If we miss out on promotion - will you be bothered?

[The Great Mass Debater]

Im not sure where I lie on this one. I personally want Norwich in the top division so (on a selfish level) I can watch games more easily and therefore be more involved in discussion of the season. I also like to see us go toe-to-toe with the big boys (but didnt enjoy watching us terrified to play against them like we were under Hughton), and of course we have some very good footballers at present, but they are here because of the money and when the money runs out they will be off. Middlesbrough are an example of what can happen if you dont return quickly, ie its taken them 6 seasons to be where they are at present. I fear that if we dont go up then lots of players will be off and we'll just ened up watching season after season of decline.

BUT, if the Premiership means a return to Hughton-ball (for the record I dont think that would be Neil's approach, he seems the real deal and seems to understand 3 points is more useful than 1, with us in the Prem being analogous to Hamilton in the Scottish Prem) and regular whoopings by the big boys, Im not that fussed. The hope is with access to more funds we bring in better and better players and it gets more exciting - but you only have to look at RvW to see how dreadfully wrong that can go.

Part of me thinks that if we dont go up this season, with Alex Neil in charge we could romp to winning the league next year. The revolution would be more gradual and sensible, rather than going up this season and needing to quickly re-invent who we are in order to survive.

So to be honest, my main motivation for going up is the return of the streams and the prevention of a period of championship consolidation and mediocrity - I still have fears that what happened to us in the 5 years following relegation under Worthington could happen again (even though we dont have the debt problems we had then)

Aside from that though, remaining in the Championship doesnt bother me.

How do you feel?

 

[morty]

I love the Championship, and if there was more money in it (I don't mean gezillions, but enough for clubs to sustain themselves) then I would be happy to stay here.

But the truth is, for a club of comparatively meagre means, such as ourselves, it is a slow financial death.

Imagine saying goodbye to Ruddy, Howson, Johnson, Grabban,Tettey, and add any other name you like here, then having a budget of about 5 million to replace them.

Every season you stay here, it gets harder to get out, even if you are well funded.

 

[splutcho]

Yeah, I would really look forward to losing 8 or 9 players and replacing them with kids and Championship journeymen.

 

[The Great Mass Debater]

Yeah, I would really look forward to losing 8 or 9 players and replacing them with kids and Championship journeymen.

But to be honest thats the only reason (bar the streams) I want us to go up. As Morty says, if there were more money in the championship and we could keep a good team Id have no real desire to leave

 

[splutcho]

Well if we're not striving to be better then we may as well sack it in and go and watch a team that are. 

Let's rephrase - would you rather be in the Championship, or qualify for the Europa league, or win an FA or League cup? 

Because that's the aim. It can be done.

 

[Suffolk Canary]

I have conflicting feelings about whether i want us to go up or not.

But at the end of the day, the ONLY reason we're enjoying the Championship so much is because we have a squad full of premier league quality players. If we stay here for 1/2 more years, all those players would've been cherry-picked and with the declining parachute payments we'll be replacing them with bang average players and we become just another mid table club going nowhere.

Even though the PL is pretty miserable for clubs our size, we need to go up (even if just for 1 or 2 seasons) to bring in all that juicy Sky cash so we can afford a brilliant squad in the championship.   I have no problems being a yoyo club.

 

[morty]

I see where people are coming from though, I hate the Premier league and everything it stands for.

 

[Suffolk Canary]

I love the Championship, and if there was more money in it (I don't mean gezillions, but enough for clubs to sustain themselves) then I would be happy to stay here.

But the truth is, for a club of comparatively meagre means, such as ourselves, it is a slow financial death.

Imagine saying goodbye to Ruddy, Howson, Johnson, Grabban,Tettey, and add any other name you like here, then having a budget of about 5 million to replace them.

Every season you stay here, it gets harder to get out, even if you are well funded.

I probably should read through the thread before I reply.  I basically just re-worded your post 

 

[morty]

I probably should read through the thread before I reply.  I basically just re-worded your post 

Great minds and all that

 

[KeiranShikari]

If we aren't promoted this season the squad will undoubtedly take a massive hit. We'll lose the internationals and a lot of the real quality. I doubt the replacements will be awful but it will be a downgrade.

The Championship is only good if you are competing. The 9th, 16th, 17th and then relegation seasons weren't particularly fun. Remember when we were rubbing our hands together at the thought of a 200k investment and wondering if Omar Koroma would be a good loan signing.

I can understand how those two years of Hughton have traumatized people but you just have to look at sides like Swansea and Southampton. Good football and are being run sensibly. 

''The revolution would be more gradual and sensible, rather than going up this season and needing to quickly re-invent who we are in order to survive''

A majority of this squad has proven they CAN do it in the Premier League. I think we'd obviously need to add a few players but I think we'd need a more dramatic summer if we were to go up next season.

 

[ZLF]

Always want to be playing against the best and enjoy the extra coverage we get (may as well be well down the pecking order on MOTD as the FL show) - poor shows against charlton leeds rotherham are less enjoyable than losing to any prem side - even if the season is more stressful 

 

[The Great Mass Debater]

If we aren't promoted this season the squad will undoubtedly take a massive hit. We'll lose the internationals and a lot of the real quality. I doubt the replacements will be awful but it will be a downgrade.

The Championship is only good if you are competing. The 9th, 16th, 17th and then relegation seasons weren't particularly fun. Remember when we were rubbing our hands together at the thought of a 200k investment and wondering if Omar Koroma would be a good loan signing.

I can understand how those two years of Hughton have traumatized people but you just have to look at sides like Swansea and Southampton. Good football and are being run sensibly. 

''The revolution would be more gradual and sensible, rather than going up this season and needing to quickly re-invent who we are in order to survive''

A majority of this squad has proven they CAN do it in the Premier League. I think we'd obviously need to add a few players but I think we'd need a more dramatic summer if we were to go up next season.

My point there was more to do with style of play. This squad moreorless proved it wasnt good enough to keep us up with a backs to the wall approach. Id love it if we were able to continue playing the way we do and survive in the Premiership, but the likelihood is that the manager will think we need a big change in tactics.

People said Lamberts gung-ho approach was short-termist and ultimately we would get 'found out'. Hughton came in and drastically changed the way we played, becoming almost the antithesis of Lambert. Unfortunately we didnt have the players suited for Hughton-ball.

We're still working out what we are really, rather than our success being a product of our identity like it was under Lambert.

Give Neil a full season in the championship to mould the squad and style into something he feels can survive in the Prem might ultimately be more successful than panicking now about how to approach the Prem

 

[morty]

Sorry, but with the financial implications, I could never buy into the "deliberately consolodate for another season in the Championship" philosophy.

We came down with what, 80 million was it? Then next season the teams that come down with a bit more, and the same the season after.

The goalposts would keep getting moved further and further away.

 

[Suffolk Canary]

 poor shows against charlton leeds rotherham are less enjoyable than losing to any prem side - even if the season is more stressful 

I'd rather watch us lose at home to charlton, pressing for 90 minutes with the hope of an injury time winner than lose 6-1 at home and be humiliated in front of the whole country!

 

[The Great Mass Debater]

Sorry, but with the financial implications, I could never buy into the "deliberately consolodate for another season in the Championship" philosophy.

We came down with what, 80 million was it? Then next season the teams that come down with a bit more, and the same the season after.

The goalposts would keep getting moved further and further away.

Im not suggesting we deliberately fall on our own swords, just that if ultimately its not to be this season, it may not be the end of the world

Take the positives and all that. Large number of players would be off though

 

[morty]

Im not suggesting we deliberately fall on our own swords, just that if ultimately its not to be this season, it may not be the end of the world

Take the positives and all that. Large number of players would be off though

Well really we would have no choice other than make the most of it, would we?

 

[The Great Mass Debater]

Well really we would have no choice other than make the most of it, would we?

Thats kinda my point. No need for despair if it doesnt happen. Always look on the bright side of life etc

 

[Salopian]

There are pros and cons.

Perhaps the players like the challenge of playing against teams where individual p-layers are almost worth more than the whole NC team, and perhaps they don't mind their inadequacies being revealed to millions of TV viewers, but I do not like the Premier League, with the money sloshed around and teams with virtually no British players on the pitch. It has done little good for our national team.

Above all the insufferable pride and smugness which mean many of them regard themselves as having a divine right to a  major share in the wealth disbursed, and where managers have enough power and support to break the rules over berating referees.

I have enjoyed the Championship season, except when we have failed to turn up or didn't start for the first 20 minutes. It would be a blow if we are not promoted, especially if Ipswich or Middlesboro are but, so long as we can retain players and avoid a downward slide, there are compensations.

 

[Salopian]

There are pros and cons.

Perhaps the players like the challenge of playing against teams where individual p-layers are almost worth more than the whole NC team, and perhaps they don't mind their inadequacies being revealed to millions of TV viewers, but I do not like the Premier League, with the money sloshed around and teams with virtually no British players on the pitch. It has done little good for our national team.

Above all the insufferable pride and smugness which mean many of them regard themselves as having a divine right to a  major share in the wealth disbursed, and where managers have enough power and support to break the rules over berating referees.

I have enjoyed the Championship season, except when we have failed to turn up or didn't start for the first 20 minutes. It would be a blow if we are not promoted, especially if Ipswich or Middlesboro are but, so long as we can retain players and avoid a downward slide, there are compensations.

 

[The Great Mass Debater]

I think the Championship is a much better league in that relatively teams are more equal in terms of ability. Yes Blackpool have found themselves in a fix, but so many matches can go either way. Anyone can beat anyone else on their day. Premiership is just far too predictable in some respects. So many teams cant realistically compete