How Would The Club "Spin" League 1 Football Next Season?

[Old Shuck 183]

It seems inevitable. I sense a lot of people are accepting and predicting relegation almost as a "softner" for when it ultimately happens and is confirmed, however, it does look like we are well and truly caught up in it now and, barring some sort of hither-to unprecentented renaissance on the playing side, we are looking odds on to be playing League 1 football, for the first time in what, nearly fifty years, come next August.

 

There are those that say it will do the club good. I disagree. Yes, it will herald a massive exodus of players, possibly employees on the non-playing side as well, and the financial implications will be massive.

 

It is well to regard Leicester, this season, as the exception and not the norm. Their squad and club has been held together by a huge financial injection by their owner, who, if reports are to be believed, has, just for this season alone, put in more money than Delia and Michael are worth!

 

Leeds United thought they were a massive club, they are not now, they lost, at Hereford, last night, and, for all the hype surrounding them, are destined for another season at that level. They have, incidentally, almost lost as many games as they have won this season so far, and, if one player isn''t playing-Darren Beckford-are next to useless, he is their Stephen Gerrard and they have only won one game, all season, in which he hasn''t played because of his various injuries and suspensions.

 

Add that to the fact that League 1 next season might include us, Leeds, Charlton, and Southampton-all four clubs with recent Premiership histories-and those who might think that August might be a good time to launch a "On Loan To League One" T-Shirt might think again?

 

But might our Board find some positive spin out of this worse case scenario?

 

Talk of "real" football at "traditional" clubs, new grounds to visit, being a big club at this level-everyones Cup Final maybe-oh how the little clubs will enjoy their trip to Carrow Road and a chance to see Delia (and, I suspect, take three points back with them)-and possibly, like the Queen, Delia will think the world smells of fresh paint as she is lauded at Orient, Millwall and Yeovil? I think not-but do they?

 

And, neatly, the mantra will be "...our objective-to take Norwich City back where they belong, the Coca Cola Championship..." -subtle change, but a worrying one. Yes, relegation will be a disaster, but on so many more than the obvious level.

[Jonzey 0]

I can see the headlines now:

Russell Rallying Cry; We Can Do It!

Fozzy Says We Will Bounce Back!

Cureton Certain Of Promotion!

Etc, etc, yawn.........

[Tufnell Park Canary 0]

I like your thoughts on the issue of ''spin'' and marketing. No doubt we will be told that League One is the heart of English football and that if we carry on paying the incredible ticket prices Norwich will bounce straight back. I wonder if they''ll drop the regular ticket prices to reflect the low quality on offer. Surely, they have to. They;d be better off with a satdium full of people paying less than full price than a hlaf full stadium paying full price wouldn''t they? Even if that didn''t make sense financially, surely it would make sense in terms of the noise levels and the morale of the team.

My Dad has been saying for years that if we dropped a division we''d find many teams that would turn us over. I fear he is right. The team has become the embodiment of this ''family club'' - nice guys, very sweet, but not really very serious about getting stuck in.

I hope we''re able to get out of the danger and that Gunn (or whoever is in charge) is allowed to shape a team next season. If there is no money to play with then they must work with the current squad and the youngsters (two of whom seem to be doing ok at Luton). I find it unacceptable that a team with Norwich''s facilities should be out played and out fought by teams like Doncaster Rovers.  

[Tetteys Jig 830]

I think we''re actually not yet, ''Odds on'' even at the bookies, which clearly means that we are ''unlikely'' to get relegated. We damn well need to sort ourselves out tho, as i''m thinking it might be worth a cheeky punt if i didn''t object to betting against my own team!

[JohnoBono 0]

''League 1 is the new Premier League''

''We had to prune to generate new growth''

For the good of Norwich City Football Club we had to get out of that division one way or another, and when fate handed us that opportunity when had to except it with full grace and humility.

Supporters have to understand that the financial dictate of the modern game means that a club of our size cannot continue to punch above it''s weight and remain competetive and solveant at both and the same time. Supporters need to understand and trust that we as the board and trustees of their football club intend to make sure that we can consolodate our true position within the reaches of the football league as soon as possible and the club will continue to be well run in a prudent and efficient manner and remain in the best possible hands.  

[Tangible Fixed Assets anyone? 0]

Supporters have to understand that we cannot compete with clubs like Burnley and Preston North End.

[Mister Chops 7]

On Loan to League One!

[gazzathegreat 0]

I have heard that one before Chops.....a few years ago now. Personally I think Mr Munby will have to sit in a dark room all summer to put out anything credible. You never know, they might change course and start telling it like it is?

Stranger things have happened.

[Theres only one Ken Foggo 0]

Odds on to be relegated?! How on earth do you work that out?  There is a hell of a lot of football to be played yet - and you can bet your bottom dollar that Plymouth and Nottingham Forest are as worried as we are!

[kick it off 1,948]

NCFC Press Release 4th May 2009:Delia Smith and the board were delighted to announce yesterday''s relegation to League 1. The shock decision to get relegated was taken earlier in the season when it became apparent that City''s loyal travelling support were paying too much in ticket prices to follow the canaries. Delia would like to express her unadulterated pleasure at the cheaper rates fans will be paying to watch the yellows next season, and would also like to make it extremely clear this is for the fan''s benefit and is in no way a reflection on a sustained period of time where the board have not shown any ambition whatsoever. She said earlier "This is for the fans, now they will not have to pay silly money to watch sub-standard football, they can pay reasonable prices to watch sub-standard football instead. This is why we took the decision to ask Damien Francis to throw the game at Fulham, and we have since decided that even Championship prices are too expensive for the fans we love so much, so we are rewarding them with a few years in league 1 and all the benefits involved with that; including cheaper ticket prices, better mascots, the opportunity to enjoy grounds they may never have visited before. We also believe our fans will really come to appreciate the investment we have put into tangible fixed assets, especially when they are stood on a cold-windswept terrace at Carlisle, or eating a lacklustre pie from Yeovil. We hope our fans are as happy as we are right now, and wish to remind them, that this is a calculated move undertaken by the board for their benefit, and we will endeavour to stay in league 1 until we feel ticket prices there are at an unacceptable level, at which point we shall consider moving to a different league with cheaper tickets. That is how we view this, not so much as a relegation, simply a move to another league where prices are not so extortionate."

[......and Smith must score. 1,342]

Probably along the lines of all that extra " edge-of-seat excitement of the hurly burly of the First Round of the FA Cup and the coveted Johnsons Paint Trophy competition ".

[city-till-i-die 7]

[quote user="......and Smith must score."]Prob=bly along the lines of all that extra " edge-of-seat excitement of the hurly burly of the First Round of the FA Cup and the coveted Johnsons Paint Trophy competition ".[/quote][+o(]