Thursday, January 25, 2007

Canaries Prepare for Relegation

Norwich City Woes

Somehow escaping the attention of the well-paid journalists who produce such pap, the leading story about the fortunes of Norwich City FC today concerns the number of players who are out of contract at the end of the season and is clearly designed to prepare the long-suffering fans of the club for life in Division One. It's surprising that none of the Carrow Road hangers-on who masquerade as reporters have picked this up.

It's fairly clear.

Stories abound that the new manager, Wee Jocky Unintelligible Grant, is unhappy with the effort and commitment of some of his players. Darren, Premiership Reject and Massively Over-rated Mid-fielder, Huckerby is quoted in today's paper expressing his dismay that the Canaries have 13 players out of contract in the summer.

An innocent bystander might speculate that the two reports are related. Gruntie Grantie doesn't think much of many of the players he has inherited. The Board finally realises that they are paying a bunch of headless chickens vast sums for nothing. Grantie see a possible solution – wait till the players are out of contract, unload them to whoever wants them and sign a new bunch at vastly inferior wages.

Problem is vastly inferior wages implies vastly inferior players - (Yes, it's difficult to imagine but there are some even more inferior players out there!).

Granties' agenda is therefore clear but must remain disguised for political reasons. Norwich will bite the bullet of relegation in order to provide him with the opportunity to bring in players of his choosing. The majority of out-of-contract players will be allowed to leave by the politically expedient method of offering them inferior contracts and then bemoaning their ingratitude. Grantie would then be able to rebuild the team in his image and blame the club's demise on his predecessor. Looks like a win-win situation for Grantie. The real beauty is: if the club avoids relegation; he can still follow the same strategy. His starting point just becomes the bottom of the Championship instead of the top of Division One.

Delia and her cronies will rejoice that they have cut the wage bill and can spend more money on the really important things at the club: car parks, catering, and director's perks.

Everyone's a winner – except, as usual, the real supporters.

Whose fault is it?

The sheep who trudge willingly through the turnstiles on Saturdays must bear some of the responsibility. News that all the tickets for an up-coming game are sold is neatly contrasted by a letter from an irate season ticket holder who insists that he will only wait until March for some indication of improvement – then, if none is forthcoming, he will not renew. Bit late there, pal!

The supporters must shoulder a lot of the blame for not holding the club and its shareholders and directors to account.

Unless the fans wake up and realise the only way to influence the Board is to cancel their season tickets and not show up to matches, it's a good bet things will remain as unsatisfactory as they are.

Gaining a few converts from the local press wouldn't hurt either.

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