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Shifty Sid

Who is to blame?

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I''ve

thought long and hard over the past few weeks, thinking where did it

all go wrong and who was to blame.  Here are my thoughts...

1.       

Releasing

Malky MacKay and Marc Edworthy.

Malky was a leader on the pitch, solid at the back and got

the odd goal or two as well.  Edworthy

was a very capable full back and could have done a job for us.  Helveg never impressed me at all and was

never worth the salary we paid him.

Who was to blame: 

Worthington.

 

2.       

Failing

to buy Dean Ashton in August rather than January.

Had we shown just a little ambition and signed Ashton at the start of the

season I think it’s fair to say he would have bagged 3 or 4 extra goals for

us.  Considering the narrow margin by

which we were relegated, I am convinced this would have been enough to have

kept us in the Premiership.  The Board

wanted to see where we were in the table by the time the January transfer

window opened and then take a decision on whether or not to spend the

money.  By then, as history has shown –

it was too late.

Who was to blame:  The Board.  (Maybe Worthington as well, as I am not sure

how hard he pushed them).

 

3.       

The

purchase of poor players.

On relegation, we had two successive years of £7.5Mn cash

injections from Sky’s ‘parachute payments’. 

This money was in my opinion wasted on sub-standard players such as

Peter Thorne, Carl Robinson, Andy Hughes etc. 

This resulted in us struggling near the bottom of the Championship and

without the quality to get us near the top.

Who was to blame:  Worthington.

 

4.       

Keeping

Worthington way beyond his sell by date.

Worthy did a great job for us, getting us to the play off final and

winning the division but about 2-3 months into our return to the Championship

it was clear to everyone but the Board, that we were under-performing and

continuing to buy poor quality players. 

Worthington should have been dismissed for failing to challenge the top

six all season.  He wasn’t and further

decline continued the next season.

Who was to blame:  The Board.

 

5.       

The

appointment of Peter Grant.

With the calibre of the candidates that applied for the job, I was

astounded the Board gambled on someone with no managerial experience when we

could have gone with a proven manager and someone who would have made better

use of the Sky money we still had at our disposal.  Instead, Grant bought some very poor players.  Also, in my opinion I feel we could have got a

much better striker for £950k than Jamie Cureton.  I’m never a fan of buying 30+ players,

particularly when they are average at best. 

I also believe it was a mistake buying Marshall for £1Mn.  We had a perfectly good keeper in the

reserves, in Joe Lewis.  He should have

been promoted and the million we spent on Marshall plus the £950k spent on

Cureton could have bought a decent striker and defender or midfielder.  A wasted opportunity.

Who was to blame:  The Board.  Grant should never have been appointed.

 

6.       

The

appointment of Roeder.

Did a fantastic job keeping us up when he took over from Grant, but proceeded

to go on a self-destruct mission.  Ripped

the heart and soul out of the club by releasing Huckerby and the manner in

which it was done undermined his managerial tenure.  No one can complain about the other players

shown the door by Roeder.  It was

something that had to be done; but I question the decision to get rid of such a

large number of players in such a short space of time.  It must have cost us a small fortune in

contract severance fees not to mention it left the squad chronically short on

numbers.  When Roeder failed to bring in

all his summer targets we had to over-rely on the loan system.  Whilst there is nothing wrong with the odd

loan player or two, to add quality you otherwise couldn’t afford to buy, Roeder

loaned in several players no better than we already had.  His tactics (and because of the number of

players on short-term deals) meant the team was chopped and changed from game

to game and we never had a settled side. 

Inconsistent line ups lead to inconsistent results.  The Board acted decisively in dismissing

Roeder (which suggests they learnt from past mistakes with Worthington).

Who was to blame:  Roeder.  His appointment worked initially, so I don’t

feel the Board can be blamed here.

 

7.       

The

appointment of Gunn.

Legend that he is, a man with no managerial experience should

never have been charged with getting City out of the mess we found ourselves

in.  It was far too much of a risk and we

should have opted for an experienced manager such as Aidy Boothroyd.  Whilst performances have improved, results

have not.  The 4-0 win against Barnsley

was more a collective celebration on the departure of Roeder than Gunn’s

managerial prowess.  The Board were naive

to think that would be repeated in subsequent games and made a decision with

their hearts and not their heads.

Who was to blame:  The

Board.

 

So to sum

things up, I don’t think any one person or entity is to blame for our demise,

it has been a catalogue of failures over a number of years.  However, because ultimately the buck stops

with the Board, it is they who should take responsibility for their

failings.  To suggest they should resign

is nonsensical – when you own

something you can’t simply resign.  You

need to sell – and if there is no buyer, there are not really that many options

left.

 

Some would

say they had the opportunity to sell to Peter Cullum.  I am not so sure.  I am in a privileged position to know a

little bit on the inside of that particular episode in the club’s history.  Cullum’s intentions were there.  The money was also there.  But the way he tried to take control for the

Club via the media ruffled a few feathers with the Board.  He tried to build public opinion to apply

pressure on Delia and Michael to sell up for a small percentage of what the

Club was worth.  She has never been in

this game to make money, in fact she stands to make a considerable loss.   But why should she sell the Club for a cut-price

fee to someone worth billions?  It was

quoted at the time, she wanted £56M to sell. 

This was merely calling his bluff to see how serious he was – and playing

him at his own game through the media. 

In reality, had he been forthcoming with a serious (and fair) offer, she

would have sold up – no question.  I won’t

waffle on this subject as it has been well documented before but I wanted to

dispel the myth that Cullum was sent packing with a flea in his ear, as that

simply was not the case.

 

Unless by

some miracle, we are now pretty certain to be in League One next year.  We will undoubtedly lose the likes of Croft

and Clingan and have very little money to rebuild in the summer.  Challenging for promotion would be very tough

indeed.  We won’t have the foundations of

a solid backbone upon which to build the team. 

There are no signs our away form will improve either, so even with a

good home record I can’t see us getting near the top six, even in League

One.  I’m afraid to say things look very

bleak indeed and it could well be a long hard slog or 3 or 4 years simply to

get back to the Championship.  Even then,

without serious funding we are going to struggle.

 

I have

renewed my season ticket.  Not because I

am some blind sheep throwing my money down the drain but because after 15 years

of being a season ticket holder, I am still hooked.  I’d miss the routine of trudging to Carrow

Road every other Saturday and I’d find that very hard to give up - even in League One.

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From the  time that  we got prompted  to the  Premiership the wheels  have started to come off. Releasing good  squad players,buying crap, picking crap managers time and time again and wasting cash in the process. I put this all down to the board they have been naive and indecisive and just crap at making decisions. They all  should clear off and run a bank ! They have done a worse job with us than Peter Risdale did at Leeds!

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[quote user="Shifty Sid"]

 

 

6.       

The

appointment of Roeder.

Did a fantastic job keeping us up when he took over from Grant, but proceeded

to go on a self-destruct mission.  Ripped

the heart and soul out of the club by releasing Huckerby and the manner in

which it was done undermined his managerial tenure.  No one can complain about the other players

shown the door by Roeder.  It was

something that had to be done; but I question the decision to get rid of such a

large number of players in such a short space of time.  It must have cost us a small fortune in

contract severance fees not to mention it left the squad chronically short on

numbers.  When Roeder failed to bring in

all his summer targets we had to over-rely on the loan system.  Whilst there is nothing wrong with the odd

loan player or two, to add quality you otherwise couldn’t afford to buy, Roeder

loaned in several players no better than we already had.  His tactics (and because of the number of

players on short-term deals) meant the team was chopped and changed from game

to game and we never had a settled side. 

Inconsistent line ups lead to inconsistent results.  The Board acted decisively in dismissing

Roeder (which suggests they learnt from past mistakes with Worthington).

Who was to blame:  Roeder.  His appointment worked initially, so I don’t

feel the Board can be blamed here.

[/quote] How can Roeder be to blame for his own appointment.

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The fact that the board no nothing about football is the problem. They do the right thing in getting rid of Worthy and Roeder. Then the completely wrong thing in appointing Grant and Gunn. The appointment of Gunn has sealed our fate. Anybody could have been in charge and we would have won that Barnsley game. Momentum from Roeders departure won us that, not Gunn''s tactics.

However, that ''facebook'' group. As nice as it was from his daughter, heaps and heaps of fans joined in backing Gunn for the job. This, I believe, made the board take note and see how many fans wanted Gunn to be appointed. Their was no indication of how many fans wanted other candidates. So if you joined that ''Gunn in'' group. Congratulations.

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[quote user="Fabregas- Poor Mans Ian Crook"][quote user="Shifty Sid"]

 

 

6.       

The

appointment of Roeder.

Did a fantastic job keeping us up when he took over from Grant, but proceeded

to go on a self-destruct mission.  Ripped

the heart and soul out of the club by releasing Huckerby and the manner in

which it was done undermined his managerial tenure.  No one can complain about the other players

shown the door by Roeder.  It was

something that had to be done; but I question the decision to get rid of such a

large number of players in such a short space of time.  It must have cost us a small fortune in

contract severance fees not to mention it left the squad chronically short on

numbers.  When Roeder failed to bring in

all his summer targets we had to over-rely on the loan system.  Whilst there is nothing wrong with the odd

loan player or two, to add quality you otherwise couldn’t afford to buy, Roeder

loaned in several players no better than we already had.  His tactics (and because of the number of

players on short-term deals) meant the team was chopped and changed from game

to game and we never had a settled side. 

Inconsistent line ups lead to inconsistent results.  The Board acted decisively in dismissing

Roeder (which suggests they learnt from past mistakes with Worthington).

Who was to blame:  Roeder.  His appointment worked initially, so I don’t

feel the Board can be blamed here.

[/quote] How can Roeder be to blame for his own appointment.[/quote]LOL...good point... I think I meant he was to blame getting rid of too many players, he should have got rid of 2/3 in August, another 2/3 in Jan and so on, rather than axeing 18 in one hit then struggling to make up the numbers.

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[quote user="Fabregas- Poor Mans Ian Crook"][quote user="Shifty Sid"]

 

 

6.       

The

appointment of Roeder.

Did a fantastic job keeping us up when he took over from Grant, but proceeded

to go on a self-destruct mission.  Ripped

the heart and soul out of the club by releasing Huckerby and the manner in

which it was done undermined his managerial tenure.  No one can complain about the other players

shown the door by Roeder.  It was

something that had to be done; but I question the decision to get rid of such a

large number of players in such a short space of time.  It must have cost us a small fortune in

contract severance fees not to mention it left the squad chronically short on

numbers.  When Roeder failed to bring in

all his summer targets we had to over-rely on the loan system.  Whilst there is nothing wrong with the odd

loan player or two, to add quality you otherwise couldn’t afford to buy, Roeder

loaned in several players no better than we already had.  His tactics (and because of the number of

players on short-term deals) meant the team was chopped and changed from game

to game and we never had a settled side. 

Inconsistent line ups lead to inconsistent results.  The Board acted decisively in dismissing

Roeder (which suggests they learnt from past mistakes with Worthington).

Who was to blame:  Roeder.  His appointment worked initially, so I don’t

feel the Board can be blamed here.

[/quote] How can Roeder be to blame for his own appointment.[/quote]Well he did apply for the job....

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[quote user="John"][quote user="Fabregas- Poor Mans Ian Crook"][quote user="Shifty Sid"]

 

 

<!--[if !supportLists]-->6.        The appointment of Roeder.<!--[endif]-->

Did a fantastic job keeping us up when he took over from Grant, but proceeded to go on a self-destruct mission.  Ripped the heart and soul out of the club by releasing Huckerby and the manner in which it was done undermined his managerial tenure.  No one can complain about the other players shown the door by Roeder.  It was something that had to be done; but I question the decision to get rid of such a large number of players in such a short space of time.  It must have cost us a small fortune in contract severance fees not to mention it left the squad chronically short on numbers.  When Roeder failed to bring in all his summer targets we had to over-rely on the loan system.  Whilst there is nothing wrong with the odd loan player or two, to add quality you otherwise couldn’t afford to buy, Roeder loaned in several players no better than we already had.  His tactics (and because of the number of players on short-term deals) meant the team was chopped and changed from game to game and we never had a settled side.  Inconsistent line ups lead to inconsistent results.  The Board acted decisively in dismissing Roeder (which suggests they learnt from past mistakes with Worthington).

Who was to blame:  Roeder.  His appointment worked initially, so I don’t feel the Board can be blamed here.

[/quote] How can Roeder be to blame for his own appointment.
[/quote]

Well he did apply for the job....
[/quote]

Oh Please wake up will you, we have had this board for 12 years, and Queen Delia picked the lot, 12 seasons later we are in a worst position, with 2 ok seasons and 10 relegation fights, (WHO IS TO BLAME)? Not me that I''m sure of   

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THE FANS

For sitting back in silence and allowing this happen.

The lot of you have been MUGGED.

Worse still there are still many already signing themselves up for another MUGGING in Div 3 next year!!! [:$]

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[quote user="NCFC_Shaun"]

The fact that the board no nothing about football is the problem. They do the right thing in getting rid of Worthy and Roeder. Then the completely wrong thing in appointing Grant and Gunn. The appointment of Gunn has sealed our fate. Anybody could have been in charge and we would have won that Barnsley game. Momentum from Roeders departure won us that, not Gunn''s tactics.

However, that ''facebook'' group. As nice as it was from his daughter, heaps and heaps of fans joined in backing Gunn for the job. This, I believe, made the board take note and see how many fans wanted Gunn to be appointed. Their was no indication of how many fans wanted other candidates. So if you joined that ''Gunn in'' group. Congratulations.

[/quote]

The FACT that you and so many other City fans know nothing about football is the problem NCFC_Shaun

These are the reasons why we have been stuck with a board of directors that are about to provide us with one of the darkest days most City fans have seen in their life time.

The writing has been on the wall for many years now and you and the vast majority chose to ignore it.

Looking for somebody to blame???

Then look a little closer to home Sir.

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[quote user="Smudger"]

THE FANS

For sitting back in silence and allowing this happen.

The lot of you have been MUGGED.

Worse still there are still many already signing themselves up for another MUGGING in Div 3 next year!!! [:$]

[/quote]yes we are to blame for the relegation...another fantastic post FUDGER!!!

we chose the last 3 managers and  bought the players...yes the fans done this...also the fans invested in car parks...resteraunts...land....etc...you twit!!!!

at least you are on a bit of a glory hunt with lowestoft town at the min!!!!

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you have to take it up to the very top.

board hasnt put enough money in.....money which if they didnt have, and clearly dont..............should have sold up.

theyre obviously making money, or they wouldnt even be here ???

doncaster doesnt even care, hes getting a bundle of cash at the end of the year, and he knows his job is safe. its just a stepping stone to get to the england job.

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Some good points SS, but i totally disagree with you on point three.  We were so conservative with our money in the Prem. (remember the £9m profit?) that i was sure we would be cherry-picking the best young talent in an ambitious attempt to get straight back up.  When we sold Jonsson, Svensson, Helveg and Francis for £3m i was even more sure the exciting signings were just round the corner.  What we got were two lower-league journeymen on frees, a clogger from Reading for £500k and some Dutchman no-one had ever heard of for £200k.  It was blatant asset-stripping and wilful capitulation.  Then we sold Ashton for £7.5m and made our one ambitious signing since relegation in Earnshaw for £2.9m- but no more money was forthcoming for a desperately needed target-man, right-winger, or central midfielder.  Worthy had both hands and legs tied behind his back by a board who had their minds focussed on land deals, subsiduary companies, new facilities etc.

"She has never been in this game to make money, in fact she stands to make a considerable loss.  But why should she sell the club for a cut-price fee to someone worth billions?".  To me, that is a contradictory statement.  But my answer to the question is a, because she would be accepting precisely the deal she was begging for when she was spouting her usual populist drivel on several occasions ("It`s not about money for our shares- we don`t need money- it`s about money for the team, big money for the team.") and b, BECAUSE IT WOULD HAVE BEEN THE BEST THING FOR THE CLUB.

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[quote user="Bryan Bryan Gunn "]

you have to take it up to the very top.

board hasnt put enough money in.....money which if they didnt have, and clearly dont..............should have sold up.

theyre obviously making money, or they wouldnt even be here ???

doncaster doesnt even care, hes getting a bundle of cash at the end of the year, and he knows his job is safe. its just a stepping stone to get to the england job.

[/quote]How''s that work then?Oh, I see, it''s a joke.

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[quote user="Smudger"][quote user="NCFC_Shaun"]

The fact that the board no nothing about football is the problem. They do the right thing in getting rid of Worthy and Roeder. Then the completely wrong thing in appointing Grant and Gunn. The appointment of Gunn has sealed our fate. Anybody could have been in charge and we would have won that Barnsley game. Momentum from Roeders departure won us that, not Gunn''s tactics.

However, that ''facebook'' group. As nice as it was from his daughter, heaps and heaps of fans joined in backing Gunn for the job. This, I believe, made the board take note and see how many fans wanted Gunn to be appointed. Their was no indication of how many fans wanted other candidates. So if you joined that ''Gunn in'' group. Congratulations.

[/quote]

The FACT that you and so many other City fans know nothing about football is the problem NCFC_Shaun

These are the reasons why we have been stuck with a board of directors that are about to provide us with one of the darkest days most City fans have seen in their life time.

The writing has been on the wall for many years now and you and the vast majority chose to ignore it.

Looking for somebody to blame???

Then look a little closer to home Sir.

[/quote]

 

What precisely do you think? Having previously wondered why others refuse to listen to your point of view, I now see why they think you just like the attention and post with the primary reason to annoy others.

Nearly all of your posts are aimed towards your hatred of the board and how they are the problem. So my above post would appear to go hand in hand with your view of the board. However suddenly you have managed to change it around so that I, due to my blaming of the board, are the problem.

I''m sorry but that makes no sense, and clearly shows you only post to stir trouble, sir.

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