Do you feel that some of our supporters expectations are disproportionate with our development as a football club and our current position (financially, league, club size etc). It does concern me to a certain extent that we are becoming a bit spoilt as fans and the minute we have a tiny downturn (if you can even call it that) in form some people don't back the team as they should. Surely this team have earned the loyalty of the fans in games where they maybe slightly below par. I know its a minority really and for the most part our fans are excellent but it is slightly concerning when players hint towards it in press conferences. I remember Lambert doing so after the Fulham game and Ruddy after Wigan match " The fans were waiting for something to happen rather than egging us on. The fans' expectation level here is extremely high." Or maybe I'm reading too much into it. I just hope that if we do have a really bad run we don't get on the players backs. Would hate a player/manager to leave in part because we were not supportive enough
sadly there will always be idiots who think if we do well at one point we have to play that well or better from then on. Of course that's not how it works, but quite a lot of very stupid people go to the games, and feel that their ticket entitles them to express whatever moronic opinion has congealed that day in the cavernous echoing void between their ears. Hopefully the lads and Lambert are wise enough to ignore these failed diversions from evolution's path, and realise that all we want from them is to show the same passion and effort on the pitch that we feel as supporters. On a side note, we're 14 points clear of the drop, with 10 left to play. That's simply amazing. We really can't ask for any more than that. To want to finish in the top half, or above Swansea is just clutching at straws to find something new to aim for. The only thing that truly matters is establishing NCFC in the prem. And if the piffling minority of neolithic slack-jawed drongos can't work out how to share their only communal brain cell to come to that realisation, then **** 'em. edit- quote from a fan at the game- “I don’t like all this passing business”. Genius.
I agree to a point but we have to get out of this "didn't they do well" attitude even if we play poorly. Booing and moaning is silly and pointless but acceptance that we are lucky to be where we are and should not show displeasure at a poor performance is pointless as well. I'm sure the players know the difference.
I heard that a couple of times on Sunday as well mate, frightening isn't it I completely agree with everything said above 100%. The negativity on Canary Call (and here in places) is unbelievable. I actually thought we played ok against Wigan, and certainly the way we started I thought we were looking at a rugby score. Alas they changed their formation, moved Moses out wide to which we did nothing to counter and they deservedly forced themselves back in the game with some of the excellent players that they have in their squad. On we go to next week with lessons hopefully learnt about not leaving it too late to make the change, I'm certain Lambo will have taken note
Good article, and agree with most points. I would say though, after the **** we've been through, we deserve to be entertained, but that's just my opinion. I'm over the moon with our current position!
There's also the obligatory shouts of; "Get it forward" or "Put it in the box" as soon as we win possesion of the ball !
Good post, most of which I agree totally with. Sadly, there are a few out there who, having watched our remarkable rise through the ranks in just 2.5 years, see that as the club having put down a marker - a yardstick on which every game will henceforth be judged. They are too young/stupid to cast their brain cell back 4/5 years, to the times of Grant and Rodent etc. If only they could remember recent history, then this unfair level of expectancy might be tempered with a pinch of realism.
Trouble is thats why people say Huckerby is the greatest player ever or this years is the best ever team. The young are impetuous and have no long memory. I looked at the crowd on Sunday and most of the City stand looked older the Dave so they will have seen it all before. They have seen the financial problems of the 50's right through to the same problems 3 years ago. As to the style of play, some people like to see the ball chucked in the box and fought for others like to see a more calculated approach so thats just preference. Nothing wrong with a bit of emotion if a pass goes astray rather than sitting there like the Stepford Wives Stand. The booing is stupid but out of a crowd of 27,000, how many do it. Its like being in the pub and someone drops a glass, I bet 10% in the bar cheer when that happens! Why? Human nature. We are nit picking really aren't we. Overall, we're in a nice position playing wise and financially. 27,000 turn up for games and we're on the internet each week for us domiciled outside Norfolk. Can't have all this hedonism without a bit of pain.
Some really good points. Don't get me wrong you have to have a certain level of expectation and ambition throughout the club else there is no drive to improve, however we must also be realistic. I agree we must get out of the "didn't they do well" attitude, we worked hard to get to this point so if we don't play well we can't just say oh we've been good for 2 seasons so its ok. But on the other-hand this team should have earned some patients and respect from the fans after what they have done for the club. Looking back at the season so far it has gone better than anybody could have envisaged and survival was always the primary aim. Although it may sound like a stupid thing to say, and of course I want us to win every game, a quite end to the season where we maybe drop a couple of places and finish below teams like Swansea maybe a good thing in the long run. It can reduce expectations for next season, maybe put off teams looking to poach our players/ manager and let us concentrate on next season where realistically the aim again will be survival. OTBC
i've said it before and i'll say it again. if people go to football matches to purely be entertained then they are watching the wrong game. football as a sport can be turgid at times, but its all part of the game. we go because we are fans of the club. we wouldn't change clubs just cos the football is poor, we stick with them regardless because they are our club. some teams play well more often than others - i'd say we are one of those under lambert - but its impossible to be at the top of your game over 38 games a season. even the truly great sides can't do that! if you are a norwich supporter you should be realistic. we cannot turn up and roll teams over just because they are bottom of the league. wigan have had some very good results and some very poor results. it was obvious from sunday why they are bottom - they have no cutting edge. they are still a capable side, just as we are. you don't get to the premier league and stay there for 8 years if you are not. expectancy should be high - it means we are doing well. if expectancy levels drop thats a bad sign. but high expectancy levels don't give us the right to act like idiots just because the team didn't play at their best. people will say they want to be entertained and they have the right to be entertained and expect a victory because they've paid a lot of money to watch it. well sorry, but thats not how football works and if you don't know that by now then perhaps football is not suited to your mentality - try the theatre instead
I agree completely and did originally say it is just a minority. Its just when players/ managers allude to it in press conferences its a bit concerning, although again could be reading too much into it. Basically for the most part our fans are excellent.
There's also the problem of, if we finish 9th then some peoples expectations will be set even more stupidly, yet if we finish in 15th then atleast the expectation levels will be a lot more sensible and realistic. I will take anywhere above 17th this and next season at this present time but big improvements need to be made in the summer!
We may have been guilty of being too good for our own good this season. Do we move up a notch and start splashing out on "stars" or carry on with the current policy. Lets face it £3M for Bennet could be construed as a risk. But how much are his wages compared to Cahill who went for £6M. Big decision for all at Carrow Road.
this worries me. people need to remember that the club is still in debt and still striving to become secure for the future. improvement yes, but not at all costs. i'm sure you meant that seeing as you said you'd take 17th next season too...
Some fantastic comments on here! Agreed, so often it is far better to pass back to the keeper and keep the ball than punt the ball up field or play a risky pass and lose the ball. I know I'm a glass half full kind of guy but I thought we played well yesterday and loved our passing game where each player had a maximum of 3 touches.
I would take 17th cos it means premiership football for another year, but when I say big improvements i mean that we need more quality through the squad. As long as we get it right which I'm sure lambert will, we will be fine but if we do a reading and rest on our lorals then we will be in trouble. Reading are yet to return, were here and we must make sure that we stay!
true. i think we already see signs of lambert upping the ante though with the additions of bennett and howson in january. last january he signed, with all due respect, stop gaps like wilbraham - this january he spent big on two future stars and i'm sure there will be at least two more new faces like them in the summer
My expectations are limited to us finishing 17th or better this season. Let us not kid ourselves; we are currently punching well above our weight in this league. Look at Wigan - the bottom club - they had a £10m striker to call on. We are not yet in the league (figuratively speaking). Look at the funds the likes of QPR have thrown into staying up or the international players on the books at Blackburn and Wolves. We do not have these luxuries and are currently comfortably above those clubs thanks to the Herculean efforts of the team and canny management of PL. Currently we are a very small fish in a pretty big pond. This season it looks like we have avoided an immediate drop back into the Championship and we have strenthened our resources by acquiring two England U-21 players on top of the lads we brought in during the close season. I am sure that funds will be made available to PL in the summer and we will be able to swap out a couple more of our weaker squad members and replace them with better players. Hopefully a little bit more strengthening combined with our existing players having a year in the PL will make us stronger to go into next season's campaign and once more we will survive. This will allow us to further reduce our debts and consider increasing the capacity at FCR. For me it is all about keeping us in the PL long enough to make our finances sound and not end up beholden to some shadowy figure like Mr Evans as discussed in huge (and amusing) detail in previous threads. We all want our club to win every game but we have to temper this with the reality that as things stand we nned to consolidate rather than assume that after a good 2/3rd of a season we are an established PL side. We are not - yet. We have pretty much earned the right to play in this league next season but nothing more and I think that it will be a huge achievement if we are able to avoid second season syndrome and establish ourselves in the top flight for a number of seasons to come.
