Personally, I'm happy we refused Fernandes because I detest foreign investors, if he works for you, then great - I like your club. Good luck to you.
I think Holt is probably going for money. He's 31 and nearing the end of his career. Can any one really blame him for trying to max out his earnings at the back end of his career? I wouldn't, although I understand why Norwich won't bust their pay structure for him and I also get the sense of betrayal felt by their fans, but this is football nowadays. Hired hands going from place to place, kissing the badge and leaving. Even Man. Utd. couldn't hold on to Ronaldo. I'm not sure PL is the same though. Unlike Holt he's really just starting his career and should have years ahead of him. I can't see money, in terms of his salary anyway, being the reason for his going. It is possible that David McNally's spending constraints have led him to leave, but, if I understand it right, Norwich will be debt free within the next year and I guess the purse strings will be loosened then. I really don't see it as a money issue. Short term I just don't see Villa being a "step-up" from Carrow Road, although he'll have one thing going for him; he's not McLeish. Maybe it's a new challenge. Maybe there are clashes behind the scenes and the fact that Holt's chosen to tweet his unhappiness just now makes me think this is more than likely. As fans we've all had to live with well-liked but discontented players and managers going at one time or another. They come and go like the seasons. We don't.
swords the lament was very funny, i suggest doing many more in the same vein! And Igor60, its a tricky one. Ask me if i would say no to a rich sheik plowing his money into Norwich and i'd struggle to honestly say i wasn't tempted/excited by that. But i do have fundamental objections to the way football is going in this country, in the PL and now in the Champ more and more. Hard work, persistence, and sensible growth are being replaced by immediate gratification and foreign egos, which ultimately takes the game away from the fans, and belittles the teams' achievements. A balance can be struck, but it is hard and rare, and despite many clubs having supposedly wealthy owners, they find themselves saddled with greater and greater debt, which remains with them when their wealthy 'benefactors' move on. As i've said elsewhere, i'm proud that we're nearly debt free, and that we have a passionate boardroom who love the club like i do, and i'd rather keep that and fall safely to the Champ again than trade that off for a gamble at the big time. Fernandes may be very good for you, and all signs suggest nothing to the contrary. Personally i'm scared of foreign investors, whether they wish to pour money in for short term triumph, or in Fernandes case to turn a profit. Both scenarios have the potential for greater glory, and as such greater risk. It would be great to be a top four side and to have a Big manager but really its not where we are in the table that excites me, its the game of football itself. Whereever we are, as long as i can watch us play with pride and commitment, i get my fill!
Battersea, you've mentioned a few times in this and earlier posts your mistrust of foreigners owning football clubs, and how they're only in it for instant gratification and the quick buck. This is going to be a hard board to sell that line to, after all our last owner was a certain Mr Ecclestone; rich, famous, and English but with no interest in and no knowledge of football, who very nearly wrecked our chances of survival and who would have sold us to the Taliban if the price was right. We were extremely fortunate that the man who took over was Tony Fernandes, a man with a clear plan for sustainable growth AND balanced accounts, just like your own Mr McNally. Foreigner has nothing to do with it, the calibre of the man is the key ingredient and we feel lucky that someone who built an airline from nothing feels that he can do something similar with our club. We have suffered from decades of stagnation and are happy to have him in charge.
youre right foreigner is the wrong word, outsider i guess is what i mean. And Fernandes does seem to be good news for you, i see that.
Well considering he walked over the refusal to be allowed to talk to Villa and Norwich only got £1m while Swansea got £5m. Edit, now ive read Villan wont have to pay anything at all because your chairman broke Lamberts contract stating he must be allowed to talk to any PL team if he wanted. Youre chairman is looking a bit stupid now isnt he? Not to mention lying and pissing off your best player.
Lambert confirmed as Villa manager. Because he resigned, may be that Villa don't have to pay any compensation.
Good to see Dublin's literary tradition is in safe hands. Can't wait for the Liverpool one, the delusions of some of their fans exceed that of Leeds and the Geordies It just invite piss taking I'm afraid.
With regards compensation, neither of us know the factors involved yet, and neither do the tabloids who would sooner guess than wait. It may well be a protracted legal battle before we know what is truly what. And with regards other allegations, i suggest waiting till thats clearer too. The people making those claims are not neutral in these problems. What i do know about him is that he has been in charge of the business side of Norwich for the last 3 years, in which he got us out of league one, promoted from the champ, and up in the premier league, all on a tight budget whilst reducing our debt and strengthening our future. If he's over imposed himself and lost Lambert and Holt, thats still small fry in comparison to saving and rejuvinating our club, right?
Not if it means youve already reached your peak and you begin that slide down the leagues again. Whats in the past is in the past but he has handled himself awfully in the last 2 weeks driving out the 2 most important parts of your club by breaking the managers contract and lying to your best player. Tango and Cash got us up, that doesnt make up for all the awful stuff they did while they were here.
ok flyer we're going round in circles here. We don't know whats gone on behind the scenes so its churlish to say he's handled it all terribly when we don't know what happened. please stop repeating things from the current mudslinging media frenzy as fact until such a time as they are proven to be. Whats in the past is not just in the past, it has a very real bearing on how our club is today and will be in the future. And the most important part of our club isn't Lambert or Holt, its the 27000 people who go to support the whole team week in week out.
His agent has come out and said holt has been lied too. Ill consider that the truth unless hes done for slander. The telegraph says you wont get any comp at all. Hes cost you multi millions in the last 2 weeks through stubborness.
Although i would agree with you if you were talking about Roman at Chelsea i can't say the same about TF. Unlike Roman and other foreign investors he speaks good English (educated in England) and has spent a lot of his time here (lived Shepherds Bush). He comes across well and actually understands the English way. We also have the Mittals and they are British. I am sure if Norwich had TF and the money ,you would all be happy.
