Friday 29 January 2010

Where are the News of the World now ?

Lasy Sunday the News of the World reported that Norwich City would go in to administration on Thursday.

It's Friday now, and as 99.999% of the world already knew (except it seems on NotW journalist) Norwich are not in administration and have, in fact made another signing. It is prettty abvious to anyone with any sporting knowledge that clubs that are close to asministration do NOT make signings.

Saturday 23 January 2010

That's entertainment

What an incredibly exciting game today against Brentford. All the ingredients were there, missed chances, great saves, hitting the post, some incredible tackling, and the obligatory numpty of a referee. I noted before the game that this was only the second game the referee had been in charge of this year, and boy did it show.

Whilst I can't disagree with the red card for Grant Holt, the player he kicked was sliding towards him with both feet in front of him. Had Holt not raised his legs, he would have been kicked. So why not at least book the Brent ford player for intent ? Also why were Brentford players allowed to repeatedly shirt pull, but Russell was booked for "repeated foul play", despite the fact that the other tackles the referee was pointing out were in fact committed by Korey Smith. Heaven forbid I should suggest the referee could not tell two black players apart, but it is ridiculous to get the confused. And why was a Brentford player allowed to raise his hands to the neck of a Norwch player without a card being produced ?

Still, a great late goal from Martin, another good cameo from Olli Johnson, and despite a three game ban for Holt, al looks good.

Saturday 16 January 2010

Small club with a small club mentality put in their place

I know a few Colchester fans, and I had always liked the club, the good family reputation that goes with the club and the town of Colchester too. This week, however, my attitude towards the club has changed somewhat.

Whilst I can understand them feeling aggrieved at the loss of Paul Lambert to Norwich at the start of the season, the pathetic statement emanating from the Colchester board have shown them to be very small minded. Comments that they would rather see empty seats than sell them to Norwich fans, banning people from Norfolk from buying tickets for the match, taking back tickets from those who had already bought them and a series of other puerile actions and comments do nothing for their reputation.

A Colchester fan was sat near me in the Norwich home terracing for the first day of the season 7-1 Colchester win. He suffered no hassle, was not ejected fromthe ground, and Norwich fans showed a degree of maturity sadly missing from Colchester in recent days.

I love the way that Colchester justified their actions by stating that they had sold all their tickets to Colchester fans so that was one of the reasons they would not sell them to Norwich fans. Of course they ignore the fact that several hudnred seats today in the home terracing will have had Suffolk, Essex and London based Norwich fans sat in them.

So to the game. Five nil to Norwich and Norwich missed a penalty too. Norwich's silence on the way that Colchester behaved this week was the right decision. Let the football do the talking, and it did.

A  team with a small club mentality is likely to remain a small club. That's a shame as the decent Colchester fans I know deserve better.

Friday 8 January 2010

Sell Carrow Road and suffer a slow lingering death

Norwich are, according to the EDP, considering a plan to sell Carrow Road and lease it back, in order to clear the clubs debts. In my view, this is utter folly and is like many PFI projects that happen around the country these days, in other words, a short term solution that costs far more money in the long run.

On Wednesday Radio Five have a piece about Stockport and their imminent demise. Stockport, according to their supporters trust, have no one willing to buy the club because their only asset, their ground, is not owned by them any more. The advice from Stockport is that no club should ever consider selling their ground as a sensible option. It is a short term fix but costs the club much more in the long run.

Should the City board follow this route then they ought perhaps to look at other clubs in England that have done this and name more than one where it has proved to be successful ?

Friday 1 January 2010

Grow up Walsall

Walsall have made them seem like a small club with a small ground and a small mentality in the last few days.

The referee decided on 28th December to call off the Walsall vs Norwich game because he felt that with part of the pitch frozen solid, whilst the rest of the pitch was softr, this would cause a problem for players and could lead to injury.

Despite this obvious concern, Walsall maintain that it was Norwich manager Paul lambert who called the game off, and small minded Walsall stewards, unable to take responsibility for their own clubs inability to defrost or protect their pitch, told Norwich fans who had travelled to the game that it was the Paul Lambert who called the game off. Pathetic.

Everyone knows it is the referees decision. If Walsall had laid down some matting or some form of protection to that frozen corner of the pitch overnight, the game could have gone ahead. Don't criticise Norwich for your own clubs failings. Small clb, small minds. Grown up Walsall.