| Variation On a Theme (And a Tribute to Norwich) Written by essexccc on Tuesday, 20th May 2014 16:45 I believe I am one of the majority of Town fans who believes that Mick McCarthy and Terry Connor have done very good jobs. But like many others, I do not believe Paul Taylor has been given a fair run and am sorry he has been placed on the transfer list. I do not buy any argument that he doesn't defend/try enough. Against Sheffield Wednesday in our last game, I recall him making an excellent late clearance from defence, and of course, he won the freekick, from which Paul Green scored our winner - all this after effectively being told he has no future at the club. Hardly the approach of someone who doesn't put in his share of work. I also see, like many others, the need for pacey, or skilled, wingers and a creative midfielder. Of course they are not two a penny. But back to the management team's strong points. After the Sheff Wed game in the 2012/13 season, when we lost 3-0 at home to our closest rivals at the bottom of the Championship, it was difficult to see where another win was coming from. That was my lowest ebb in nearing 50 years of support - I awoke depressed every morning. In addition to spineless performances on the field, the manager was like the proverbial 'rabbit in headlights' with no control over anything seemingly. A loan player - Richie Wellens - bemoaned the team spirit and there was nothing positive at the club to focus on. Relegation to a level the team had not played at since I was a few months old, looked a certainty. Then, in came Mick and Terry and we all know what has happened on the field since. My variation on the theme of their performance on the pitch is to concentrate on the effect that this has had on fans - or at least me, and I am sure many others as well - off the field. Mick is a big personality as well as a very pragmatic manager. The press and football people like him and admire his well-publicised bluntness. Many of my mates who support other teams all know, and mostly like, Mick because of his personality. This, and the improved results, whether or not you agree with the way they have been acheived, has, at long last, helped to create a better atmosphere around the place. I often bring supporters of other teams to Portman Road and, for several seasons, until around the halfway point of this season, they expected the highlight of the afternoon to be the social banter, two pints of Ghost Ship and the cheese and tomato sandwich in the Greyhound on Henley Road, before the game. As far as they were concerned, the afternoon always deteriorated as 3 o'clock approached. I have to admit that in the latter days of Paul Jewell, I was starting to agree with them. That has changed now and towards the end of this season, the numbers wanting to come with me from Cambridge, where I live, increased and people really wanted to see the game and believed we might make the play-offs (whilst still acknowledging the excellence of the fare at the Greyhound). They commented on the positive atmosphere in the Sir Bobby Robson Stand, where we always sit/stand. The continuity in the team meant that players were known to and appreciated by the crowd - unlike the Keane/Jewell eras when if a player lasted two seasons, he was a long server. In turn, the players have appreciated the support of the crowd, especially away from home and unlike with Richie Wellens, player quotes are always positive and I have little doubt they are genuine when talking of the exceptional team spirit in the side. The club and its supporters are much closer than for several seasons and much, if not all of this positivity is down to Mick, well supported by Terry. Mick has become a positive focal point for the whole club again. I have seen the glory days of the 70s and 80s and am realistic enough to know that the money in the game will ensure that, that barring a miracle like 2000/01, they are most unlikely to be repeated but there is a positive atmosphere back at the club. That will not be a view shared by all but I am sure a significant number of fans do agree with me on that point and I shall always be grateful to Mick for giving me two things to look forward to again on a Saturday; the game as well as a pint. I also haven't worried about relegation as soon as I wake up for many months. I would also give some praise to Marcus Evans. A recent TWTD blogger rightly highlights the madness in the Premiership over manager sackings and the incomprehensible behaviour of the likes of Vincent Tan. Whilst unfortunately giving far too much of his money to Mick's predecessors who wasted much of it (excepting Cresswell and Carlos to a lesser extent), Evans has left management to Mick and Mick seems to have a good relationship with him. Even in the Championship and below, we could have done much worse - look at the owners Leeds, Birmingham and Portsmouth have had. So I look forward to next season, not with blind optimism, but with hope that the feelgood factor, will continue to grow. Events outside our control have already helped this process as, lest we forget, and as has so often been the case in the past, the misfortunes of the Scum have also upped the feelgood factor by several notches. On that note I will conclude this blog by admitting to being a pathological Norwich hater (apparently this is unusual for someone of my age and alleged professionalism, although it seems to come naturally to me) to the extent that I love those messages in hotel and other lifts, when you press the button to go to the ground floor and a recorded voice says 'Going down...' - lately I can never resist saying under my breath, or out loud if no-one else is in the lift, '...with the Norwich'. How sweet the truth sometimes is! Thanks for getting this far. Essex CCC Please report offensive, libellous or inappropriate posts by using the links provided.
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