Statement made by AN at a conference. Manager Alex Neil is refusing to panic, despite his side occupying one of the relegation places with 10 games to play. "If we keep performing how we have been and keep creating chances, eventually the results will come," he said. "We need to win games to save ourselves, we can't rely on other results. "The strength we have as a club is that we've stuck together this season. Everyone's fighting for the same cause." Like I've said before, whatever the outcome, we as a club will continue to exist. As a Norwich fan of umpteen years, been there, seen it and survived.
True Norkie - as tough and frustrating as it is now, there have been much worse times in my experience. The later Chase years, the Grant/Roeder era, the relegation to L1 (although that was a blessing in disguise as it woke the club up) - I have confidence that if we do go down, and we keep the nucleus of the squad together and really, seriously, definitely address the squad shortcomings (defence, clinical striker who can perform at PL level) then we'll be fine.
OCF bor, yep, we have both been there. In the 1960s we very near went out of business but survived then. My feeling is that our fans are conditioned to us being in the championship next year and accept it. But hope lives eternal and if we can get the rub of the green and avoid wonky decisions by those in charge of matches, then where there is hope there is life in the old dog yet (just to use a few well known clichés LOL). "Never mind the danger." PS. re Chase. I said to "Sniffer" Allan Clarke at the time, he has sold the team, might as well sell the ground. We got relegated that season.
But the irony! Having pursued Afobe at the start of the season and bid three times - the last being a reported £10m, AN drops his interest like a hot potato in January, the guy joins Bournemouth (for a reported fee of £10m ) and has scored 4 in 8 appearances - the same number that our top scorers have managed in 28! And as a result, it will be a catastrophe of Herculean proportions if the Cherries are dragged into the mire from here. What if ?
As a supporter who grew up watching City perform consistantly in the top division (my first full season was 1971-72), I'm fed up with other City fans accepting the fact that we are 'little Norwich' and our true place is in the 2nd Division (I refuse to use the term 'Championship' as that league is for losers). It's virtually a given now that we will be relegated this year barring an absolute miracle and title winning form and I'm gutted, angry and totally pissed off about it. AN isn't going to say anything other than he believes we can turn things around and survive is he? He's hardly likely to come out and say we're not not good enough and we're ****ed ! I am also at a loss as to why there is so much blind faith and optimism in Mr Neil, he is not up to the job of managing a Premier League side at least not yet and with the riches on offer for survival this year I would have thought that any astute board of directors would have made a change to at least try and stay up. Alex Neil inherited an exceptionally talented squad from the previous incumbent when he took over and while I'm certainly not belittling his acheivement in getting us up, I also feel that any other half decent manager coming in would have done the same. I've said it before and I'll say it again, "There is absolutely no room whatsoever for sentiment in football", lightening rarely strikes twice and I for one am not confident of an immediate return to the promised land next time. P.S. Hang on a minute please lads, while I put on my flak jacket
I'll bite Lets not fall in to the same trap that "Massive Club" category that Leeds fans have fallen in to. Okay, we had a few good runs in the top flight but we do not have any right to be there every season unless we deserve to be - which we often don't .
Have to agree with Thai to an extent. Largely self inflicted our plunge to below the dotted line. For example, squandering winning positions and two goal leads vs Liverpool and Wet Sham. Had we not done so, we'd be on 30 points, where Swansea are in the table, not safe but also not up to our necks in it!
KIO bor, you will get no flak from me, you have an opinion and to your credit it has been consistent right through the season. Yes, there is a lot right in what you say but unfortunately we are where we are now and nothing will change it by harking on past mistakes. I am of the opinion that it is better the devil you know than one you don't know under our present circumstances. It is definitely a three legged race between us, Newcastle and Sunderland. The outcome will definitely be decided as far as we are concerned if we lose points to those two teams. I personally don't think our team has ever been good enough to stay in the PL, and this I put down to our midfield, it is too static and doesn't hassle and put other teams under pressure and doesn't provide cover for the defence which likes to forego it duties and get forward leaving gaps in our defence Regarding your remarks about us returning from the Championship, this league is no way as strong as the PL, it should offer no deterrent to our return if that happens, but as you say, there will have to be a change in attitude for us to ensure a return, there definitely is no sentiment if football. But then we are Norwich City so there is no guarantee of that happening.
I have a sneaky feeling that it will boil down to goal difference (one way or the other). Being a Norwich fan was ever thus - apart from my first few seasons from '88 to 93 - I'm still dining out on those past teams and kind of think that AN has the potential to create a team that has the capability to do a Norwich of old. A season down will not kill us - we are in rude health financially, the only big problem is the mega money will attract bigger and better players to those coming up and we'll be on catch up (in that respect and if we do bounce back first time of asking). I do worry though that going down will mean many of the current old timers who I think we should ship out if we survive will stay with us. I think survival will allow AN to buy wiser and tinker less 'cos of the quality he has currently at his disposal.
A positive note here, every time I have attended a Norwich v Black Cats, home or away, I have NEVER seen us lose and I'm hoping to attend CR on Saturday 16th April!
Fair comment KIO and again no flak from me - you've maintained your position for several months and you're often the only one asking for AN to go. I would agree that he doesn't seem to know his best starting 11 and makes too many changes IMO, depending on who the opposition is!!! Most of the teams towards the upper half of the table rely on a fairly settled side. I'm pretty much resigned to relegation and it will take almost a miracle for us to stay up and in much the same way as our relegation to League 1 gave us the chance to rebuild, I would hope that if we relegated, we use that as an opportunity to rebuild the team from the defence forward and I'm ever hopeful that we will at least see if any of our Youth Cup winning team have what it takes to become first team regulars. PS - I would have LOVED to have seen Afobe play in Yellow and Green and he would have been worth paying a little over the odds for if his goals had kept us above the 'dotted line'!!!! CJ's missed opportunities are becoming as bad as Grabban's!!!
Thanks bors, nice expressions of opinions and no recriminations. At the end of the day we are still Canaries and that is what makes us unique, we keep committed to our club.
Like it or not KIO, accept it or not, but the fact remains that we always will be regarded in that way, and those both outside and inside the club who see us as that, do have a point. When did, or will, we ever go out and spend 20, 30, 40 or £50 million on players, as at least a third of the current Premier League, could, and do do. As in most walks of life, so it is in football, that you tend to get what you pay for, not that our ´little´ image need prevent us surviving with the right work and effort, but we will nearly always be at a disadvantage. The days when ´smaller´ less wealthy clubs can take on and compete with the top sides has gone forever. That is why this season is so vital a one, for staying up, with the extra millions coming in at the end of it, miss out on those and it will only get even harder.
I see what you're saying, but try telling that to Claudio Ranieri! I know LCFC have money behind them, but they haven't tried to 'compete' on the same kind of ££ terms as Chelsea, Manchester City, etc. A bit like us under Mike Walker (the first time) and even Paul Lambert to an extent. It CAN be done, but unlocking the magic formula seems to b the enigma.
