DRAYTON GREEN
Vital Football Legend
Ever get the feeling you've been cheated.
The words of Johnny Rotten from San Francisco Concert in 1978 as he cut short the encore after just playing No Fun. What has this got to do with Norwich City ?
There are parallels. I moved to London in 77 and was lucky enough to be in the Capital when music was in one of its best era's. I did not see the pistols but did get to watch a lot of live music including Damned, Clash, Stranglers, Buzzcocks, NMA, Generation X, Ian Drury etc.
I also watched Norwich play all home games and several aways and it was a good time to be a Canary fan with the majority of late 70 ' s & 80 's being in Division 1.
The clock moves forward to 2007, 30 years after the pistols were formed and me being at Brixton Academy watching the same band ( minus Sid V of course ) with the same sound and energy.
In 96 the Smiffs bought Norwich City with the promise there would never again be anybody with over a 50 % share of the club. Using Dianne Abbots numeracy skills they simple forgot to divide their total shares by 2. Hence began a 24 year period of selfish ownership where on at least 3 to 4 occasions the club reached maximum heights with current funding and each time clung on to power at the expense of progress and the loyal fans.
As we reach the latter stages of 2020, the much heralded ' self funding project ' reveals its true ambition. Keeping Smiffs in power at all costs until handing over to a totally inexperienced civil servant who struggles to stay awake at games.
24 years and we are looking at the same 2 old and unambitious owners without the passion or energy required to do the best for our club.
If they were 30 years in, and had the same energy as the pistols did at the Academy in 2007, we may have a fighting chance.
However they are now beginning to sell off the young talent and replace with loans and average players just to keep the books balanced and themselves in power.
£ 40 million for Lewis and Godfrey replaced by Quintilla and Gibson who will be off in 9 months using up the allocated small percentage of sales income with loan fees and wages. Next will be Cantwell, Aarons and Buendia and that will it. Nobody else worth very much.
Meanwhile the poor buys made last season to ensure we could not survive in the premier league remain here being paid and not in squad. More money from star players sales wasted.
The floor in the ' self funded disaster ' is that each young player sold needs to be replaced with another prospect and not loan players. Despite how many young players are brought in, £ 20 million fees for any of them after one season will not happen again. There is more chance of them being loaned and given away.
The poor start to the season is down to the lack of confidence caused by owners accepting relegation last season before a ball was kicked and the disastrous finale, losing best players and not replacing them at all.
The pistols were great after 30 years. The Smiffs however are offering us No Fun.
The words of Johnny Rotten from San Francisco Concert in 1978 as he cut short the encore after just playing No Fun. What has this got to do with Norwich City ?
There are parallels. I moved to London in 77 and was lucky enough to be in the Capital when music was in one of its best era's. I did not see the pistols but did get to watch a lot of live music including Damned, Clash, Stranglers, Buzzcocks, NMA, Generation X, Ian Drury etc.
I also watched Norwich play all home games and several aways and it was a good time to be a Canary fan with the majority of late 70 ' s & 80 's being in Division 1.
The clock moves forward to 2007, 30 years after the pistols were formed and me being at Brixton Academy watching the same band ( minus Sid V of course ) with the same sound and energy.
In 96 the Smiffs bought Norwich City with the promise there would never again be anybody with over a 50 % share of the club. Using Dianne Abbots numeracy skills they simple forgot to divide their total shares by 2. Hence began a 24 year period of selfish ownership where on at least 3 to 4 occasions the club reached maximum heights with current funding and each time clung on to power at the expense of progress and the loyal fans.
As we reach the latter stages of 2020, the much heralded ' self funding project ' reveals its true ambition. Keeping Smiffs in power at all costs until handing over to a totally inexperienced civil servant who struggles to stay awake at games.
24 years and we are looking at the same 2 old and unambitious owners without the passion or energy required to do the best for our club.
If they were 30 years in, and had the same energy as the pistols did at the Academy in 2007, we may have a fighting chance.
However they are now beginning to sell off the young talent and replace with loans and average players just to keep the books balanced and themselves in power.
£ 40 million for Lewis and Godfrey replaced by Quintilla and Gibson who will be off in 9 months using up the allocated small percentage of sales income with loan fees and wages. Next will be Cantwell, Aarons and Buendia and that will it. Nobody else worth very much.
Meanwhile the poor buys made last season to ensure we could not survive in the premier league remain here being paid and not in squad. More money from star players sales wasted.
The floor in the ' self funded disaster ' is that each young player sold needs to be replaced with another prospect and not loan players. Despite how many young players are brought in, £ 20 million fees for any of them after one season will not happen again. There is more chance of them being loaned and given away.
The poor start to the season is down to the lack of confidence caused by owners accepting relegation last season before a ball was kicked and the disastrous finale, losing best players and not replacing them at all.
The pistols were great after 30 years. The Smiffs however are offering us No Fun.
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