Yellow and Green Passion

Article by e-Norwich Correspondent Mik Hancock

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After another insipid performance at St Marys Stadium, there is no point in trying to look at things in any other way. Something is seriously wrong at Carrow Road. The question is what?

At half-time, I wrote on a Canaries Internet forum ‘No passion. No drive. No determination. No desire. Players, manager, board and chief exec alike must take the blame. What a load of rubbish. Unfortunately there is only one way now’.

With hindsight, maybe not all of this was correct. All things considered, I believe that Delia Smith and the board passionately believe Chris Hughton to be the right man for Norwich City. Chris Hughton believes passionately in his players and the players (at least those who give interviews) believe passionately in Chris Hughton. So that just leaves the coaching staff.

Chris Hughton has a fine record as a coach and perhaps this is the problem. It’s a fine record as a coach, as a number two, but not as a number one. Managing a premier league team and the multi-million pound expectations that come with it are different, it’s not coaching.

So, if the board passionately consider Chris Hughton the right man for the job, then maybe he was hired on his coaching abilities and not on his management skills. Therefore, let him get on with the coaching and hire somebody to do the day to day managing of the team, at least in the short term.

I don’t want to speak ill of the coaches but, Colin Calderwood’s known problems with Grant Holt again came to the fore last season. The former Canary legend knows his strengths and the team selection at Carrow Road had always been set up to play to it. Not last season. That Grant was still the team’s top scorer was a testament to his passion. That Grant wanted to get away was a testament to the Calderwood factor.

This season we have the saga of The Canaries most talented player, Wes Hoolahan wanting out. Is it the Calderwood factor? Or is it the Paul Trollope factor? Both were never successful as managers and perhaps now both are desperate to put their stamp on things. If it is this scenario, then the lack of motivation and passion on behalf of the players can be expected. Yes, players are paid an exorbitant amount of money to pull on the yellow and green shirt, but they’re not daft. They’ll know if the tactics they go into the game with are unsuited to them and this will be shown on the pitch.

So my message to the club is, bring in a manager experienced in the mundane day to day running of a football club, sack both the current coaches and bring in one or two Canary legends to help Chris Hughton get back to the basics and keep the club where it deserves to be. I suggest Neil Adams and maybe, just maybe Darren Huckerby. Both are passionate about the club and maybe this passion can spill over to the players on the pitch and pull The Canaries away from the mire of relegation uncertainty.