Tierney? Ryan Bennett? Elliott Bennett? Little Wes? I am afraid that he will be back when he has worked out what he needs to boost his current squad.
I don't think you make a bad point, inasmuch as he will probably be keen on these players. However, there are a few things I would say on this front: - Very few players that we have are irreplaceable. Holt is one of them- nobody would pay the amount that he is worth to us and so keeping him is worth so much more than selling him, whatever the price. The only player out of that list that I would say bears comparison to that is Wes, and he is now, fortunately, a little too old for any other club to really want to risk it on him. The other three we will get a good price for and will be able to replace easily because they don't epitomise the success we have had over the last few seasons in the way that Holt/Hoolahan do. - There is a reason that these players are replaceable. The reason is: "we are Premier League". Moreover, we are not just newly promoted, but we are a team that has stayed up. It's difficult to quite believe it and the more pessimistic amongst us won't be quite prepared to admit it yet, but we are actually very attractive to players wanting to break into the Prem. Yes, admittedly, we might not be a long term option, but they are less likely to hesitate about signing for us than they are for, say, Reading, despite the potentially higher wages. - Lest we forget, we beat several other clubs (including apparently Newcastle) to the signature of Butterfield. Believe it or not, this is a big deal. Why? Because we can offer a reasonable chance to shine (we're unlikely to be the complete whipping boys), but also, for a player like Butterfield, a chance to play regular first team football. We can actually beat moderately big teams like Newcastle to a player's signature because of this (of course, we can't sign pure class like they can, but at least we can compete with them on our own level). So, whatever happens with our current squad, we are in a position to replace them with quality. An enormous amount of credit for this needs to go to Hughton already- listen to Butterfield's interview- the man is clearly capable of persuading players that he is the right man to play under, despite ostensibly better financial options elsewhere. This is a fantastic trait in a manager, which will serve us well. Hopefully Hughton will last longer here than even Lambert. - Finally, and secondary to the above point, we have money. Unfortunately, modern football relies on this heavily. Yes, we don't have a wealthy benefactor injecting obnoxious sums of money into player transfers/wages, but the fact is we can afford to pay a competitive wage for any aspiring footballer and therefore will always have the pick of the up-and-coming type, even if we might not be able to compete for the established players. This is a good business model and should breed long term success if sustained. - Caveat to all this- we will have to resign ourselves (with lessons learnt from Lambert) that we will be vulnerable to other teams nicking our prize assets. Difficult to accept as it is, this is a good thing. As McNally has pointed out, if other teams want our assets (because that is what players are) then we are doing something right. Every player sold for a profit is the opportunity to invest and sell better players for more profit. That strategy is a risky one, but with managers/coaches like Hughton's team, we increase our chances of success on this model and reduce the risk. It may sound a little too conservative to some, but I honestly think this is the best way to achieve long term success (and in the modern world of football the only chance of a trophy even once in a while). Some people may be less patient, but I hope we could be competing for the League Cup while not risking our Prem status in five years time. To summarise the above if you can't be bothered to read it: we are in a ridiculously good position despite what appears to have happened publicly and we are still the envy of most similar sized clubs in the Championship. Any sales will not be losses, merely chances to reinvest.
I did take time to read all of your post and you make some very good points - especially that players coming to Carrow Road can use it as a 'stepping stone' in their careeer. They can come here in the knowledge that they will at least get the opportunity of occasionally playing 'first team football', as opposed to sitting on the bench for match after match at one of the 'bigger clubs' (I'm talking last season's top six!!!). I would be disappointed to see any of last season's recruits leave, but if they are being offered much higher salaries to play for other clubs, then I'm sure some will be tempted at least.
fact is, when city were at their most successful it was a period where we were a 'stepping stone' for younger players to go on to bigger and better things. i see no problem with this philosophy. if bigger clubs constantly want your players its because you are doing something right and bringing in the right players ourselves! buy players for £1m, sell for £5m for example. its not what the fans always want to hear but norwich are not able to compete with the big boys financially and we never will, so we must continue to work hard at finding these players that will eventually move on at inflated prices. some may say that's not very ambitious but to me, that's how the club will survive in the premier league long term, just as wigan have done. as for villa coming after our players - let them - they won't get them unless they pay enormous transfer fees, which they can't pay anyway.
I'd forgotten that point - wasn't Naughton too expensive at £6M?? Heard a rumour last night that Koo Pee Arr had signed Naughton for around £5M.
Sorry, I am going to risk the wrath of the tribe and say that such tribalism IMO is the truly unattractive face of football. Fine when it is conducted in terms of good-natured banter, but at the other end of the scale it involves hatred, death threats, rioting, murder and even assassination. Even without reaching those extremes, it is somehow regarded as legitimising the more obnoxious in human behaviour and feeling towards others. Other sports demonstrate that it is possible to be fervent supporters of a club or nation without descending to these unattractive depths and football would be much better without it. End of rant.
I could be wrong but to be fair I don't see Sid issuing death threats or issuing assassination orders. I don't think that you'll find many of the posters on the board would drop a lit match on Portman Road if it was doused in kerosene. We enjoy the football and the banter. If Norwich lose to Ipswich then I am gutted and get it in the neck from all of the blue faction in my office, simiarly I enjoy the moment when the boot is on the other foot. Am I tribal? Probably. Will I take it too far and go around abusing people and starting trouble? Absolutely not. In a discussion you can take anything to extreme but I don't think that people wanting the person leaving us to have less success than he had with us is not a wholly bad thing and human nature. If it goes to the sort of abuse and threats that Neil Lennon has had to put up with them obviously I agree with Robbie. Friendly banter yes. Bullets in the post no.
Bit extreme examples you're using there to be honest fella, of course I would never encourage or endorse any behaviour that goes as far as hatred, violence or threatening behaviour, absolutely not and there is no place in society for any of those thing let alone a football stadium. I'm talking more about banter and bringing people together under the common love of a football club and the want and desire for them to do well on a saturday afternoon. There are far more important things in life than football, but I have to say in my thirty-five years so far I've not experienced too many emotions like the ones I felt as when Simmo slams in the last minute winner against Derby to virtually secure promotion, or when Darel Russell nicked a 98th minute equaliser away at Gillingham or when The Doc scramlbed in a winner at Brighton or the manh hundred other magic moments that take place in the heat of a football match. At moments like those I will gladly grab the nearest person to me in a Norwich shirt and hug and kiss and jump up and down with them in a frenzy, there is no feeling quite like it. But at the same time I would never think about having a pop at an opposition fan, I might give them plenty of banter and stick during the game but whenever I bump into opposing fans on the way out the ground I am never anything but respectful and would never as much as consider causing any grief.
Of course I'm not suggesting anyone posting on here, or anyone at Carrow Road on a match day for that matter, is going to engage in the most extreme forms of football tribalism. My point is that devotees of other sports experience the highs (and the lows) of being an ardent fan of club or country, with the kicks and disappointments that go with it, without even the less extreme unpleasantnesses that are somehow deemed acceptable because it's football. As 1950canary pointed out earlier, pettyminded, vindictive attitudes and behaviour are demonstrated daily in a football context which would not be expected or tolerated in other walks of life. Genuine banter is good fun, but examples abound on forums every day of poison and obnoxiousness. Football can bring out good in people, but its tribal quality also encourages the worst in people in a way unique to football among sports. In fact to such an extent that sometimes it seems to me that to refer to it as "sport" is a misuse of the word.
Would have loved to see Lambert struggle along without them! I still Love Paul, but really would love to see us finnish above Villa. That would hurt!
The truth is, almost every club in the world is a selling club. Only exceptions at the moment are probably Man City, Barcelona and Real Madrid. Even Man United occasionally have to sell players they want to keep hold of - Ronaldo, Beckham. And Arsenal, despite being one of the wealthiest clubs around, have sold many players (mainly to Man City!) that they would prefer to have kept. The skill is in selling at the right time for the right price.
