Every single one of you who read this forum will know my feelings about what is going on at the club but following Saturday’s game, I am now resigned to the fact that Hughton will eventually be forced out by a section of the fans. Even if results pick up (and I think they will), some fans will always find an excuse for why it has happened and continue to berate and undermine him. It shouldn’t be that way but I’m experienced enough to know that when a home atmosphere begins to turn and managerial decisions, even perfectly correct ones - as was the case at the weekend, are greeted by a cacophony of boos, there is rarely a chance for a manager to get back in the boo-boys good books. It is, in my opinion and shared by a great number of our fans and even more fans of other clubs who I’ve spoken to, a completely stupid reaction from some of our fan base and will lead to turmoil but you make your bed and you lie in it - we are where we are now.
I trust David McNally sincerely on all football matters - he has never given me any reason to doubt his judgement. If he feels there comes a time when there is no way back and its time to cut ties then I’ll go with his decision even if I disagree 100% with it. I was ashamed to be a Norwich City fan at the Villa game - it shouldn’t be that way. I should feel proud because we’re a great club who have over achieved for a few years and aspire to be a club who can sustain their new-found stature for the long term, grow on and off the pitch without the need for a sugar daddy and become a role model to others of a similar stature, but the Premier League seems to have brought a distinct change in the attitude of some fans and not a good change. They feel shaking up the management is the only way to turn tides - that is not how I feel. Indeed, I am extremely worried about what direction the club are heading in if a perfectly capable manager with a great eye for talent and a decent track record both at his two former employees and his current one is forced out of the club by a section of impatient fans. There seems to have been an increase in very arrogant supporters who expect instant success - you support the wrong club folks! Get yourself to the Etihad or Stamford Bridge - you might get to see what you want although I wouldn't guarantee it because nothing in football is guaranteed.
The manager has come under serious scrutiny following the Villa game yet did literally nothing wrong, nothing at all. He made a few changes following an undoubtedly disappointing performance the week previous, set us up correctly, aggressively, in an attacking formation, he made the right subs at the right times. He was let down by players making poor decisions. Has he always been bang on the money? Of course not. Who is? Only the very top managers get it right most of the time. We see him lambasted for making us more difficult to beat yet are told by all experts that being organised and defensively sound are the platform for any successful side. Have you ever heard anybody say that success is built on a 'leaky defence'? Cardiff were praised last night for ‘limiting’ Spurs to 29 attempts on target at home. They were praised because they were organised. They barely threatened but they bore the hallmarks of a side who had something to build on. I'm sure many fans would love to see Malky return to Norfolk - what makes them think he'd set us up any differently?
Hughton has made lots of mistakes, there is no question about that. The football has often been devoid of excitement but equally there have been plenty of matches which have been thoroughly entertaining but seem to get swept under the carpet. He's been analysed for his substitutions - a gripe which I can fully understand. However, he’s also been criticised for such atrocities as us playing with width or for scoring from set pieces! I forgot this was illegal nowadays. When we play one up front we 'are too defensive', when we play two up front we are 'too attacking'. It just shows that the guy cannot win in some peoples eyes. Even when we score a goal there is something wrong with it. If we win a game, we should have done so in a more entertaining fashion. He even gets abused for giving our opponents praise... I mean for goodness sake - that is pathetic. Name me a manager who doesn't do this and I'll show you a picture of Glenn Roeder riding a unicorn through the Barclay in a vest with the slogan 'I'm a pretty boy' on it. Am I being stubborn? Yes - because I can see the direction he is trying to take us and appreciate that it will take a long time - that is why I have and will continue to back him. Others disagree, fine, but he and more importantly we as a club, are far from the shambles indicated by those desperate for change and that makes the situation so awkward and why the bickering is intense on a regular basis.
He might be an old head but he is still a young manager - he is still learning. With respect, if we dismiss him we will likely end up in a similar situation - another manager who is learning on the job but with someones elses squad, one who may utilise that squad in a similar way, simply because that is how you build a good side for the future. I am excited by the players we have brought in - they haven’t quite all hit it off yet but there have been signs that it is getting there. Sacking a manager, one appointed for the long term, 5 games in, having spent a fortune upgrading the squad is tantamount to suicide and I would be extremely worried about everything we’ve achieved in the last five years completely collapsing. Yes it’s not just 5 games - yes he was here last year but he was assigned to do a job with the team and he did all he was asked to do and this season has a fresh squad and should be judged from that point onwards - so far, despite some people disagreeing, Hughton’s reign has been a successful one even if it hasn’t set the pulses racing in the same way as the previous incumbent did. But this is a different scenario now. The buzz has gone. You don’t get anywhere quickly from here.
Any comparison to di Canio is utterly stupid - he was a short term appointment, designed to give an instant impact to drag them out of a messy situation. I’m amazed he started the season if I’m honest and that is why I predicted they would come bottom of the table. We are in not in the same shoes. I hope we don’t act in a rash manner and that we do indeed stick to our theme of trying to work to a plan and build sensibly as has been the case so far but I do now fear that the boat has been rocked and we may even have a leak, and it is all so, so unnecessary. That is what is so gutting. A few too many have hit the self-destruct button.
Stupid. I hope they don’t regret it.
Whatever happens from here on in please get behind the team - it will do us no favours by creating a poor atmosphere at games. If the right decision is to sack Hughton, that decision will be reached by those at the top - it will be obvious to them that its run its course. The problem I see is that those doubters realise its not obvious - its not clear cut - in fact its not even close, and therefore feel they have to create a bad atmosphere in order to bring change? That is what worries me. In an ideal world we should all want the club to continue to improve without the need to change and that scenario is still very possible.
OTBC - get behind the team, even if you don't like the manager
I trust David McNally sincerely on all football matters - he has never given me any reason to doubt his judgement. If he feels there comes a time when there is no way back and its time to cut ties then I’ll go with his decision even if I disagree 100% with it. I was ashamed to be a Norwich City fan at the Villa game - it shouldn’t be that way. I should feel proud because we’re a great club who have over achieved for a few years and aspire to be a club who can sustain their new-found stature for the long term, grow on and off the pitch without the need for a sugar daddy and become a role model to others of a similar stature, but the Premier League seems to have brought a distinct change in the attitude of some fans and not a good change. They feel shaking up the management is the only way to turn tides - that is not how I feel. Indeed, I am extremely worried about what direction the club are heading in if a perfectly capable manager with a great eye for talent and a decent track record both at his two former employees and his current one is forced out of the club by a section of impatient fans. There seems to have been an increase in very arrogant supporters who expect instant success - you support the wrong club folks! Get yourself to the Etihad or Stamford Bridge - you might get to see what you want although I wouldn't guarantee it because nothing in football is guaranteed.
The manager has come under serious scrutiny following the Villa game yet did literally nothing wrong, nothing at all. He made a few changes following an undoubtedly disappointing performance the week previous, set us up correctly, aggressively, in an attacking formation, he made the right subs at the right times. He was let down by players making poor decisions. Has he always been bang on the money? Of course not. Who is? Only the very top managers get it right most of the time. We see him lambasted for making us more difficult to beat yet are told by all experts that being organised and defensively sound are the platform for any successful side. Have you ever heard anybody say that success is built on a 'leaky defence'? Cardiff were praised last night for ‘limiting’ Spurs to 29 attempts on target at home. They were praised because they were organised. They barely threatened but they bore the hallmarks of a side who had something to build on. I'm sure many fans would love to see Malky return to Norfolk - what makes them think he'd set us up any differently?
Hughton has made lots of mistakes, there is no question about that. The football has often been devoid of excitement but equally there have been plenty of matches which have been thoroughly entertaining but seem to get swept under the carpet. He's been analysed for his substitutions - a gripe which I can fully understand. However, he’s also been criticised for such atrocities as us playing with width or for scoring from set pieces! I forgot this was illegal nowadays. When we play one up front we 'are too defensive', when we play two up front we are 'too attacking'. It just shows that the guy cannot win in some peoples eyes. Even when we score a goal there is something wrong with it. If we win a game, we should have done so in a more entertaining fashion. He even gets abused for giving our opponents praise... I mean for goodness sake - that is pathetic. Name me a manager who doesn't do this and I'll show you a picture of Glenn Roeder riding a unicorn through the Barclay in a vest with the slogan 'I'm a pretty boy' on it. Am I being stubborn? Yes - because I can see the direction he is trying to take us and appreciate that it will take a long time - that is why I have and will continue to back him. Others disagree, fine, but he and more importantly we as a club, are far from the shambles indicated by those desperate for change and that makes the situation so awkward and why the bickering is intense on a regular basis.
He might be an old head but he is still a young manager - he is still learning. With respect, if we dismiss him we will likely end up in a similar situation - another manager who is learning on the job but with someones elses squad, one who may utilise that squad in a similar way, simply because that is how you build a good side for the future. I am excited by the players we have brought in - they haven’t quite all hit it off yet but there have been signs that it is getting there. Sacking a manager, one appointed for the long term, 5 games in, having spent a fortune upgrading the squad is tantamount to suicide and I would be extremely worried about everything we’ve achieved in the last five years completely collapsing. Yes it’s not just 5 games - yes he was here last year but he was assigned to do a job with the team and he did all he was asked to do and this season has a fresh squad and should be judged from that point onwards - so far, despite some people disagreeing, Hughton’s reign has been a successful one even if it hasn’t set the pulses racing in the same way as the previous incumbent did. But this is a different scenario now. The buzz has gone. You don’t get anywhere quickly from here.
Any comparison to di Canio is utterly stupid - he was a short term appointment, designed to give an instant impact to drag them out of a messy situation. I’m amazed he started the season if I’m honest and that is why I predicted they would come bottom of the table. We are in not in the same shoes. I hope we don’t act in a rash manner and that we do indeed stick to our theme of trying to work to a plan and build sensibly as has been the case so far but I do now fear that the boat has been rocked and we may even have a leak, and it is all so, so unnecessary. That is what is so gutting. A few too many have hit the self-destruct button.
Stupid. I hope they don’t regret it.
Whatever happens from here on in please get behind the team - it will do us no favours by creating a poor atmosphere at games. If the right decision is to sack Hughton, that decision will be reached by those at the top - it will be obvious to them that its run its course. The problem I see is that those doubters realise its not obvious - its not clear cut - in fact its not even close, and therefore feel they have to create a bad atmosphere in order to bring change? That is what worries me. In an ideal world we should all want the club to continue to improve without the need to change and that scenario is still very possible.
OTBC - get behind the team, even if you don't like the manager
Superman. You speak for me too. The Ship of Fools has set sail again. 
