Before I start let me make something absolutely clear. I am witnessing, for the first time in my 42 years a Norwich team competing in the transfer market in ways I would never have imagined. I am SO happy about the players we are being linked with. Never in my wildest dreams would I have believed we would be buying players of this calibre. We are clearly a solvent club. Debt free and busy spending the improved TV money on quality players and I think Hughton, McNally, Delia, Michael and the others should be given the keys to the city.
Okay. grovelling done.
So, let’s jump forward three months. We have signed Leroy Fer, Alderweireld, Toivonnen, Olssen, maybe even N’Doye or Hooper. They have joined up with Redmond and Wolfswinkel as new boys in a team with established players used to playing in the Prem.
They have gone through a few weeks pre-season training and have played the first 6 weeks of the new season. BUT – the team have not gelled. We have done a QPR and the players are not together. We’re in turmoil. Bottom of the table.
What then? Do we all jump on Hughton’s back. Calling for his, or the boards, head? Should we have bought Bent? Hung on to Holt? Gambled on some kid from Real Betis? Should we have pushed for Kone or Shelvey?
On paper each player we have been linked with is exciting, at the top of their game, young (ish) and ready to make their mark in the ‘Best league in the world’. We should, by all accounts, be pushing for a top-10 finish and giving the Big 6 a run for their money.
But the thing is, no amount of money, no end of top quality players can guarantee silverware. Yes, we’ve seen it happen. Blackburn Rovers did it. Man City did it most recently. Then there are the failures. There are too many to mention – but the one that I’ll always remember (mainly because I struggle to like certain managers) is QPR. It cost a fortune to bring the team together and they absolutely capitulated last season. A meager return of just 25 points (including only 4 victories. Why? Because they just didn’t play as a team. They didn’t play their hearts out every single game for their club and the badge. Grant Holt did more running in one match than certain players did throughout the whole season (okay, I made this up – but you get the picture).
So, will Hughton manage to get this new team to gel? To play for each other? To not stop running, even at 7-1 down? (Back to the Holt memories) I can only hope so.
RVW certainly seems to be talking the talk. Yes, we might only be stepping stone – but he is saying all the right things. Redmond again is likely to deliver. Hughton is unlikely to have picked up a prima-donna from his former club. So far then Hughton seems to have chosen the right players for the club. Toivonen seems a bit dis-interested and, if he joins, is going to have to go some in the first few games not to end up with the crowd against him. I could go on…but you get my drift.
So – what do you think? Are you going to be a boo boy and start calling for Hughton’s resignation if things don’t go to plan by October or give Hughton the time to shape this team into what seems, on paper at least, to be the most exciting Norwich team ever????
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