Joe. Posted 8 March 2009 Posted 8 March 2009 Mate, you're far from down yet. I can understand why you'd think you are already; when your team's stuck in a bit of a rut and on a slide it feels like you're nevere going to get out of it. Don't get me wrong, it's not going to be easy, but there's still 9 games left. Relegation is shit, a horrible experience I never want to see us go through again. However, it may have been a blessing in disguise, only time will tell. We're lucky that we've got Nigel Pearson and his staff who have done a fantastic job in giving us the kind of football you want to see as fans in a season. Right now we don't really know whether the experience will have been worth it. Not until that Championship season begins and we see what kind of results we're pulling out will be see the bigger picture.
Guest Bilo Posted 8 March 2009 Posted 8 March 2009 Simple answer is it does give you chance to "start again" providing you have the management to make the changes necessary and the players to make those changes effective.DavieG, as usual, has written some wise words. For me the first thing is about attitude. You will need to understand that you are not a Premiership or Championship side but just another Divison One side and the only way you'll get anywhere is by working hard, closing people down, winning the ball and earning the right to play the sort of football you will obviously wish to. If you go to the likes of Yeovil or Brighton with a "this is beneath us" mentality you'll lose points and can very quickly have everyone else thinking, "if they can take points off em, so can we." Good preparation, hard work and concentration come first and getting a team together who expect to work for each other every week is a good part of the recipe we've used. Another thing that has benefitted us is keeping a relatively settled side. Despite our apparently big squad we only have 18-20 realistic first teamers but to a man they all earn their wages, even the ones who are not necesssarily on top form. They know each other, are familiar with each other's capabilities and help one another. We do have individuals but we don't have prima donnas and, other than the odd hiccup, Pearson does seem to have fostered a good team spirit and an all-for-one-one-for-all attitude which is vital when you're down to 10-men at Bristol Rovers or struggling to put three passes together in the wind and rain and facing a packed defence. Not once do I recall Leicester players blaming one another for some calamity nor do I ever recall Pearson criticising a single player in public like others I could name. Along with that comes discipline. We don't get many bookings and hardly a single sending off that's justified. Basically the manager can rely on his team staying on the field, therefore making his whole job that bit easier. Finally there's the attitude of focusing simply on the three points available for each game and trying to do everything possible to win them. That sounds obvious but it really requires single-mindedness to look at the work required to win against Cheltenham as exactly the same as the work required to win against Leeds or MK Dons. Sometimes we've played good football and sometimes it's been grim but I'd never once say the players have been lazy, casual or simply not turned up. It's many seasons since I could say that about a City side and that is perhaps one of the key things about Pearson's influence and our points gathering so far. Like Sir Alex Feruson said the other day..."Complacency - I'll give em one go at complacency and they're out." If you do go down and subsequently get promoted I'll send you the bill! So good luck! Absolutely spot on this and perhaps the most important thing for a 'big club' coming down to this level to remember. Forest in particular, and to a lesser extent Leeds, came into this division with the wrong attitude in their first season, and they were quickly dragged down to the standards of other League One sides because of it. If you don't win promotion in your first season, it is very, very difficult to do so thereafter. Never, ever think you're a Championship club in all but name. You aren't. You are a League One club and deserve to be where you are just as much as the 'little clubs' you were two or three divisions above not so long ago. What you were is irrelevant, what you are is all important. Pearson seems to have done a good job instilling this attitude into our squad and that is why we have been able to take advantage of the superior quality within the squad this season. Quality is one thing, but attitude is key.
Joe. Posted 8 March 2009 Posted 8 March 2009 Whaaat?! Just seen it cost Norwich fans £27 to get in at Blackpool yesterday. And they played Carl Cort on his own up front. Scrap my initial post, if you continue to do that you bloody will go down.
foxaholic Posted 8 March 2009 Posted 8 March 2009 Best thing thats ever happened to us in my opinion mate. Been my most enjoyable season as a leicester fan. And quite honestly the actual what i would call "real football" played at this level is much higher than in the championship, it stays on the deck more often than not and the entertainment levels are much higher than in the championship.I can honestly say it has let our club start again, and brought us all together, hopefully next season with great support and momentum we can stick it out in the champ. What tends to get overlooked by Leicester fans is it was a big bonus to come down with 2 minnows and only Leeds were in any way comparable .If Leeds dont go up and Southampton and Charlton come down with N0rwich it will be much harder .
davieG Posted 8 March 2009 Posted 8 March 2009 What tends to get overlooked by Leicester fans is it was a big bonus to come down with 2 minnows and only Leeds were in any way comparable .If Leeds dont go up and Southampton and Charlton come down with N0rwich it will be much harder . An excellent point.
Finnegan Posted 8 March 2009 Posted 8 March 2009 Basically, what you want to do is take every aspect of Leeds United as a model for what to do in League One... ... and then do the exact opposite.
Babylon Posted 8 March 2009 Posted 8 March 2009 Basically, what you want to do is take every aspect of Leeds United as a model for what to do in League One...... and then do the exact opposite.
Fez of Mahrez Posted 8 March 2009 Posted 8 March 2009 I'd take Croft if you went down. Best of luck though, got no beef with Norwich. Would be quite happy to see the back of Charlton, Southampton and Blackpool/Plymouth.
JakeShingler Posted 8 March 2009 Posted 8 March 2009 I'd take Croft if you went down. Best of luck though, got no beef with Norwich. Would be quite happy to see the back of Charlton, Southampton and Blackpool/Plymouth. Rather Plymouth than Blackpool Judt for the awayday next season .
dandannieldanok Posted 8 March 2009 Posted 8 March 2009 thanks guys, the worry i have is we don't have the money of Mandaric, you don't seem to have lost too many players since your relegation other than Hume and Mcauley. When we're down i doubt we'll be able to keep Clingan and Croft. We have a few decent youngsters coming through but they haven't been given a chance so maybe being in League1 will give us a chance to blood them and with 20,000 season tickets expected to be sold we should just about be able to raise enough money to bring in a few players, whether they'll be of the standard to take us up i don't know. I could talk for hours about our useless board but they'll never **** off unless somebody makes them a decent offer so we'll have to make do.Will be hard watching Norwich in the third tier of english football as we've never been down there during my lifetime but i suppose we have to face up to it. I'd be very surprised if you sold 20,000 season tickets if you stayed up, I'd be absolutely amazed if you sold 20,000 season tickets in League One. Are they giving them away or something?
Koke Posted 8 March 2009 Posted 8 March 2009 I'd be very surprised if you sold 20,000 season tickets if you stayed up, I'd be absolutely amazed if you sold 20,000 season tickets in League One. Are they giving them away or something? They are well supported and also the fact that there aren't many clubs in their surrounding areas so they have a pretty solid strong fan base. We have 7 big clubs within 1 hours drive. Still, it's quite impressive by them.
Corky Posted 8 March 2009 Posted 8 March 2009 I'd be very surprised if you sold 20,000 season tickets if you stayed up, I'd be absolutely amazed if you sold 20,000 season tickets in League One. Are they giving them away or something? 17,000 have renewed for next season already at Norwich.
JakeShingler Posted 8 March 2009 Posted 8 March 2009 17,000 have renewed for next season already at Norwich.
Corky Posted 8 March 2009 Posted 8 March 2009 http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/t...ich/7923912.stm
J.Lisemore Posted 8 March 2009 Posted 8 March 2009 As long as Southampton go down i'm happy. Fingers crossed Norwich stay in the CCC though, good club with good fans.
AoWW Posted 8 March 2009 Posted 8 March 2009 I'd be very surprised if you sold 20,000 season tickets if you stayed up, I'd be absolutely amazed if you sold 20,000 season tickets in League One. Are they giving them away or something? 17,000 have renewed for next season already at Norwich. There isn't much alternative entertainment 'round here.
Asha Posted 8 March 2009 Posted 8 March 2009 Relegation to League One can mean the opportunity to start again, build a new team and get the youngsters involved and bounce back a stronger club. Or, you could miss out on promotion and slowly sink to an eternity of mid-table mediocrity.
Father Ted Posted 8 March 2009 Posted 8 March 2009 hi i'm a Norwich City fan and you probaly know our position in the championship is looking rather precarious. Just wanted to hear how you've managed to turn it around this season as our fall mirrors yours considerbaly. You were an average championship side for a couple of years before your relegation like we have been and just wondered whether you feel relegation has given your club the opportunity to "start again"?Heres to playing Leicester back in the top flight in a few years where both clubs belong It was a total blessing in disguise. We got rid of Holloway, I'm sure you would be glad to get rid of Roeder and brought in a new manager who has been a messiah. We've basically built up a young squad.
davieG Posted 8 March 2009 Posted 8 March 2009 It was a total blessing in disguise. We got rid of Holloway, I'm sure you would be glad to get rid of Roeder and brought in a new manager who has been a messiah. We've basically built up a young squad. I believe they've already got rid of Roeder.
lildave3 Posted 8 March 2009 Posted 8 March 2009 It was a total blessing in disguise. We got rid of Holloway, I'm sure you would be glad to get rid of Roeder and brought in a new manager who has been a messiah. We've basically built up a young squad. Oh dear.
Dan Posted 8 March 2009 Posted 8 March 2009 One thing that absolutely does my head in is other fans at school saying ''you should be top anyway its hardly an achievement'', which is ironic when theres a few Leeds fans there Either way I think the reason we've done so well is consistency, last season we were the most inconsistent team you could imagine, no wins on the bounce good god. But I think one thing thats made this season so good is sticking with one manager, they don't become managers by chance, take Glenn Roeder, he did a poor job for Norwich, but I bet after 5 years in charge he would have them in the Premiership, purely because they would have stuck with their manager, why else would Man Utd and Arsenal (ignore this season) do so well for years. Look at Leicester last season, 5 pissing managers for crying out loud, if we would of stuck with Martin Allen for the whole season I see there is no way we would of gone down.
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