Warren Hill
New Member
We football followers are funny folk.
We seem to spend a lot of our time wishing we had what we haven't got, in a stasis of semi-permanent envy. Sometimes it's players, others it's managers. Rivals successes, styles of play - Christ, one guy that I went to the Emirates with even got all green-eyed over their club shop. When you support a club like ours I suppose that there is an air of inevitability about that. We're unlikely to have to build an extension for our trophy cabinet or see the worlds best turning out in the yellow and green, we just want us to be the best that we possibly can be.
That's fine. It's natural to have ambition and aspiration. The problem is that when we get close to achieving it, it then isn't enough because we're rightly looking upwards and wanting to chase the next level; to breach the perceived glass ceiling. We had a crack at that last season, fluffed the budget and wound up falling through the floor in a lead balloon rather than bursting through the ceiling in a great glass elevator. We've discussed that to death but even now that football envy remains.
We were delighted with Ricky Van Wolfswinkel but quickly realised that we wanted Wilfried Bony. Chris Hughton was well received but we soon wanted, well, anyone apparently and when we got anyone....he was alright while we were winning but now we want someone, anyone, just not the anyone we've got.
This isn't a criticism; I'm as bad as the next fan. I've already nailed my colours to the "Out" mast but I'm already wondering about the new guy and how long it will be before we're all enviously gazing elsewhere.
You see, despite initial misgivings about the appointment, I understood that the club were trying to instil a mantra, to build a legacy, to develop the foundations of a footballing style. Idealistic? Perhaps. The additional move to separate the management team into singular positions and appoint them individually was another part of this, as was the drafting in of the experienced Joe Royle to assist and advise.
It was a brave move, a statement to the fans that they were listening.
Because if we travel back just a short period of time there were Norwich City fans all over the place that were so disillusioned with the style of play witnessed under Chris Hughton that they were talking of walking away; voting with their feet. They didn't care that we were losing - these weren't glory hunters, I mean, who'd chase glory with Norwich City? - they just wanted to see us "have a go" and to "show some attacking intent". What they were witnessing went against the "Norwich Way", which is some sort of deferential and misty-eyed nod to the glory days of top 3 finishes and FA Cup semi finals. No, we were reasonable enough to realise that there was no point in chasing rainbows, football has changed, this was about seeing our side try to win games rather than avoid defeat.
Of course Royle materialised for about as long as Van Wolfswinkel spent celebrating City goals but as we started the season on the front foot it seemed insignificant.
Free-flowing, free-scoring, points winning football was the order of the day. We were winning games after falling behind, something synonymous of the Messianic Lambert era and we were winning games away from Carrow Road too. We outplayed our local rivals to an embarrassing extent and quickly found ourselves top of the league; "We've Got Our Norwich Back!!" rang out from the stands.
See? It was easy. The fans had known all along what was required, it was the boards inability to see what had been written on the walls for months previously that was the problem. That inactivity had cost us our Premier League status but such was our current position we could start suggesting the dropping of established players to make us even better. The same Wes Hoolahan that we'd apparently so criminally underused in our ill-fated Premier League campaign was now surplus to requirements, a luxury, a player that didn't offer enough and unbalanced the team. The player that the fans voted as Player of the Year two seasons previously was unceremoniously dismissed out on loan, labelled as mercenary and lazy.
Fast forward a dozen games.
We've registered one win in 10 games, no longer do we have our Norwich back, no longer does anyone give a monkey's chuff about attacking impetus, style of play or just "having a go". The local rivals that we so comprehensively outplayed now sit 7 points ahead of us, games are "crying out" for the influence of Wes Hoolahan and we could desperately do with Sebastien Bassong to shore up our porous defence. It's clear to the fans that the Board have got it wrong. Again.
Because we can change our minds, like Tommy Cooper, just like that.
The Board listened to our concerns last season, they listened to us complain about style, attacking and trying to win and made changes to the very core of the club to attempt to bring to the pitch what their customers wanted. At the first sign of it not working quite as we want it - to be fair it's a long way from where we want it - we can change our mind, alter our list of demands. For the Board, it just isn't that simple.
They've made appointments based on the change of ethos, they've recruited players on the same basis; they can't just turn around now and convert the young, hungry, attacking manager into the dour, solid, win any way you know how Pulis or McCarthy that the fans are demanding NOW.
And what happens if that doesn't work? Where does it end?
I've certainly had my fill of disappointing results under Adams, I want him replaced too. The changes though will need to reach further than the guy who picks the team because of the wholesale changes made the last time that the fans lost their patience with the club.
The appointment of Adams looks like a mistake, the board appointed him and ultimately, it's on their heads but, looking at where we are and how we arrived there, I find it difficult not to have a degree of sympathy for their position and also feel an element of responsibility too.
As a supporter, I want it all ways, all of the time. It's only about results. The Board are charged with delivering on that expectation. No doubt that the paid members are remunerated well for that burden of pressure but don't ever think that it's easy. The Board, manager and players are hung out to dry when they get it wrong; we just change our minds.
OTBC
We seem to spend a lot of our time wishing we had what we haven't got, in a stasis of semi-permanent envy. Sometimes it's players, others it's managers. Rivals successes, styles of play - Christ, one guy that I went to the Emirates with even got all green-eyed over their club shop. When you support a club like ours I suppose that there is an air of inevitability about that. We're unlikely to have to build an extension for our trophy cabinet or see the worlds best turning out in the yellow and green, we just want us to be the best that we possibly can be.
That's fine. It's natural to have ambition and aspiration. The problem is that when we get close to achieving it, it then isn't enough because we're rightly looking upwards and wanting to chase the next level; to breach the perceived glass ceiling. We had a crack at that last season, fluffed the budget and wound up falling through the floor in a lead balloon rather than bursting through the ceiling in a great glass elevator. We've discussed that to death but even now that football envy remains.
We were delighted with Ricky Van Wolfswinkel but quickly realised that we wanted Wilfried Bony. Chris Hughton was well received but we soon wanted, well, anyone apparently and when we got anyone....he was alright while we were winning but now we want someone, anyone, just not the anyone we've got.
This isn't a criticism; I'm as bad as the next fan. I've already nailed my colours to the "Out" mast but I'm already wondering about the new guy and how long it will be before we're all enviously gazing elsewhere.
You see, despite initial misgivings about the appointment, I understood that the club were trying to instil a mantra, to build a legacy, to develop the foundations of a footballing style. Idealistic? Perhaps. The additional move to separate the management team into singular positions and appoint them individually was another part of this, as was the drafting in of the experienced Joe Royle to assist and advise.
It was a brave move, a statement to the fans that they were listening.
Because if we travel back just a short period of time there were Norwich City fans all over the place that were so disillusioned with the style of play witnessed under Chris Hughton that they were talking of walking away; voting with their feet. They didn't care that we were losing - these weren't glory hunters, I mean, who'd chase glory with Norwich City? - they just wanted to see us "have a go" and to "show some attacking intent". What they were witnessing went against the "Norwich Way", which is some sort of deferential and misty-eyed nod to the glory days of top 3 finishes and FA Cup semi finals. No, we were reasonable enough to realise that there was no point in chasing rainbows, football has changed, this was about seeing our side try to win games rather than avoid defeat.
Of course Royle materialised for about as long as Van Wolfswinkel spent celebrating City goals but as we started the season on the front foot it seemed insignificant.
Free-flowing, free-scoring, points winning football was the order of the day. We were winning games after falling behind, something synonymous of the Messianic Lambert era and we were winning games away from Carrow Road too. We outplayed our local rivals to an embarrassing extent and quickly found ourselves top of the league; "We've Got Our Norwich Back!!" rang out from the stands.
See? It was easy. The fans had known all along what was required, it was the boards inability to see what had been written on the walls for months previously that was the problem. That inactivity had cost us our Premier League status but such was our current position we could start suggesting the dropping of established players to make us even better. The same Wes Hoolahan that we'd apparently so criminally underused in our ill-fated Premier League campaign was now surplus to requirements, a luxury, a player that didn't offer enough and unbalanced the team. The player that the fans voted as Player of the Year two seasons previously was unceremoniously dismissed out on loan, labelled as mercenary and lazy.
Fast forward a dozen games.
We've registered one win in 10 games, no longer do we have our Norwich back, no longer does anyone give a monkey's chuff about attacking impetus, style of play or just "having a go". The local rivals that we so comprehensively outplayed now sit 7 points ahead of us, games are "crying out" for the influence of Wes Hoolahan and we could desperately do with Sebastien Bassong to shore up our porous defence. It's clear to the fans that the Board have got it wrong. Again.
Because we can change our minds, like Tommy Cooper, just like that.
The Board listened to our concerns last season, they listened to us complain about style, attacking and trying to win and made changes to the very core of the club to attempt to bring to the pitch what their customers wanted. At the first sign of it not working quite as we want it - to be fair it's a long way from where we want it - we can change our mind, alter our list of demands. For the Board, it just isn't that simple.
They've made appointments based on the change of ethos, they've recruited players on the same basis; they can't just turn around now and convert the young, hungry, attacking manager into the dour, solid, win any way you know how Pulis or McCarthy that the fans are demanding NOW.
And what happens if that doesn't work? Where does it end?
I've certainly had my fill of disappointing results under Adams, I want him replaced too. The changes though will need to reach further than the guy who picks the team because of the wholesale changes made the last time that the fans lost their patience with the club.
The appointment of Adams looks like a mistake, the board appointed him and ultimately, it's on their heads but, looking at where we are and how we arrived there, I find it difficult not to have a degree of sympathy for their position and also feel an element of responsibility too.
As a supporter, I want it all ways, all of the time. It's only about results. The Board are charged with delivering on that expectation. No doubt that the paid members are remunerated well for that burden of pressure but don't ever think that it's easy. The Board, manager and players are hung out to dry when they get it wrong; we just change our minds.
OTBC
