A man who won't accept slackers

So the new man has been chosen. Had you told me two weeks ago Peter Grant was to be our new boss I'd have been distinctly under-whelmed.

Mr Grant recalls memories of one of the poorest Norwich sides The Man can remember - and PG was slap bang in the middle of it.

All I remember from his time at Norwich was this mop of blonde hair trudging around midfield shouting at people.

It was clear we were never going to get Curbishley; while McLeish didn't fancy it. The Man understands Bowen was offered the job too, but turned it down.

Chippy was clearly close to getting the gig, and on pure sentimental grounds it would have been tempting. However, I'm not sure how his pre-match dietary regime of a fag, a packet of crisps and a can of Coke, will have gone down with Delia.

And after all, he has only been coaching in Australia - not exactly the first world of football.

As for Tilson, I'd imagine we didn't have the stomach for a compensation fight with Southend, not with a 250K bill at the end of it.

I really hope Tilson gets a decent job one day. He's achieved wonders there and The Man would imagine his not too chuffed at his chairman blocking his progression: surely two promotions in that dump warrants a get out of jail free card.

So, Granty is our boy.

As The Man said, at first glance it's not the sort of appointment that has people reaching for their season ticket renewal forms.

But the more I think about it, the more promising it seems.

I get the feeling - from recalling those midfield rantings - that PG is the sort of bloke that won't accept slackers. Worthington was similar, but clearly the players stopped listening to him.

The first thing I would like Grant to do is get right under the players' skin: Safri, McVeigh, Thorne and Jarvis in particular.

Worthy's first major act in the job was to have a big clear-out, sadly because of the state Worthy left the squad in that will not be possible this time around.

If we lose three or four players we don't have enough to fill the first team: so PG will have to go with what he's got. Off-the-pitch that will be the case too.

There was no way the board was ever going to stomach pay offs for Hunter, Livermore and Webb after having to cough up for Worthy in full.

The Man thinks this situation was one of the factors behind PG getting the job.

Firstly, that he was prepared to inherit a backroom team - and secondly that the board thought he was a big enough personality to stamp his authority on the club.

Three-to-one in favour of the old guard is more than an imbalance, but hopefully Grant won't take any b******t from them.

Whatever people think about the appointment, it is time to rally behind our new man.

With a bit of luck and a semblance of away form we could still challenge for a top six spot this season, but after that it's a long, hard road back to the top.

Since about mid-way through the Premiership season there has been a tangible negativity and disharmony around the club - I should know - The Man has been part of it.

But I do long for those days when going to games was accompanied by enthusiasm, and the thought of an away trip did not bring me out in a cold sweat.

If PG can deliver a team that looks like it cares, then that will do for me. Burnley at home was an abomination; you can only hope we are not going to stoop that low away for a number of years.

Let's not forget -we are a great football club, run by good people - and we deserve better. Good luck Mr Grant.

t Although in recent times The Man has been critical of our players, that doesn't mean it's all right for people outside the club to do it.

This week I was a mildly annoyed that John Toshack saw fit to make Earnie the scapegoat for Wales' hilarious 5-1 defeat to Slovakia.

The Championship's top goal scorer was hauled off at half-time, and apparently given a dressing down by Tosh for his performance.

To be honest, I think Toshack should count himself lucky he's got Earnie to rely on. He is a loyal servant and always gets goals - just as he did against Cyprus.

If Toshack had to rely solely on the likes of Giggs - who once again missed Welsh games due to injury - he'd find himself in even more trouble.

The Man thinks Toshack is a plonker anyway, and while he's there Wales' rubbish record will continue.

Forget about him Earnie - we all love you.

t The Man has spoken before of his admiration for Neil Warnock.

Don't get me wrong - I love it when we beat one of his sides - but he strikes me as a decent bloke.

This week he said he hated watching England because they were rubbish: I concur.

NW said: "People are shouting for the England manager's head already after three or four games - nothing changes about that.

"I think people have to look further into the England scenario. We have got a great bunch of players but in club football they all play with foreign players.

"Arsenal played us without even an English player in the team. Until there are restrictions on the number of foreign players I don't think we can have our cake and eat it.

"We are going to get great Premiership football, end to end at 100mph, but you are not going to have a good international team even if Houdini is the manager." Spot on Colin.