Fans have their say on Norwich's record home defeat

Glum city fans watch as the team head for a record home defeat. Photo: Adrian Judd.

Fans from as far away as Australia and America emailed to voice their discontent. Here are some of their responses, which have been cut down to allow as many people as possible to comment:

Graham Freeman, 53, said: “It's an absolutely unbelievable result given the hope that pre-season games had given us. I guess, and sincerely hope, it can't get any worse. I also hope that with all the calls for Bryan Gunn's head that this is not going to be the end of his association with the club. If you snap him in half he is yellow and green all the way through.”

Brian Johnston has been a city support since 1955 but did not renew his membership this year.

“I did not renew my membership this year because I can see Norwich in two years time being where my new club Histon are now.

“The reason for this is simple; Norwich do not have two vital values that Histon have. One is fight - I have not seen a Norwich team battle properly for at least three years. You can play pretty football but if you are not prepared to battle you have no chance.

“Secondly Norwich do not have a decent centre back and have not since Malky Mackay and the defence is extremely poor. They have signed loads of strikers but without two good centre-backs and a keeper you will get beaten week after week.”

Trish Thorpe said: “I have followed Norwich City since I was a young girl in 1964. I have been a season ticket holder for the past 11 seasons and I can honestly say that while watching the embarrassing, humiliating 7-1 defeat its the closest I have come to crying during a game. I am so angry that I really don't know what to say.”

Manager Bryan Gunn after the match.

Dave Bulmer, who has been a supporter since 1964, said: “I have followed this football club since I was eight, and I have to say that that was the most embarrassing performance I have ever witnessed.

“We think that the club needs to seriously look at itself and Delia and Co realise that they have taken the club as far as they can, and leave.”

Jon Moule, who has been a season ticket holder since he was 13, said: “I cannot believe what I have just witnessed. A truly shocking display, with no tactical awareness on the entire pitch.

“Now I am not a qualified coach, but even I can see that the team was not balanced. How can our manager not see this? Where were the subs when we went one or even two down? Where was the leadership on the pitch?

“We are officially a laughing stock and this club is going to the dogs.

“Gunn was a legend on the pitch, has brought in some strong signings on paper. Now we need the person who can organise them. I fear the board will now have to deal with many season ticket cancellations.”

Sean Read said: “I have been a Norwich fan for most of my life; my grandfather watched Norwich play at the Nest.

Colchester celebrate another goal. Photo: Adrian Judd.

I have not seen Norwich play for a few games as I have been out of work for seven months but I recently got a job so I thought I would treat myself and even placed a bet on Norwich winning 3-0. I watched the game unfold and Norwich looked fairly sharp for three minutes then it went downhill badly.

“I left the game at half time and felt our keeper was a joke and felt very let down. I would say that is the worst display of football I have ever seen and I feel for Gunn dearly.”

Arthur Whittle, who is 73 this month, said: “I am sad to say I have witnessed the poorest goalkeeping display in NCFC history.

“Pick fault with Gunn over various issues that you will but my main gripe has to be the signing of the worst goalkeeper in NCFC history. We should have been able to trust Gunn in this area but Theo Fumble is a shocker. The minute the third goal went in we were calling for Alnwick to come on but on stayed the clumsy Aussie. How did he win best keeper in Australia?”

Tim Sell, who has been a supporter for 42 years, said: “I can never remember anything like this. I am absolutely shocked, our performance (even that word should be substituted by another) was alarming.

“Colchester looked fitter, had pace, could pass the ball and appeared a bonded unit. We were slow, looked like it was our first game together, couldn't pass, were afraid to pass, didn't want the ball, it was just a complete shambles.”

Richard Matthews, a supporter since 1976, said: “What an embarrassment we were witness. The shame of relegation was compounded by the drubbing at the hands of another East Anglian side.

I did not join the spontaneous protest following the game - I left before the final whistle for only the second time in my years of going to Carrow Road - but at least some people had the right thought in calling for Delia and Michael to get out.

As for the two that invaded the pitch, they should be punished for breaking the law, naturally; but a lifetime ban is inappropriate, considering they had the nerve to do what thousands of us had long considered.

Keith Ashley, 46, has been going to Carrow Road since he was seven.

“Just when I thought my beloved club could sink no lower, along comes a tidal wave. Colchester Utd were far from good in fact they were very average, we made them look like Man United,” he said.

“It was unbelievable to be honest, I had just witnessed the worst Norwich City team than I can remember (and we've had a few), normally at this stage individual players would be picked on but I am not going to do that because thinking about it, apart from the subs (which were made far too late), they were all diabolical.”

Dave Kenton has been actively following city for more than 30 years, he said: “Who to blame? Firstly the board who never seem to learn and appointed Bryan Gunn despite a total lack of managerial experience and after the Charlton game clearly cannot motivate and lead a team.

“Secondly Gunn and his managerial and coaching staff who were given the task of building a squad capable of getting us out of this division and also picking teams capable of performing to the league one style of play Colchester were bigger and very direct and we just had no answer to it.

“Anyone with any degree of football knowledge could see after 20 minutes our midfield were being totally overrun and we needed to change things around.”

Trevor Chestney has been following city since 1965 and was at the match with daughter Chloe but left at half time.

He said: “It is the first time in all those years that I had left a game through anger and frustration and after the last three years enough is enough. I don't know what is going on at Carrow Road but it cannot continue we are becoming the laughing stock of the east. Please Norwich City, sort it out before it's too late.”

John Cooper said: “Devastated is an understatement of how I feel right now. I have lived in Newcastle upon Tyne for the last 30 years and get to as many games as I can each season. I was at Charlton on the final day of last season and thought surely it could not get any worse, but the first 25 minutes of today's game sounded worse than the first 20 minutes at Charlton - a complete embarrassment. The off the field 'hype' needs to be matched by the performances on the field. It's far too early to say whether Gunn is the man to take City back to the Championship but we will know after 10 games.”

John Clarke said: “It is far to early to make any predictions on how this will affect the overall season because there is plenty of time to turn things around and I have seen it happen before. However, I could not see one positive to take away from this. You could argue that with all the new players it will take a time to gel, but the defence was probably the worst unit on the pitch and three out of the four players have played together for three plus seasons.

In more than 35 years of watching the team home and away (and I'll be at Exeter next week - mug that I am!) never have I been so embarrassed to wear the yellow and green.”

Denis Pye said: “I have followed NCFC for 55 years through thick and thin. I managed to get to a radio for the half time score, only to have the breath completely knocked out of me, leaving me totally stunned. RIP Canaries. Anyone know the way to Inverness Caledonian Thistle?”

Ade Blowers said: “I have been a city fan for 40 years, my daughter has been coming for many years too. We both live in Lowestoft so its not on our doorstep. We are all getting fed up with the whole club. It's going to be hard to convince my daughter's three-year-old son to be a city fan after this.”

Luke Moore said: “Years of intransigence, mis-management and outright arrogance from the board have landed us in our current position and while it is sadly patently clear that Gunn is not the answer, he should not be the only one held to account; though held to account for this performance he must be. Failure to explain the result or performance is utterly unacceptable. Bryan, you were paid to witness that, 25,000 or so others had the misfortune to pay for it.

Delia may have been the saviour of our club but she has rapidly also become the harbinger of doom, with utterly rudderless leadership. All summer; a supposed new dawn of optimism, the so called sweeping of a clean broom through the club has been tempered by the reality that despite searching high and low for investment there are no takers.”

Herbert Codling, a supporter since 1951, said: “I have a lot of respect for Bryan Gunn and the tremendous work he has done for the club over many years. However, it was patently clear, following his appointment last season, that he did not have the required experience and tactical knowledge to meet the challenge of successfully avoiding relegation.

“Norwich City Football Club only survives because of the passion of Delia and Michael Wynn Jones and supporters should be forever grateful to them.”

Chris Bird said: “I've been a Norwich supporter for 35 years, and this was a shocking start to the season, after a dismal end to last season. There are no real solutions from the board, we are in serious decline, and support could halve next season if we don't see progress. Supporters have been on Delia's fantasy island long enough and a return to the mainland is now long overdue.”

Martine Webber said: “It is no surprise because the Norwich set up have not a clue how to run a football club as the past three seasons have shown. The folly of it all now seems to be continuing for a fourth season. This team is has lost its way in more ways than one, and if they still want to play such diabolical football as per the last few years, then another drop will teach them dearly.”

Stephen Noakes said: “I live in Blacksburg, Virginia in America and have been a life long fan of NCFC. I have, over the many years, that I have lived abroad listened to the games online and have been thankful for this but now I am left sad at the slow and painful demise of this club. The club is in major debt, that can be understood by the price tag which was slapped on the club, the board refuse to sell the club to anyone outside of the UK which is the only place that big money will come from.

“I love the team and would do anything to see them regain their position as a club with a good future but it is not going to happen, beware the Leeds scenario we are this years version.”

Graham Last, a regular supporter since 1967, said: “It was probably the worst display I've ever seen. I was at Fulham and Charlton. True they were bad but this was even worse especially bearing in mind we were at home. Why the team should struggle so badly after very good pre-season results is a mystery but the manager really has his work cut out to get us out of this mess. I suspect he won't have long to do it.”

Tim Moore, who has been a Canary supporter for 40 years, said: “I've lived in Manchester since I was four but I've always stayed loyal to the Canaries on the basis that I was born in Norwich. I'm honestly wondering why I bothered now. Most people with any common sense would have started supporting Man United or Man City. Gunn is not the man for the job. I was in the Gunn Club after the Plymouth game last season. He is much too friendly with the players + they just regard him as one of them and not the gaffer.”

Dave Shearwood said: “Prior to moving to Australia three years ago I was a season ticket holder in the city stand for eight years. I had witnessed a gradual decline of this great and proud club but after reading the result on Satursday, never in a million years did I along with 26,000 fans think we could ever lower to such depths as this.

After the 7-1 drubbing I now have to find the courage to at least show my face amongst my Aussie friends.”

Keith Gamble, a city fan since 1970, said: “At the start of the match yesterday On the Ball City was sung so loud my ears rang, certainly the loudest I've heard for several seasons. Thirteen minutes later, hope and expectation were extinguished. All any of us really ask for is some hope. It was somehow appropriate that on the day when we remembered Bobby Robson, our former nemesis, a sign should have been posted outside Carrow Road. 'Football Leader wanted - genius preferred, but not essential'.”

Steven Batchelor, from Dubai, said: “We need to get away from this nice family club outlook and get mean, aggressive, winners, addressing problems with hard action, and not all this happy clappy, rose tinted garbage that certain wall flowers sprout out. The board and the players, I believe, have it too easy. We were told we had brought winning mentalities to the club, sad that the decay of losing was allowed to stay and infect the new additions.”

Peter Durber said: “My son and I have been lifelong supporters of Norwich City and travel from the Sussex Coast to see as many home and away matches as we can at considerable cost. What a shocking advert the performance was for the New Regime. The team lacked any sense of cohesion, skill and the apparent absence of real commitment from most of the players leaves us wondering whether or not to continue our support.”

Paul Randall said: “I started going to see Norwich City when I was so small I couldn't see much especially when the crowd stood up. I'm 53 now and have been a fan all these years.

“I cannot possibly vocalise the extent of my disappointment and feeling of being so let down by the players, the board and especially the manager, Bryan Gunn. How can any professional, in whatever field they practice their art, possibly survive after what we were put through on Saturday afternoon. I still have to pinch myself to appreciate that this was not against Manchester Utd, Bayern Munich, AC Milan, Arsenal, Chelsea.”

“Norwich City the laughing stock of not only the UK but the world as I have received text messages from India and Africa laughing at the result he and his players delivered to the most loyal of fan base.”

Amanda Yallup said: “I think yesterday may have showed that there are advantages and disadvantages for a team playing in front of 25,000 fans. For many of our team, they were not used to such pressure and expectation. Fine playing in front of a full house when you are winning but mighty unpleasant if you are not doing well.

“There was too much of a carnival atmosphere before the game and I cannot help but think that the crowd and the players thought that the win was in the bag long before we had the minute's applause for the late Sir Bobby Robson.”