Monday 2 May 2011

Congratulations to Norwich - a real family club!

Norwich City
It will hurt like Hell if they take our place in the Prem but congratulations are due to Norwich after achieving promotion to the Premiership tonight, thanks to a 1-0 victory at Portsmouth. That is back to back promotions for the country bumpkins who can't even boast about owning tractors! One amazing stat that illustrates their fighting spirit is the fact that they have scored in the 89th minute no less than twelve times this season. Now that is a never say die attitude!

Lambert has done a fantastic job since taking over and looks to be a management star of the future. If he has any sense, he will take another job quickly as I suspect the Canaries will fall off their perches in the top division. But good luck to them regardless.

How long is it since Norwich were in the Prem? Amazingly only 6 years! It just shows what you can achieve when a club is well run, well managed and when fans retain their faith. Hopefully we will not have to sink as far as Norwich did before we rise again but we should take a look at what they have done this year and learn a lesson.

Graham Paddon will be smiling in Heaven tonight. Please God we can sort things out so he watches Norwich play West Ham in the Prem next season!

6 comments:

Andy Canary said...

Thanks for your kind words about the City! Let's hope you don't go down . . . though we'll need a keeper - maybe we can buy Greeno off you if the worst happens?!

Steve said...

Your spot on with regard to what has gone on at Norwich off the pitch. Our 1st big step in the right direction was hiring David McNally as Chief Exec. Who brought in Lambert who brought in the players etc.

Previously his position would have been filled by a local businessman with a soft spot for the club and some skills that could transfer to the footy world. But McNally is a football man, with the know how to get the most from the club, (e.g increasing seating to 27,000+) but most impotantly, his ability to spot a very good Manager.

Another reason that also helped Norwich re-organise for League 1 was despite being £20+ million in debt, they could approach the banks with more confidence than most relegated teams.

For some 4/5 seasons Norwich have been averaging 25,000 attendances, when times were good or v v bad, which they were.

As a result, Delia & the board could re-negotiate repayments on the debt as the supporters were standing by their club and putting their hands in their pockets and going to games to demonstrate it.

Maybe that goes some way in explaining why Leeds took so long to get out of League 1 ?

Anyway, best of luck to the Hammers, I hope fortune finds you in the next 3 big games as I love Norwich v West Ham, my favourite fixture bar none.

Hammersfan said...

Cheers guys.

Steve In Sydney said...

Our clubs will always be linked for all the fine players and management that we shared in the seventies and eighties, old Hammers stalwarts like John Bond and Ken Brown who gave us the same swash-buckling style the Hammers have always loved to play. Graham Paddon ran the pub in my village!Norwich fans demand entertaining attacking football as do you guys, and we've had many footballing feasts at Carrow Rd and Upton park since the seventies, here's hoping for many more now, with both our clubs staying where they belong.
I love hearing "I'm forever blowing bubbles" followed by "on the ball city"!

Stani Army said...

Can we hire him now?

Strange how we produce the better footballers but the Scottish produce the better managers. Good on them.

Hammersfan said...

Cheers Steve. Macdowall ended up at Norwich too didn't he? And a certain Martin Peters of course! What a player!