Neil Adams

[nutty nigel 7,902]

As I reflect on what''s been a momentus weekend it strikes me that we haven''t had a thread on here to appreciate the good things we have to thank Neil for. Whether you agreed with his appointment or not his reign was not only disappointment. He prepared a team to win at ipswich, which may not have been the walk in the park we thought at the time. we had some free scoring victories the like we hadn''t seen for a couple of seasons. He made some good signings who will hopefully help us to promotion this season. He was dignified and defended his players even when they let him down. But not just for this season. I was at  Carrow Road last Friday evening as our developement team fought out a great 1-1 draw with Manchester United. Our developement team are now playing the best sides in Europe on merit week in week out and Neil has certainly contributed to that happening.

 

Neil is now taking a break from football. He takes it with my full respect and I hope he returns to carry on his great work at our club in the summer.

 

 

 

 

[mrs miggins 0]

"As I reflect on what''s been a momentus weekend it strikes me that we haven''t had a thread on here to appreciate the good things we have to thank Neil for."

-------------------------------------------

I think you answered your own question there nutty. We won v ipswich but would''ve traded it in for a manger who led with his head. Terrible appointment, but wish him well for the future. Would be good for him (if he wants to continue managing) to start in the lower leagues instead of coming back here. Not that it would be a bad thing if he came back here to take over at youth level again.

[GJL Mid-Norfolk Canary 2,035]

i suppose the best thing he will be remembered for is bringing Jerome to the club (you''d actually have to say at the moment his other signings haven''t been the great?)..............rather like Gunn and Grant Holt?

[nutty nigel 7,902]

And then again....

 

 

[Newton 0]

No mates nutty

Only u could see positive in Adams reign

Absolute joke including the idiotic press releases by the club

The appointment made Delia look even more stupid than ??????

And then the fantastic press release by the club saying - This Time Macnally was finding a manager

Plus of course he has wasted the majority of the £17M Delia gave him in the summer

Nutty go back to sleep we will wake u up in may

[mrs miggins 0]

when are you thinking of going back to twtd btw?

[......and Smith must score. 1,596]

I do feel a bit sorry for Neil Adams, Nutty. He did what anyone would do when offered the manager''s job and it was a shame it didn''t work out for him or NCFC.

Having seen the new man only briefly it''s obvious they''re chalk and cheese. Alex Neil looks as though he has that '' something '' Adams lacks and you just feel that much more confident in his abilities. I''ll be surprised if he isn''t a big success in his time here.

It was good of the Club to offer Adams a less painful exit by way of '' resignation '' with six months gardening leave probably in the hope that he''ll find something else in the meantime.

In the circumstances it will be very difficult for him to return to Carrow Road.

[nutty nigel 7,902]

I don''t feel sorry for him Smithy. I respect him and appreciate what he achieved.

[nutty nigel 7,902]

There''s a couple on this thread I do feel sorry for mind...

[......and Smith must score. 1,596]

[quote user="nutty nigel"]I don''t feel sorry for him Smithy. I respect him and appreciate what he achieved.[/quote]

I feel sorry for him in the way I did for Bryan Gunn, Norwich City stalwarts who bit off more than they could chew. They took a chance and it didn''t come off.

The way it ended in failure for both taints their time here and that''s sad.

[Trevor Hockeys Razor Blade 0]

Thing is, if he had succeeded - which, let''s be honest, he wasn''t that far off achieving, we would''ve all been very happy about, coz there''s no denying the fact he''s a NCFC man. I think at this point, to bash the guy is a cheap shot. We should be thanking him for his efforts, there''s no doubt in my mind he wanted the club to succeed, pleased that there''s a place being offered to him at the club in the future, and move on. Otherwise you''re a fekkin binner IMO.

[Duncan Edwards 2,424]

Without doubt, Gunn''s tenure ended in calamitous fashion but to write off Adams reign as a similar failure does him a disservice.

If we ignore the 5 Premier games he had - which were every bit as bad as anything which had gone before - he hasn''t done THAT badly.

He left us in 7th place, in touching distance of the play off places and at the halfway point of the season we had achieved just about half the points (75) usually required to make the top 6. We won against - and completely outplayed - the Scum, had topped the table and had fans proclaiming that they had "their" Norwich back.

Ultimately, he was unable to oversee a level of performance that was consistent enough. We could be excellent one week (Derby) and hapless the next (Reading). We certainly played like the best team in the division on occasions but we failed to make our dominance count. Adams has, honourably, taken the can for that but I''m sure that the players appreciate that they have been done a bit of a favour there.

Whether Alex Neil can find the key to that consistency remains to be seen; if he does we could well go up. Should we go up, plaudits will rightly be showered upon Alex Neil and the team that saw out the season but it will also have been built on a platform of Adams.

Some folk want to criticise Adams signings, in the next breath they''re suggesting that we should be top of the table because we have the best squad in the division. You can''t have it all ways.

As I said, Adams left us in 7th spot. Since we were relegated in 1995, in the seasons we''ve spent in the Championship (all but 5) we''ve only bettered that as a finishing position 3 times.

He wouldn''t have been my choice, he wouldn''t have been most peoples choice I''m sure. But he certainly didn''t fail in epic Gunn proportions and he did a damned sight better than many peoples choice Malky has done so far at Wigan.

I don''t think this spell has tarnished his reputation either; he left a foundation to be built and improved upon and with his head held high. Perhaps he was found wanting but his stock hasn''t fallen for trying.

[Trevor Hockeys Razor Blade 0]

I like the cut of your jib, Mr Ferry. Neil Adams is a bonus to our club. Criticize his appointment, fair enough, there''s mileage In that, but to question his passion and commitment is completely out of order. Personally, I thank him for his tenure. He obviously gave it his all. And to come on here and attack the individual shows a lack of intelligence, and, more importantly, compassion.

[kantata soul 0]

As a coach or manager Neil Adams was nothing more than average. But as a radio commentator, pundit and phone in host he was miles ahead of anything we''ve seen before or since. His partnership with Roy Waller and handling of the callers to Canary Call was a real golden era for radio listening Norwich City fans.I hope Neil Adams once again dons the headphones at Radio Norfolk or perhaps helps to reinvigorate the media department at Carrow Road. His best position is behind the microphone and it would be a crying shame for his broadcasting talents to lie idle.

[Mr Jenkins 0]

It didn''t work out for Neil, but on reflection he did have City at the top of the Championship, as you say we had a great day at portaloo, and had gained 10 points from his last 5 league games in charge.

Whether he would have got us up we will never know, but there is great hope that the new man will get more out of the team and that''s what we all want.

Thanks Neil and good luck.

[Bury Green 0]

We spoke about this at length on the way back from Bournmouth, perhaps we were all in the right frame of mind to reflect on the chapter.

The essence of NN''s post is one I can agree with, more than anything there''s the sense that another club stalwart has been needlessly dragged through the s--t when really there was just no need, it made no sense.

Like many when he was appointed full time last year I was simply dumbfounded and indeed incandescent with rage, why, just why. But now as the next chapter is well under way I hope that Neil Adams can find the right place at the club and he feels that he can carry on.

He really didn''t seem to be in great shape as his tenure came to an end so hopefully with a good break under his belt he is fully repaired.

[Dion Dublin=Legend 0]

Well said Nutty, I completely agree.

[Mr Angry 2,016]

Good point about the ''We''ve got our Norwich back'' chants Paul''s Ferry.

As for Newton, isn''t it ironic that he shares a name with one of the greatest thinkers this country as ever seen?

[morty 0]

I am with Mr Ferry on this.

And I don''t think you can compare Neil''s reign to Gunn''s. Gunn''s was entirely more calamitious, for many reasons.

[Reggie Strayshun 0]

I liken people grumbling about NA''s taking of the job to those who witter on about illegal immigrants claiming the dole/social etc. You cannot blame him/them for doing it. It is the system that''s wrong, for allowing it to happen in the first place.That''s why I for one am happy to cut Adams a bit of slack on this . Most of us were absolutely appalled that the board had offered him the job, and it indeed turned out pretty much as we''d feared. It was an accident waiting to happen, and entirely avoidable. Much in the same way that relegation was last season. One can only hope that this board have learnt from their previous cock-ups and in Alex Neil they have unearthed a gem. Early signs are promising.I too have my doubts as to whether in practice Adams will ever return to the club. Which will be a pity. He has demonstrated his prowess at the youth coach level, and that may well be his forte. If his talent is lost forever to NCFC then we know who to thank for that, don''t we ?

[lake district canary 4,830]

Personally, I think you have to regard Adams'' tenure as part of the evolution of the club.   I do believe their were other candidates considered at the start of the season and that a manager was wanted that would "change" the ethos back to attacking football after the difficulties with Hughton, but through circumstances these did not materialise, or the person wanted perhaps wanted more control than was on offer.    Adams was always an option and much as with Gunn, a dream team was deemed the best way forwards - and maybe it was.  It ultimately failed and although the fall from grace wasn''t as spectacular as Gunn''s,  it was a similar scenario.  The Gunn dream team wasn''t up to it (spectacularly) and the Adams dream team wasn''t up to it and with history appearing to repeat itself, we may have found just the type of manager we need. as a result - who may not have been available or as obvious as a replacement at the start of the season.  Alex Neil has forced his way into people''s thoughts by his performance this season - and we may be the ones to benefit from that.   Lambert forced his way into people''s thoughts in a more obvious way, but both were obviously on the radar.  

Adams was not a failure, he had some great results, just not enough progress or development to show he had the ability to take us further.  Good luck to him in whatever capacity he continues in. 

[steakbearnaise 0]

[quote] Without doubt, Gunn''s tenure ended in calamitous fashion but to write off Adams reign as a similar failure does him a disservice.

If we ignore the 5 Premier games he had - which were every bit as bad as anything which had gone before - he hasn''t done THAT badly.

He left us in 7th place, in touching distance of the play off places and at the halfway point of the season we had achieved just about half the points (75) usually required to make the top 6. We won against - and completely outplayed - the Scum, had topped the table and had fans proclaiming that they had "their" Norwich back.

Ultimately, he was unable to oversee a level of performance that was consistent enough. We could be excellent one week (Derby) and hapless the next (Reading). We certainly played like the best team in the division on occasions but we failed to make our dominance count. Adams has, honourably, taken the can for that but I''m sure that the players appreciate that they have been done a bit of a favour there.

Whether Alex Neil can find the key to that consistency remains to be seen; if he does we could well go up. Should we go up, plaudits will rightly be showered upon Alex Neil and the team that saw out the season but it will also have been built on a platform of Adams.

Some folk want to criticise Adams signings, in the next breath they''re suggesting that we should be top of the table because we have the best squad in the division. You can''t have it all ways.

As I said, Adams left us in 7th spot. Since we were relegated in 1995, in the seasons we''ve spent in the Championship (all but 5) we''ve only bettered that as a finishing position 3 times.

He wouldn''t have been my choice, he wouldn''t have been most peoples choice I''m sure. But he certainly didn''t fail in epic Gunn proportions and he did a damned sight better than many peoples choice Malky has done so far at Wigan.

I don''t think this spell has tarnished his reputation either; he left a foundation to be built and improved upon and with his head held high. Perhaps he was found wanting but his stock hasn''t fallen for trying.[/quote]^ thisOne of all too few measured, thought through and intelligent posts on this forum. People need to get a sense of perspective. It didn''t work out with NA because we weren''t meeting our target of a top two finish, but it''s not as if we''re in danger of being relegated. I hope and believe that we will get better under AN, but its absurd to make out that the first half of this season has been a total disaster.On a side note, I''m still somewhat in shock that we''ve appointed AN at all. I was 100% sure when NA resigned that we were going to have Mike Phelan in charge and it didn''t fill me with any enthusiasm at all (but I''m delighted he''s staying as a coach).

[steakbearnaise 0]

[quote user="Reggie Strayshun"]I liken people grumbling about NA''s taking of the job to those who witter on about illegal immigrants claiming the dole/social etc. You cannot blame him/them for doing it. It is the system that''s wrong, for allowing it to happen in the first place.[/quote]Sorry for going OT, but this lazy stereotype drives me mad. Appreciate this may not be popular, but I will say it nevertheless because it is true.Illegal immigrants can''t claim the dole/social/any benefits whatsoever. If they tried to it would clearly identify them as in the country illegally and they would be deported.Legal migrants may be able to claim support, depending on their circumstances (and note that the EU''s free movement of people principle only applies to those seeking work, and there is no provision that benefits have to be paid to people who move without a job). And of course a far smaller proportion of immigrants (both EU and non-EU) do so than the "native" British population, and the overall net contribution (taxes paid minus benefits claimed) of the immigrant population is overwhelmingly positive. This is in contrast to the British expat population in other EU countries (which is roughly the same size as the number of EU migrants in the UK), in fact - a large proportion of whom are retired people in places like Spain, where they pay little in the way of income taxes yet use services such as healthcare disproportionately (plus other services in their local areas that everyone takes for granted such as roads, local authority responsibilities and so on, which aren''t necessarily paid for by their contribution to local taxes, because in many countries local tax contributions are tied to taxable income)./rant over.

[Reggie Strayshun 0]

[quote user="steakbearnaise"][quote user="Reggie Strayshun"]I liken people grumbling about NA''s taking of the job to those who witter on about illegal immigrants claiming the dole/social etc. You cannot blame him/them for doing it. It is the system that''s wrong, for allowing it to happen in the first place.[/quote]Sorry for going OT, but this lazy stereotype drives me mad. Appreciate this may not be popular, but I will say it nevertheless because it is true.Illegal immigrants can''t claim the dole/social/any benefits whatsoever. If they tried to it would clearly identify them as in the country illegally and they would be deported.Legal migrants may be able to claim support, depending on their circumstances (and note that the EU''s free movement of people principle only applies to those seeking work, and there is no provision that benefits have to be paid to people who move without a job). And of course a far smaller proportion of immigrants (both EU and non-EU) do so than the "native" British population, and the overall net contribution (taxes paid minus benefits claimed) of the immigrant population is overwhelmingly positive. This is in contrast to the British expat population in other EU countries (which is roughly the same size as the number of EU migrants in the UK), in fact - a large proportion of whom are retired people in places like Spain, where they pay little in the way of income taxes yet use services such as healthcare disproportionately (plus other services in their local areas that everyone takes for granted such as roads, local authority responsibilities and so on, which aren''t necessarily paid for by their contribution to local taxes, because in many countries local tax contributions are tied to taxable income)./rant over.[/quote]For the record, SB, I agree with you pretty much 100% on this.But that was not really the point I was making . Your rant illustrates the misconceptions people have over things, and, as you say, the stereotypical stuff that let logjammed in folks'' heads.Of course there are allsorts who claim social benefits inappropriately . It''s just that those of the Daily Mail persuasion would have you believe that illegal immigrants are the main offenders.I hope I''ve clarified my position on this .

[havemyhowsonit 0]

Get him back in the youth team.

He can win that.

[Mr Jenkins 0]

Ldc

"Adams was not a failure, he had some great results, just not enough progress or development to show he had the ability to take us further. Good luck to him in whatever capacity he continues in."

This.^^^

[Crabbycanary3 994]

Adams has left with dignity, and I feel, if we had a bit more luck in those 5 or so home games in a row, where we outplayed all of the teams, but the ball just didn''t end up in the back of the net, then he wouldn''t have left. Now, whether that was ''written in the stars'' for us to get a great new manager in Alex Neil, remains to be seen.

Adams, seemed to need some of his decisions ''tweaking'' and he may be a very good manager in a  few years time, but at this moment, the gamble of promotion to the Premier League, and what was required to get us there,may have made the inexperienced Adams step aside.

[Crabbycanary3 994]

Also, as a side issue, seeing as Bryan Gunn has been mentioned on this thread.

Is it just me that has a slight problem listening to Gunny''s analysis on RN sometimes? A great player, yes, but a terrible manager, and yet RN seem to be happy for him to comment on the current team. I just can''t seem to want/care to listen to his thoughts, as it seems a bit awkward taking it seriously. I want to remember Gunny for his playing contribution, and not the disaster that followed

I like people like Darel Russell, and would have no problem with Neil Adams (although that will probably ever happen again), but Gunny? No. 

[Buh 0]

If I was a forward thinking league oneish football club I''d be taking a look at what Neil can do and thinkin he could achieve. Neil didn''t have quite enough to manage Norwich this time but he certainly wasn''t useless (our league position is not dire, check out Pearce at forest!) and he was let down at key moments by players. I think at another he could do incredibly well and I''d really like to see him do so

[Reggie Strayshun 0]

[quote user="Crabbycanary3"]

Also, as a side issue, seeing as Bryan Gunn has been mentioned on this thread.

Is it just me that has a slight problem listening to Gunny''s analysis on RN sometimes? A great player, yes, but a terrible manager, and yet RN seem to be happy for him to comment on the current team. I just can''t seem to want/care to listen to his thoughts, as it seems a bit awkward taking it seriously. I want to remember Gunny for his playing contribution, and not the disaster that followed

I like people like Darel Russell, and would have no problem with Neil Adams (although that will probably ever happen again), but Gunny? No. 

[/quote]True. I''ve lost count of the pundits who come on to RN and say "well I''ve not really seen Norwich play this season" . Gunn lives and works in Manchester and Russell openly admits he''s been coaching in USA till just before Xmas.Whilst I''m happy to accept that it''s good to get the opinion of a fresh pair of eyes from time to time, my view is that a pundit should be someone who sees NCFC on a regular basis, so he can see patterns developing. Adams used to do this job admirably  during his stint. It would be fascinating to hear him again alongside Goreham over the next few weeks. I just wonder if that might come to pass ?