This is an ex-Canary. It has ceased to be.

[Mr.Carrow 378]

I think we`re both in danger of getting a little pedantic here Purple, but it certainly is fact that discussions of some sort were held but that doesn`t have to mean a face-to-face meeting.  What is your evidence that this is a fact?  When it all kicked off in the summer Cullum came out asking "Why won`t they talk to me?" and it was then reported that Norwich Union applied pressure for talks to be held and that Andrew Turner was the one who talked directly to Cullum.  Did you ever get the impression that D and M were keen to do a deal?

[Theres only one Martin Peters! 0]

Bigfeller, no I am not the MP on the Wrath. Appreciate that with Gunny''s appointment we had to cut our cloth according to our means, we just do not know all of the facts & this is where a supporters/shareholders director on the board would be most helpful although of course not all information could be in the public domain.

Purple seems to have missed my point that allegedly Delia did not meet with Cullum, my understanding from the grapevine was that the Turners & Doncaster met with him. Sorry Delia that is not good enough, you are the owner & the only way you can be sure whether there was a deal to be done was to meet him yourself. If you had done that & there was no reasonable way forward (i.e not asking £56M), then fair enough.

Finally like you I am a tad despondent but we are not down until it is mathematically impossible to stay up and as long as I have breathe in my body I will be doing all I can to support our team.

[PurpleCanary 5,578]

Martin Peters, with respect I didn''t miss your point. I was relying to thebigfeller''s assertion that "we" - meaning any directors - had never met Cullum, and pointing out that was not true. As to your comment that Delia (if she did not) should have met Cullum, that is a perfectly understandable viewpoint. My only comment is that Michael Wynn Jones is joint owner, and he certainly did hold talks with Cullum.MrCarrow, I normally reply to posts, because it''s the courteous thing to do, but I really don''t think the best way of trying to carry on a discussion is to misquote someone and then accuse them of pedantry when they point that out.

[Mr.Carrow 378]

[quote user="PurpleCanary"]Martin Peters, with respect I didn''t miss your point. I was relying to thebigfeller''s assertion that "we" - meaning any directors - had never met Cullum, and pointing out that was not true. As to your comment that Delia (if she did not) should have met Cullum, that is a perfectly understandable viewpoint. My only comment is that Michael Wynn Jones is joint owner, and he certainly did hold talks with Cullum.

MrCarrow, I normally reply to posts, because it''s the courteous thing to do, but I really don''t think the best way of trying to carry on a discussion is to misquote someone and then accuse them of pedantry when they point that out.[/quote]

Neither is it to accuse others of perpetuating myths, and then posting one yourself.  But then i guess in your mind your baseless myth is far more important than anyone elses.......

[Robert Ketts Yellow Army 15]

[quote user="thebigfeller"]Or at least, that''s how it feels right now. I''ve been a Norwich City fan for 20 years now, and have never felt bleaker about where the club was heading. We''re down, folks - there''s no way we''re getting out of this. Whereupon administration could conceivably follow, the few decent players we have will be sold, and a rudderless club will hope to climb back out of the third tier, but with desperately little in the way of vision, direction or money to aid it.

Do I blame the board? Sure - they''ve made all manner of terrible decisions over the past four or five years. We all know what they were: there''s no need to rehearse them yet again. I stop short at personally abusing them though, and find the behaviour of certain posters in that regard cringeworthy and incredibly naive. "Delia Out"? Fine - we obviously need a new broom and new ideas at the helm. Except no-one''s out there, and this thing you might have heard of called the credit crunch ensures that many other clubs at this and higher levels have little prospect of being sold in the foreseeable future.

Which renders those who pride themselves on such empty gestures - not to mention attacking those who simply point out the reality - entirely pointless. When we protested against Chase, it was because a) we didn''t believe he had the club''s best interests at heart; and b) there was an alternative prepared to buy his shares we could coalesce around: namely, Geoffrey Watling. The present board are well meaning amateurs, but they''ll be as devastated by what''s happening as we all are; and we have no Watling figure this time. The one alternative we did seem to have has gone completely quiet, and may well be facing business problems of his own. It hasn''t stop people demanding Delia''s head in the hope he''ll miraculously ride to our rescue, but again, that''s just as empty and pointless given present economic circumstances. Football isn''t some computer game whereby those who shout loudest just magically get what they want.

Should we have appointed Gunn? Depends on whether we could''ve afforded anyone better. Charlton, Southampton and Watford took cheap options too: it''s what happens to clubs who fall out of the Premier League and don''t get back. And yes, of course relegation will be a financial calamity - but where were the board supposed to magic the money up from - not just for a better-paid and better-qualified manager, but for a higher short and medium term budget with which to convince him to take the job? Thin air? Those smaller clubs performing much better than us at present are doing so mostly because their boards have access to considerably more money: all we can do is make do with what we have.

It''s a depressing, demoralising, gut-wrenching situation. As soon as the board admitted they had no further ideas on where funding could come from, the game was effectively up: rudderless clubs drop to the bottom of the league and don''t stay up. Barring a new buyer appearing on the scene, the same problems will no doubt apply in League One too. Leicester have Mandaric''s money; MK Dons have funds they can access as well. There''s little prospect of us defying all logic and charging straight back up - and while I certainly don''t subscribe to the "new Bradford/Luton" prophecising on here, my best guess is we''ll end up following Sheffield Wednesday''s path. A horribly difficult first season down there, a huge reorganisation of the club, before we slowly, painfully find our way back.

Until very recently, Wednesday had been ruined by off-field problems for many years. There was a smell of death about that club, just as there''s been about Norwich since May 2005 - but this never stopped their incredible fans getting on with it and adjusting to a new reality. Now, at last, things are starting to come good there, as they ultimately will at this club too. We''re too big and too special a club to stay down there forever: there is a tremendous amount of goodwill felt towards Norwich City from many other fans and clubs alike. There''s always hope, folks; it''s just that where we are at present hurts like hell and would have been unthinkable until pretty recently.

One last thing. Before anyone dares accuse me of being a boardroom apologist, let me assure you that I''ve been massively critical of this board for many years: ever since October 2005, indeed. I''ve scarcely been able to believe their incompetence on occasion, and would have jumped at the chance of someone new buying the club. But at present, it''s simply not an option - and I''ll be damned if our joint majority shareholder is actually going to be attacked for loving the club so much that she''s gone back to work to find more funds with which to help keep us afloat. The epitaph of the Smith and Jones time at the club is simple: mere love of the club just isn''t enough; nor is access to moderate levels of cash. Competence, ruthlessness, real footballing expertise, a lot more money and above all, the right decisions are all far more important - and on that, the board have been found sadly wanting. Leaving us are where we are this bleak Sunday morning: fans apathetic and resigned to our fate; board without the foggiest idea how to prevent it.


[/quote]

Fairweather fan

[thebigfeller 200]

I love replies like the one above. "I''ve not read your post, and have missed the point completely - so I''ll just quote it and insult you anyway". You, Sir, are why epithets like Normal for Norfolk exist.