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Daniel Brigham

Why Norwich have a duty to entertain

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Ahead of the Premier League glamour tie of Stoke v Norwich, here'' s my latest Pink''un blog on why teams have a duty to entertain (although Norwich do have an excuse this season).

Contains gratuitous sentence about Adrian Durham ... http://services.pinkun.com/forums/pinkun/cs/blogs/norwich_and_beyond/archive/2013/04/26/2906107.aspx

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Hmm. Squillions?  We may get some slightly more expensive players,  but every team that will be in the premiership will be getting a similar amount, so doesn''t necessarily change that much.  Two you mention - Johnson  - he who can''t pass or cross accurately more than once in a blue moon?   Snodgrass - deadball accuracy?  I should think his success rate would be less than 1 in 3.   Harsh, maybe but if the "squiilions" we are getting will buy better players these two might well find their lack of quality gives them less playing time. If the team is to improve by spending any millions we may get, I would hope the poor supply from midfield will be one of the areas that gets a major overhaul.  And that includes all of them, Wes, Snodgrass, Johnson, Surman, Pilkington - unless he becomes more influential more often, Bennett - unless he continues to be more adventurous, as he has been of late.  Tettey has the pace and could do well imo. 

As for entertainment,  there have been quite a few matches when we have entertained this season, combined with some less entertaining encounters, but football is a results business.   1-0 or 1-1 combined in the majority of games would do quite nicely, given the resources.   But the 4-3 will live long in the memory as a super entertaining game, as will several others - MU at home (1-0) Arsenal home (1-0).  Were those last two 1-0''s  not entertaining enough?

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Agree with many of your points.

Of course other teams will be getting similar amounts, but that doesn''t stop us from spending money on people who can pass the ball.

I did write we''d need the steel of Johnson OR Tettey though, would rather not see them both in the same side next season. Tettey''s the better box-to-box player.

You''re harsh on Snodgrass I think - his delivery has been responsible for a great many of our goals this season.

Of course the 1-0 wins over Utd and Arsenal were entertaining - we''re never going to out-pass those sides so we have to expect an epic backs-to-the-ball performance. It''s the teams around us we should be playing football against next season.

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No Norwich do not have a duty to entertain.

They have a duty to do the best for its fans and for itself- i.e. staying in the Premier League.

Would you rather be more attack minded and risk conceeding a lot more goals or tighten up at the back and get a midtable finish?No brainer for me.

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Football is more business, than entertainment business nowadays. Not many clubs have the luxury of providing both and being successful.

Villa this season prove that. They play decent football a lot of the time, many a pundit and neutral has said how good they look and once the youngens'' have a bit more experience they could be a very good side. Yet they are looking like they''ll only stay up by the skin of their teeth, and could easily face a last day decider.

Or take us, and Stoke. Battling for points, not really entertaining too many people, but looking quite likely to stay up.

I don''t think, when you''re supporting your team, you can expect good football. Thats not why you should be supporting a team. If you get it, great. And there is nothing wrong in wanting good football. But when your side are struggling to string passes together, can''t get a shot on target. Its quite pathetic to just moan and groan like the club are just a bane on your own existence.

And 3 year contract, you can easily have entertaining attacking football and stay up. Its not attack and go down, or defend and stay up. We were useless in defence last season and stayed up.

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Interesting point Highland. Swansea and Wigan manage to play entertaining football on a small budget, As did Blackpool. With Blackpool relegated and Wigan on the brink it suggests playing good football on a small budget is harder than playing defensive football on a small budget.

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You write very well, though I note you do it for a living.  Nonetheless, very entertaining as blogs go (especially the Johnson garden football reference.)That said, I disagree any team has an obligation or duty to entertain.  Of course, you can be creative and entertaining when you aren''t concerned by relegation and the impacts that go with it, but the notion that "because Arsenal and Man Utd do it, so should we" is a bit daft.  Although we will have significantly more money than ever before if we stay up this season (which we surely will), we won''t be the only ones and the competition for players will likely result in increased transfer fees meaning you get a little less for your money than might otherwise have been the case.I also think you have created a false dichotomy between "good football" and "defensive football".  Does this mean Holloway played "good football" at Blackpool?  Kamikaze football, more like.

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Bottom line: Football is market driven. If people want to pay money to watch a match they do. At the moment we have more people wanting to watch Norwich than there are tickets. Ergo they must be being ''entertained''. We are in the top division and getting full houses. The only ''duty'' the club has is to maintain this.

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Mister chops - good point about ''good football'' and ''defensive football''. Blackpool were indeed kamikaze, although their fans seemed to be having fun. I wonder how many wished they could have taken more of a Hughton approach?

Wasn''t suggesting because arsenal and man utd do it, we should also. Was just using them to illustrate that entertaining football comes in different guises.

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