Delia, Saint or Sinner?.

[First Wizard 0]

As my call for a 9 day truce seemed to have fallen on deaf ears, the gloves are off.

I ask, the question, is Saint Delia really in truth, a sinner?.

Now firstly, I must admit that she and her ''old man'', saved our A**e when they bought into the club, although I believe most fans, had they had their financial clout would have done likewise.

But the thing what really rankels with me is, Delia is first and foremost a TV celebrity, renowned cook, not a chef, (her words) and I believe somtimes this is put above the needs of the club. in other words, the publicity is good for Delia Smith, and not as it should be the other way round.

How much did the cafe cost, have you seen the prices they charge on matchdays and masterclasses with Jamie bl***y Oliver?, surley out of the range of most supporters I would suggest, I also believe it was used as a vehicle for the Delia Smith brand name and to entertain her celebrity friends and wealthy football fans, who are not necessarily city fans, and who in general will never buy into this club. and I understand she co owns a 58% share in Norwich City FC, so its Chase all over again !.

As my wife (now retired) has been involved in catering on a large scale, I''m also somewhat sceptical regarding alleged profit margins. chefs demand top wages, staff must be paid, have you seen the menu, not exactly egg and chips is it?. (mind you, watch her tv programes, check the ingredients, this women does''nt live in the real world!) All this has to be deducted from the mony earned you know?.

No, what city need is someone with serious money, but unless a Branson type comes forward, we''re stuck with the Status quo, and it ain''t gonna happen.

So whilst I''ll admit she has done some good, I''ll remaim cautious, she''s a very shrewd lady, as her hushband is, and that makes me very nervous!.

So a saint or sinner, over to you, I can hear Master Green''s (sacasism is the lowest form of wit MG) and A1''s keyboards clicking away already.

So enjoy your humble hot pie on matchdays, and think of the elite with their stuffed quails (OK, you get my drift). Real supporters, or two tier supporters, I''m not sure!.

[Old Boy 0]

I can see a lot of your points Wiz, but as you know I''m from the "it could be a lot worse" school of thought. Ok, they are shrewd, probably not loaded (I mean on a Branson scale) but then who has that much luxury? Reading (on the slide) and Wigan (below us anyway).

When someone loves Norwich, I don''t care if they''re eating quails or pies, I love them back. Myleene Klass, I thought she was minging until I saw her with a NCFC shirt on. Now I''m in love!

As you say, most fans would have given that money if they had it. But they haven''t!! That''s because we were too busy standing on terraces, buying footy shirts and reading the back of papers to get that rich! So, in my opinion, we should be grateful for what we''ve got.

[Wurzel 0]

Lets get real here. She has pumped a ton of her own cash into a struggling club and moved it forwards to the point we now have a chance (no more than that) of getting back to the Premiership. She will probably never get that cash back. So well Done Delia and co and many thanks.

Ok she hasn''t got the readies of the likes of a Jack Walker at Wolves and so we can''t sign the big names like Huckerby but the taste will be all the sweeter for that when we finally get there I reckon. Luckily in Nigel Worthington we have a manager prepared to develop the team and the club for the longer run not the quick fix.

And what''s all this about ''posh'' menus and restaurants ? When I last went in ( and I am not exactly in the minted gourmet set) there was a carvery, fish and chips and filled rolls. Hardly the prawn sandwich brigade is it ? And who cares who eats what or where ? Ok she''s a cook and a pretty successful one by any standards. But she''s in her 60s and her cookery days are numbered. Whats she supposed to do ignore the obvious spin offs for the club she supports in the meantime ? At a guess, as years roll on, I suspect Delia is as desperate for on the field success as any the young turks in the Barclay or Snakepit but it takes time to turn a club around.

I don''t see a queue forming to take over from her............leaving aside obvious chancers like Mr Davey. No, for me at least, more of a saint than sinner I reckon 1st Wizard.

[Carrow89 0]

I doubt reality will have any effect here Wurzel.

Anyone questioning the validity of the catering side of the club might wish to check the accounts. Surprisingly as it might seem it is often the way to see what money is being made.

They show a healthy surplus so no need for any of us to overly concern ourselves with staff wages, what is earned etc - though ironically the profit generated from last season''s turnover roughly equal what was paid to Huckerby for his 3 month stint here !

So it could be said if a few more fans had partaken of the fine fayre on offer we would have had the money to keep Huckerby.

It is no use making excuses about not being able to afford to eat there or attend Jamie Oliver''s masterclasses either All that is required is ambition. No wonder Delia has to " entertain her celebrity friends and wealthy football fans" if our own fans can''t match her ambitions.

Personally I am quite happy with her loveliness the queen of our culinary arts, and do find it odd that Mr Wizard should berate her and her hubby for being the soul owners of the club (as was Chase) then offer up our saving through the finding of " someone with serious money ".

[Pincer 0]

I totally agree with you Wurzel infact i''m disgusted with you Wiz for even creating this thread. Of course we''d like a Branson or an Abramovich type figure to come in out of the blue to take control of the club, that''s the most obvious statement i''ve ever heard but the chances of that happening are a million to one, but as Wurzel stated Delia has put a lot of her own money into the club and probably wont get it back. Lets face it she''s not going to put every single penny she''s earned over the years into this club, i mean who would???? I think she''s done a great job since she''s taken over, she''s got us out of the mess Chase left us in, we''ve now got one of the best squads in the league, we''ve got an excellent young manager and we''re second in the league.

I just hope you win the lottery tonight Wiz then we''ll all be begging to throw it all into the club, i mean you''d do that wouldn''t you being such a loyal supporter......coz by the sounds of things that''s what you''re asking Delia to do.

[Anderz 0]

Simply: a saint.

[First Wizard 0]

Trust me, I would just love to win the lottery Pincer (although not this week, damn it!), mind you, I believe any offer I might have made, would have been thrown back in my face.

And posters, please read my posts carefully, I DID admit she saved our bacon, and for that at least, I''m thankful to her, OK.

[First Wizard 0]

With the safeguard of 49% shares, Master Green, 49% and no more, that would still leave Delia with a 9% share, and return most of her outlay to her.

[Carrow89 0]

" With the safeguard of 49% shares, Master Green, 49% and no more, that would still leave Delia with a 9% share, and return most of her outlay to her. " eh ?

Not sure what that is supposed to mean.

Now, how much have you spent in the restaurant so far ?

[First Wizard 0]

Not one penny mate!. can''t afford to friend, that was my point.

[Carrow89 0]

Understandable so and it doesn''t make you any the less of a supporter for that either.

So please understand that the board is under financial constraints as well. We all are.

But it doesn''t mean that any of us care more or less about the club than others.

[beelsie 0]

Hear-hear Pincer, well said, and I''ll willingly support St Delia against the huge swell of fans who are only too willing to throw in their lottery winnings, or their vast fortunes or inheritances, that they know they have''nt got and never will have. The world is full of chancers and loud people all ready to give the contents of their empty purses to all sorts of worthy causes knowing full well they will never have to fork out. The true fans are those who do their best with what they''ve got and support the team in fair or foul weather. These fans are also greatful to people who have some money who actually decide sensibly to contribute what they are prepared to, to help what they consider to be their dream club. The fact that NCFC''s restaurant, that was Delias idea has made a profit that goes to club funds. The other fact is that the football club has just depleated the club funds by a further four and a half million pounds increasing the debts to well over Twenty million. Wiz! dear boy you just don,t make any sense when you try to bite the hands that attempt to help us. You don''t seem to want a club and team that can stand on its own feet and survive from it''s earnings, from whatever source, instead you hope for an avalanche of money from some power conscious money bags who just wants to bask in the worshipful adulation of fawning beggars who misguidedly say that they want the best for our club. Some best!!!!

[Mello Yello 2,279]

Just thought I would bring this particular thread to the fore, and once again see how much the past does not reflect our future!. Wiz, good health to your missus and yourself and welcome back, I missed your mischief! P.S. Delia is definitely our ''Mother Theresa!''

[Paradox 0]

Saint. Of course!!

Come on Wizard!! I take your point about about publicity, but Delia gets the club more publicity, which in turn makes people talk about us, and potentially could attract players to us - if Burnley had been promoted instead of us, would they have so much press attention. And yep, she did save our bacon like you said, and also coughed up when Worthy asked.

I do feel a little sorry for the staff when Delia gets all the credit, but it may also help put off other clubs nicking our staff

What would you ideally like Delia to do? Shut down the succesful catering side of the business?

When you look up at the balcony on Monday, and see us lift the trophy I hope you will feel that she is a saint.

[Temp the Revelator 0]

Paradox, I suggest you look at the date of most of the posts on this thread......

[DumbleDelia is Magic 0]

Wiz,

I''m sorry but I can''t agree with a lot you have said. At the end of the day she and her husband have invested many millions of pounds in our football club. We would have gone out of business many years ago and most definitely not be in the wonderful state we are now. Delia and Michael did not have to invest their money, but they did. They have not invested to make a profit. They have been, in my opinion, completely selfless in their dealings with this club. Like Delia has said on many occasions, this football club is like her family, IS her family. She loves the football club and everybody involved. I don''t think we can question her reasons for investing in the club.

I would agree that a millionaire like Branson would be nice, but it''s not going to happen. You make it sound like we are stuck with Delia. I feel honoured and proud to have such a dedicated woman such as Delia playing such a prominant role at the football club which I love.

May she long continue her fantastic work.

[DumbleDelia is Magic 0]

Ahhh!!! Can I just apologise for the most blondest of my moment on this board!! I can only apologise to the Wiz in the most strongest of terms!!

[Temp the Revelator 0]

DD, don''t worry too much about it, it''s Friday afternoon, the sun is shining here in Cheshire and City are Division 1 Champions........ahhh, life is sweet!

You have to watch out for these old posts rearing their heads - I blame it on the awards, as everyone is going back to find their favourites!

[susie b 0]

DD, I am blonde...always have been and proud of it! I won''t take offence seeing as it''s you ''wot wrote it'' and I know what you are trying to say. (I did try pink by way of red food colouring once, but that made people think I was wacky as well as stupid, so I don''t bother letting it worry me at all now, and just stay the way nature intended). There might be one or two people who do take offence though. You have been (gently) warned!!! Whatever her hair colour, Delia is, of course, a saint. The Pope should be made aware!

[DumbleDelia is Magic 0]

Susie b,

I apologise if you or anyone else has taken offence! I am a natural blonde and it''s force of habit saying it! I will take your advice and not use it in the future

[Paradox 0]

Whoopsie... just noticed that this is indeed an old thread.

Oh well, canaries are great, binmen are ****,

Have a good weekend all...........

[blacko 0]

Wiz, with Branson at the helm, we really would be in a pickle. (sorry couldn''t resist it)

Firstly, in the dark days when Delia started to put money into the club, she would not have had a cat in hells chance of getting her money back, let alone getting a return on her investment/loan.

Secondly, she has used her expertise to help provide facilities that appeal to a cross section of people. If she can sell an inexpensive pie with a profit margin, a more expensive meal with the same profit margin will create a larger profit.

The average supporter only uses Carrow Road for matches. Putting on meetings, dinners, comedy clubs and dances widens the appeal and gives an opportunity to maximize the potential revenue. Carrow Road is after all a large piece of real estate that would otherwise only be used once a fortnight.

Not only has she put her money into something that had a huge risk involved. She has also given her time to ensure that the money was used wisely. This has helped to create another income stream for the club. As a by product the profile of the club has been enhanced.

I would suggest to you that the recent share schemes were also so well received because the supporters could see the club is being well run. Would we have backed the Chase regime the same way. I doubt it some how.

So I would say to you Wiz, good for Delia and long may she continue with us.

[Pincer 0]

I''m really glad someone had the foresight to bring this thread to everyone attention once again just to see how pathetic certain posters have been over the course of the season. However, to be fair to Wiz he wasn''t the only one to create such ridiculous threads (although he was responsible for most of them), if anyone can find some other idiotic posts eg ''Worth Out'', ''Get Rid of Worthy Now'' i''d like to see them, i think the people who created them should be named and shamed along with Wiz.

[FatMan Fat 0]

Have only just read the original post in this thread. That has to be the biggest load of b*llocks that I have ever read. If it was not for Delia and Michael there wouldn''t be a NCFC right now. If it wasn''t for Delia and Michael there would not be a Hucks at NCFC. There wouldn''t be a new South Stand, a new infill, a new pitch etc etc etc!!!!!!!!!
On top of all that, if anyone doubts whether Delia and Michael are real fans you only have had to been at several occasions this season to see their emotions, which are the emotions of true NCFC fans...please dont tell me Michael was waving his scarf about on Tuesday night because Delia ia a TV Celebrity enjoying the publicity, or that the way that Delia ran to the fans on Tuesday was so as to get interviewed on TV. Gotta go coz I am getting angry......

[LinkNR9 0]

Susie B, you''re right, Delia is a saint.
Moreover, first and foremost, she is a fan. In the same way that you and I support the Club by spending our hard-earned on it, she does so as well - it''s just that she''s got a few bob more than me!
Ken Bates, Simon Jordan, Delia - who would you rather have on the Board?!!!

[sheded 0]

Sometimes...... things drop into place for inexplicable reasons...... its called luck / fate / or whatever ! ...in our case it was the Delia , Worthington, Hucks trio who made the jigsaw puzzle complete ....... this is not taking anything away from the other players and staff , the bedrock was in place , but , as always , that little spark wasn`t present .......... I think Delia had been checking out Hucks , and , with a womans intuition , realised he could be whats lacking in our team .............. and , as the money woman , she had her way ! LOL

Delia is our saviour , she can do no wrong , God bless her !!!!!

[First Wizard 0]

Pincer me old mate, my ambition has always been to be named and shamed!. You should know by now that sometimes these boards go a bit flat, and I love to liven them up a bit.

Sir Nigels been bloody great these past 3 seasons, Deals, I loved her for years, long before she became involved with the club, and Iwan is a God OK, I''ve followed his career since his Leicester days. These facts I''ve always known. Some of you on here really bite the bullet rather quickly you know, and that makes it so easy for me to wind you up.

If thats makes me, in your words, pathetic, so be it, my skin is very thick you know. But I did warn you all long ago, that wizards have a strange sense of humour, sorry.

I know that I can be a pain at times, yes its true!. but that me, sad and twisted. Still its in a 1st wizard''s nature to be like that. Its to do with us sleeping with our eyes open!.

DD: Thanks for reviveing this thread again, it gives me a opportunity to put the record straight. However, I must take issue with you about blonds. I''m a sucker for ''em, always have been. They are not airheads or dumb, but clever and attractive little angels who should be loved and care for, often!. Savvy.

[susie b 0]

DD - just wanted to reassure you that no offence whatsoever was taken on my part by your colourist comments!!! Anyway, must go...and I can''t come out to play later ''cos I''m washing my hair in honour of Wiz''s lovely comments!

[gazzathegreat 0]

first wizard

sorry mate

you are talking out of your arse on this one, but a perfect wind up thread anyhow

delia has saved this club and i don''t care what line of business she is in - we would not be contemplating prem footie without her

don''t you remember what happened on boxing day

what happened when she saved the club from Chase

or is it because she is a woman

answers please

[Tilt 12]

We all know First Wizard is a few Huckerby''s short of a full team. It''s a pity I didn''t see this thread when it was originally created as I do have a vendetta against stupidity and 1stWiz is at the top of my list. However it is quite old so we''ll give him the benefit of the doubt and hope he saw Delia sitting in the crowd at recent games etc. What are your current views on this Wizard?

Wizard''s Third Rule? Passion rules reason.