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Whats happened to Norwich City (an outsiders request)

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Hi Canary Fans Liverpool fan here with some questions?

Whatever happened to Norwich City? I have felt the need to join your forum to express my views and find some answers to the possible demise of a proud family club.

Norwich City: One of the last few teams to play proper passing football.

Norwich City: The last team to play in front of the Spion Kop, and a good game of passing football with genuine respect between fans of the beautiful game.

Norwich City: Unexpected passers of the ball in a great european run, with an awesome goal by Goss if i remember.

Norwich City: Genuine rumours on Merseyside of a certain Darren Huckerby joining to replace Patrick Berger, stayed bloody loyal to you guys, Missed a great opportunity for himself for you the fans. Massive respect to him and to you for keeping him. Dumped by that rodent guy. Most fouled player in the league during your premiership season.

Norwich City: Charlton and Southampton can go down, but i read that you still have 25,000 sellouts and that you cant get a season ticket for next year.

Norwich City: On the ball city, never mind the danger (or something like that). The oldest song in football ive read somewhere.

Norwich City: Despite losing out on Europe because of the actions of a few Liverpool louts, I saw 3 of your scarves on the Shankly gates, a different class of fan.

Norwich City: Respected on my part of Merseyside for passing the ball, the way Shankly would enjoy. We loved the 2-0 against Fergies Mancs as well.

Norwich City: For me and my mates, can you tell us what happened to the beautiful game at Carrow Road?

Norwich City: You have some fans in Liverpool that will be praying that results go for you this weekend. You simply do not deserve to go down with your proud history of passing football.

Norwich City: Good Luck this weekend!

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[quote user="concerned-scouse"]Hi Canary Fans

Liverpool fan here with some questions?

Whatever happened to Norwich City? I have felt the need to join your forum to express my views and find some answers to the possible demise of a proud family club.

Norwich City: One of the last few teams to play proper passing football.

Norwich City: The last team to play in front of the Spion Kop, and a good game of passing football with genuine respect between fans of the beautiful game.

Norwich City: Unexpected passers of the ball in a great european run, with an awesome goal by Goss if i remember.

Norwich City: Genuine rumours on Merseyside of a certain Darren Huckerby joining to replace Patrick Berger, stayed bloody loyal to you guys, Missed a great opportunity for himself for you the fans. Massive respect to him and to you for keeping him. Dumped by that rodent guy. Most fouled player in the league during your premiership season.

Norwich City: Charlton and Southampton can go down, but i read that you still have 25,000 sellouts and that you cant get a season ticket for next year.

Norwich City: On the ball city, never mind the danger (or something like that). The oldest song in football ive read somewhere.

Norwich City: Despite losing out on Europe because of the actions of a few Liverpool louts, I saw 3 of your scarves on the Shankly gates, a different class of fan.

Norwich City: Respected on my part of Merseyside for passing the ball, the way Shankly would enjoy. We loved the 2-0 against Fergies Mancs as well.

Norwich City: For me and my mates, can you tell us what happened to the beautiful game at Carrow Road?

Norwich City: You have some fans in Liverpool that will be praying that results go for you this weekend. You simply do not deserve to go down with your proud history of passing football.

Norwich City: Good Luck this weekend![/quote]You know your football. I can''t be bothered to dissect our demise right now, it will take far too long and I have to be getting to work. But make no mistake about it, we will be playing league 1 football next season. Such a shame.

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Eventually all comes down to the board, not enough money put in to buy decent players when we needed them most, and of course the fact that since Worthington left ( 1 year too late aswell) they have appointed 3 shockingly bad managers in Grant, Roeder and now Gunn. Sold the best kept the rest describes it perfectly......

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[quote user="concerned-scouse"]Hi Canary Fans Liverpool fan here with some questions? Whatever happened to Norwich City? I have felt the need to join your forum to express my views and find some answers to the possible demise of a proud family club. Norwich City: One of the last few teams to play proper passing football. Norwich City: The last team to play in front of the Spion Kop, and a good game of passing football with genuine respect between fans of the beautiful game. Norwich City: Unexpected passers of the ball in a great european run, with an awesome goal by Goss if i remember. Norwich City: Genuine rumours on Merseyside of a certain Darren Huckerby joining to replace Patrick Berger, stayed bloody loyal to you guys, Missed a great opportunity for himself for you the fans. Massive respect to him and to you for keeping him. Dumped by that rodent guy. Most fouled player in the league during your premiership season. Norwich City: Charlton and Southampton can go down, but i read that you still have 25,000 sellouts and that you cant get a season ticket for next year. Norwich City: On the ball city, never mind the danger (or something like that). The oldest song in football ive read somewhere. Norwich City: Despite losing out on Europe because of the actions of a few Liverpool louts, I saw 3 of your scarves on the Shankly gates, a different class of fan. Norwich City: Respected on my part of Merseyside for passing the ball, the way Shankly would enjoy. We loved the 2-0 against Fergies Mancs as well. Norwich City: For me and my mates, can you tell us what happened to the beautiful game at Carrow Road? Norwich City: You have some fans in Liverpool that will be praying that results go for you this weekend. You simply do not deserve to go down with your proud history of passing football. Norwich City: Good Luck this weekend![/quote]

 

Thanks for taking the time to post on here, your thoughts and question.

No we don''t deserve to go down, although some supposed NC fans say it''s where we do deserve to be.  Personally I think we deserve so much more.

Like others I am far too low at the moment to explain the exact reasons why we are where we are.

I blame lack of investment on the pitch, and too much investment off the pitch, coupled by poor management and too many loan players without a passion for the club, fans or the colours they wear.

 

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A decade of inept boardroom administration, crap managerial appointments, lack of investment in the team while the off-pitch activities are showered with cash, too many loan players that don;t give a crap about the club, the players we have simply aren''t good enough.

 

But finally, last but not least, a stadium full of fans that sit quietly and accept our fate, deluded into believing that Delia is our saviour and that things will get better, completely blind to the obvious fact: We are shite.

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Thanks mate, appreciate it, made me well up a bit !!We have had a horrible run mainly due to poor managerial appointments and bad decisions by the board.Delia undoubtably saved us from Robert Chase who in hindsight made some good investments on land etc, i think Chase''s final curtain was letting Chris Sutton leave the club for a record (lol) 5mAt the time Delia riding in with the promise of Mike Walker and Premiership football was a dream come true.Unfortunatly the board always take the cheap option, no one can really deny that she has put a lot of money into the club but if she loved us so much she would have accepted Callums offer and became a silent board member. Classic example of power corrupting. She got some and its gone to her head.Look at our last managers.Hamilton was a bit of a joke and Worthy, his assistant,  given the job, Grant was a x player, Roeder was trying to rescue his career and desperate and Gunn is an x player. No real ambition there.Its all gone to crap recently to be honest and its more down to club / dressing room disharmony and very poor business management.

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[quote user="concerned-scouse"]Hi Canary Fans Liverpool fan here with some questions? Whatever happened to Norwich City? I have felt the need to join your forum to express my views and find some answers to the possible demise of a proud family club. Norwich City: One of the last few teams to play proper passing football. Norwich City: The last team to play in front of the Spion Kop, and a good game of passing football with genuine respect between fans of the beautiful game. Norwich City: Unexpected passers of the ball in a great european run, with an awesome goal by Goss if i remember. Norwich City: Genuine rumours on Merseyside of a certain Darren Huckerby joining to replace Patrick Berger, stayed bloody loyal to you guys, Missed a great opportunity for himself for you the fans. Massive respect to him and to you for keeping him. Dumped by that rodent guy. Most fouled player in the league during your premiership season. Norwich City: Charlton and Southampton can go down, but i read that you still have 25,000 sellouts and that you cant get a season ticket for next year. Norwich City: On the ball city, never mind the danger (or something like that). The oldest song in football ive read somewhere. Norwich City: Despite losing out on Europe because of the actions of a few Liverpool louts, I saw 3 of your scarves on the Shankly gates, a different class of fan. Norwich City: Respected on my part of Merseyside for passing the ball, the way Shankly would enjoy. We loved the 2-0 against Fergies Mancs as well. Norwich City: For me and my mates, can you tell us what happened to the beautiful game at Carrow Road? Norwich City: You have some fans in Liverpool that will be praying that results go for you this weekend. You simply do not deserve to go down with your proud history of passing football. Norwich City: Good Luck this weekend![/quote]

The match didn''t make me cry but this post did.

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Thanks for a good post. Really, it all boils down to countless bad decisions year after year. Mainly by our board.

They have picked the wrong manager 3 times in a row since we got Worthington. Everybody else could see it, but they couldn''t.

Then, as a result, the managers make endless poor decisions such as getting rid of Huckerby.

We have a board who do not have a clue how to run a football club, managers who do not know how to manage a football club, and a squad full of average-at-best players and loanees who do not care less.

I''m afraid you won''t be seeing us anywhere near the premiership (and probably not the championship for that matter) until a complete overhaul happens in the boardroom.

 

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I was there at the last game in front of the Spion Kop - what a contrast to where we are now. Another Goss beauty on that day sealed a 1-0 win.

The answer to our demise is quite simple, really - unambitious owners and woefully incompetent management decisions which culminated in the board of directors admitting that they didn''t have a clue what they were doing and asking fans at the AGM if they had any ideas.

Thanks for your support. We need all the help we can get until this club has a complete clear-out and starts again.

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[quote user="WeAreYellows49"]

[quote user="concerned-scouse"]Hi Canary Fans Liverpool fan here with some questions? Whatever happened to Norwich City? I have felt the need to join your forum to express my views and find some answers to the possible demise of a proud family club. Norwich City: One of the last few teams to play proper passing football. Norwich City: The last team to play in front of the Spion Kop, and a good game of passing football with genuine respect between fans of the beautiful game. Norwich City: Unexpected passers of the ball in a great european run, with an awesome goal by Goss if i remember. Norwich City: Genuine rumours on Merseyside of a certain Darren Huckerby joining to replace Patrick Berger, stayed bloody loyal to you guys, Missed a great opportunity for himself for you the fans. Massive respect to him and to you for keeping him. Dumped by that rodent guy. Most fouled player in the league during your premiership season. Norwich City: Charlton and Southampton can go down, but i read that you still have 25,000 sellouts and that you cant get a season ticket for next year. Norwich City: On the ball city, never mind the danger (or something like that). The oldest song in football ive read somewhere. Norwich City: Despite losing out on Europe because of the actions of a few Liverpool louts, I saw 3 of your scarves on the Shankly gates, a different class of fan. Norwich City: Respected on my part of Merseyside for passing the ball, the way Shankly would enjoy. We loved the 2-0 against Fergies Mancs as well. Norwich City: For me and my mates, can you tell us what happened to the beautiful game at Carrow Road? Norwich City: You have some fans in Liverpool that will be praying that results go for you this weekend. You simply do not deserve to go down with your proud history of passing football. Norwich City: Good Luck this weekend![/quote]

 

Thanks for taking the time to post on here, your thoughts and question.

No we don''t deserve to go down, although some supposed NC fans say it''s where we do deserve to be.  Personally I think we deserve so much more.

Like others I am far too low at the moment to explain the exact reasons why we are where we are.

I blame lack of investment on the pitch, and too much investment off the pitch, coupled by poor management and too many loan players without a passion for the club, fans or the colours they wear.

[/quote]

WAY49 - I agree with your last sentence but how on earth can you say that we do not deserve to be where we are on the back of that shocking performance tonight? We can''t even say that it was an off day because that is the standard that we have sunk to. We will struggle to stay in league 1 next season.

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I feel for you guys i really do, twice towards the end of this season i have found myself watching Liverpool and listening to Norwich at the same time.

It just cant happen, can it?

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[quote user="Glutton for Punishment"][quote user="WeAreYellows49"]

[quote user="concerned-scouse"]Hi Canary Fans Liverpool fan here with some questions? Whatever happened to Norwich City? I have felt the need to join your forum to express my views and find some answers to the possible demise of a proud family club. Norwich City: One of the last few teams to play proper passing football. Norwich City: The last team to play in front of the Spion Kop, and a good game of passing football with genuine respect between fans of the beautiful game. Norwich City: Unexpected passers of the ball in a great european run, with an awesome goal by Goss if i remember. Norwich City: Genuine rumours on Merseyside of a certain Darren Huckerby joining to replace Patrick Berger, stayed bloody loyal to you guys, Missed a great opportunity for himself for you the fans. Massive respect to him and to you for keeping him. Dumped by that rodent guy. Most fouled player in the league during your premiership season. Norwich City: Charlton and Southampton can go down, but i read that you still have 25,000 sellouts and that you cant get a season ticket for next year. Norwich City: On the ball city, never mind the danger (or something like that). The oldest song in football ive read somewhere. Norwich City: Despite losing out on Europe because of the actions of a few Liverpool louts, I saw 3 of your scarves on the Shankly gates, a different class of fan. Norwich City: Respected on my part of Merseyside for passing the ball, the way Shankly would enjoy. We loved the 2-0 against Fergies Mancs as well. Norwich City: For me and my mates, can you tell us what happened to the beautiful game at Carrow Road? Norwich City: You have some fans in Liverpool that will be praying that results go for you this weekend. You simply do not deserve to go down with your proud history of passing football. Norwich City: Good Luck this weekend![/quote]

 

Thanks for taking the time to post on here, your thoughts and question.

No we don''t deserve to go down, although some supposed NC fans say it''s where we do deserve to be.  Personally I think we deserve so much more.

Like others I am far too low at the moment to explain the exact reasons why we are where we are.

I blame lack of investment on the pitch, and too much investment off the pitch, coupled by poor management and too many loan players without a passion for the club, fans or the colours they wear.

[/quote]

WAY49 - I agree with your last sentence but how on earth can you say that we do not deserve to be where we are on the back of that shocking performance tonight? We can''t even say that it was an off day because that is the standard that we have sunk to. We will struggle to stay in league 1 next season.

[/quote]

We as fans can only support the team, that''s what being a fan is all about.  We FANS deserve better.

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[quote user="NCFC_Shaun"]

Thanks for a good post. Really, it all boils down to countless bad decisions year after year. Mainly by our board.

They have picked the wrong manager 3 times in a row since we got Worthington. Everybody else could see it, but they couldn''t.

Then, as a result, the managers make endless poor decisions such as getting rid of Huckerby.

We have a board who do not have a clue how to run a football club, managers who do not know how to manage a football club, and a squad full of average-at-best players and loanees who do not care less.

I''m afraid you won''t be seeing us anywhere near the premiership (and probably not the championship for that matter) until a complete overhaul happens in the boardroom.

 

[/quote]Yup, that''s the one. They are well-meaning amateurs, just fans with abit of money really. The days when you could succeed like that are long gone. They desperately, desperately need some top quality advice. Someone intelligent, thoughtful, vast knowledge of the game ......Did I read Steve Coppell is retiring ??I wonder ......Naah

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[quote user="concerned-scouse"]Hi Canary Fans Liverpool fan here with some questions? Whatever happened to Norwich City? I have felt the need to join your forum to express my views and find some answers to the possible demise of a proud family club. Norwich City: One of the last few teams to play proper passing football. Norwich City: The last team to play in front of the Spion Kop, and a good game of passing football with genuine respect between fans of the beautiful game. Norwich City: Unexpected passers of the ball in a great european run, with an awesome goal by Goss if i remember. Norwich City: Genuine rumours on Merseyside of a certain Darren Huckerby joining to replace Patrick Berger, stayed bloody loyal to you guys, Missed a great opportunity for himself for you the fans. Massive respect to him and to you for keeping him. Dumped by that rodent guy. Most fouled player in the league during your premiership season. Norwich City: Charlton and Southampton can go down, but i read that you still have 25,000 sellouts and that you cant get a season ticket for next year. Norwich City: On the ball city, never mind the danger (or something like that). The oldest song in football ive read somewhere. Norwich City: Despite losing out on Europe because of the actions of a few Liverpool louts, I saw 3 of your scarves on the Shankly gates, a different class of fan. Norwich City: Respected on my part of Merseyside for passing the ball, the way Shankly would enjoy. We loved the 2-0 against Fergies Mancs as well. Norwich City: For me and my mates, can you tell us what happened to the beautiful game at Carrow Road? Norwich City: You have some fans in Liverpool that will be praying that results go for you this weekend. You simply do not deserve to go down with your proud history of passing football. Norwich City: Good Luck this weekend![/quote]

Well, according to some of the cretins on here, it''s the fans'' fault.

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According to my research there has only been one bit of trouble between our sets of fans, something to do with your "magnifcent seven" scooter club. Unlike your rivals down the road who claim to have some sort of "European Heritage"

Just to repeat, i/we hope that you can stay up. Your result is more important than ours this weekend.

Christ, that was hard to say!

"On the ball Norwich City" or something like that!

By the way, just how bad/good was Molby for you guys?

Norwich City: A premier league club.

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No ncfc90

I am a fan of quality passing football, something that Norwich City were synomous with in the 80s and 90s.

Maybe its just not possible to pass your way out of the Championship.

Respect though for trying, i think thats the thing, to go down passing is better than to have never passed at all.

Youll never walk alone. and yes Goss`s goal was befitting the last goal in front of the Spion Kop. If i remember rightly both teams were applauded off by both sets of fans.

Maybe thats why i felt the need to post here tonight.

It saddens me that a team that once outpassed the mighty Liverpool are now in this horrrible position.

Never mind the danger, Norwich. For footballs sake.

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[quote user="concerned-scouse"]I feel for you guys i really do, twice towards the end of this season i have found myself watching Liverpool and listening to Norwich at the same time. It just cant happen, can it?[/quote]

Great post. That is has come to this possibly can be traced back to our relegation from the Prem at the worst possible time, just before the serious money came in. We have never really recovered. Our 1 year in the prem was down to amazing team spirit and the legend of Darren Huckerby but we were basically punching above our financial weight. Delia and the board have not been able or willing to steady the financial situation and so we spiral down, haemorraging money, into division 3 where we will surely go into administration sooner or later. Perhaps only then will an investor come in who can take us back up.

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Hi concerned-scouse,

First, thankyou for a wonderful, heartwarming post. It''s gratifying to know there are people out there who still remember what this club once stood for. I''m going to answer your question in as complete a way as possible: hopefully it''ll trigger debate, if nothing else!

So, what went wrong? Here''s a potted modern history of Norwich City Football Club, with the most important mistakes emboldened.

1. Failure to quickly remove John Deehan as manager when it was clear he was floundering. That win in front of the Spion Kop occurred under him - yet having inherited the greatest side in our history, he won just two games out of 19 over the rest of 1993/4. Victory at Anfield was like a tribute to the European heroes of six months earlier - but it already felt like a distant dream. The club went into decline the moment Mike Walker departed for Everton, and Ruel Fox and Chris Sutton left soon afterwards.

2. Failure to back him properly, especially in terms of strikers - and Deehan''s failure to adequately replace Bryan Gunn when, on one of the most pivotal days in our entire history, he broke his leg in a 1-0 defeat at Nottingham Forest in late December 1994. Open, passing sides need a great goalkeeper. We''d already been winging it for much of that season; in his absence, we suddenly had no protection. Cue one of the worst second half of the season collapses in EPL history, and relegation right at the moment when big money was starting to come into the game - but wiser fans had seen it coming.

3. Failure to come straight back up. Chairman Robert Chase appointed Martin O''Neill on the proviso he would be given ample funds that weren''t there. When O''Neill realised this, it was only a matter of time before he left; when he did, the atmosphere around the club quickly turned poisonous, and the team started to slide. As soon as it became clear we weren''t going to achieve promotion, the banks called in their debts - and suddenly we faced a battle for the club''s entire survival. Thanks to the late, great Geoffrey Watling, who to my mind did more for NCFC than anyone else in our history, Chase was forced out - but having started 1995/6 confidently expected by pundits up and down the land to swiftly return to the top flight, we ended it severely diminished, and effectively back at square one.

4. Our financial position meant many years would have to be spent fighting our debt, meaning little or nothing was made available either to the returning Mike Walker or his successor, Bruce Rioch. Appallingly, and to their eternal shame, Delia Smith''s new board sacked Walker - who against his better judgement, had effectively ridden to our rescue in Summer 1996 - prematurely; then treated Rioch quite disgracefully, hanging him out to dry, describing him as a "square peg in a round hole", and conniving with Director of Football Bryan Hamilton, who effectively stabbed Rioch in the back. Hamilton, despite a managerial CV which made Alan Ball look like Bill Shankly, was immediately appointed, with catastrophic effect - and by Xmas 2000, Norwich were staring at the abyss of the old Third Division.

5. Now, more by luck than judgement, the board finally got something right. Hamilton was replaced with his assistant Nigel Worthington, and relegation avoided. With the board under mounting pressure because of their poor record and Ipswich''s success around that time, Worthington was able to face them down and demand real funds, which he spent wisely. ITV Digital''s deal with the Football League had enabled us to push the boat out a bit; but when it collapsed, it effectively forced us into gambling on promotion. Spending money we hadn''t yet received meant we could only recoup it through a return to the EPL, and failure could''ve left us in an even worse position than we are now. Darren Huckerby''s permanent signing later, as well as those of Leon McKenzie, Matthias Svensson, and the loan signings of Peter Crouch and Kevin Harper, helped us sail to the title in 2004.

6. But here, the mistakes started again, and have never stopped since. Worthington''s decision to release talismanic captain Malky Mackay left the side short of leadership and spirit in the top flight; the board''s failure to sign Dean Ashton in Summer 2004 rather than January 2005 left us short of goals. Even then, the appalling lack of quality within the bottom four that season left us with every chance of survival - but Worthington had never figured out how to win on the road (if you look at his record with Northern Ireland, he still hasn''t!), and leads in crunch games were thrown away like confetti. Norwich were relegated thanks to a humiliating 6-0 clobbering at Fulham: a defeat which has cast a pall over the club ever since, and we''ve never recovered from.

7. Back in the Championship, we were again expected to challenge - but something within the team was wrong. Very wrong, in fact. The manager''s new signings flopped badly, and we spent much of the first half of the campaign in or near the relegation zone. Nigel was clearly past his sell by date, as happens to all except the most exceptional managers eventually; but rather than quietly take him to one side in late Autumn 2005, thank him for the memories and send him on his way, the club staggeringly failed to act. Worthington was allowed to flounder on amid a divisive atmosphere, our crucial parachute payments over halfway to being exhausted.

8. When he finally left in October 2006, time had already almost run out. Into our second and final season of parachute payments, the club needed to appoint a proven manager with a decent track record: some sort of equivalent of Tony Mowbray, if you like. Instead, we plumped for completely unproven Peter Grant. Grant certainly loved the club, and did his very best - but his utterly non-existent man-management skills, appalling signings and tendency to be a one man slag it off if it moves brigade led morale in the dressing room to collapse, and Norwich to slump to bottom of the table - now minus parachute payments - just after his departure in October 2007.

9. Our fast deteriorating financial position meant the idea of any return to the Premier League was now risible. Making matters still  worse was the club''s decision to build the new Jarrold Stand in 2003, and securitise it against future season ticket sales. This increased capacity - but also meant a large proportion of the extra revenue brought in must now necessarily go towards interest on and paying off the loan taken at the time. Other investments in property around the stadium by the board proved wildly optimistic too.

10. Caught between a rock and a hard place, instead of appointing the equivalent of, say, Neil Warnock, who knows his way around this league and even this year, has kept Crystal Palace in a comfortable position while Norwich and Southampton, relegated with Palace in 2005, have plunged towards League 1, the board yet again got it wrong by appointing Glenn Roeder. To be fair to him, Roeder inspired a revival at first; but the signs were bad even by the end of last season, with his and the club''s disgraceful treatment of Darren Huckerby a sign of how out of touch and arrogant he and they were becoming. This season, it became far worse: Roeder''s obsession with loan signings destroying any cohesion or continuity within the team; his contemptuous dismissal of paying supporters who dared question his judgement - and were horribly aware of his dire CV in management - threatening to destroy the one positive remaining at the club: the bond between it and its public.

11. The board had already openly acknowledged it had run out of ideas, and made a complete mess of the approach of wealthy businessman Peter Cullum last summer, as well as losing an anticipated £2m of investment through the abrupt departure of Andrew and Sharon Turner. Just how hard they sought new investment is open to question: many believe Delia''s insistence on only a bona fide Norwich fan being suitable effectively made it close to impossible, and her board''s apparent over-pricing of the club did the rest. With City again in serious relegation trouble, surely this time they''d look for a proven manager? Someone like Aidy Boothroyd, with prior connections to and genuine affection for Norwich, say? But no. Instead, in an utterly reckless gamble, they gave the job to club legend Bryan Gunn - with no prior managerial experience whatever - on the strength of one single game as caretaker.

12. What has followed since has hardly been Gunny''s fault: we all love him, and he stepped up to the plate in extremis. But he should never have been put in such a position in the first place: our predicament demanded wisdom on the part of the board, and they failed utterly. It''s not working for Alan Shearer at Newcastle; it hasn''t worked for Bryan Gunn at Norwich.

Relegation - barring a wholly undeserved get out of jail free card being brandished on Sunday - hasn''t come out of the blue. In truth, there''s been a smell of death about Norwich City FC for at least four years now. You may have noticed the lack of "whatever happened to Norwich City?" articles in the press, in contrast to pieces looking at Charlton, Southampton, or before them, Nottingham Forest, Sheffield Wednesday or Leeds. There aren''t any because the club sells itself so chronically short. Despite almost 25000 fans continuing to turn up to watch utter dross for four straight seasons, despite being the only club in an entire county, despite the entrepreneurs who''ve moved to Norwich in order to travel into London over the past decade (I appreciate the credit crunch has put the kybosh on this now, but it hardly did so during ten years or so in which the rich got richer and football clubs grew out of all recognition), the club styles itself as "little Norwich", unable to compete, and unwilling to either behave ruthlessly or what it myopically perceives as sell its soul in order to succeed.

For Delia Smith''s board, community comes first every time; winning a poor second. Preposterously, this led them to term our relegation season of 2004/5 a "success"; it''s also led them to place an impossibly high bar on securing new investment and, indeed, to think it''d be alright on the night if we appointed a "Norwich man" as manager. Abundantly clear throughout has been the chronic lack of real footballing expertise within the board, and more latterly, a complete lack of vision or any plan for the future. Smith''s strategy failed when we came down in 2005 and failed to go back up by 2007: she may even have been disillusioned by what modern football seems to have become. But rather than throw the kitchen sink at courting a new buyer, she just became more stubborn than ever: spurning Cullum''s advances as the board muddled on to nowhere fast.

Some observers admire this club for its refusal to bend to the realities of modern football, and maintenance of high principles. But while it''s all very well having a Unique Selling Point, it''s another thing entirely when that refusal to change just results in ever more precipitous decline. Within the last week, Ipswich Town demonstrated their very obvious ambition by appointing Roy Keane as manager, and promising him substantial money to spend on players. Ipswich were taken over last season by someone who is considered good enough as a donor by the Liberal Democrats, but wouldn''t have passed Delia''s fit and proper person test in a million years. Their future is risky, hard to predict in the longer term, but bright; ours - the fabled community club - is all set to be at our lowest level in almost 50 years. The contrast could not be more stark: and if one group of people are to blame above all else for the decline of this football club, it''s Delia Smith and her board. And - perhaps worst of all - I don''t think they''ve learned a thing throughout the entire journey.

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[quote user="thebigfeller"]

if one group of people are to blame above all else for the decline of this football club, it''s Delia Smith and her board. And - perhaps worst of all - I don''t think they''ve learned a thing throughout the entire journey.
[/quote]

Your last sentence says it all.  We cut them plenty of slack when they first came in (far too much in hindsight) because we recognised that they needed time to learn the ropes.  But they haven''t - and why? Because they''re so arrogant they think they don''t need to.  They had a vision for the club that had everything to do with getting bums on seats and feck all to do with football.  For the past three years at least it has been staggeringly obvious that this day was coming if they didn''t change course - but no they refused to listen to advice from anyone and carried on in their own sweet way, retreating further and further into the bunker as time went on.  That''s never going to change, and unless they are removed from the club things will only get worse. 

I''m still a Norwich fan and always will be, but the club that calls itself Norwich City is one I can barely recognise.  We need posters like concerned scouser to remind us of what (not where) our club is supposed to be because quite frankly we''ve forgotten. 

 

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[quote user="concerned-scouse"]Im going to bed now, but first who the **** is Roy Waller? Peters, Bruce, Phelan, Sutton. Bellamy, Huckerby, Waller????[/quote]

lol made me chuckle

Roy Waller was the match commentator on Radio Norfolk for many years.  His style was, shall we say "legendary" - on more than one occasion I was brought to the brink of a heart attack listening to Roy shouting "Assagool!! Assagool!!" with no idea which side had scored it!

 

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[quote user="canary cherub "]

[quote user="thebigfeller"]

if one group of people are to blame above all else for the decline of this football club, it''s Delia Smith and her board. And - perhaps worst of all - I don''t think they''ve learned a thing throughout the entire journey.[/quote]

Your last sentence says it all.  We cut them plenty of slack when they first came in (far too much in hindsight) because we recognised that they needed time to learn the ropes.  But they haven''t - and why? Because they''re so arrogant they think they don''t need to.  They had a vision for the club that had everything to do with getting bums on seats and feck all to do with football.  For the past three years at least it has been staggeringly obvious that this day was coming if they didn''t change course - but no they refused to listen to advice from anyone and carried on in their own sweet way, retreating further and further into the bunker as time went on.  That''s never going to change, and unless they are removed from the club things will only get worse. 

I''m still a Norwich fan and always will be, but the club that calls itself Norwich City is one I can barely recognise.  We need posters like concerned scouser to remind us of what (not where) our club is supposed to be because quite frankly we''ve forgotten. 

 

[/quote]Frankly, thebigfella and CC, I totally agree. I have generally cut the board slack because they are real fans (whatever some might say), but I think you''re right. They have learned bugger all over these years and the 3rd division is the result. I was an honourable desire to be a big part of the local community, but the club''s attitude reminds ourselves and anyone that gives a toss (seemingly hardly anyone but us for the reasons outlined by bigfella) as the women''s institute )noi offencce intended) then it''s time for a change. This should have come earlier, I and other defenders of the board''s vision to do it the "old" Norwich way has tuurned into a defence of the board''s decision to do it their way, regardless of the dire consequences. I was wrong and I''m sorry about that. I''m very pi**ed off, and very drunk but when my loathing of everything that Ipwich have done has turned to envy, someone has to pay, and that is the board. It''s impossible to say what would happen if they bugger off, but unless they get serious money in, some real footballing advice and stop pissing about like a church flower arranging club we will never recover. arssssssssssssssssssssssse. 

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Big Feller, that simply has to be the best post I have read on here for years, top quality with all the relevant facts so well put.

Concerned Scouse - quite frankly your post made me cry more than anything I watched on the pitch last night. What we are now and what we used to be - there couldn''t be a sharper contrast.

I have always had a soft spot for Liverpool and its fans. Thanks for taking the time to encourage us. Sadly though, as Big Feller describes, our club and what it once stood for died a long time ago.

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An excellent post Big fella - sums it up very well - there is not going to be an easy way back from here -  I think your post should be put to the front page of the EDP today

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The Big Feller - Thank you for the best post I have read on in here in two years. 100% accurate and sums up every single thing that has gone wrong.

You should print it out and post it to the members of the Board, and seriously I would send it to the EDP, they need to print this.

Thanks again.

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Fantastic post big fella if the edp have any balls they need to print it as a fans view of our demise

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