Aviator 0 Posted February 2, 2005 We love top quality football. At it''s best it is pure artistry and superb entertainment, and 90 minutes is never enough. Arsenal and Man U last night was exactly that. Mezmorised by the speed and skill on display, I reflected on the dvd I got this Xmas of the 1966 World Cup Final. I was 13 back then and remember the occasion vividly, thinking at the time how superb England were. Looking at it now, Jesus it was slow, terrible ball control, misplaced passes, forwards with acres of room. IMO the standard back then compares to League 1 or 2 today. Athletes in all fields have improved over 40 years, and footballers are no exception. So where does City fit in here? My question is, how can we ever aspire to the level of brilliance on show last night? Of course, not every top Prem game is as good, BUT, whilst we have persistence, spirit and graft in buckets, we can''t compete with that, and I can''t see how we ever will. OK, the priority at the moment is Prem survival, and we are all focused on that...one game at a time etc etc, but will we ever see Norwich playing such magnificent football. If you think so, tell me how. Is it simply money? Ten or 15 years in the Prem will secure sufficient funds to buy the best on the market. I can''t see it. The top teams will maintain their cash rich status and keep the rest of us at arms length. My conclusion if that the gulf is becoming so apparent, that we will see the emergence quite soon of the UK ''Average'' League, competing at an average level to play in the Euro Super League, and only then, after winning the Euro Average Team Cup, a competition of the top two in each countries Average League. The closest we will get to the quality we saw last night, will be on the tele. Come On Ye Yellows, prove me wrong tonight. Dazzle me! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Worthy Nigelton<br><br><br><br><br>Evening News Sports Page Headline 8th August 2007:<br><br>Henderson joins Dereham Town. 0 Posted February 2, 2005 I think you''re right in what you say, gone are the days when a team like Derby could win Div 1 gain promotion then go on to win the top league at their first attempt. Football is ruled by money and Norwich will never be able to compete with the likes of Arsenal, Man Utd or Chelsea ever again.I also agree that we will witness the creation of A Euro Super League in the not too distant future.The one point I will say though, is that we know we are not competing with the top sides and it is still enjoyable competing with your average/lesser Premiership sides. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
blacko 0 Posted February 2, 2005 Daft as it might sound part of the reason for the improvement is the pitches. I have seen numerous pictures ond old tv footage showing football being played on mudbaths. The old Baseball groung was one of the worst. You would struggle to produce silky skills on a bog! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
westoncanary. 0 Posted February 2, 2005 Money is killing the game for the lesser clubs as the top sides will continue to qualify for the (ahem) champions league. These sides then buy top class foreigners from abroad (or in the case of Liverpool, the entire Spanish squad), deny their academy players the chance to come through (ie homegrown talent) and eventually damage the British international teams'' chance of success.So while the quality of football is indeed exhilarating to watch, it will eventually lead to a 3 or 4 tier Premier league or maybe even the dreaded european super league, where we may get to play Arsenal, Chelsea etc if we are lucky. I don''t think Norwich will ever be able to boast a side full of real top class players but I love this club and Ipswich aside, I think that most other supporters hold us in high regard. We have some of the most loyal fans in English football and judging by this message board, some of the most intelligent. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
susie b 0 Posted February 2, 2005 I reckon you lot must have been reading a certain column this week as that''s one of the main points being made, i.e. that ''doing an Ipswich'', for example, won''t happen again, and that aiming for mid-table obscurity is all we can realistically aspire to over time. Sad really. I''ve said it before and I''ll say it again - the excess of money in the hands of the few has changed everything forever...until someone shifts the goalposts!!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BIC 0 Posted February 2, 2005 Personally I''m beginning to think that the league will eventually follow the example of the NFL in the US and apply a salary cap. Let''s face it, its the only way that the leading teams can be limited in who they buy and it willsurely make the league more competitive.People used to say that the league couldn''t just be bought and Chelsea have done a good job of showing us that that was at least partly true, until this year of course. Nevertheless, I don''t believe that it''s impossible for smaller teams to compete. Despite the huge amount of money that goes on the best players, a great team can still be assembled for a relatively small amount of money as long as the manager, scouts, and trainers etc. all do their job very well. That''s what we have to aim at for the moment until one day we qualify for the Champions League, assuming the equivalent still exists, and make our own fortune. Unless of course an Abramovich appears in Norfolk. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
