Just to add, if you seriously think that Delia & Co make footballing decisions then my friends you are deluded. They run a business and run it very successfully. Delia has told me personally that ALL matters relating to the football side of the business is the responsibility of the MANAGER, they do not interfere with it, unless of course they have to sack him. I wish they would get On with it!!
If we are to reflect as a club on this inevitable relegation, perhaps it is time to look at one of those footballing enigmas, a director of football. I can understand Neil keeping faith in the players and in particular the defenders that had served him well enough going up to the PL, but I don’t think there is a City fan out there who would have shared his faith having witnessed the previous relegation and there is the problem. Each manager comes in and has limited time to build and assess, he may not truly know how inadequate a player may be for that higher level. A director of football may have had the continuity of knowledge to actually say to him “really Alex? Rusty and Bass are good honest Championship players, OK as backup but we’ve been here before, lets reinforce from the back”. Is it not better to build on rock than quicksand? Getting rid of Neil is tempting. These last 4 games have been high on effort and inspite of the score line against Sunderland we have not really been totally outplayed in any of them. The problem is, we don’t look like we have the slightest plan or idea of how to attack and break down our opponents. Neil and the team have looked increasingly lost and I just can’t see how we are trying to play any longer. He needs to take a long hard look at this season and figure out fast what went wrong, because whilst he just about warrents a shot at the championship. He has to hit the ground running because anything less than top 6 at Xmas and I think it will represent failure. We are well resourced at that level and to accept anything less would be crazy. Bah!
I think by footballing decisions, the implication is not them influencing the manager, but their involvement in choosing the manager, chief executive, etc which is in question.
David's made it to number 7 on the bbc most read! This was interesting though: Dan Brigham of the Little Yellow Bird Project, which produces podcasts on Norwich City, told BBC Radio Norfolk: "I interviewed him earlier this year and he said he wanted to leave a legacy, leave Norwich City with a 35,000-capacity stadium, and a first class training facility. "He will see this [Norwich City facing relegation] as a real failure, as not part of the plan. If that is indeed true then all really is not well at the club. I don't think he in himself is so fragile that a bit of fan critisism and a relegation would hinder him in a belief that he could do that job. I think the board may have made him feel like that would not be possible and so felt he could do no more? But who knows, he's human afterall and whilst a bit crazy to stay on twatter with all the bellends on there, he does not deserve the abuse he seemingly takes. Bah!
It's frustrating for sure. Early in the season, the old adage "the new arrivals need time to gel" is bandied around at most clubs - and rightly so, it's a fact. But that can't be used after 36 games. There should be game-plan, strategy, movement off the ball anticipating the type of cross or through ball that has been rehearsed time and gain at Colney. We're still playing like nobody appears to know what to expect from a team mate - hence Redmond galloping forward on Saturday - only to realise he was the only yellow shirt in Manchester's half! If his head does drop a little after things like that, it would hardly be surprising.
Who was it who said they thought the new CEO would be Ed Balls ? All I can say is, if that were to happen we're really going to hell in a hardcart. The bloke practically bankrupted the UK FFS. I wouldn't want him anyway near my money
This is bad news. I'm not sure where this leaves us. He was such an influence on the last 7 years. I'm gutted.
Raneri has done it at Leicester, Benitez is doing it at Newcastle, Alladyce is doing it at Sunderland. It DOESNT take a season and a half to bed in and improve. Alex Neil hasn't learned a dammed thing, it's the same old stuff week after week. We've had a couple of lucky results, but mostly it's been awful. ManU were there for the taking on Saturday, even their own supporters say so, but we just did the same old stuff. Never looked like scoring for the 4th game on the trot. None of that is the boards fault, nor McNally's, he shouldn't resign the manager should!
It certainly adds a huge amount of uncertainty at a time when we least need it. He turned this club around and made us competitive again. Huge shoes to fill and much will depend on the new CEO filling them.
I said similar about the playing squad elsewhere - that it needed serious surgery, not a sticking plaster. The same - unfortunately, in many ways, is now also true of the board.
I'm not sure what to make of this, so I'll keep it brief. I have to say I think this is a bad thing. Under his stewardship we achieved a lot and his departure throws the club into chaos at a time we needed stability. To me, his time at the club was very positive as a whole, but I really fear that what comes next won't be remembered so fondly as what came before.
I can take credit for that worrying suggestion. I mean the signs are all there. We've appointed an interim boss, now we can scour all of Europe for our new CEO, only to decide that the most qualified person on the whole continent is already with us...
Percy Varco @PercyVarco The suggestion that McNally would walk away from a million pound a year salary because he got some grief off kids on twitter is laughable.
I'm surprised. pretty disappointed. I didn't necessarily think he was the problem. He has done so much for this club. He changed everything around and put us on the right track. BUT we don't seem to be moving forward. We are stagnant. Maybe it's what's needed? On the other hand, a bad choice of replacement, and could be League 1 again.
