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McKenna benefitted from something which was out of his control, when he arrived. After watching the Sunderland game on December 18 2021, his first game in the dugout should have been Gillingham away on Boxing Day followed by home games with Wycombe and Lincoln on December 29 and New Year’s Day 2022. So, a week’s training followed by 3 games in 6 days.
However, Gillingham and Lincoln both suffered Covid outbreaks, which led to the postponement of both games. As a result, McKenna had effectively a 3-week mid season training block - with just the Wycombe game in the middle of it - in which he was able to start working with the squad, build relationships etc. To be able to do that, when you come in mid season, must have been priceless to him.
I suspect now it’s international break and the transfer window has shut that Ashton will turn up on Town TV at some point to discuss the summer just gone and the rationale behind some of the decisions.
I think this will be a transitional season, simply because of the amount of churn that there’s been. It might not be the worst thing to let this squad work together for a season and then really push for it next year.
I don’t think the “Ashton loves the limelight and hides when things go wrong” line really holds water. I’ve never felt the guy’s been particularly over-exposed and he’s hardly a rent-a-gob on broader football matters. As for hiding when things go badly, frankly that would only be an issue if McKenna was having trouble with being able to discuss things with him. If Ashton had come out to the media after each defeat stacked up over the second half of last season, I don’t think it would have made a blind bit of difference to our results.
This is an interesting next two years for him, I suspect as it will hopefully be the second great team he’s helped put together. It strikes me though that it may take two years to get back up, simply because as the saying goes, the rocket ship is still being built in mid-air.
I almost feel some sympathy for Manning, reading that. He’s been there 2 minutes and has to face to face defend a sale of one of their better players to a local rival. At least Kevin Keegan had a few years of goodwill in the bank when he had to defend selling Andy Cole from Newcastle to Manchester Utd. Though Manning ought to be worried by that analogy. It took a few years, but Cole was eventually a success at United. I don’t think Keith Gillespie ripped it up at Newcastle, which in a sense, is what Norwich need Mattson to do for them.
Instead of The Only Way is Up shouldn’t it be a record needle skipping version of that tune Norwich play whenever they score at Carrow Road, ending in the biggest needle scratch imaginable, as he steps out into the light wearing our shirt.
I can live with those numbers. Thank you for reminding me that football fans never talk garbage more than when they’re trying to convince themselves that it really doesn’t matter that one of their players is signing for a local rival.
2 of Trevor Putney’s 3 seasons there saw them finish in the top 5 of the old First Division, and Trevor played 80 odd games for them, so must have played his part.
1) John Deehan (did a decent job in 86/87, but was gone by the end of the following season). 2) Andy Marshall (struggled to achieve everywhere and may not have played at all had Matteo Sereni not been so temperamental. Curiously, after the 5-0 derby in Feb ‘98, he played in 5 more derbies 3 for Nodge, 2 for us and only conceded 1 goal.) 3) Louie Donowa (a John Duncan signing and generally forgotten here; was very lucky not to be either sent off or punched out when trying to cripple Trevor Putney in the 85 Milk Cup semi at Carrow Road 4) Paul Lambert (the only consolation about his tenure here is the memory that he left Norwich on such sour terms after doing so much for them in the early 2010s. Mick McCarthy walked out with better grace than Lambert did from there.)
Nunez could be a really good signing. Intriguing stuff.
Edit - Just remembered that neither Donowa or Lambert came here direct from Norwich. By the same logic, I should have included Joe Royle, who would arguably come top of the list.
Double edit - and how could I forget Clive Baker. I’ve ballsed this right up, haven’t I?
Had Portsmouth not missed a penalty against them, the Budgies would be behind us in the table.
Plenty of time for Manning to settle down and get them moving, but it’s become a tough job in a post-Farke world. Their relationship with Dean Smith was one of mutual loathing, They didn’t like the football they played under David Wagner despite it getting them a play off place and continuing “the streak”. From what I understand, the hierarchy had a choice of either backing Johannes Thorup or the players, and they went with the players. A Talk Norwich City thumbnail flashed up on my YouTube homepage a week or so ago, with the heading “No need to panic” on it which seemed premature in mid-August.
At a guess, I would say that any frustrations that there have been on this board since the start of the season, don’t come close to the depression that was around this board between, say, March 2020 and the end of the 20/21 season.
In an ideal world, they should have played that Arsenal game in the week between the Milk Cup Final and the game at Portman Road. But the winter freeze was brutal that year and there were so many matches to make up for, that some overspill was inevitable.
It would all have been irrelevant if we hadn’t folded from 3-0 up at the Manor Ground in November though…
I think there’s a decent chance that, had we avoided relegation, then Harrison’s commentary of Ian Atkins’s goal against Oxford would have been included when the outside of the ground was refurbished a few years ago. Commentary is from 32:00
Edit - I’ve just realised that there must be a few of Gerry’s lines already on the stadium from the 70s and 80s.
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