Over the past few years, Leeds fans have had to grin and bear it as little Norwich – an unfashionable club from the back of beyond – have used the fact of their temporarily higher league status to pluck such gems as Snodgrass, Howson, Becchio and, erm, Bradley Johnson from the Elland Road payroll. In truth, only the first two of those four departures were all that painful – the odd twinge caused by Luciano’s departure has been relieved by his zero contribution to Naaaarritch since he joined them – but that hasn’t stopped those loveable Ciddy fans from gloating and grinning and taking the mick. Every time another transfer “coup” has been completed, there they’ve been, savouring the novelty of lording it over Mighty Leeds, crowing about us being their “feeder club” (no marks for originality there, lads) and generally cavorting all over the internet like the small-time wurzels they are.
Now, these cheeky, chirpy, safely-anonymous internet trolls are at it again, all agog with excitement that their little irritant of a football club are tipped by the gutter press to make yet another raid on a club that has looked down on them for the bulk of their undistinguished history. It’s the classic small man syndrome; you suffer for years at the hands of bigger boys like Leeds, Ipswich – even Colchester and so on – and when the chance crops up to puff your chest out and do a little crowing after all those decades of feeble cheeps, well, you fill your boots (as it’s only too easy for those six-toed feet to do).
And where, after all, is the harm you might ask? If this internet bravado helps the currently happy (despite demotion) Ciddy fans forget their inglorious past, then good luck to them, right? After all, prior to their recent double promotion success, their club was mainly famous for the tired and emotional display of Delia Smith when she unwisely seized the match-day mike after lavishly sampling the vino cabinet, and treated the stunned home crowd to a slurred and cringeworthy motivational speech: “Wheeeere aaaare yoooouu? Let’s be ‘aaaavviiiin’ yooooouuu!!!” It was entertaining for everyone outside Carrow Road, but let’s face it – it’s hardly a siren call to tempt a Scotland star who already has a first team berth in a far bigger club – or so you’d have thought.
However, money talks and – as one easily-pleased Canary reminded me just today (via a tweet, appropriately) – Norwich have recently copped for around £70m simply for achieving relegation. Against that, we have Mr McCormack’s recent assertion that winning promotion as captain of Leeds United would mean a lot more than playing for “just any Premier League club”. We must presume, then, that the attraction is that much greater again – when the option in front of him is just any ex-Premier League club. Norwich is the arse end of nowhere, after all – you’d have thought that last season’s Championship top-scorer could do a hell of a lot better. But, it’ll likely come down to just how many zeroes there are on the end of that bottom line. Rossco is tied to a contract at Leeds, and there seems to be little suggestion that the club are minded to improve it.
Yesterday, the talk was that a firm bid of £5 million had been made by a Championship club – later tentatively identified as Fulham, another of the parachute payment brigade, lavishly rewarded for last season’s calamitous failure.
To be quite frank, I could cope if he went there. It’s not ideal – and I’m not saying a few more millions than that measly five would sugar the pill rather better – but at least Fulham’s not bleedin’ Norwich and those cocky bloody internet Canaries. I swear if I ever caught one of those I’d pretend I thought it was a lemon and squeeze it into my drink.
Roll on the end of the transfer window. Rumour has it that what’s left of our squad might start playing a few games of football then…
Life, Leeds United, the Universe & Everything 
Oh Rob – you’re in a bad mood today. Who’s next, the Spanish?
Oh – better not
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Estate agents, I think…
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rob , if Ross goes there we will hit a real low before the season even starts , as things stand I fancy howson and snodgrass coming to ER and taking us apart , add Ross to that mix and things could get ugly ,,, for gods sake massimo get back asap and show us some signs of this so called revolution ,,,
on a lighter note , one of the best football chants ever had to be a week or so after deliahs rant when they played chelsea ,, “we’ve got abramovich , you’ve got a drunken bitch” ,, haha
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Ha!! Hadn’t heard that one, Mr O. Quality 🙂
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And chirp we shall.
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Hold on, Rob. I’ve been a Leeds fan pretty much all my life, growing up through the golden era of the Revie years, but now live in Norwich, It’s not Naaaritch here but Naaarge. No ‘thc’ sound ‘ere boy. On such
crucial distinctions does our civilisation rest.
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Naaarge. Got it 🙂
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ha great Naaarge n caaaaaa shiiiiiii cunry dan wandeee f lnnne, did you read about that fella who liked to roll around in cow shit and ejaculate in it …. must have been a Naaarge fan …… sorry Rob, you know how I feel about the cud munchers ….. I mean who the fucking hell are you grrrrrrr
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Sane as ever 🙂
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Theres more chance of Delia Smith getting the head dish washer job at Elland Road than Ross joining that lot.
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rob weve been sitting on our asses for the last month while all the so called players who can got us out of this division are been snapped up by rival clubs if McCormack goes we might as well throw our hats at it whats going on weve been linked with everyman and his dog and still nothing happens why?
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as a irish leeds fan not to sure were norwich is on the map. but i swear i heard its full of hillbillies. think they filmed diliverence in norwich. ha ha. jesus ross anyone but that pisspots.
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I am sick of little Norwich scavenging the carcase of Leeds United, like some small time vulture.
Cellino should bring in a transfer rule that many other teams have, which is – , don’t sell to your competitors, who are on the same league.
I really fear that some “small fry” club like Norwich, Fulham or Derby are going to try and get McCormack as cheap as possible, as usual, but why would McCormack want to go sideways and play for clubs that are tiny compared with Leeds?.
If McCormack has any proper ambition, he should be aiming to either stay at Leeds or go to a seasoned Premier League team for a minimum fee of 8 million pound and he should definitely not be sold on the cheap to a tiny “yo yo” club, who have no potential what so ever.
I really hope that McCormack stays at Leeds and is not unsettled or sulking, because of the departure of Brian McDermott, who should have been sacked months ago.
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Hi Rob, thank you for writing such a funny piece. It made my morning. This comes from a canaries fan.
Oh, and in case some Leeds fans don’t realise, you’re in the same division as Norwich and Derby, so you’re just as “small fry” as the rest of us. You just don’t know it yet 😉
P.s. The old Leeds midfield are going to tear you a new one at Elland Road this coming season.
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Yep, we must be small fry. Fans of other clubs are always queuing up to tell us this, trampling each other in their haste and eagerness to assure us that we’re insignificant these days and that they’re really not bovvered about us at all, nosireebob. That’s why we meekly sing “We’re not famous any more” – no hint of irony there. And just think – if your ex-Leeds midfield DOES tear us a new one next season – it’ll not be anything special. Nothing to get excited about, as hordes of canaries will doubtless be inundating the net to tell us, over and over again – amid all the celebrations and open-top bus parades.
Funny old game, isn’t it?
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Ha Ha !, Leeds are so “small fry” that every away ground that Leeds play at next season, will again see the biggest crowd of the season for the home teams, who all wet themselves in the anticipation of playing their big “Cup Final” against Leeds.
“EVERYBODY” outside the Premier League, “ALWAYS” raise their game against Leeds, even if Leeds are currently no threat and struggling in mid-table, just like last season and the season before that.
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Thinks its more who we are getting in. Reckon Ross was keen to work with mccallister, what with him being a Leeds & Scotland legend. top players aren’t going to want to be managed by conference level bosses.
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It’s just a vicious rumour, not the McCormack thing, that what’s left of our squad will actually play football next season! We can but dream!
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Agree with that one rob , being born in west Landannnnn and my late dad following Fulham and me uncle Ron still doing so, I could just about stomach our lad going to one F in Fulham ……. But it will still hurt ….still pisses me off when a player spills his heart for his club one minute and the next its mmmmm we’ll I could be tempted.. I think he may go unfortunately it’s not prestige anymore it’s about the money….. Will be very surprised if he stays now ….. I don’t twit anymore I just don’t like it …… However I implore every Leeds fan who twits to ask Mac to stay one more term MOT
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Yeh Sniffer, lets call it “twit for the twat” . If Ross wants to go, and he’s that sure that going to a club like Norwich or Derby is going to enhance his career, let him go. He’s no different to all the other so called stars, kissing the badge one minute, then someone waves a few quid in their direction and they want to be off. I personally would like him to stay, I reckon the ball is firmly in Cellinos court. get a move on with the football side of the club, get a manager/coach in place, show a bit of ambition with signings and lets move on , either with or without McCormack
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Ross mccormack has stated he wants to play in the premiership and nobody can blame him for that. He also states he wants to stay at Leeds rather than play for ‘any old premier league club’ . Then why the hell would he go to any other championship club unless we show him the door ? Unlikely ! We’re not or at least shouldn’t be a selling club anymore to pay off our debt . Cellino just got €45 million and i guess he will use some of it to pay the court case and other outstanding debts before using some , hopefully on a manager /coach and team strengthening. It maybe that he will accept £7 million for Ross but not from a championship rival . That makes no sense at all .
As for Daniel 18387 we know exactly what we are . You and supporters like you prove it by banging on about how how we’re a small fish like the rest of you. Oh how you wish that was true . Yes , we are playing wise at your level . With that i am not thick enough to argue. And before you say you leeds scum are living in the past on memories . This my little feathered friend maybe true but the thing is we have a past , a proud history of winning trophys and not just in black and white and a past that means we have a global recognition . We all know cream eventually will rise to the top . One question for you naaarge fan . Do clubs where ever you go spend much of the game singing how you’re not famous anymore and we all hate naaarge scum (other than ipswich). Mmm thought not , oh and how many teams get their biggest gate of the season when Leeds come to town ? Mind you to be fair this is because we fill one end of their ground anyway. What were the fl stats last season ? We had on average something like 800 more fans per away game than the next biggest away attendance. Yep its a fact naaargh and the rest , we’re not famous anymore……. M.O.T
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Quite right!
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O please change the record, we have heard all the Country Bumkin, Delia crap for ages, it is boring and shows a lack of something fresh to say. Talk about football and the chances it could be another club, trying to but your player. Norwich for years had suffered in losing all the best players, it makes a change to have it the other way. Surely when you were famous your club did the same. it is swings and roundabouts. There are a lot of Norwich fans who hate the way Becchio was treated by the excuse for a manager Chris Hughton. Any player no matter where he comes from deserves better than what he got. Snodgrass will be off very soon.. tha’ts football
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All that crap, just so you could get that bitchy “surely when you were famous” in, you spiteful little twelve-fingered schoolgirl. Jog on you wurzels, you can like or lump what I write here and you have no absolute right of reply – so keep a civil tongue in those canary beaks, or it’s the trash pile for you.
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It seems to me Leeds are only famous in Leeds, you carry on thinking you are great and I’m sure you’ll convince yourselves which is probably already happened. Nobody else cares about you. Man UTD, Liverpool, Chelsea, Man City are all famous global clubs/brands, I don’t see the name Leeds UTD fitting in that well. You might have more fans in the away end but look at the clubs you visit, Leeds is densely populated so you have loads of fans in a small place. As far as haveing a go at Delia, she’s been with us for a long time, she has seen the club from almost liquidation to Premier league and debt free, what have your boards been doing over the past 10 years, you might knock her but I’d rather have her than what you have had. I look forwards to next season, with 70million in the bank and debt free, can you?
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Another in the endless line of small-time, backwoods wurzels queuing up to tell us how unimportant we are and how they’re not bovvered about us at all. They don’t care – and they’re desperately eager to tell us that, time and again. Pathetic – and laughable.
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I’ve noticed you’ve returned to the old blog name rob. Are you having second thoughts about cellino too?
Number of things lately did this to me.
– the coaches he’s looking at and ruling out mcCallister
– sacking the 5 ex players, don’t see how this saves money as they bring the corporates in, the free meal thing is an insult to people who made our club great, reaney and Jones inparticular I can see need the money too, players weren’t on silly money then and they don’t do commentary / pundit work like big norm and yorath.
It’s like cellino has to be the main man no matter what, but Leeds is different to cagliari, we have history, we have been the best.
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Jury’s still out for me – but going back to the English version was part superstition, part patriotism – ahead of Engerland’s match with la bella Italia tonight.
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Excellent article – it’s about time some of us Canaries stopped embarrassing ourselves by sniping at a true giant of the game in Leeds. I mean – who do we think we are — Ipswich?? And even the Kings of East Anglia, with all the success down the years at Portman Road, know better than to show themselves up as some of us Ciddy fans are doing, time and time again.
I can count on the fingers of one hand the half dozen or so times in our history when we’ve had the bragging rights over the Yorkshire giants. Rob is right – we need to show a bit more respect and know our place.
After all, how can we truly be OTBC – when some of us come across as so classless and clueless?
Sort it out, fellow canaries. Let’s be avin yoooouu.
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Well said that wurzel. At last, the voice of reason speaks from the land that time forgot.
It’s good to be King.
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Wow all this fuss over a Cardiff cast off that we were charitable enough to let a small club have for £365000
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…. and desperate enough to offer £6m for him to a bigger club in January, as you tried in vain to avoid your inevitable relegation. Unlucky, Redbluebirds.
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Who the hell are this Norwich you speak of? What do they actually matter??
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Beats the hell out of me pal.
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Too right Rob , chirp chirp chirp . Graham , deluded naarge fan. Hahahaha. Who said we were great ? You are hilarious ” We’re only famous in Leeds ? ” Thats why we have supporters/members clubs in scandanavia , ireland , brisbane , sydney , victoria (Australia) Aberdeen , Cambridge , chiltern , cleethorpes , Doncaster , lincolnshire , leominster , Bradford , Essex , Hampshire , Hereford , kent , Leicester , Nottingham , Shropshire , Malta , Bristol , spen valley , surrey , teeside , thames Valley , Warwickshire , queensland (Australia) Cyprus , dubia , Hull , Preston , Whitby , Blackpool , Boston sorry if i forgot anybody oh yes of course i did NORWICH . Nobody else cares about us ? Do man u scum sing a song about naarge ? No ! that means they do care about hating a rival ! Do chelsea hate naarge ? No ! So stop getting your little feathers ruffled . Just admit Leeds United are known all over the world , not just in our small City and to answer your last question we now have an owner with money who will spend it wisely on getting us back on an even keel , which means yes we will be debt free and watch out England cos when this Club gets rolling clubs like Naarge won’t know what’s hit them.You and clubs like you have had ten years laughing at our demise and I for one can’t wait for the day we rise again. WE WILL . FACT ! ……. M.O.T
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Class rant, mate. MOT
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After hearing about all of the lovely things about Norwich I’ve decided to give the place a visit. Can any one tell me whereabouts it is?
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