Robert Chase - anagram of #@$!
Tom Beck
Two seasons ago Norwich City were a team capable of beating Bayern Munich
in the Olympic Stadium, and outplaying Inter Milan in the San Siro.
Dubbed - rather overenthusiastically - by some "the team of the Nineties",
we had a great manager in Mike Walker and the strongest squad in the
club's history.
And then the whole downward spiral......First Walker resigns, making it
quite clear that if the funds had been made available he would have
stayed. The competent, but hardly inspirational, coach John Deehan is made
manager, a post he clearly doesn't have the necessary skills for, the
nucleus of the squad is sold, and within fifteen months Norwich are
relagated.
Under mounting pressure, Chase appoints Martin O' Neill, local folk hero,
and much prized young manager as supremo, and promises #5,000,000 to
spend on new players. It augered well once again, and an immediate return
to the Premiership seemed a genuine posibility.
And then yesterday morning, a few hours before a vital game, O' Neill
quits, six months into his two year contract. Of the "#5,000,000" to
spend on players, only 950,000 has been made available, and a third of
that on a player who managed only 30 minutes of competitive action for
the club before a srious knee injury. Chase has, like no chairman before
him in the history of the game, as far as I know, succeeded in alienating
the fans to such an extent that there have been riots at Carrow Road -
unthinkable in what is possibly the most peaceful ground in the country.
We have no hope of attracting a decent manager to the club - Chase's
treatment of O' Neill and Walker has succeeded also in alienating him
from the rest of the football community.
For the first time in my life, I genuniely did not care whether Norwich
won or lost on Sunday - a profound acheivement indeed Mr Chase.
I have watched Norwich fall from a team capable of matching Europe's
best, to one not fit to be mentioned in the same breath as even Europe's
worst. Until Chase is gone, I shall no longer waste my time, money and
loyalty attending Norwich matches. Any suggestions on how to fill a spare
Saturday afternoon?
Tom Beck
Derwent College, University of York
tjl...@unix.york.ac.uk
MickyG
fan, mate.
when you go from League Champions to 2nd division in the space of 4 years,
and then end up with Robert Maxwell as Chairman, that's when you ought to
pity yourself.
Still, at least things are looking up for us.