Strong Norwich connection with Championship promotion

[unique 466]

With Hull''s imminent promotion to the Premier League, Steve Bruce can be added to the names of Marshall, Lewis, Barnett, Lappin, Bellamy and Mackay as a strong contingent of ex-Norwich players playing a part in earning their respective clubs one of the richest prizes in football.

Congratulations and good luck to all of them!

[Indy 3,471]

I don''t want to say it, but how sad would it be if the current squad waved them goodbye as we headed to the championship?

 

Would we get some of them back for next season?

 

But that won''t happen will it! We will beat Reading tomorrow.

[SnakepitCanary 0]

I feel sorry for Leon in all honesty. I thought he had a very good partnership with Bassong at the start of the season and I''d make him our 3rd best centre back at the club in front of R Bennett. I do hope, though, that we bring in another centre back just to give Bassong and Turner some real competition for places.

[It's Character Forming 1,204]

I thought Barnett was great in the Champ when fit, but he''s just not quite good enough for the Prem and there''s no way he''d ever get in front of Basso or Turner.  It''s no coincidence that both he and Ward have been with teams in the Prem twice now and soon ended up back in the tier below.

 

I wonder what Malky''s attitude to players like him will be?  I''m thinking of the misguided decision in 2004 when we got promoted that he wasn''t up to the Prem and to push him out.  Assuming of course Malky is making the decisions.

[ZLF 334]

[quote user="Its Character Forming"]

I''m thinking of the decision that he wasn''t up to the Prem and to push him out.  [/quote]

 

I dont think thats quite what happened was it?    The comment I thought was he would not be a guaranteed starter - which was probably the right assessment?

 

[quote user="Its Character Forming"]

I thought Barnett was great in the Champ when fit, but he''s just not quite good enough for the Prem [/quote]

 

Agreed

[It's Character Forming 1,204]

What I heard about Malky in 2004 is that after we won promotion, he would have been entitled to a bonus from the club over the summer.  Can''t remember the amount but it was something like £250k I think.

 

So, while he was away at the Scotland training camp, the club lined up a deal to sell him to Coventry, which was presented to him as a fait accompli.  He then went out and lined up a better deal (both for him and the club) with West Ham, and succesfully won promotion with them the following season, although I seem to remember that again he didn''t get to stay with the team into the Prem, age may have been a factor too by then.

The thinking was apparently that he would struggle to cope with the pace of Prem strikers, and by selling him the club also avoided having to pay him a bonus.

 

Of course, the following season our main central defenders in the Prem ended up being Doc, Shackell, Charlton.  Personally I am not convinced any of them were better defending against say Thierry Henry than Malky would have been.  But one this is absolutely certain, which is that he was much better than them in the air, where we were weak in defence all season, and would have contributed the odd goal too (like Turner).  I would accept we probably needed to strengthen in central defence that season, but I think we''d have been better off keeping Malky.