Good On Ya´ Delia

A shot in the arm for some, a kick in the teeth for others

http://www.norwich.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=467041

 

Not sure about a "shot in the arm" - more like a bullet through the head of anyone who has aspirations of NCFC keeping up with the pack and not merely trading water / fading away into eventual oblivion.

 

So you´re in the ´kick in the teeth´ club then, this is good news to my way of thinking, and very much on the cards since young Tom was invited onto the board. I doubt very much if we will fade away into any sort of oblivion, with true, passionate fans as part of the board. Far more likely to with outside investors with outside interests, for whom the Club would just be a plaything.

 

Without the necessary investment, we're more likely to become an Ipswich than a West Brom, Stoke or Southampton. Boardroom "passion" counts for nothing without ambition and backing to be successful and that article you quoted proves that's a thing of the past at this rudderless ship of an excuse for a club .
Oh well, enjoy reading match reports on NCFC vs Rotherham, Rochdale and Millwall for the rest of your life - but there are one or two who won't

 

No need to shoot the messenger, as you know, I´ll follow and support them wherever they go, can´t help it if some won´t, because of this revelation.

 

What annoys me most is the "we don't even listen to enquiries". What a ridiculous way to run a business. I don't expect them to go begging cap in hand to every foreign consortium looking to buy a club for the sake of it, but say Hugh Jackman, a man with 5 times Delia's wealth and self-proclaimed Norwich fan, wanted to get involved. To not even answer a phonecall is moronic at best.

I completely understand wanting to leave the club in good hands, but if the only qualifications Delia thinks worthy of mentioning are the fact he's 35 and a Norwich fan, I can't help but feel if Tom's surname wasn't Smith he'd have been a long way down the list of candidates.

If doing right by the club and the fans was her primary concern, she'd pass the shares to a supporters trust. Fifteen years ago Delia's wealth meant something in football, and personally I'm grateful that she used it to keep the club alive. Going forward Tom's wealth is going to be 90% thanks to the generous gift from his Aunt. So if he's no use in terms of helping the club financially, why not give ownership to a collective, who would be much harder to lead into mismanagement?

 

It makes it ever more critical that AN arrests this awful slump in results, performances and dressing room egos, because if promotion is not achieved this season - or next at the very outside, with her belligerent, bullish and selfish attitude, we'll be languishing in this league (or lower ones ) for ever more.
As soon as those parachute payments run out, so will NCF'Cs ability to compete and even threaten the top division
Arm still foomun', Neyul

 

I saw some of the tweets from fans over the weekend and AN had said he considered making a few changes to the starting 11 on Saturday, but chose to give most of those who capitulated at the Amex 'a chance to redeem themselves' - that worked then, didn't it?????
My biggest concern is that with our poor form and AN mostly opting for his 'favourites' ie - Brady and Hoolahan, how are we ever going to attract new players who want to ply their trade in yellow and green. Yes, perhaps the 11 he selects to start may be doing very well in training, but I want to see players who are going to compete for every ball, know the difference between yellow and red, blue, white etc and prevent opponents from having a free header anytime a ball comes into the box - is that TOO much to ask?????????

 

I agree. That is the only thing that is slightly surprising about this statement, and I´d have said, slightly out of character. But they are her shares, to do with as she wishes, and her sentiment of keeping the club ´home owned´, I totally agree with.

 

I get the distinct impression that the current Board would rather we be a "bigger fish in a smaller pond" (although we're not even that at the moment on current performances) than be regular dog meat for the big teams in the Premier League.

Trundling along in the Championship with the odd, one season here and there in the PL to top up the coffers seems to be the accepted norm and I can't see that changing for the foreseeable future.

 

If a European super league starts giving us a greater chance to become an established PL team, then we need to continue to be a yoyo club to take advantage.

 

Might be acceptable for them, but what about the thousands of loyal fans who pay for the club's existence by virtue of season tickets, catering, etc?
This whole thing is a hefty kick in the gonads to each and every one of them who dares to be ambitious for their team, has expectations of reliving past glories versus top opponents, etc.
How long before fans start voting with their wallets and feet - and opt to match the "ambition" for the club shown by the current owners?
Fans don't want cosy stability (RBF excepted) they want progress, improvement, growth!
Won't be long at this rate before a Hughton-esque backlash against Alex Neil and even worse, anyone remember the police horses marauding up and down Carrow Road when Chase had virtually bled the club dry and the fans had had enough? Don't rule out a repeat performance before too long

 

Cracking article Cromer and can't disagree with any of it.
After the 'no-show' on Saturday, I'm certainly back to being one of those considering 'voting with my wallet/feet' and I'm sure I'm not alone.
You're entitled to your views RBF, but I'm not sure you'll find many on here who'll agree with you!!!!

 

I agree Cromer - I think (nearly all) fans want us to compete at the highest level possible and to be able to compete reasonably successfully without being cannon fodder for the big boys, however, that will take investment and I can't see that coming.

I remember the Chase backlash (in fact I still have a Chase (him) Out coffee mug as part of my Canaries memorabilia) - I'd hate seeing those days return but feel that unless a positive change is seen first on the field of play (starting by having players who actually want to play for us and don't have one eye on the January window) and secondly in the Boardroom, a big swathe of supporters may turn against the club and as you and JM Fan says "vote with their wallets". Let's face it, it's not a cheap day out anymore and I, as a regular gig goer, can go and see a lot of good bands for the price of my season ticket and all the add-ons (travel, food, programme, replica shirt et al).

 

Indeed. In fact, for the £73 spent on that replica shirt, you could almost afford to stand on the hallowed turf (or should that be 'hollow' after the weekend's revelations?) and watch the mighty Take That in June!!

 

Once upon a time I felt the same but with an increase of money gushing in to the game, season after season, I am beginning to change my POV. If we are going to compete, even at our current level, at some is going to need money injection way in excess of what is currently on offer from Delia.

 

No, I´m fully aware of that JM, that won´t bother me, but then again it´s never been my opinion that matters, on such important things NCFC, it´s Delia´s - and in this, I just happen to agree with her.

I would just add, that I can understand and respect other people´s views and opinions ( and yes, even their frustrations, although I don´t share them) even if they can´t understand and respect mine, but that won´t make me change mine, and I don´t suppose it will make Delia change hers either.

 

Rbf I've often agreed with you but it does seem that there has been a shift in your perspective - it sounds as if you are willing to accept mediocrity which comes with a high probability of declining and I can't fathom why you would want a club (in which you have invested much time, emotion, and cash over a long period of time) to deteriorate
you certainly don't need to reply to this post, and it's not about disrespecting your views but I find them puzzling and maybe I have misinterpreted your views but for the love of God surely we've got to try to improve as a club

 

I´m quite happy to reply Home on the range.

Firstly I don´t want us to decline or deteriorate, but neither do I want Delia to be forced, by fan power, to sell out to the first bidder, just to give us a financial boost, so that we will then join the money market and be one of the big spenders. I want any success we have, to be earned, not bought, and I don´t care how long that takes. That was why I was delighted to hear Delia make this announcement.

Some have also accused me of being ´happy´ that we´re a Championship club I´m not, but I can perfectly well accept us being one, can anyone really dispute that our current form is to anything better? The excessive amounts of money being pumped into the Premier League have put me off that division for life, but that doesn´t mean that I would automatically stop supporting them, if by some miracle of fate, we ever made it back up there.

What I would be, is quaking in my boots every weekend for fear of us getting the sort of thumpings we were on the receiving end of, every time we´ve been up there recently. I would hate to see us be whipping boys and a laughing stock just for the sake of a few million extra quid in the pot.

 

I guess that's the issue - we have to accept that we would get whipped and that is a necessary evil of surviving and developing- For lots of reasons I value being in the championship, and don't want an oligarch to take over with no interest in the club but I have also come round to thinking that however much passion delia et al have for the club - they are no longer aiding the development of the club. Things could be improved and I'd love to see the 'right' change occur sooner rather than later.

I'd love it if football were to return to days before the knobhead Murdoch fecked it up but I think we have to embrace and harness the changes that have occurred - we can't accept sitting on the fringes for the good of the club - the club also seemed to agree with their 7 year plan