Those 2 games yielded 3 points. Care to tally up how many games we came away with points in with Naismith in ?
I don't think anyone is blaming just Naismith. Ruddy should not be first choice he has been terrible for the last 3 seasons . Martin and Bassong have been bad also but paying over £8m for someone to turn our season round was a failure.
An excerpt from Iwan Roberts EDP column today on McNally's departure:- "However, in recent years I don’t think he’s been too impressed with some of my opinions which I’ve written in this column, which has meant me staying away from Carrow Road as I’m not sure I’d get a warm welcome down there which does sadden me as whatever opinions I’ve had they’ve never been personal towards any individual. One thing I did criticise is the football board that David put together and I stick by every word that I said at the time. I questioned the credentials of the people that were on that board and l have to say that they’ve done very little to make me change my opinion of them. I look back and what a shame that Joe Royle and Micky Phelan left the football club. I think Alex Neil could have benefited so much from having either of these at the football club, especially when things weren’t going well on the pitch. I totally understand that it might have been difficult for Alex still to have had Micky Phelan at the club after he was given the job when Phelan wanted it, but I do think that more effort should have been made to keep these two footballing men at Norwich City." Difficult to argue against this, AN was clearly well out of his depth at times and big Frankie and the Kilmarnock squaddie didn't appear to have the answers!
Iwan is damn right we have a joke of a board and as long as The Stowmarket Two own the club we'll never amount to nothing. It will always be one step forward and two steps back. Time for a campaign to get them to sell up if you ask me. Yeah I know, Delia saved us back in the day, be careful what you wish for .......yada, yada, yada
He might be have a point about the board, but he's well off the mark suggesting that an AN / Micky Phelan would have been anything other than an unmitigated disaster.
That was then and this is now. The game has changed considerably since she was our white knight on a steed, slaying creditors left, right and centre. The game, prize money, teams with whom we were once on a comparable level, all that has changed irrevocably (for better or worse ?) in recent times...and has L.O.N. changed or adapted to try and keep pace? Rhetorical question, guys!
I think he was suggesting that a rookie manager in his first season at the highest level could have used a wise old head from time to time. Director of football, call the role what you will, but the results of sticking defiantly to purely his ways, tactics, selections, substitutions etc are plain for all to see. Here they are again, should anyone need reminding:- 18 Newcastle 37 -25 34 19 Norwich 37 -25 34 20 Aston Villa 37 -45 17
I know the result and I could make any point however unlikely that was vaguely true and when someone said it was rubbish say look at the result. It's not like Adams benefited from Phelan being around, indeed it seemed the more Phelan got involved the worst we played. You can only have one leader / decision maker and that should be the manager. I can see that it would have been useful to AN to have someone more experienced to discuss things with, but that Phelan would certainly not fit that role. I don't know about Royle, but as I understand it he choose to leave. I think for a mentor to work AN would have needed some input into who that person should be and if he didn't want one then so be it.
They do say a problem shared is a problem halved. Anyhow, it's all academic, he didn't have anybody, we're down and big Iwan was merely stating his viewpoint on the sorry state of affairs at CR.
Hi bors, I must say I share Iwan's views. I was surprised when we lost the services of Phelan as I felt that his intimate knowledge of the PL would have been a major contribution to our continuance in the PL. It speaks volume that he chose to join his old team mate Steve Bruce at Hull and compete in a lower league rather than stay with a club that held him in high regard. No good harping back now, we have to look forward, nothing we do can change the past. But in my mind that situation was fundamental to us finishing back in the Championship. Canario, can I say that one of the best management teams was Ol' Bighead and Taylor, they put their club first before their individual egotism, just to make the point that two can be successful at managing a football club. Also note that Phelan decided to work with Steve Bruce and there doesn't appear to be any conflict of opinion between those two at Hull.
You do understand that a double negative makes a positive KIO? But we understand your point, and it is likely that more of us are moving in your direction, albeit a tad reluctantly.
Thanks for posting this Cromer!!! I agree that AN and Frankie seemed out of their depth at times. I'd love to see a major shake up of the board, but might have to wait a while.
He was brought to Norwich to give the extremely inexperienced Neil Adams some guidance and support. But when Adams left and the (extremely inexperienced) Alex Neil was brought in, Phelan left and was never replaced. Spot the massive flaw in that arrangement
AN was already appointed our manager when he arrived, so how can you say Phelan expected to be our manager. He knew the terms of engagement. You are summarising that he had expectations of being our manager. Did he expect to take over from Steve Bruce a few months later, you have the answer to that in that Steve Bruce is still manager.
I know wiki is not always accurate but I think you've got that wrong! "Phelan was appointed as first-team coach back at Norwich City in November 2014 and took temporary charge of the club when manager Neil Adams resigned in January 2015, only to be relieved of his duties by Adams' permanent replacement, Alex Neil. A month later, he was appointed as assistant manager at Hull City under former Manchester United team-mate Steve Bruce." I think we all thought at the time he may well end up taking over from Adams. The thing is, Adams had basically no first team coaching experience and could make no protestation to the board when he had Phelan added to his staff. Who knows he may have asked for the help. AN, whilst also inexperienced was head hunted and in a position to specify like other managers who he would want on his coaching staff. Phelan may not have wanted a part in it for various reasons, possibly even that he wanted the managers job, but that is just speculation. More likely Neil wanted to do things his own way with his own coaches and has done so. The truth is that the club may well have suggested keeping Phelan on or laterly getting someone else in with experience, but if the manager rejects this, what is the point in undermining him? Someone in the Royle muted role, a director of footballmay have some merit, but only if the manager wants to and can work with them. Bah!
