Our key player - squad number 13!

[susie b 0]

On Friday evening I managed to catch some of the Sky Premiership Preview programme in which Harry Redknapp was asked to review the three newly-promoted sides. He was very complimentary about us as a club and as a footballing team, and, although he didn''t say if he thought we would survive or not, he did give several pointers as to how Portsmouth managed it last season: team spirit featured highly, as did good training - including knowing when to rest your players and when to work them a bit harder; having a good number of experienced high-level performers was important, and maintaining self and collective belief, he said, was crucial, but, most of all, he acknowledged the influence the fans had on their team, and herein lies a really good lesson for us all, I believe.
If we follow the Portsmouth model of enjoying every minute of what is to come, getting behind the players and management through thick and thin because we know they are giving their all - even if we are 5-0 down! - and showing that we haven''t lost faith on the journey, then those qualities that helped us so much last season will surely help us prevail by the end of this coming one, and our No. 13 may prove to be the key player over the season as a whole. The alternative to this is what Neil Adams describes in the Canary Preview - i.e. the Wolves model of partying at the season''s start soon turning to moans and groans once the honeymoon is over, leading to the fans actually becoming "a burden to the team", shooting their confidence to pieces, and leading to poor morale and ultimate relegation. I know which model I hope we will all contribute towards. Question is, if we lose to or draw with Palace and then find the going very tough for the rest of August, can we keep the faith? For the sake of the team I feel that we must. Any other thoughts, anyone?

[AJ 1,218]

interesting, this is something Worthy always uses as an advantage (and henman)

[olster 0]

colchester have just given there fans a squad number also pompey and reading



see local teletext 390

[moobag 0]

I also posted a thing about the support of the fans today.
Agree with your comments completely

[DumbleDelia is Magic 0]

Well said suse. Exactly right. I went to the open day today and one thing that struck me in the forum was the board, managment and players belief that the fans need to keep the faith. We going to lose next year, probably more often than not. However, when we have lost we can''t have threads like "sack worthy" "sven should be replaced" or "here comes divison 1"! We need to get behind the lads from minute 1 to minute 90 whether where losing drawing or, hopefully, winning.

[gazzathegreat 0]

hiya DD, shame i didn''t bump into you at the open day, nige and co were extremely upbeat - i always enjoy attending this event and today was no exception, the first time i had beem in the new south stand (sorry will never be able to call it anything else) we are well equipped to go on to much better things, namely prem status for a prolonged period, the ground when finished will be magnificent, it was said today we could sell up to 35,000 tickets if we were to stay in the prem, imagine that!!! I remember crowds like that, but a lot of people on here will not - as i sat at the top of the south stand today, on a beautiful summer''s day i felt so proud of who i am

a city fan

and nothing, nothing, not even 6 5-0 defeats on the spin will ever make me boo the players, or leave a game early, i have never done those things, yes, we may question tactics, but we will be positive and supportive when the game is going on

DD, there will be the odd word said against the management if we were to lose heavily regularly, and if it is constructive criticism, fine, but at the match no way, we must show the rest of the prem we truly are the best fans in the world

we have to believe just as much as the team

[YankeeCanary 0]

Many similar threads are out on this subject susie b. Obviously, we will all feel terrific if every supporter reacts positively when the tough times come calling. Just one thought in response, admittedly from afar. It was always my experience that Norwich supporters are more likely to go relatively quiet when things get tough so it is good that you are putting the call out on here at least for strong support regardless of a disappointing game or low league standing. It would be great if the crowd support matches what Portsmouth experience but, somehow, I doubt it will occur. Hope I''m wrong. The point I wanted to share with you is that it may be necessary, on match day, for hundreds of stalwarts to go outside their comfort zone to encourage full crowd participation throughout a match. I think it may take more than a few posters and words on this message board to bring this about. Just like the Cheeseboard example, wouldn''''t it be great to have "official" Canary chirpers/cheerleaders spread generously throughout the stands to bring the crowd out of their comfort zone when things get quiet. It may take something extra like this at times to keep the crowd pumped.

[Loughborough Canary 0]

Totally agree with your comfort zone comment YankeeCanary. Its frustrating when the crowds totally quiet, but you personally really want to get behind the team to help them. But, then you don''t feel confident enough to stick your neck out to try and get the supporters around you going.

I remember at the play-off final, a period when our fans went quiet (probably after they''d equalised - can''t recall exactly), but it was so frustrating and I couldn''t understand it. That was our one chance and I didn''t feel we were giving it our all.

Last season showed me just how important the crowd is, I hope everyone realises - but its easier said than done.

If I was Worthy I''d tell the likes of Huckerby etc to do anything necessary to stir up a quiet crowd - you know, clenched fists waved in our direction and the like.

Sometimes I find myself hoping for a shocking referee decision just to ignite the crowd.

[YankeeCanary 0]

Okay, I wasn''t there on Saturday but it sure does seem, according to many posters, that the crowd got too quiet when things got a little tougher. As I said in my previous post, that does not surprise me. The important thing is can or will anything be done about it??????
There has been much rhetoric about the importance of #13 on the team. Some observers have made excuses and said things like, "we always seem to have a tough time against Palace", "we will only know where we really stand when we are 10 or 11 games along" etc etc.
In the Premier the margin for error between survival and relegation will be VERY SMALL for a team such as ours. Excuses will be a very cheap commodity and, therefore, count for nothing. In all likelihood we will probably need 10 wins and as many ties to survive. 10 wins will be hard to come by. I suspect we could have won the game on Saturday and, dare I say it, I suspect that with #13 shouting "out of their shoes" we could have done it.
Having said that, my own opinion is that it will be very difficult for many of the praying ( sorry, Freudian slip ) paying faithful at Carrow Road to "get out of their comfort zone". My only other suggestion therefore, would be to totally populate the team with Scandinavians. They are fully accustomed to all activities such as dinner parties, love-making, business meetings taking place in relative silence. I''m sure this training would stand them in good stead on those occasions when #13 does not perform.

[Flick Fleck 0]

lol, Yankee...

Much has been made of Svenssons off-day up-front on Saturday. Many a moan has been aired. (And many a moan more at the moaners...)

But even, as several posters point out, one off-game does not a player make, then surely, one quiet half does not a crowd define...

I appreciate your point that many of the Faithful may be in the ''comfort zone'', but let us exilers be careful, lest we hold ourselves up on a wobbling pedestal. If I had been at FCR last Saturday then I too would be a guilty No.13. And you too, Yankee... There have been a few posts today about the need for the team to gel together into one unit. And we too, Yankee. No.13 is not just the 20,000 or so lucky souls in FCR the other day. We are thousands and thousands more...

[YankeeCanary 0]

Flick Fleck, I did not intend to put myself or any other Norfolk exile up on a pedestal when it comes to this subject matter. We are after all, from Norfolk and you know what they say; if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck.....

[Mello Yello 2,278]

....it must be a Parrot!

[YankeeCanary 0]

Then as per the Monty Python sketch...maybe the Parrot is dead.

[ca 1]

An interesting thread with some good points made , particularly like the quote from Gazza
'' we must show the rest of the premier that we are the best fans in the world and we have to believe as much as the team''
Because if we dont keep our faith, our passion and our spirit from the minute they run out to the minute they leave the pitch then we dont deserve them or the no 13 shirt do we?

And as Davina might say, Man Utd we are coming to get you.

[Mr.Carrow 376]

GazzaTheGreat, can i ask you who said this about being able to sell 35,000 tickets in the Prem? Was it in reference to the planned future capacity of Carrow Rd. or just estimates based on percieved demand for big games?

I`ve felt for a long time that City`s potential support has often been well underestimated and with ipswich likely to be struggling for years to come, its pretty exciting to think that this potential may soon be realised.

It would certainly confuse your average national media pundit.....what on earth would they do with all those "nice little Norwich from the country"Type cliches they`ve relied on for years?!