Christmas, past, present and future

[JohnoBono 0]

I don''t want to get into the debate again about whether Darren Huckerby should or should not still be playing for Norwich City. But with his farewell yesturday I feel that there was something of the prophetic in it all. It was like a waving goodbye to all that has been good about Norwich City in recent times. As we watched Huckerby being paraded only a few Christmases ago we were flying high, looking towards the promised land, and our hero had arrived, signing on the dotted line full time. We had a team of players like Gary Holt, Roberts and MacKay who would sweat blood for the cause who were commited to the team, and loved the club. Who could had dreamed of what we saw yesturday back then. Who could had dreamed of the utter shambolic mess Mr Roeder has dragged us into.

Christmas present is as dire as it was excieting back then. Where with Christmas past we had players who were proud to wear the shirt, yesturday it looked like there was at the best only two. Croft and Doherty. The rest played like it did not really matter. No passion. No fight. No knowhow. No tactics. No belief. Some not even fit to wear the green and yellow. There are players in our squad who know they won''t be here next season let alone next month, so does it matter to them?

Glenn Roeder is being found out very quickly this season. He is so plainly out of his depth. He is having his typical second season as manager of a football club. Playing without strikers and so many other ''amazing'' tactical decisions and team selections that make us a joke. Darrel Russell up front while strikers are left out of the squad, honestly. Opposition managers must quake in their boots when they see Norwich are the next oponents through laughter. He treatment of players is belwildering, Lupoli, Lappin and Drury to start with. Drury was there that Christmas when Huckerby signed on, what must he be thinking  now?                                                                                                                                                                                                                 The use (abuse) of the loan system tops a lot of what is wrong. Loan players who do not play. Who go back to their parent clubs because they are not good enough for our shockingly poor team. How bad must Henville had been, and why was he allowed to come here? Will loans provide the passion we need to get out of this mess?

Roeders clear out in the summer of the squad and backroom staff, has done so much damage to the club. I believe the heart has been ripped out. To much change for the sake of change. It has destabelised everything. There are to many fresh people, ideas, players trying to bed in and mould together and not enough time for it to happen. And with so many loans some are gone even before they settle if they ever do.      

In all of this the board has so much to answer for. The ''we are poor little Norwich'' attitude in the premership. The failure to back Nigel Worthington with cash when we were relegated. And so it has spiralled downward, with prudence with(out) ambition.

So what of Christmas future? Is it one to look forward to with dread? On the evidence of Sunday and what we have seen recently and the way we have been declining I think it is. Where are the heroes. Just ghost''s of Christmases past, at the moment yes. Where is the passion, the belief, the desire, more ghost''s of Christmas past, it sure does look like it. A manager to get us out of this mess, I don''t see one yet.  

 

(And yes Mr Roeder I am only a mear fan who watches T.V and listen to all those clever people that have never been brave enough to try management, who suddenly think they are experts. But like so many other people we know a mess when we see a mess. Us fans are not as stupid as you so readily try to make out.                                                                                                                                          And to take up  that point, remember the experts reffered too have played the game, they have been there!) 

[canary cherub 1]

"Prudence with(out) ambition"?

I hate to tell you but it''s even worse than that.  There never was any prudence in the first place.

Prudence is supposed to mean that if you sacrifice a degree of ambition and success by being cautious in the good times, you will be in a stronger position when the bad times come along than competitors who have not been so prudent.  And yet we''re in every bit as much trouble both financially and footballwise than those clubs that Doncaster has so often pointed the finger at saying "we''re don''t want to be like them".

We are like them, except that Southampton, Charlton and Watford at least had a shot at the playoffs before they ended up where they are now.

In short we have been conned by a group of people who first of all conned themselves, who believed their own hype.  Even now it is by no means clear that they really understand and accept the seriousness of the position we are in.

 

[gazzathegreat 0]

Jono, you and me feel the same. The sad sight of Huckerby on the pitch (before the game and in a suit) was just sadly a tragic example of this club''s expert timing. Or not.

I agree that the two most motivated yesterday were Croft and Doc, this has been the case on a good many occasions this season. I do feel however it''s more than the players as a team being under motivated, I am convinced (although I am no expert of course) they haven''t a clue what they are supposed to be doing, with who/against who/to who etc, etc....

Yes the heart and soul of the club has gone, and sadly this was on the cards before the appointment of Mr Roeder, but he''s done a simply spectacular job during the summer, do Kim and Aggie know about his spring cleaning techniques?

Ghosts of Christmases past? I say get a few copies of old DVDs/videos in for comfort Jono and watch them if you want to see a side in yellow and green play with conviction, hunger and pride. Sadly nowadays it''s all too hit and miss.

But hey, never mind, in charge we have a manager who will undoubtedly spiral towards his own downfall soon enough, he''s certainly providing us with some wonderful comedy moments. No doubt the club spin machine are working at breakneck speed at the moment just keeping up with him. And to think we thought foot in mouth had died out in Norfolk. Or has it?

A wonderful post by the way, may I salute you, one expert to another .....lol