pictures of him leaning against a balcony with the Thames as the backdrop while failing to point out that he is known in the City as the "deal junkies deal junkie".  I am sure he is a lovely personable chap socially but he''s also known to be utterly ruthless in business and nothing wrong with that. In our modest way at this end so are we  and smoochily smoothy if it means we get the story.  The issue of a picture like that is no different from the poster on here making his point by using a picture of Delia in an Ipswich scarf giving the finger.  All''s fair in love and war, or so they say.  It''s one of the reasons I don''t have an Avatar - I can''t find one that changes according to the story.

I think my first question to Mr C would be: "Issuing your statement at arguably the most important time of the year for any football manager in this country appears to us to be deliberately disruptive.  I presume that was your intention?"

I think my first question to Delia would be: "In a BBC interview you brushed off the chances of a billionaire offering investment at a time when you knew one had actually done so.  Why didn''t you tell the truth about that and why you had rejected it?" 

I''d also want to question Clarke and his role in this.  But that''s just me - or us as I prefer to say.

Perhaps you''re right. I am a neutral.  I don''t trust any of them further than I can kick them.

In my hallway I have a framed letter from  a (then) Tory government minister asking my (then) Editor to take me off a story "because I believe these reports are causing us real damage which might otherwise have been avoided."

That I have that letter in a frame probably tells you the answer.

But enough of this.  We are just hapless fans, after all.  Let''s end on a football note.  While Glenn and your lot were swanning around Mansell''s Manor (with or without Simon Lappin), Colchester chose the middle ground with a workout at Loughborough and....errr....Lincoln City went on a freebie (what else?) to Catterick army camp where they were all bashed about by Regimental Sergeant Majors for several days before beating the Infantry Regiment champions 14-0 in a revenge result.

PS: You lot don''t half beat yourselves up on here.

I hope we all have a wonderful season.  I expect us to because I expect that every season and, as previously posted, if we don''t it will be better next season won''t it?  And if you only have "half a team" Colchester may have a chance in the friendly and better represent us than Norwich City 5 Colchester United 1 (although I''m told on missed chances it should have been 8-5, no names, no packdrill Cureton and Lisbie you know who you are).

However: Colchester United 2 Ipswich Town 0..........YAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYYY!

As a supporter of two hapless clubs for over half a century I can neither influence what is going on in the Boardroom or the decisions by the Manager or not so far anyway.  At the award (or non award) of a penalty my cries of FFS Ref have gone unheeded for over 50 years now.  So what chance do I stand?

If you lot can influence it (whether with police horses or not) you are a better man than I am Smudger Din!

And, no, I don''t trust any of them.

 

 

 

 

 

[WeAreYellows49 0]

Massive thanks Cam, it''s always nice to have a view of someone looking in, much appreciated you taking the time [:)]

[Shack Attack 0]

Cracking post Camul [Y]

[Badger 0]

Am  I missing something here? I''ve seen the video - saw the spookily familiar refeence to £20 million - it''s almost as if someone else had seen it - and thought so what?

What has been offered? Apart from a "press promise" we know nothing.

If the deal is so good for the club and fair to the Smith''s how come this wasn''t an EDP headline too?

A man of great wealth has said that he is prepared to put £20 million into the playing side at NCFC (love it). But what else - wants majority control (fair enough - don''t blame him).

What has been offered for this? No intelligent person can really make a judgement on this whole matter until we know.

[Barclay_Boy 0]

[quote user="SAFU2007"]

[quote user="Niched"]Apologies if already posted, but not showing up explicitly in the ''search'' function. This was sent to me earlier in week, but only as a Youtube link, so hadn''t bothered watching until now:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4MjxRKhYCk

Interesting quote is at 1:59 - "I have to face up to one thing….if somebody comes along and says I will put £20m into Norwich City Football Club, on the playing side, not just on the day to day scrabbling to survive, the supporters would not forgive me if I turned it down’"

An interesting choice of figure to use.........


[/quote]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4MjxRKhYCk

Quick click link

Oh dear Delia....In your own words ''you need to be a billionaire these days''

The fans will never forgive you if you don''t come clean now, have some dignity before it''s too late if it''s not already.

Great find Niched

[/quote]

 

quick link to the video footage. If anyone hasn''t yet watched it, for the sake of the club''s future please do.

[Barossa 0]

I still fail to see why everyone is getting so upset over this interview. It tells us nothing that we didn’t already know. The 20 million was loosely talked about by Cullum back in October and she made reference to it, big deal. She knows how shallow some of the fans are, all they can see is the 20 million for players. When the time came for him to put up he runs off back to Kent with his tail between his legs.

[WeAreYellows49 0]

[quote user="Death by Chocolate Starfish"]

I still fail to see why everyone is getting so upset over this interview. It tells us nothing that we didn’t already know. The 20 million was loosely talked about by Cullum back in October and she made reference to it, big deal. She knows how shallow some of the fans are, all they can see is the 20 million for players. When the time came for him to put up he runs off back to Kent with his tail between his legs.

[/quote]

 

Blimey can''t even see what you wrote, try a bigger font, it helps not to look at writing the size of fleas accross a page lol

[Hog 0]

This story and its possible inplications has made The Evening Star so hopefully more newspapers will run the story today. 

http://www.eveningstar.co.uk/content/eveningstar/sport/story.aspx?brand=ESTOnline&category=Sport&tBrand=ESTOnline&tCategory=sport&itemid=IPED14%20Jul%202008%2008%3A19%3A38%3A983

[Jim Smith 2,322]

[quote user="Salahuddin"]

This story and its possible inplications has made The Evening Star so hopefully more newspapers will run the story today. 

http://www.eveningstar.co.uk/content/eveningstar/sport/story.aspx?brand=ESTOnline&category=Sport&tBrand=ESTOnline&tCategory=sport&itemid=IPED14%20Jul%202008%2008%3A19%3A38%3A983

[/quote]

To be hoenst I don''t see how you can have a public vote on something like this as it would be totally impractical.

What i find interesting is why, knowing full well that someone had offered precisely that, she felt the need to mention the £20m for players. Was it a dig at Cullum? Was it just an unfortubnate co-incidence? It could be seen to be taking the mick.

I just don''t know about any of this at the moment! All i know is that if we do not make 2 or 3 decent signings including a striker and a centre back in the next few days I am extremely pessimistic about the new season, particularly with the atmosphere there is likely to be about the place. I have never known a pre-season like this one and if we go on the pre-season tour this week as short on players as we are now in my eyes it raises serious questions about our transfer strategy. The Cullum episode can''t have helped but it can''t just be that.

 

[colneycanary 0]

Delia pledged fans vote on future

14 July 2008 | 08:36

Delia Smith

A PROPHETIC interview given by Norwich City majority shareholder Delia Smith earlier this year has got Canaries fans debating whether a bid for the club by billionaire Peter Cullum should be put to the vote.

In the interview with Simon Mayo on Radio Five Live in February, Delia says she would ask fans to vote if a controversial backer came forward.

Several months later and her comments may come back to haunt her following the collapse of talks between the Norwich City FC board and millionaire businessman Peter Cullum, which has heavily disappointed fans.

Cullum revealed two weeks ago that he had offered £20m to the club for new players and control of the board, however negotiations between the two parties have failed to find a viable solution.

In the interview Delia said: “If somebody comes along and says ''I will put £20m into Norwich City Football Club on the playing side'', not just on the day-to-day scrabbling about trying to survive but on the playing side, I think that the supporters wouldn''t forgive me if I turned it down, or Michael and I turned it down.”

She goes on to say that the offer would not be accepted if it was the “wrong person”, saying she would prefer someone local who was a Norwich City fan, as Mr Cullum is.

In the interview she also says: “I think if there was something contentious I think what I would have to do, you know, the bottom line is I would have to run out on the pitch and let everyone vote.”

The revelations by Mr Cullum that he wants to invest in Norwich City have stirred up fans. Over the weekend the television cook''s website was even hijacked by angry supporters.

The community forum page of Delia Online was wiped clean after furious Norwich City fans used it to air their grievances.

One, using the name ''Delia Mugabe'', went as far as branding her an ''old trout''.

The Norwich fans are furious that Delia, 67, and her husband, Michael Wynn-Jones, the club''s controlling shareholders for 12 years, have rejected a £20 million takeover offer by Peter Cullum.

The millionaire businessman had promised to invest in new players but Delia, herself worth an estimated £22 million, turned him down.

One disaffected fan also made reference to the barrage of criticism that Delia faced earlier this year from other celebrity chefs over her book How To Cheat At Cooking, which offered people the chance to make their own dishes in a fraction of the time but using ingredients such as tinned mince and frozen mashed potato.

He wrote: ''A title for your next book - how about How To Cheat Norwich Fans Out Of The Club That Is Rightfully Theirs?''

Delia Online was set up six years ago at a cost of £1 million, offering 600 step-by-step recipes. The football-based messages were among postings asking where to buy gluten-free food and how to make a perfect rosewater cake.

The site''s editor said she felt forced to clear the website of the postings because they weren''t appropriate. She wrote online: “I''ve removed all the posts that appeared late last night.

“It''s good to allow open and free debate but football isn''t relevant to a cookery site and many of the comments were extremely offensive. I haven''t a clue what Delia thinks, I am afraid. I would rather not comment.”

Some city fans have branded the comments a step too far.

Posting on message boards on The Pink''Un website, one fan said: “Delia has put a lot of her own money into this football club and that should be respected, there is not one person who has put in as much as she has in the last 10 years is there?

“I understand the frustration with the Cullum business and I am also one who is frustrated, but the fact is that we still do not know what happened in the discussions or what the specifics of the offer actually was, I suggest we wait and see who we sign until the end of the transfer window before making an opinion on if the decision was correct or not. Making accusations is totally out of order, when there are no facts to back up these claims.

“This is more directed to the fans who are going onto her cookery website and posting abusive comments. I think those people should look at themselves as human beings.”

YOUR VIEW

[ncfcstar 292]

It''s hilarious that the Evening Star as running this, clearly the Norfolk branch of Archant papers do not dare to side with Cullum after the debacle.

[Pete Raven 276]

[quote user="ncfcstar"]It''s hilarious that the Evening Star as running this, clearly the Norfolk branch of Archant papers do not dare to side with Cullum after the debacle.[/quote]

The Evening Star lifted it from the Evening News....

[nutty nigel 7,537]

But why do people have to side with anybody? This message board thrives on sides. I guess it still stems from the ridiculous Worthy out campaign. I really hope that Peter Cullum and Delia Smith are on the same side. If they are not then we are in big trouble.

 

[WeAreYellows49 0]

It''s a bit like saying why do some like marmite while others detest it, it''s called preference and differences in taste or in this case opinion.

Division amongst fans on things as vital as this have always been there, and during the Chase era it was no different.  A couple of things each fan will agree on I feel is that investment on the pitch must far outweigh investment off the pitch, and that we are NC supporters first and formost, and by this I mean the team and not the board, regardless of differing opinions both on and off this MB.

I was a fence sitter not so long back, but my butt was getting sore so I had to stand up, and it''s rather refreshing to stand up now and again rather than sit all the time.

[nutty nigel 7,537]

That''s a tad patronising WAY49. I am on the fence because I don''t know what is going on. I am willing to discuss it with you or anybody on here and if those discussions lead to me finding out something that gets me off the fence I would be more than happy.

If marmite is NCFC then I will get off the fence and side against those that detest it.

 

[Faded Jaded Semi Plastic SOB 1,024]

As a fellow fence sitter I would like to second what Nutty Nigel says in his post. None of us really knows what is going on, even the simple question of the valuation of £56m has got people debating what is/is not included in that figure!!.

[WeAreYellows49 0]

[quote user="nutty nigel"]

That''s a tad patronising WAY49. I am on the fence because I don''t know what is going on. I am willing to discuss it with you or anybody on here and if those discussions lead to me finding out something that gets me off the fence I would be more than happy.

If marmite is NCFC then I will get off the fence and side against those that detest it.

 

[/quote]

 

I am the least patronising person you could wish to meet, and I sincerely apologise if that''s how my post came accross, it wasn''t meant as such, just a light hearted response.

[Jim Smith 2,322]

I agree and this is what i have found so annoying about the whole situation. If all parties truly want whats best for NCFC there shouldn''t be a need to take sides. Cullum should come in with his money and the club should find a way to make it work so he can come on board and join the existing board of directors. Unfortunately one or both of the factions appear to be making that difficult at present.

[WeAreYellows49 0]

Jim I have said as much on another thread, compromise goes a long long way IMHO.

[Mr.Carrow 376]

[quote user="nutty nigel"]

But why do people have to side with anybody? This message board thrives on sides. I guess it still stems from the ridiculous Worthy out campaign. I really hope that Peter Cullum and Delia Smith are on the same side. If they are not then we are in big trouble.

 

[/quote]

I personally think there may be more animosity between the two parties than many suppose.  From Cullums perspective (if we leave aside the relevance or otherwise of the statements at the AGM) Delias` comments of "the fans would never forgive me if i turned down someone offering £20m for players" and "there`s lots of lovely investment" must be a red rag to a bull when he knows that he fits all her strict criteria, offered exactly that amount and was still turned away.  He also could have easily taken offence at the "but it has to be the right person" caveat in Delias` Mayo interview.  It really does look as though Delia was basically sticking two fingers up to him and surely no-one can blame him for going to the press?

She really has dug herself into a massive hole by her actions clearly not matching her populist statements.  The club must tell us exactly what the problem was with the offer, if not i think we can only conclude that she has been lying to us.

[7rew 0]

[quote user="Mr.Carrow"]

She really has dug herself into a massive hole by her actions clearly not matching her populist statements.  The club must tell us exactly what the problem was with the offer, if not i think we can only conclude that she has been lying to us.

[/quote]I know you understand accounts, but I''m not sure you have a good grasp of propositional logic.Delia''s statement in january was:  Offer me money for club, but not money for the team,  then I do not sell, no matter how big your offer for the shares is.boil it down to logic:Offer for shares = A, Money for team = B, Sell = CDelias statement becomes:  "A and not B implies not C".   This is not the same as "not A and B implies C" or indeed "A and B implies C", no matter how hard people on here want it to.  She has matched her statements and hasn''t lied, just people hear what they want to hear and them blame her for this.

[7rew 0]

Sorry Mr. Carrow, that wasn''t meant to be actually specifically aimed at you alone.  It is a general opinion of much of what has been said on here, not just by you, although it does apply to your post.

[lappinitup 629]

[quote user="Mr.Carrow"][quote user="nutty nigel"] But why do people have to side with anybody? This message board thrives on sides. I guess it still stems from the ridiculous Worthy out campaign. I really hope that Peter Cullum and Delia Smith are on the same side. If they are not then we are in big trouble.[/quote]She really has dug herself into a massive hole by her actions clearly not matching her populist statements.  The club must tell us exactly what the problem was with the offer, if not i think we can only conclude that she has been lying to us.[/quote]Mr. Carrow. If Cullums offer was as was reported, surely a man of your expertise could see what the problem was and shouldn''t need any more explaination !

[Paul Lamberts Disciple 0]

[quote user="Mister Chops"]
Thanks, Terry.  Here''s something else you won''t believe - Gordon Brown has taken over from Tony Blair as prime minister!  What?  You knew that already? Damn.


[/quote]

I prefer the stuff you do about his little hand.

"I dont do anything about his little hand."

Yeah, you do - the w**king claw.

[Robert N. LiM 4,378]

[quote user="nutty nigel"]

That''s a tad patronising WAY49. I am on the fence because I don''t know what is going on.

[/quote]As someone who has been on the fence, NN, I take your point. But, if the deal is really off, then surely we should now be told what has gone on. At the moment the public perception is that Delia has turned down an offer of 20M for new players. I really want to believe that she had good reasons for doing this. It still makes more sense to me that the idea that she is clinging on for dear life while the club flounders. She must get her side of the story out there, otherwise the atmosphere at CR is going to be poisonous - it''ll make the Worthy Out period look like a walk in the park. And surely no one, especially Delia wants that.The interesting question is, does Cullum want all this animosity to flare up? And if so, what kind of fan is he?

[Robert N. LiM 4,378]

Cam, another brilliant post. Anyone with any interest in the Cullum takeover needs to read it.

[Barclay_Boy 0]

[quote user="nutty nigel"]

But why do people have to side with anybody? This message board thrives on sides. I guess it still stems from the ridiculous Worthy out campaign. I really hope that Peter Cullum and Delia Smith are on the same side. If they are not then we are in big trouble.

 

[/quote]

Basically I believe that if something doesn''t change then we are doomed. A few weeks ago there was mass speculation about all of the players that we would be signing.Posters en masse were posting that if the transfer kitty was only 4 - 5 million then we would be doomed to another season of mid table at best. What we have actually had (so far) is 2 players, total cost 500k (est). It doesn''t look like much else is forthcoming and I think the awful truth is that there isn''t any more money. So, stick with the current Board and we will be lucky to finish as high as last season. Or get PC in, and have a kitty that looks like it runs to 20 million. Unless there is a very big catch that we are not being told about then it''s a no brainer.