The prospect of winning the play-offs...

is a funny feeling isn't it? 

Apart from the delusional lot up the road, the knowledge of what is coming every other week, is a frightening prospect.

I get that it has to be about wanting to compete against the best in the country, but in 2024 that now comes complete with a huge caveat.

Already said it a few times but the money you get is great, putting your club and city on the big stage is great..

But I hate the Prem. It's a corrupt cesspit of oil barons and gangster club owners full of plastic fans who only support the top six sides and hold such stupid elitist mindsets it's surprising they are not supporting the idea of a super league

1 minute ago, cambridgeshire canary said:

Already said it a few times but the money you get is great, putting your club and city on the big stage is great..

 

But I hate the Prem. It's a corrupt cesspit of oil barons and gangster club owners full of plastic fans who only support the top six sides and hold such stupid elitist mindsets it's surprising they are not supporting the idea of a super league

They do support a super league

1 minute ago, dylanisabaddog said:

They do support a super league

Let em have it. Sooner the better.. 

Let's see if this thread ages beyond 11pm tonight.

Perhaps we can then discuss the prospect of the club maintaining its current infrastructure of players and facilities without Premier League money or parachute payments.

Think this conversation is a tad early. Get tonight out the way. 

48 minutes ago, cambridgeshire canary said:

Already said it a few times but the money you get is great, putting your club and city on the big stage is great..

 

But I hate the Prem. It's a corrupt cesspit of oil barons and gangster club owners full of plastic fans who only support the top six sides and hold such stupid elitist mindsets it's surprising they are not supporting the idea of a super league

This absolutely this and more of this. 

The premier League however is now already basically a super league, where the haves absolutely rule and run riot, and the have nots are eaten up for dinner and have the media already asking if relegation/promotion to the premier League should be scrapped and the winners of the EFL champs are just that, the football league champions and the teams in the PL are the " biggest teams in the land "  

1 hour ago, cambridgeshire canary said:

Already said it a few times but the money you get is great, putting your club and city on the big stage is great..

 

But I hate the Prem. It's a corrupt cesspit of oil barons and gangster club owners full of plastic fans who only support the top six sides and hold such stupid elitist mindsets it's surprising they are not supporting the idea of a super league

I wasn't aware that the fans of Newcastle, West Ham, Everton, Wolves, Palace and many other PL clubs were 'plastic'. What a strange statement. 

Primary feeling remains possible joy excitement and achievement with a smaller feeling of dread.

But shall be shouting my support in LS11

It is a bit head versus heart.

Sensible (and probably correct) answer is there is never a bad time to get promoted. Over £100m in TV money, values of players like Sara, Sargent, Rowe etc all shoot up and we get to keep them for another season, and their values stay higher if they produce in the Prem. A large part of why Norwich could attract players like Sara, Nunez and Sainz in the Championship is due to Norwich's recent history of being a Prem team (although not a good one) and the prospect that the club could again be one. The more time being in the Champ makes it harder to make this case, and ultimately harder to get out of the league. Selling the club to a player from Brazil with "we were in the Prem 3 years ago" is a much harder task and we'd be unlikely to attract another Sara.

However, next season might also not be a bad time to be in the Prem. PSR rules are kicking in hardest among the bottom 10 teams. Everton could be in big trouble if the takeover falls apart and will need to sell a significant amount of players to stay afloat, Nottingham Forest will also have to sell their best players such as Gibbs-White etc. Wolves have set out they will need to make a profit on transfers and Leicester are already facing a points deduction for next season. There is also the chance McKenna leaves Ipswich for Man U, which would be pretty funny.

The more emotional feeling is that being in the Prem for Norwich has been pretty awful. Aside from a few good games (Man City, Watford away etc.) it is pretty much a relentless slog. It isn't even the 6-0 drubbings by the big 6 that are really the worst thing, but the 2-1 home defeats to teams that will be in the relegation fight or going away to somewhere like West Ham and losing 2-0 without really feeling the opposition needed to play at their best. Given how even if Norwich did win the play-off final I don't feel like there is the unity and euphoria in the fan base like other promotions, I suspect the atmosphere could get really toxic if things went badly. 

So in summary, staying in the Champ feels bad and getting promoted feels bad... 

(Only caveat, I would be excited to see what Knapper and Attanasio do with a full summer window going into the Prem. But I'm excited to see what they do with a summer window going into the Championship as well.) 

If we lose tonight wouldn’t be a shock to hear a ‘mutual consent ‘ separation in the coming days ?!

suspect we may hear a little more from knapper re summer plans as a lot of contracts will soon expire .

We all want our team to do well, but remember what the Premier League means. Not winning the play-offs is far from the end of the world

2 hours ago, Bethnal Yellow and Green said:

It isn't even the 6-0 drubbings by the big 6 that are really the worst thing, but the 2-1 home defeats to teams that will be in the relegation fight or going away to somewhere like West Ham and losing 2-0 without really feeling the opposition needed to play at their best.

Oh god this. So much this. For me it was Palace, not West Ham, but yes.

Personally I really, really hope we get to Wembley. If we do, I feel I'll genuinely be going there not really caring about the result.

Never a better time to get back to the Prem. 

Really hoping they get it done and Fuxk over Farke.

My concern with going up this year is really that I wouldnt feel it was based on anything. Previously we'd swept the division aside playing a brand of attractive successful football that, at least first time round, we had a hope could be a platform.

This season we've laboured our way into the play-offs. I really feel that for us to have any hope of staying up and playing in a recognisable way we'd essentially have to buy an entirely new team.

I look at the current squad and I wouldnt call any of them Premier League players

6 hours ago, Bethnal Yellow and Green said:

 

(Only caveat, I would be excited to see what Knapper and Attanasio do with a full summer window going into the Prem. But I'm excited to see what they do with a summer window going into the Championship as well.) 

Bethnal, great to have you back!

Have some faith guys. Only a few seasons ago Leicester won it.

Unfancied teams do go up an get established - Bournemouth, Brighton and even Brentford. Who'd of thought it !

We just need to be more savvy and difficult to beat than Farke's 'open' teams of the past

23 minutes ago, The Great Mass Debater said:

My concern with going up this year is really that I wouldnt feel it was based on anything. Previously we'd swept the division aside playing a brand of attractive successful football that, at least first time round, we had a hope could be a platform.

This season we've laboured our way into the play-offs. I really feel that for us to have any hope of staying up and playing in a recognisable way we'd essentially have to buy an entirely new team.

I look at the current squad and I wouldnt call any of them Premier League players

Some Premiership Bench

Some Championship Bench

Some Conference starters 

There’s also the prospect, if we lose, of being in the Champs with no parachute payments.

 Which makes the decision about which to prefer a bit easier !!

not that it’s a choice of course… whatever happens, happens…

No matter how bonkers the PL is you always have to want to get there otherwise what's the point? 

13 hours ago, Positive_Canary said:

is a funny feeling isn't it? 

 

 

 

 

No laughing matter tonight