Response to the Mick Dennis Drivel on My Football Writer

[KeelansGlove 0]

Just reading the article from Delias appologist in chief and found this response. Thought it so good Id post it here

Shaun Lawson, Oxford | Weds 20 Aug 08

"Disruption and disharmony caused by mischievous myths". Oops, there we go again, Mr Dennis: is this another pearl to be filed alongside your belief that "if Delia and Michael thought Cullum''s offer stacked up and was genuinely in the best interests of Norwich City, then they would have bitten off his hand, and gone back to cheering from their season ticket seats"?

Funny how they never even bot... [more]hered meeting with the guy, isn''t it? How exactly could they know these were just ''myths'' if they wouldn''t even do the bare minimum of granting him an audience? It''s not, and never has been their good intentions that are in question here - but their JUDGEMENT.

Judgement which saw Mike Walker treated disgracefully after his wife had died and he''d bailed out the club from God knows what in Summer 1996; Martin Armstrong removed from the board, and replaced by one of their mates; Bruce Rioch stabbed in the back, and replaced by the most incompetent manager in our entire history, whose fall they had the brass neck to blame on the media; the Jarrold Stand securitised against season ticket sales, meaning much of the money provided by fans goes to paying off our debts on it instead of towards the team; Nigel Worthington left in charge for at least a year too long as our parachute payments fatally dried up; and stupid, unprofessional comments made by Delia about new ''investment'', so raising the hopes of the fans only to dash them again.

And all the while, the club has declined to the point whereby we were as good as relegated last November, and ended up in our lowest position in 48 years. Shouldn''t it be the position of any Norwich fan with half a brain to feel mounting scepticism regarding their ability to lead us to success again? And would you, as a journalist, honestly adopt such a tone about any other club owner, whose record was increasingly poor, but heart was in the right place?

It''s quite astonishing. Will we be top 6 this season? With such a lightweight team, dream on. Meanwhile, after we were linked with Shola Ameobi and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, your colleague on this site is now trying to get us excited about a 17-goal-a-season man - from League 2. But hey, don''t worry: it''ll be alright on the night! Delia and Michael: do not doubt our ambition.

 

[The Butler 0]

Excellent comments. He wont like it up him!

[ricardo 7,928]

Spot on Keelan.

[Barclay_Boy 0]

superb find mate, and thanks for posting it here

[WeAreYellows49 0]

Well that just about sums up how I feel, superb find and many thanks for posting.

[Syteanric 1]

great post! i wonder what some on here (Ellis) as well as Mick Dennis himself, make of it

jas :)

[Tim Allman 1]

For those with long memories, I’m sure I recall that Shaun Lawson also described this forum as a “car crash of a message board”. The sort of thing that you should drive past and ignore, but end up looking at it, because it is so gruesome.

It may have posted it here, but I’m not certain

Of course, apologies to Shaun if I am incorrect.

 

[Hog 0]

Excellent post, says it all as far as I''m concerned.

[Graham Humphrey 13]

Very hard to disagree with any of that.

[Mr Brownstone 0]

That my friends is the sound of a nail being hit squarely on the head. Great post.

[alex_ncfc 686]

Fantastic post and thanks for sharing - but sadly nothing there that will make the apologists wake up and open their eyes, as much as it should, because it''s all there, in black and white, and it is actually beyond me how anyone can disagree with a single bit of it.

[Barclay_Boy 0]

bump! too good a post to let this one die early

[KeelansGlove 0]

bump

[Mister Chops 7]

It''s laughable that Mick Dennis can claim to be any kind of journalist worth reading for as long as his head is jammed so far up the buttocks of the Stowmarket Two, he can almost see Neil Doncaster''s shoes.It''s more laughable that Dick Ringworm hires this goon to write about the club, and then expects people to pay a subscription to read more of it.

[As my login causes problems [ :o) ] 0]

To be fair it has always been good to read Mick Dennis as long as you remember he is Delia''s mouthpiece and that it is all propoganda.

The trouble comes when fans do not realise where he is coming from.

As to Mr Lawson, who is no stranger to the limelight, he says a lot of truth. I have said before that Armstrong saved the club behind the scenes with his financial knowledge and structuring our finances well.

Unfortunately a lot of his work has been undone.

[nutty nigel 7,870]

You do know that it was Martin Armstrong who invited Delia onto the board in return for half a million quid don''t you face [:^)]

 

[Badger 0]

[quote user="alex_ncfc"]Fantastic post and thanks for sharing - but sadly nothing there that will make the apologists wake up and open their eyes, as much as it should, because it''s all there, in black and white, and it is actually beyond me how anyone can disagree with a single bit of it.[/quote]

Not going to go through the whole thing - (and in any case I agree with quite a lot of it) but "the Jarrold Stand securitised against season ticket sales" - how do you think we should have paid for it?

[Shaun Lawson 0]

[quote user="Tim Allman"]

For those with long memories, I’m sure I recall that Shaun Lawson also described this forum as a “car crash of a message board”. The sort of thing that you should drive past and ignore, but end up looking at it, because it is so gruesome.

It may have posted it here, but I’m not certain

Of course, apologies to Shaun if I am incorrect.

 

[/quote]I can''t remember using those exact words, Tim - but happily acknowledge that this forum has done my head in in the past, yes. Back in the moderated days, when it was just Cluck or Smudger trolling, or 1st Wizard performing his 357th sensational about turn that week, I found it incredibly frustrating - because the issues were invariably just drowned out by a great deal of shouting, and not a lot else. I do think it''s improving though, and things are being debated more calmly now - and in fairness to Cluck, for example, I think (s)he exaggerates their point in order to get a reaction, but at least provokes debate and opens people''s eyes. Plus, although I abhor anything personal aimed at any of the board, I''m afraid events seem to be slowly vindicating the three posters I''ve mentioned, and others too.Now, if I''m honest, it''s WotB that''s starting to annoy me! All I''ve ever wanted is a decent messageboard on which all the issues surrounding the club can be debated. Celebrity posters are OK as long as they at least entertain - but there''s only so much "what did you have for lunch today?" or "sorry, couldn''t be arsed to read more than a paragraph" I can take at times. Conclusion? I''m a grumpy old so-and-so, who would lap up any forum providing real, sensible analysis of Norwich City Football Club. If the PinkUn is starting to become such a forum, then hallelujah.

[Shaun Lawson 0]

[quote user="Badger"]

[quote user="alex_ncfc"]Fantastic post and thanks for sharing - but sadly nothing there that will make the apologists wake up and open their eyes, as much as it should, because it''s all there, in black and white, and it is actually beyond me how anyone can disagree with a single bit of it.[/quote]

Not going to go through the whole thing - (and in any case I agree with quite a lot of it) but "the Jarrold Stand securitised against season ticket sales" - how do you think we should have paid for it?

[/quote]I don''t know. I do know, though, that securitisations are generally disastrous in football: Newcastle ended up £100m in debt and close to administration partly because of one; and Manchester City went crawling on their hands and knees to Uncle Thaksin because they built Eastlands in conjunction with the local council by securitising it against 50 years of future season ticket sales, only to find that gates started falling, and they had no money with which to build a better team.Meanwhile, in our case, we ended up borrowing over £10m after Doncaster completely overestimated the ability of revenues generated by other property speculation on land in and around the stadium to finance the new stand and infill. It''s a moot point as to whether we''re better off with our bigger gates now, but with so much going on repaying the loans - but the fact remains that we have so little money to spend on the team because the board put a long-term financial millstone round our necks. And, given they still clearly have a very high (too high?) evaluation of the land, it''s also resulted in it being close to impossible for a sugardaddy to take over or by into the club: because the price demanded is just too great.

[gazzathegreat 0]

Good find Keelan. I have long wondered about this Mike Dennis. Far enough as a mere football fan he''s entitled to his opinion, but as a journalist (?) shouldn''t we at least expect some sort of objectivity?

You have made some excellent points, not least re Martin Armstrong and Mike Walker/Worthington - why was one sacked and the other kept on in sheer hope that things would turn around.

[Mr.Carrow 392]

[quote user="Badger"]

[quote user="alex_ncfc"]Fantastic post and thanks for sharing - but sadly nothing there that will make the apologists wake up and open their eyes, as much as it should, because it''s all there, in black and white, and it is actually beyond me how anyone can disagree with a single bit of it.[/quote]

Not going to go through the whole thing - (and in any case I agree with quite a lot of it) but "the Jarrold Stand securitised against season ticket sales" - how do you think we should have paid for it?

[/quote]

Remember the £6.2m sale of land to TaylorWoodrow?  That was actually presented in the media as paying for the new stand (although there would have been a shortfall to make up).  God knows what happened to that money.