No Plain Sailing For This City Fan

One big reason for taking a holiday these days is to escape from my laptop. Which is something of a problem given that I normally take a break in August, just as the new season starts.

It makes for a slightly disjointed month. And the Canaries, who have not exactly been renowned for successful campaign launches in recent history, never give me much to smile about as I venture to foreign shores. Normally they lose. I struggle to get scores, and when I do, it is often a day or so after the event, and the news is normally confined simply to how many goals we hit home and how many we conceded ! Last year in fact, Norwich City even managed to sack a manager during the fourteen short days I was away. I only found out because I got into conversation with a stranger in Stockholm, who told me after I mentioned I was a City fan.

I have just returned home after another adventure away. Despite that horrible tiredness that always accompany long periods of travel, I have spent the day on the internet filling in the gaps in my knowledge. This year I did manage to keep up with some news from the Scunthorpe and Swansea games. I was in the middle of the Adriatic and Aegean seas at the time, and had to rely on the BBC World Service coverage. If you haven't had that pleasure, it is similar to Radio Five at that same time of the week, except you also have to listen to long discussions on things such as the performance of the French national side at the World Cup and how Tiger Woods is going to repair his private life. And the presenter reads out e mails - from Carlos in Cuba and Charlie in Chad who want to tell the world that they think Arsenal are going to win the Premier League this year. Really..............I just wanted to know the score at Glanford Park!

But City did do me proud this year. Two great wins in the league. And because the match winning moments arrived so late in both games, poor old World Service did not report them until the results round up just before 5 o'clock GMT. It made for an exciting time as I had settled for 0-0 draws, in the absence of any other news. It was a long way from normal Saturday afternoons. In this modern world of ours, even if you can't get to a game, you can still learn of goals within seconds of the ball smashing into the net. I am a huge fan of Gillette Soccer Saturday, a programme that has turned score watching into an art form. World Service coverage from my small cabin took me back a few years - to the days before internet, mobile phones, local radio and ceefax. It reminded me of the days when you had to watch the end of Grandstand or go out to get the Pink Un if you wanted to know how City got on. Or wait until Sunday morning !

So thank you BBC World Service, you saved me a long night wondering how the lads had fared. You also made me understand three things. How vital the internet has become to my very existence. Also how isolated Canary fanatics around the world would be without it. And how thankful they must be when they find NCFC material on the world wide web, even when it is a largely pointless post like this one !
.

FA Amateur Cup

Upon their formation in 1902 as an amateur club, Norwich City were eligible to enter the FA Amateur Cup, a much valued and respected competition of the day, that evolved out of the success of the FA Cup and Football League both of which pre-dated it.

The FA Cup of course had been for amateur teams when it started way back in 1871. However, the FA legalised professionalism in 1885 and that, together with the formation of the Football League in 1888, meant that the country's main footballing knock out competition was increasingly beyond the smaller clubs without finance. An amateur equivalent was therefore started in the 1893-94 season, the first winners being Old Carthusians who beat Casuals 2-1 in the final.

Norwich City took part in the 1902-03 FA Amateur Cup, in their first year of existence. Being newcomers, they had to play in qualifying rounds against local well established amateur clubs. First up were Lynn Town on the 11th October 1902 at Newmarket Road. Two goals from Fred Witham helped the Citizens record a 5-0 win in front of 700 fans.

That brought a clash with the best East Anglian side of the time, Lowestoft Town. The North Suffolk side had sent City crashing out of the FA Cup just a few weeks earlier and did the same in this competition - 4-2 with Witham again netting twice. It should though be recorded that these were two honourable performances by the Norwich City club. Both Lynn Town and Lowestoft Town were amongst the strongest amateur sides in the country - both had reached FA Amateur Cup Finals in earlier seasons (Lowestoft in 1899-00 losing 5-1 to Bishop Auckland, and Lynn Town in 1900-01 losing 3-1 to Crook Town in a replay after the first match had ended 1-1).

The next season, 1903-04, City did even better, and could claim their first ever 'cup run'. In fact, they played 11 cup games in that campaign and only lost once. In the autumn, they had progressed through three rounds of the FA Cup before drawing 1-1 at home to West Norwood. However the resultant replay was scheduled to take place just two days before their first Amateur Cup match of the season. The Norwich City hierarchy decided it was impossible for both fixtures to be fulfilled and gave the FA Amateur Cup precedence over the FA Cup by withdrawing from the latter competition.

Their decision was justified with a fantastic 5-1 win over Harwich & Parkeston in the first qualifying round. The same scoreline was achieved against Leiston, followed by a 2-0 win over Kirkley. A magnificent crowd of 4,160 turned up at Newmarket Road for the first round proper - a revenge match with Lowestoft Town. Captain Bob Collinson (two) and Langford Baker provided the goals in a super 3-0 win.

Ilford were the next visitors, again an attendance of 4,000 was achieved, and another comfortable win, 3-1 with goals this time for Rackham, Newell and Palmer. Norwich City were really enjoying their season. A tough away draw against a very strong Ealing followed in the next round, but City managed a goalless draw. The replay however was to end in disappointment, a 2-1 defeat. Ealing went on to make the final, losing 3-1 to Sheffield. But all in all it had been a great experience for Norwich City and as well as the thrills and spills of cup football, the team had also netted goals - Collinson finished with six in the competition and Percy Gooch five.

The club really fancied their chances of FA Amateur Cup success for the 1904-05 season. Unbeaten in the Norfolk & Suffolk League at the turn of the year and not required to play qualifying rounds, they eagerly anticipated the first round proper tie against Ilford, planned for January 1905. History dictated it would never take place. During the latter weeks of 1904, Norwich City Football Club found themselves under investigation by a FA Commission, into allegations of being a professional club. The verdict was guilty. They had no option but to gracefully withdraw from the FA Amateur Cup.

Norwich City of course, turned professional, and so thereafter could play no part in the competition. It continued successfully right through to 1974 when the distinction between amateur and professional clubs was abolished. Ilford were still going strong, losing the last final to Bishop's Stortford. The FA Amateur Cup was replaced by the FA Trophy and FA Vase.

Over the years sides such as Middlesbrough, Hartlepool, Wimbledon and Wycombe Wanderers all won the FA Amateur Cup before turning professional. Finals took place at a number of major venues, such as Stamford Bridge, Selhurst Park, Roker Park and Ayresome Park. From 1948-49 all finals took place at Wembley Stadium. Bishop Auckland won the competition a record ten times, with Clapton and Crook Town next best with five wins each.

.

First & Last - Errol Crossan

                               
First game : 27th September 1958 v Doncaster Rovers away Division Three 1-0 win

Last game : 31st December 1960 v Stoke City home Division Two 1-0 win




Signed from :  Southend United
Next Club :  Orient
Played professionally : until 1961 (in England, before returning to Canada)

.

Final League Placings 1913-1914

Southern League 1913-1914
First Division







Swindon Town  50
Crystal Palace  50
Northampton Town  47
Reading  44
Plymouth Argyle  43
West Ham United 42
Brighton  42
QPR  41
Portsmouth  40
Cardiff City  38
Southampton  37
Exeter City  36
Gillingham  35
Norwich City  35
Millwall  34
Southend United  32
Bristol Rovers  31
Watford  29
Merthyr Town  28
Coventry City  26

Full City Record : P38 W9 D17 L12 F49 A51 PTS 35     Manager : Bert Stansfield

Blackburn Rovers were English champions
Burnley won the FA Cup

In This Year :  Paramount Pictures is founded

Cricket commentator John Arlott is born

World's first ever crossword puzzle appears in the New York World

Final league placings will be posted on a regular basis until every table is listed - click on label below for years posted so far

.

Norwich City Fan - Hugh Jackman

Hugh Jackman - Australian actor, singer, dancer in films and theatre - Wolverine in X-Men, magician in The Prestige, monster slayer Gabriel Van Helsing - voted sexiest man alive in 2008, academy awards host, philanthropist, confirmed fan of Norwich City Football Club

The Winning Years

1904 - 1905

CHAMPIONS

NORFOLK & SUFFOLK LEAGUE

Players

Bill Cooks  (16 appearances)

Horace King  (16 appearances)

Edward Harris  (15 appearances)

Bob Pointer  (15 appearances)

Henry Royal  (15 appearances)

Bob Baker  (14 appearances)

Bob Collinson (14 appearances)

Percy Gooch  (14 appearances)

Edmund Chamberlin  (12 appearances)

Herbert Vigar  (12 appearances)

Francis Rackham  (10 appearances)

Jack Cutmore  (7 appearances)

Charles Snelling  (4 appearances)

Reginald Desborough  (2 appearances)

Horace Ellis  (2 appearances)

Joe Kelf  (2 appearances)

George Bardwell  (1 appearance)

Alex Kay  (1 appearance)

Tom Lathan (1 appearance)

Robert McIntyre (1 appearance)

Tommy Newell  (1 appearance)

Bertie Playford  (1 appearance)

Record

P16    W10    D4    L2    F33    A16    PTS24

Goals

Vigar 12, Collinson 7, King 6, Gooch 3, Baker 2, Royal 1, Chamberlin 1, Kay 1

Club Secretary :  Arthur Turner / Bob Collinson

.

Norwich City History Against......Gillingham

Norwich City and Gillingham clash in the League Cup on Tuesday, the fifth cup tie between the two sides in history. Gillingham have yet to knock City out of any cup. It will be the 59th League and Cup fixture between the two clubs, the series score so far standing at :


Norwich City 28 wins
Gillingham 18 wins
draws 12

Norwich goals 92
Gillingham goals 71

Gillingham are an older club than Norwich, formed in 1893. Up until 1913 they were known as New Brompton. They generally struggled in the Southern League and finished bottom in 1919-20 but avoided relegation when the division became the Third Division of the Football League. The first match between the clubs was on 12 February 1921, ending 0-0 at The Priestfield Stadium. City won the other fixture for that season a week later 2-1. Gillingham were to finish the season in bottom place, compared to a 16th position finish for Norwich.

The teams met every season through to 1934 when City won the Division Three South title. The Gills had to apply for re-election on a regular basis. At the end of the 1937-38 season they again finished bottom of the league and this time, their fifth re-election, were unsuccessful securing Football League status. Their place was taken by Ipswich Town. After World War Two, they took their place again in the Southern League and were far too good for that level, winning it in 1948-49. When, in 1950, the Football League was expanded by two teams, Gillingham were voted back by a landslide.

So, it was 1950 before another game between Norwich and Gillingham, 2-2 in Kent. City won the next five games (2-0, 2-1, 5-0, 3-0 and 3-2) before The Gills managed their first post war victory over us 3-1 in 1953. Games continued until 1958-59 when Gillingham went into the newly formed Division Four. They won that league in 1964 - their only title win in history - and also by the narrowest margin in FL history with a goal average of 1.967 against Carlisle United's 1.948.

City by this time were an established Second Division club so it was 2000 before another fixture when Gillingham reached that level for the first time. Four seasons of games took place, Norwich winning six to Gillingham's two. The sequence ended with City winning the title. When relegated the next year, Gillingham suffered the same fate so it was 2009-10 before they met again. In the League, the Canaries grabbed a point (1-1) with a Darel Russell equaliser four minutes into injury time, in a game that saw Fraser Forster red carded. The sides also met in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy, Norwich winning 1-0 away with a Cody McDonald goal. In April, Norwich won 2-0 at home to clinch the League One championship, the goals coming from Darel Russell and Michael Nelson.

The biggest wins in the series are 5-0 - to Gillingham in 1923 and Norwich in 1952. The four cup games are in the series statistic, including that JPT game, a two legged League Cup tie in 1979 ( City winning 5-3 on aggregate) and a Third Division South Cup match in 1934, which again we won, 4-0.

Amongst players to have played for both clubs are Mervyn Cawston, Mel Machin and of course recent signing Simeon Jackson. Cody McDonald is currently on loan to the Gills.

pictured : Mel Machin, who played 156 games for Gillingham between 1966 and 1971










update :  match result    Norwich City 4 Gillingham 1

Forbesey's Funny

Norwich City captain, centre half and legend, Duncan Forbes, was a hard uncompromising Scotsman. He was blood and thunder. Mister one hundred percent.

That at least is how I remember him and I am confident that I am not far wrong, and few people will want to correct me.

During the 1985-86 season however, those of us who purchased match day programmes were treated to a different side of Duncan. As part of his 'Club Canary' feature each week after he finished playing, he told us a joke, under the banner Forbesey's Funny. Here are just three examples, and believe me when I tell you they are amongst the better ones (you won't want to hear the others!) :

What do you call a cowboy actor who is short of money ?    Skint Eastwood !

Why did the bald man put a rabbit on his head ?   Because he wanted a head of hare !

What Roman God opened a pub ?   Mars - he called it Mars Bar !

You know, when I watched Duncan Forbes biting the legs of opposition forwards fifteen years earlier, I always knew there was a softer side, struggling to get out !!

The contribution he made to Norwich City Football Club is almost immeasurable. And now we can add 'club comedian' to his list of duties and achievements.

It is a wonder he fitted the football in, alongside his day job as joke writer for Tom Smith's Christmas Crackers on Salhouse Road !!

.

Norwich And Ipswich Supremacy - Another Perspective

The 17th century poet and satirist Samuel Butler wrote :

God cannot alter the past, though historians can

It is not only true, it is also a very sobering thought. 

I never hide the fact that when compiling posts for Sing Up The River End, I work in the same field that many have ploughed before me. There is no other way. The history of Norwich City Football Club is recorded on both the written page and the internet - all I try to do is bring it all together, adding a little more meat to the bone where I can and hopefully presenting it in an interesting way. 

I certainly don't have any ambition to alter the past - to do that would mean making things up. But I would like to think that SUTRE! can add a few new perspectives - and maybe give a few alternative views that might get people thinking.

Only the other day I found myself reading yet another article where an Ipswich Town supporter was demonstrating that his club very much had the upper hand on Norwich City over the years. It is difficult to argue against that view. It is a matter of fact that Ipswich have won more of the fixtures in head to heads, and won more big trophies than the Canaries.

But the thing I did question was the opinion that Ipswich Town had had a more successful history than Norwich City and achieved more in a much shorter time. Sorry, but not entirely true. Let us put things into a different perspective here.

Ipswich were formed nearly 25 years before Norwich, so very much had the head start. They also had a big advantage in that they had the backing of the very wealthy Cobbold family and were therefore well heeled. When City came into being in 1902, their first target was to get the better of the other Norwich club, CEYMS. But they were in the same league as Ipswich Town, the Norfolk & Suffolk League.

In the years since then, (98 including the forthcoming season but excluding the periods when football did not take place on an organised basis because of war), Norwich and Ipswich have played at the same level for 44 of them. However, in 37 different years Norwich have been at a superior level, whilst Ipswich can boast only 17.

Despite being the younger club, Norwich achieved both professional and Football League status much quicker than Ipswich. Because of this however, they also suffered severely from the effects of the Great Depression, which Ipswich largely evaded as they were still amateurs for most of that time. World War Two also set football club finances back, Norwich had still not recovered by the mid fifties and almost went bust. In 1939 Ipswich had only just joined the Football League. It was very much easier for them to close the club down and resume again in 1945, especially as they still had the support of their rich benefactors. It enabled them to rapidly catch and overtake many older clubs who were by then on the brink of bankruptcy and took, in truth, a couple of decades to recover in some instances.

So whilst the boys in blue can rightfully maintain having a better record than City in the head to heads, they have no right to claim being the superior club in terms of footballing status where Norwich have, since 1902, been the better by some distance. They have been the region's premier club more often than Ipswich. Regrettably, if you are a Norwich fan, this fact is rarely acknowledged.

So there you have it. I have stated nothing that is untrue, merely chosen to analyse a subject from a different angle. Butler was right - historians do have the power to influence the way people consider the past. 

I do ought to say I really have no axe to grind with either the Ipswich Town club, nor it's supporters. I actually believe that both clubs have histories to be proud of and that I would have been much the poorer following City for over forty years had Suffolk never had a professional team. Long may the rivalry continue and long may contests continue in the true spirit of football.

But I will always maintain that Norwich have had to face much more adversity in their history than Ipswich, but have, like their shirt colours, still come out much the brighter. And in terms of professional trophies won, they can point to years ranging from 1934 to 2010 so it is a long history too. Ipswich by comparison hit their peaks in a relatively condensed period of time. Norwich meantime were, in part, denied the chance to build on their best years - the ban on English clubs competing in Europe robbed the Canaries of advancement on more than one occasion. Yet still, in the last 25 years, Ipswich can only show 3 occasions where they have been in a higher division than City. And Norwich higher than Ipswich ? Well, 7 times actually.

It will be interesting how the next few years unfold. Local bragging rights will vary season by season, but in truth it will take many years of supremacy by one over the other for either to be able to claim true historical domination. In fact thinking about it, if we are talking divisional status, it will take Ipswich Town 21 years to catch Norwich and draw level !!    

Just remember, if you are a Canary fan, and want to stand your ground in an argument, it really does help to understand a bit about football history. The next time you read on the internet that Ipswich have been the more successful of the two clubs ....................just remember there is always another perspective.

.

All Time Football League Record

Norwich City joined the Football League in the 1920-1921 season, and have competed in the competition every year since, apart from during World War Two.

Total games played is 3564.

We have won 1309 of those games. And lost, wait for it, 1308. Can you believe that, all those years and all those games and just one result separating good and bad. To save you reaching for your calculator there have been 947 draws.

Translating those figures into percentages you get 36.72% won, 36.70% lost and 26.58% drawn.

We have scored 5026 goals in total, conceding 5095, giving a goal difference of minus 69.

The total points secured is 4031.

We have won more away games than we have lost at home (408 to 385).

Our home goal difference is plus 1134. Away it is minus 1203.

We have won 50.56% of our home games and lost 51.80% of our away games.

In total, 136 clubs have appeared in the Football League. In terms of points won, we are placed in 60th position. Any movement in this table is minimal on a year by year basis and it would take a long period of sustained achievement to make any marked progress. However, I will confidently predict that we can catch the side in 59th position before next season. That berth is occupied by Luton Town who are no longer members of the Football League so cannot add to their tally - we need 19 points to overtake them.

Above them are Crystal Palace and we need 26 points more than them to overtake. 57th place would seem beyond us for a while - we need a gain of 41 points to go past Swansea - effectively us winning the division and them finishing bottom. In terms of teams catching us only Cardiff City are a threat - they are breathing down our necks and would need to better our season by a mere 5 points to overtake us. The team below them are West Ham United who could not touch us as they are 91 points behind the Canaries.

It should be noted that any table based on total points gained throughout history may be interesting to the statistician but is not altogether scientific. Clubs that have spent more time in the lower tiers have generally played more games as the Divisions are larger. Also the change to three points for a win obviously favours those clubs that have been more successful during the last thirty years.

.

Opening Fixture Record

Recent history shows that Norwich City do not enjoy their first match of the season. In the last ten years the record is five defeats, four draws and just a solitary win.

Therefore if history were to play any part in deciding the outcome of Friday evening's opening encounter against Watford (which of course it doesn't), Paul Lambert's men would have reason to worry.

That one victory was way back in 2002-03 season with a 4-0 home win in the Division One match against Grimsby Town. Which was somewhat better than the previous year, when we lost by the same score at Millwall. The decade ended of course, with the 7-1 defeat to Colchester United last season.

Canary fans can however be much happier if we take a look at the overall picture since City joined the Football League. Despite recent calamities, we can still say we have won more first day games than we have lost :

played :  83
won :   32
lost :   29
drawn :  22

Even greater comfort can be found if home matches are isolated :

played :  44
won :  24
lost  :   9
drawn  :  11

That's a 54.5% winning home record, against just 20.4% defeats. Included in the home victories are a 4-1 win against Crystal Palace in 1927-28, 5-0 against Aldershot in 1952-53 and 5-1 against Stoke City in 1980-81.

Whatever happens in this first game, one thing is certain - no promotions or relegations will be decided. Though if last year is anything to go by, it could still be a defining moment in our entire season.

.

Under Starters Orders

When the tapes rise on the forthcoming 2010-11 Championship race, quite a few of the runners and riders will believe they can reach the finishing line in first or second place. And many more will happily back themselves to be in the next four and give themselves an outsiders chance of a ticket to Premier paradise.

I love this time of year. The expectancy. The unknown. The unpredictability. Then I remind myself that by the middle of August my state of mind and daily buoyancy will hinge largely on the results of eleven men in yellow football shirts. It will be the 42nd year I have put myself through this wringer. Why do I do it !

I am not alone of course. And right now, football supporters are scratching around for every little crumb of comfort they can get hold of. New signings, new managers, transfers in the pipeline. 'Build on last year'. 'We can't be as bad as we were last season'. 'The bookies say we have a good chance'. All factors of course. But also largely unknown factors until that race actually starts, and reaches the first furlong post.

As the weeks tick by there will be a mass revision of ambitions. Horses will fall. Others will pull up. The reality of the situation is that this time next year, eighteen of this years runners will not have moved anywhere. I guess that come May, many will settle for that and the thought got me wondering. We all remember the movers and shakers in English football but which clubs have glue on their hooves. Who hasn't gone anywhere in a while?

Here are some facts for you to look at :

Consecutive years in second level of English football :

PRESTON NORTH END 11, COVENTRY CITY 10, IPSWICH TOWN 9, CARDIFF CITY 8, QPR 7
CRYSTAL PALACE 6, BARNSLEY 5, BRISTOL CITY 4, SHEFFIELD UNITED 4, WATFORD 4,
DERBY COUNTY 3, DONCASTER ROVERS 3, NOTTINGHAM FOREST 3, READING 3, SWANSEA CITY 3, LEICESTER CITY 2, MIDDLESBROUGH 2, SCUNTHORPE 2.

Last in top flight of English football :

PRESTON NORTH END 1961
CARDIFF CITY 1962
BRISTOL CITY 1980
SWANSEA CITY 1983
MILLWALL 1990
QPR 1996
BARNSLEY 1998
NOTTINGHAM FOREST 1999
COVENTRY CITY 2001
IPSWICH TOWN 2002
LEICESTER CITY 2004
LEEDS UNITED 2004
CRYSTAL PALACE 2005
NORWICH CITY 2005
SHEFFIELD UNITED 2007
WATFORD 2007
DERBY COUNTY 2008
READING 2008
MIDDLESBROUGH 2009
BURNLEY 2010
HULL CITY 2010
PORTSMOUTH 2010
DONCASTER ROVERS never
SCUNTHORPE never

None of which counts for anything of course as we approach the big day. It plays no part in what is going to happen in the next ten months.

Or does it, maybe? In some small mysteriously hidden, psychological way, that jangles away in the minds of those that really matter - the people running the clubs. They are after all the ones that influence the players.

Much is written about clubs that drop into League One, get stuck and struggle to get back up. And that is of course something Norwich City fans very much feared last season. But you rarely see mention of clubs bogged down in the second level. Whilst the yo-yo existence of the Canaries over the years has played havoc with our emotions, I can't help but think we don't half get our money's worth when it comes down to drama, tension, joy and disappointment. Okay, so a period of consolidation might not go amiss but that really wouldn't be entirely in keeping with our bygone performances.

I wouldn't personally swap our past with that of any other club. Whilst it is not for me to make any comment on the two lists above you can easily identify for yourself those that will need to produce something pretty historic this season if they are to progress. But then Blackpool did so last year so who knows.  And you can also spot those poor souls who are likely to still be there this time next year. It is one thing finding your level but football clubs do need to evolve and entertain.

Until now I have not given a thought as to how I would feel if we were still in the Championship (or it's equivalent) in 2020, having failed to get a single promotion. But I think to be honest I would be more than a little disappointed. A few years at this level is one thing, but once you get to nine, ten or eleven years....................well, it must start to get a bit boring mustn't it ?

.

Like the jockey ? He can be purchased at  http://www.racehorsesculptures.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=64&products_id=188