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First Wizard

Your bestest, favourite City manager.......ever!

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For me, its easy, Mike Walker I, and putting my tin hat on Mike Walker II wasn''t too bad despite his shameful sacking.

 

Yes, I expect Lambert, Bond or Saunders to come out as the top choices, but for man managing, attacking flowing football it has to be Mike for me.

 

Who''s your favourite?..........andd why?

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With Walker presiding over a top 3 finish in the best league in the world and a European campaign to boot, thats going to be hard to beat.

 

But just surviving this season will put Hughton in a high position.

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John Bond.

Singlehandedly transformed the club.    Successful and charismatic, he turned the club from an unremarkable mid-table 2nd division side to a top flight club.    The difficult times since then can be seen as blips in an evolution that he was was responsible kick starting.  Saunders got us to the top flight, but Bond transformed the club inside and out.  His legacy was there right up to 1995 and despite the difficult times the philosophy of attacking entertaining football that he instigated - is still there.     A great figure in the history of our club.  

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As a supporter for 12 years there is only really one choice, unless your in love with Worthy. Paul Lambert, two promotions, great season in the Prem, playing good football, some of the best players we''ve had in my time supporting the club.

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John Bond?  Are you having a laugh?  He did very well for a while. Then he pissed off to Man City with half our team.  So no. I met his daughter through work and mentioned I was a Norwich fan.  She curled her lip up and said not her, her Dad or her brother (ha!) hold any good memories of Norwich.

As for my choice - today is a momentous day for me.  I agree with Wiz.  Everything he said.  A fantastic man manager and a terrificly genuine bloke.  His second stint seemed like it was just starting to bear fruit again when it was cut (still inexplicably) short.  We then experienced a long fallow period.

So Wiz -  I agree with you - Mike Walker.  also on the list would be Lambert, Brown and Saunders however.

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Bond, did a good job and signed some high profile players, Peters being the one I loved the most!

 

But Walker was superb, but Ken Brown also gained two promotions and a league cup!

 

I have to go with Ken Brown, Wembley win and beating the scum and not forgetting a 5th place finish in the top flight too.

 

Yep Ken Brown.

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Mike Walker without a doubt the ''best'' i''ve witnessed, we weren''t ''surviving'' back then, we were the team to beat!

My ''favourite'', had to be Ken Brown - How can you not love that cheeky chap?!

Lambert third to those two now, could''ve been top if he behaved!! :(

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[quote user="lake district canary"]John Bond.

Singlehandedly transformed the club.    Successful and charismatic, he turned the club from an unremarkable mid-table 2nd division side to a top flight club.    The difficult times since then can be seen as blips in an evolution that he was was responsible kick starting.  Saunders got us to the top flight, but Bond transformed the club inside and out.  His legacy was there right up to 1995 and despite the difficult times the philosophy of attacking entertaining football that he instigated - is still there.     A great figure in the history of our club.  

[/quote]

Would that be the same John Bond who upon leaving us for Man City stated with a smirk on his face that Norwich were a nice little club, but he had to move on to greater things? Is it also the same John Bond who insisted on fielding his son despite the fact that the latter would''ve struggled to get in an Easter Counties side at that time?The philosophy of attacking and entertaining football was instilled at this club long before Bonds reign you melon.Single-handedly transformed the club my a*se [img]http://services.pinkun.com/forums/pinkun/cs/emoticons/emotion-4.gif[/img]I sometimes wonder if you''re all the ticket, LDC.  

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[quote user="Indy"]

Bond, did a good job and signed some high profile players, Peters being the one I loved the most!

 

But Walker was superb, but Ken Brown also gained two promotions and a league cup!

 

I have to go with Ken Brown, Wembley win and beating the scum and not forgetting a 5th place finish in the top flight too.

 

Yep Ken Brown.

[/quote]

 

To my shame I quite forgot Ken, a lovely honest, approachable bloke.

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[quote user="Muddy funster"]

John Bond?  Are you having a laugh? 

So Wiz -  I agree with you - Mike Walker.  also on the list would be Lambert, Brown and Saunders however.

[/quote]

Its only an opinion.   There is no right or wrong.   But you look at where the club is now and you can relate everything that is good about it back to the revolution of philosophy that John Bond brought to the club.   Mike Walker brought success - on the back of a legacy which had been built up over the years of continuity through Bond Brown and Stringer.   Lambert brought success on the pitch - but didn''t stay long enough.  Saunders was a one hit wonder. Both successful but only short term.   Bond stayed 10 years and things didn''t change that much after he left because of the continuity of the personell, right up to Walker - who also didn''t stay long enough.   

You can laugh if you like, but if you want to say who is the best manager of the club - you have to look at the long term effect they had, not just a couple of years of success.    Bond is imo the manager who has affected the club for the good, more than any other.

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1 Mike Walker...did a fantastic job!!!

2 Paul Lambert, the last few seasons have been brilliant! He worked miracles, I was at the Colchester game...

3 Ken Brown, was the manager in my first season. Lovely bloke I seem to remember...I still have a few programmes.

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[quote user="lake district canary"][quote user="Muddy funster"]

John Bond?  Are you having a laugh? 

So Wiz -  I agree with you - Mike Walker.  also on the list would be Lambert, Brown and Saunders however.

[/quote]

Its only an opinion.   There is no right or wrong.   But you look at where the club is now and you can relate everything that is good about it back to the revolution of philosophy that John Bond brought to the club.   Mike Walker brought success - on the back of a legacy which had been built up over the years of continuity through Bond Brown and Stringer.   Lambert brought success on the pitch - but didn''t stay long enough.  Saunders was a one hit wonder. Both successful but only short term.   Bond stayed 10 years and things didn''t change that much after he left because of the continuity of the personell, right up to Walker - who also didn''t stay long enough.   

You can laugh if you like, but if you want to say who is the best manager of the club - you have to look at the long term effect they had, not just a couple of years of success.    Bond is imo the manager who has affected the club for the good, more than any other.

[/quote]

Seven years.

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[quote user="Shyster"][quote user="lake district canary"][quote user="Muddy funster"]

John Bond?  Are you having a laugh? 

So Wiz -  I agree with you - Mike Walker.  also on the list would be Lambert, Brown and Saunders however.

[/quote]

Its only an opinion.   There is no right or wrong.   But you look at where the club is now and you can relate everything that is good about it back to the revolution of philosophy that John Bond brought to the club.   Mike Walker brought success - on the back of a legacy which had been built up over the years of continuity through Bond Brown and Stringer.   Lambert brought success on the pitch - but didn''t stay long enough.  Saunders was a one hit wonder. Both successful but only short term.   Bond stayed 10 years and things didn''t change that much after he left because of the continuity of the personell, right up to Walker - who also didn''t stay long enough.   

You can laugh if you like, but if you want to say who is the best manager of the club - you have to look at the long term effect they had, not just a couple of years of success.    Bond is imo the manager who has affected the club for the good, more than any other.

[/quote]

Seven years.[/quote]

Thought it was longer, thanks for the correction.   Still, seven years is longer than most managers do...........

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[quote user="Shyster"][quote user="lake district canary"]John Bond. Singlehandedly transformed the club.    Successful and charismatic, he turned the club from an unremarkable mid-table 2nd division side to a top flight club.    The difficult times since then can be seen as blips in an evolution that he was was responsible kick starting.  Saunders got us to the top flight, but Bond transformed the club inside and out.  His legacy was there right up to 1995 and despite the difficult times the philosophy of attacking entertaining football that he instigated - is still there.     A great figure in the history of our club.  

[/quote]

Would that be the same John Bond who upon leaving us for Man City stated with a smirk on his face that Norwich were a nice little club, but he had to move on to greater things? Is it also the same John Bond who insisted on fielding his son despite the fact that the latter would''ve struggled to get in an Easter Counties side at that time?   The philosophy of attacking and entertaining football was instilled at this club long before Bonds reign you melon.   Single-handedly transformed the club my a*se.    [/quote]

Its still only an opinion.   Its an age thing.   Younger fans will think its Lambert.  Older ones will think its Walker.  I started watching Norwich in the late sixties when it seemed a little uninspiring, always finishing 8th-10th in the second division.  Then along comes Sunders and we eek out 1-0''s and 1-1''s  for alot of the season  (5-1 Blackpool was an abberation!).     So even though we got to the top flight, we had no prospect of staying there. Bond came in and transformed the style of play and upped the profile of the club.  You can''t deny that surely?  

As for the attacking style, thats fine if you remember it from the fifties or early sixties.   Like I said, its probably an age thing............................

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[quote user="lake district canary"][quote user="Shyster"][quote user="lake district canary"][quote user="Muddy funster"]

John Bond?  Are you having a laugh? 

So Wiz -  I agree with you - Mike Walker.  also on the list would be Lambert, Brown and Saunders however.

[/quote]

Its only an opinion.   There is no right or wrong.   But you look at where the club is now and you can relate everything that is good about it back to the revolution of philosophy that John Bond brought to the club.   Mike Walker brought success - on the back of a legacy which had been built up over the years of continuity through Bond Brown and Stringer.   Lambert brought success on the pitch - but didn''t stay long enough.  Saunders was a one hit wonder. Both successful but only short term.   Bond stayed 10 years and things didn''t change that much after he left because of the continuity of the personell, right up to Walker - who also didn''t stay long enough.   

You can laugh if you like, but if you want to say who is the best manager of the club - you have to look at the long term effect they had, not just a couple of years of success.    Bond is imo the manager who has affected the club for the good, more than any other.

[/quote]

Seven years.[/quote]

Thought it was longer, thanks for the correction.   Still, seven years is longer than most managers do...........

[/quote]

Yes, Bonds tenure seemed longer that seven years because we kind of stagnated during that period - fair dues, despite the relegation, the former kept us in the top flight for most of his reign, but we became a Coventry of sorts and bottom half of the table stalwarts.Comparatively speaking, every manager we''ve had has had to work with lesser funds than his counterparts, but Bond always stands out as one who simply ran out of ideas and it almost seems as though he actually grew complacent with mediocrity.

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I''d have to be Mike Walker for me, a massively underrated manager who left us at the wrong time, chose the wrong club to join and then wasn''t given a fair run when he returned.Great football, great team and great results.Lambert''s recent job should also be highly praised and recognised, as should Brown''s and Stringer''s IMHO.

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How about Archie Macaulay took an unknown 3rd division club to the cup semi final and put us on the map.

Started the upward movement of our club that has (with a few hiccoughs) continued to today.

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[quote user="Zak Burger"]Best has to be Lambert but Lambert cannot now be favourite so that would have to be Ken Brown.
[/quote]

 

Let me get this straight - your favourite manager is the one who had a defence built round Chris Woods, Steve Bruce and Dave Watson plus such talents as Mendham, Deehan and Channon and yet somehow managed to get us quite unnecessarily relegated?![*-)][8-)][*-)]

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Dave Stringer built the foundation for Mike Walker. Two FA Cup Semi Finals a 4th and 6th place finish, and the NCFC style of Football. Ken Brown won our only Wembley trophy, but for me has to be Lambert. He basically saved our club!

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[quote user="lake district canary"][quote user="Shyster"][quote user="lake district canary"]John Bond. Singlehandedly transformed the club.    Successful and charismatic, he turned the club from an unremarkable mid-table 2nd division side to a top flight club.    The difficult times since then can be seen as blips in an evolution that he was was responsible kick starting.  Saunders got us to the top flight, but Bond transformed the club inside and out.  His legacy was there right up to 1995 and despite the difficult times the philosophy of attacking entertaining football that he instigated - is still there.     A great figure in the history of our club.  

[/quote]

Would that be the same John Bond who upon leaving us for Man City stated with a smirk on his face that Norwich were a nice little club, but he had to move on to greater things? Is it also the same John Bond who insisted on fielding his son despite the fact that the latter would''ve struggled to get in an Easter Counties side at that time?   The philosophy of attacking and entertaining football was instilled at this club long before Bonds reign you melon.   Single-handedly transformed the club my a*se.    [/quote]

Its still only an opinion.   Its an age thing.   Younger fans will think its Lambert.  Older ones will think its Walker.  I started watching Norwich in the late sixties when it seemed a little uninspiring, always finishing 8th-10th in the second division.  Then along comes Sunders and we eek out 1-0''s and 1-1''s  for alot of the season  (5-1 Blackpool was an abberation!).     So even though we got to the top flight, we had no prospect of staying there. Bond came in and transformed the style of play and upped the profile of the club.  You can''t deny that surely?  

As for the attacking style, thats fine if you remember it from the fifties or early sixties.   Like I said, its probably an age thing............................

[/quote]

John Bond was the suit and Ken Brown was the coach, LDC - the latter, through his playing days and experience at a successful WHU, was more likely responsible for the transformation you mention - and boy did he have an eye for a player - Crook, Bruce, Watson, Phelan & Gunn were all brought to the club by Brown.Brown lead us to a fifth place finish and a League Cup victory - two things Bond never achieved.

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1.  Walker - brilliant attacking football, most successful City team ever.

2.  Stringer - great football, laid the foundations for Walker AND finished top 6 (twice I think) plus 2 FA Cup semis.

3.  Lambert - took a fallen club and got them back to the Premier League.

4.  Ken Brown - Nice man, kept Norwich playing good football.

5.  John Bond - I agree, in many ways he did lay the foundations for modern Norwich.

6. Nigel Worthington - A solid pair of hands after a dismal time including terrific play-off and promotion success.

I don''t really remember Saunders so I''ve not included him.  Obviously he was brilliant though.  Notice I have left Roeder/Megson (twice), etc off the list as, well, we know why...

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[quote user="Shyster"]John Bond was the suit and Ken Brown was the coach, LDC - the latter, through his playing days and experience at a successful WHU, was more likely responsible for the transformation you mention - and boy did he have an eye for a player - Crook, Bruce, Watson, Phelan & Gunn were all brought to the club by Brown.Brown lead us to a fifth place finish and a League Cup victory - two things Bond never achieved.[/quote]

Agree about Brown.    But we wouldn''t have got Brown if it had not been for Bond.  Its semantics really.   Bond/Brown - Lambert/Culverhouse -  double acts.  But at the age I was when they arrived at the club and after what I had been watching in previous two or three years - it seemed like a revolution.    Bond got a fit but footballing retentive squad of players, got them to practice with the ball - even Big Dunc started having more than one touch on the ball - and started a more expansive way of playing.    Brown may have been the engineer of it all - as shown when he had the job on his own - but Bond was the figurehead that enabled things to happen.   

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[quote user="lake district canary"][quote user="Shyster"]John Bond was the suit and Ken Brown was the coach, LDC - the latter, through his playing days and experience at a successful WHU, was more likely responsible for the transformation you mention - and boy did he have an eye for a player - Crook, Bruce, Watson, Phelan & Gunn were all brought to the club by Brown.Brown lead us to a fifth place finish and a League Cup victory - two things Bond never achieved.[/quote]

Agree about Brown.    But we wouldn''t have got Brown if it had not been for Bond.  Its semantics really.   Bond/Brown - Lambert/Culverhouse -  double acts.  But at the age I was when they arrived at the club and after what I had been watching in previous two or three years - it seemed like a revolution.    Bond got a fit but footballing retentive squad of players, got them to practice with the ball - even Big Dunc started having more than one touch on the ball - and started a more expansive way of playing.    Brown may have been the engineer of it all - as shown when he had the job on his own - but Bond was the figurehead that enabled things to happen.   

[/quote]

Please don''t be under the impression that I''m totally dismissing Bonds contribution to our club here - he also garnered valuable experience at a successful WHU side and was partly responsible for the ''transformation'', but I know through behind the scenes, firsthand knowledge that most people involved at the club considered Bond to be Browns right-hand man way back then.

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John Bond for me. Not necessarily the best footballing  manager, and we have been pretty fortunate on reflection, but his flair and style lifted Nodge upto a new level. His high profile rubbed off and has been a lasting legacy for our Club ever since.

 

Brown was nice, Stringer was methodical and Walker inspirational. We''ve had some good ''uns, that''s for sure.

 

But when before or since have we had a Norwich City manager on a Desert Island Discs style radio programme on the Beeb? He became a bit of a national celebrity due to his confident flamboyance and we as a Club became noticed.

 

I remember that programme. He liked Blondie.

 

P.S. I didn''t think Kevin was too bad. He always got stuck in.

 

P.P.S.He did blot his copy book when he deserted us, like Lambo, for bigger things. In fairness to him though, when he failed, he was  big enough to say that he would walk on his hands and knees to Norwich if there was a chance of him being our manager again.

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