Thoughts on Norwich

[swaledale]

So Norwich who bossed the championship last year are going down with a whimper!

They have at least got 10 more pts than us, but spent less than a million on transfer fees this season, less than one would spend on shaping a side for promotion from the championship.

On the otherhand they will have earned somewhere in the region of £90 million for finishing last and get two years of parachute payments worth around £40 million per year (based on last years figures).

Given that they will presumably only ahve increased wages by an average of 20% and will no doubt have a relegation drop clause, they have at the least earned a significant cash injection with which to strengthen the team as required and be in the hunt for promotion next season.

As a club they are self financing and have no debt to carry. Their fans have had a year in the prem and no doubt a good season in the championship next season to look forward to.


Or you could do a Villa or like last year Fulham, spaff over £100 million on players and still go down!

[AdiSalisbury]

They could spend all that extra cash, and finish mid table. Should they not have taken the opportunity when up, to try and stay up?

[Ram59]

Not only have they made all that extra money, they were one of only two premier league clubs to take government (our) money and furlough staff.

[Trickytreesreds]

I sort of agree with Adi.
Surely it was their duty to the fans, to do their best to stay in the top flight?
Obviously they have opted for the bank it option.
They could very well destroy the Championship next season, having a bucket load of spare cash and well inside FFP.

Or are they going to do a Blackpool and keep hoarding the cash? That was one helluva freefall of a football club.

[ramAnag]

I sort of agree with Adi.
Surely it was their duty to the fans, to do their best to stay in the top flight?
Obviously they have opted for the bank it option.
They could very well destroy the Championship next season, having a bucket load of spare cash and well inside FFP.

Or are they going to do a Blackpool and keep hoarding the cash? That was one helluva freefall of a football club.

No chance of that Tricky. Norwich still have fans - Delia Smith and her husband - as ‘owners’, while Blackpool had the, imo, despicable Oystons, in control when they came down.

Question is...will they bounce back or, despite the ‘parachute’ money, do a Huddersfield, Stoke, or worse...Sunderland and Bolton?

[swaledale]

No chance of that Tricky. Norwich still have fans - Delia Smith and her husband - as ‘owners’, while Blackpool had the, imo, despicable Oystons, in control when they came down.

Question is...will they bounce back or, despite the ‘parachute’ money, do a Huddersfield, Stoke, or worse...Sunderland and Bolton?

I was puzzled by the fact they didn't spend at least a proportion to strengthen the team, it was at best naive and at worst bad planning not to do that as it doesn't give fans much to hope for. Mind you look at the players the wee man spent money on at Derby and I wish we'd done the same!

RA there is always the likelihood of being relegated, it takes time and good management to stabilise in the prem (and money!)

Stoke overreached themselves, thought they could break top 6 and it didn't work. Up to then they had been stable for 9 years in the prem, going down in their 10th year, so didn't do too badly for a club of their size.

Huddersfield arguably overachieved staying up, but second season got them and they have avoided incurring debts. They are currently where they have generally always been, mid to lower championship. But their fans had two seasons in the prem!

Sunderland and Bolton are examples of how not to run a football club, massive spending that was unsustainable it was rumoured that when Sunderland went down to League 1 their wage bill equalled that of the rest of the clubs in that division! They had average players on expensive long term contracts with no relegation clause!

So whilst its not a forgone conclusion, its unlikely that Norwich will struggle next season.

[MadAmster]

Apparently the plan is to do a Burnley. Admirable ambition but they'd need to persuade their top players to stay and fight their corner.

It will be interesting to see what will happen there.

[ramAnag]

I was puzzled by the fact they didn't spend at least a proportion to strengthen the team, it was at best naive and at worst bad planning not to do that as it doesn't give fans much to hope for. Mind you look at the players the wee man spent money on at Derby and I wish we'd done the same!

RA there is always the likelihood of being relegated, it takes time and good management to stabilise in the prem (and money!)

Stoke overreached themselves, thought they could break top 6 and it didn't work. Up to then they had been stable for 9 years in the prem, going down in their 10th year, so didn't do too badly for a club of their size.

Huddersfield arguably overachieved staying up, but second season got them and they have avoided incurring debts. They are currently where they have generally always been, mid to lower championship. But their fans had two seasons in the prem!

Sunderland and Bolton are examples of how not to run a football club, massive spending that was unsustainable it was rumoured that when Sunderland went down to League 1 their wage bill equalled that of the rest of the clubs in that division! They had average players on expensive long term contracts with no relegation clause!

So whilst its not a forgone conclusion, its unlikely that Norwich will struggle next season.

I’m not disagreeing at all, Swale. My point about Huddersfield and Stoke was not about their achievement in reaching the Premier League but about what has happened since they were relegated when, despite the parachute payments and existing quality of their players, they have tended to occupy the wrong end of the Championship table.

It’s interesting that in the last half a century plus of my personal interest in football I think only three of the current top flight teams - Arsenal, Everton and Liverpool - have never been relegated and about ten, by my reckoning, (Wolves, Sheffield United, Burnley, Southampton, Palace, Brighton, Watford, Bournemouth, Newcastle and Man. City) have fallen at least as low as League One/Div 3.

I suppose, given those figures, we’ve done okay...be nice to know the secret of the likes of Southampton, Burnley and Palace who do now seem very stable at the top level but I suppose still start every season with an initial target of avoiding relegation.

[swaledale]

I’m not disagreeing at all, Swale. My point about Huddersfield and Stoke was not about their achievement in reaching the Premier League but about what has happened since they were relegated when, despite the parachute payments and existing quality of their players, they have tended to occupy the wrong end of the Championship table.

It’s interesting that in the last half a century plus of my personal interest in football I think only three of the current top flight teams - Arsenal, Everton and Liverpool - have never been relegated and about ten, by my reckoning, (Wolves, Sheffield United, Burnley, Southampton, Palace, Brighton, Watford, Bournemouth, Newcastle and Man. City) have fallen at least as low as League One/Div 3.

I suppose, given those figures, we’ve done okay...be nice to know the secret of the likes of Southampton, Burnley and Palace who do now seem very stable at the top level but I suppose still start every season with an initial target of avoiding relegation.

I don't think there is a secret, its stable ownership, good financial management, good manager/head coach and a hefty dose of luck with key players staying injury free etc.

Burnley are interesting, one of the lowest operating budgets, strict control on finances (not giving Hendrick the contract he thinks he deserves! demonstrates that!) and stable ownership and backing the manager with a clear objective.

As whether Norwich will lose players? Well they kept most of the team together last time and they will wheel and deal a bit of course, but I can't see prem clubs snapping up any, Villa now may see their side decimated.

[Geoff Parkstone]

Grealish and Mings maybe leave Villa and get starts in better teams. Cantwell Aarons from Norwich unlikely to start regularly anywhere premershiply