City should not be afraid of Uncle Sam

FOR SALE: Football club with nice restaurants and Darren Huckerby. Decent support. Ideal for a first-time buyer.

Well, we've got to give it a go haven't we? Even poxy Southampton are being linked with an American billionaire, while Those We Don't Speak Of seem set to do what we have long suspected - ditch their debts and start spending again.

The Man is not for one minute disregarding the work the Stowmarket Two have done.

In an ideal world we would march back to the top flight with Queen Delia at the helm, rising up against the Roman Empire like her Celtic foremother Boudica.

But; the goal-posts are shifting…and shifting fast.

Half of me wants us to bury our heads in the sand and just pray that this current mega-bucks revolution in football disappears; and we can just be good old Norwich City - sometimes good, sometimes bad; but never too far adrift of at least the illusion of being able to compete.

But then the other half of The Man thinks we should be hawking ourselves to Uncle Sam.

Let's face it - English clubs have made a balls-up up of trying to run this game properly - why not let some people with real experience of a balanced sports franchise take over?

Great support, real assets, a big catchment area, a couple of decent players - I don't think we are a bad bet for any Yank that wants to gatecrash the Sky contract.

I fully understand Delia's hesitance to even contemplate a foreign owner coming in; but she should be proud that the club she's built up again is worthy of investment in the first place. Ten years ago the words 'potential' and 'Norwich City' would never have been put in the same sentence.

But when clubs like Birmingham are marvelling at our crowds then you really have to be alive to the fact we've got a decent profile to push.

Let's not be scared to at least listen to overseas offers - in the unlikely event any should come our way.

The dream of holding out for a Norfolk millionaire to carry on the Stowmarket Two's mantle is a flawed one as far as I'm concerned.

I trust Delia and MWJ; but I'm sure they'll feel as sick as the rest of us if we have to watch Ipswich ditch their debts and pass us by. You have to try and move forward just to stand still; let's not get left behind.

A SHAME IF WE LOSE DUBLIN BECAUSE OF THE GEOGRAPHY

The Man is pleased to see The Double D has been offered a new deal.

But the jungle drums suggest we might have some competition from up the A47 - and I'm not talking about The Bloaters.

More than a couple of people have mentioned Dion could be set to link up with Fergie Junior at Peterborough.

No doubt geography will play its part - rather than the relative stature of the two clubs.

It'll be a shame if we lose him; we're not exactly overflowing with leaders at the moment.

t Drury, the Doc and Fotheringham have all been given new deals.

In Drury's case it has been accompanied by a four-year deal; which if you'd seen his performance against Saints, you'd wonder if PTP had been swigging on Grandpa's cough medicine.

“Four more years, four more years…” a pal of The Man lamented; in true anti-Bush speak.

I have faith that at least two out of three can raise their games for next season. This year they simply haven't been good enough. Good luck chaps.

t Probably pie in the sky stuff…

But The Man would suggest it's worth asking Darren Eadie (legend) to give his mate Cureton a call this summer. The JC has been awesome this season, and he's only just up the road.

It may well be we could tempt him back for one last swansong; especially if Earnie fails to see out the summer.

There are various rumours over why the JC left - but surely it's water under the bridge now.

I guess our needs do lie elsewhere; but I still think it's worth a call. Let's ruffle a few feathers for once - no pun intended.

A LOAD OF GARBAGE

The Man did not stay for the 'lap of recognition' last weekend.

So riled was he at the abject lack of desire on display that he stormed out on the 87-minute mark.

I'm off to Hillsborough tomorrow; but I couldn't bear soaking up another three minutes of that Carrow Road garbage.

The Man has said before that Peter the Pointer needs two years before we can start judging him; but that performance against Southampton was a giant '**** you' rather than 'thank you'.

I really thought that given all us mugs had signed up in record numbers again for season tickets, the team would at least look like it gave a monkey's.

But apart from the usual exceptions, it was obvious from minute one they were already on the plane to Malaga.

Maybe they thought us hillbillys would be so delighted with our 1-1 draw with debt-ridden Ipswich that we'd allow them an early holiday…

Lucky old George Burley could not have wished for a better time to get his first managerial win at the Carra.

One of The Man's cell waited at the end for the players to come round, and stood there - arms folded - allowing the players to clap him. Spot on.

LEEDS EXIT IS AMUSING

Leeds have been relegated. Excellent. I am not a big anti-Leeds person, but given they told us for two seasons running that playing them was our “cup final”; it is very amusing.

And lest we forget, it was Leeds that knocked us out of the Prem all those years ago.

Last week The Man talked about how League One Leeds were stilling paying Robbie Fowler's wages; well, an even bigger irony emerged this week.

It's been revealed that they are still paying Danny Mills' wages.

This is the same Danny Mills who helped Hull City pick up a few points this season - the same Hull City that sent Leeds down.

While on the subject of Elland Road, how dreadful it was to see our country cousins fall victim to a pitch invasion…we know just how they feel.