Delia Shows She's Got a Pair.

Bob Morton..I mean Neil Doncaster..."Time to erase that mistake"

Norwich City this evening have announced that Chairman Roger Munby and unpopular Chief Executive Neil Doncaster have left the club. A rather polite statement from NCFC suggested that the pair 'stepped down' and the board thanked the pair for their efforts. Basically, Delia finally plucked up the courage to open the window and boot Doncaster into the street. Well done girl!

Fans of Robocop will remember a scene where Clarence Boddicker places a dvd into Robocop creator Bob Morton's player and plays a message from his boss, played by Ronny Cox. The discussions between majority shareholders, Michael Foulger, Delia Smith and her husband Michael Wynn-Jones has resulted in a very similar message (reading between the lines) to Norwich City fans. "Delia made a mistake, now it's time to erase that mistake"...tick, tick, BOOM.

Since climbing from secretary to board member and Chief Executive, Doncaster has held a reputation of a puppet master. Cajoling the board with his spin. He sits on the FLI (Football League Interactive) board and was responsible for flogging City's internet and broadcast rights. A move that yielded a sub-par product, and one not available to all supporters! Often bending the truth publicly, Doncaster could spin with the best of them when talking finance. Rumor had it that he was not the best of negotiators and akward when dealing with agents. And we all know bad negiotiators often fail to sign good players.

Munby, the departing chairman never really seemed a problem, well not to those on the outside anyway. He appeared to be a nice fella, always outside the turnstiles at away games, willing to have a natter with the fans.

In fact, Doncaster was also very accessible to supporters. Just this past Monday I emailed him questioning his comments about Norwich City's financial hit due to the drop. He always replied and was up for a debate. Problem is, you would never like the answer you got and never believed that HE believed what he said. Most fans felt that he had his own agenda, one concerning self-preservation at the expense of change, new blood on the board and investment.

Norwich City today confirmed Chairman Roger Munby and Chief Executive Neil Doncaster have both stepped down from their roles at the club....We want to sincerely thank both Roger and Neil for their hard work and commitment to the club over their years working with us.

-NCFC statement.

Loosely translated the above says..."This ship is drifting out to sea and the captain can't read a map, therefore he has been thrown overboard and the auto-pilot is bringing us in to dry dock until a new captain can be found."

Getting tough. Delia finally realizes that the 'top man' of failed companies has to go.

Majority shareholder Delia Smith has taken a beating in recent years. Lots of fans, especially the young ones, have forgotten what Delia has done for the club in the past. She has done a great job in turning the club into one with a Premiership stadium and fantastic training facilities. The football, however, has been less than fantastic. Still, she delivered a play-off final and a season in the Premiership.

The problem is, that after the drop the mismanagement of money and awful decision making has left my beloved City in a freefall, resulting in relegation this term and a 100 reasons for Delia to do some much needed soul searching. I never in a million years expected Doncaster to get shit-canned though. I was expecting Munby to be made the scape goat and maybe Delia herself. But never Doncaster. I doubt he saw it coming himself!

Doncaster appeared to be a tsar-like figure pushing the board any direction he chose. He had the spin, and they were too nice to question him. That was my impression anyway. Today's news is finally a sign that Delia has decided to aggressively step back into the kitchen (sorry) and take to the heat. To do what she has felt needed doing a long time ago.

There will be more changes coming for sure. Structure of the board, an announcement that Gunn and Co. will carry on as manager (hopefully) and possibly news of some much needed investment. But until then, this is a step in the right direction. A sure sign that Delia wants to seize the club back from the tight grip of failure.

No more Mrs. Nice Chef.

-Bigus

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Up The City! I’m Begging You…

This week, my good mate, Bigus Dickus’ Norwich City Canaries head to Preston North End for yet another critical match in their drive to again survive to fight another year in the Football League Championship.

After Chelsea, there is no football club on the planet that I follow more closely. There is no football club who’s week-to-week fortunes affect my very happiness. Norwich’s relegation scraps have me on the edge of my seat.

Why do I care deeply about some two-bit Anglian club run by a drunk fry-cook and her incompetent boardmates? Because they are my Tortured Friend’s Team. Find out what this means after the jump…

Bigus is my good mate. We’ve shared many a fantastic evening. We wind each other up into a (mostly) friendly rage most every week talking football. And if you are a mate of Bigus’, Norwich City is in your life.

Norwich City are my cross to bear because they are Bigus’ cross to bear. Much like my wife has had to suffer the slings and arrows of being married to a Buffalo Bills fan – the foul moods, the exultation-followed-by-inevitable-heartbreak – I suffer with Norwich because I can’t stand the thought of watching my good mate’s team drop to (shudder) League One. The lad would be devastated. I can’t bear the thought of watching him endure such a thing.

So every week, like a Stockholm-Syndrome victim, I follow the ins and outs of Carrow Road. I check the table. I follow the transfer rumours. I try to figure out how in hell a club in Norwich’s position could possibly hire an utterly inexperienced manager at such a critical time. I do the points math. I try to figure out how many points Watford’s two matches in hand are worth.

I do this because Norwich are in my life as surely as they are in Bigus’ life. Last Spring, there were a group of us dying every Saturday as Norwich stumbled to safety. There were weeks when a critical Chelsea victory somehow mattered less to my state of mind than a Norwich away draw.

Now, you might think that I would hate Norwich for this. Hate them like I hate the demons that have ruined other friends’ lives. Demons like alcohol, depression or cancer. But I worship Demon Chelsea. I have a Blue fever to Bigus’ Yellow. I can’t help but sweat every result in the Canary saga.

England, too. Do you remember watching England with your English mates the last, say, 20 major international tournaments? Have you bought an England shirt in fellowship? Does the thought of PKs haunt your dreams?

Or do you have a Tottenham supporter friend? If so, nothing more need be said.

Who is your Tortured Friend’s Team?

How have you debased yourself cheering them on for your friend?

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