By Rob Atkinson![]() Rumours are circulating - based, it must be said on an inconclusive exchange of tweets between Ross McCormack and his erstwhile Argentinean strike colleague - that this summer's transfer window might see a return to Elland Road of prodigal son Luciano Becchio. That would well and truly buck the recent trend whereby top-performing players have been queuing up for the express service from Leeds to Norwich, without passing Go, and collecting considerably more than £200. But Norwich's monopoly of incoming transfer activity has not been total; we did manage to lever Steve Morison out of them as small change in the Becchio deal. Hmmmm, that went well, didn't it. So could things be about to get better and leave us feeling a bit less humiliated regarding this smaller but cheeky club Norwich City? If that did prove to be the case, and we were to make a start - in a small way at first - on plundering Carrow Road, would we really want to recapture our admittedly prolific (for us, anyway) Argie? The fact is, he hasn't been pulling up any trees for the Canaries, although his opportunities have been limited there. Maybe he'd have gained some experience and aptitude in the short playing time he's had in the Premier League, and perhaps that would lead to a sharper and more lethal Luci' at Championship level? But perhaps not, too. Maybe - on the other hand - his confidence would be shot, and we'd have bought ourselves another pup. It's something that Brian McD would have to scratch his bald pate over, and think very carefully about. My own opinion, for what it's worth, is that - if Norwich are suddenly willing to start doing business with us instead of just breezing into Thorp Arch and nicking off with whoever they fancy from our playing staff, then we should shop at the luxury end of the market. We should look at someone who would make a real difference, someone who we've sorely missed and never replaced. We should tug our forelocks beseechingly and ask them if, pretty please, we could have Rob Snodgrass back? Our case would be strengthened of course if Norwich would just do the decent thing and get relegated. Sadly, that appears unlikely as things stand, but it would certainly give Mr Snodgrass ample cause to consider whether his move to East Anglia was quite such a good idea as it seemed at the time. Perhaps he would feel the pangs of homesickness gnawing away at him. Perhaps he would realise that he's never had quite the same buzz playing in front of the honest bumpkins of Norwich - admirable chaps of course, but not your genuine football fanatics as found in the environs of LS11. Maybe Rob would decide he was ready to return to Leeds United. There is also, of course, the oft-rumoured "buy-back clause", although I've never seen much confirmation of this, nor yet any explanation of how it might work in practice. It strikes me that transfers are conducted almost entirely on what all parties want at the particular time they're happening, rather than being dictated by some aging piece of paper tucked away in a safe somewhere. Rob Snodgrass would have to want to come back, regardless of contractual clauses, otherwise all bets would be off. But just maybe he would fancy it, above another season of relegation struggle at Carrow Road, for instance. It's enticingly tempting to think perhaps he would. After all, plenty has changed down at Elland Road. It would more than likely all come down to money, of which wages would be a major factor. Snoddy is one of Norwich City's stand-out performers this season - much more so than Becchio, Johnson, even Howson. TV commentators have purred over him, as if to emphasise to us poor Leeds fans that here was a luxury commodity we could only dream of ever seeing in the famous white-with-fat-blue-stripes shirt again. But if you don't ask, you don't get. If Leeds United do happen to be in the market for an ex-Leeds and current Norwich player - then I hope today's rumour about Becchio is merely a smokescreen, cunningly raised to disguise the real business that's proposed. I'd certainly welcome Snoddy back to Elland Road with open arms. To be honest, I'm not that bothered about any of our other former favourites - maybe Howson at a push. Oh, and Beckford from Leicester might be nice. But Snods is the jewel in the crown of thorns that is our recently-lost trail of prize assets. If we're to regain just one ex-hero, please let it be him.
49 Comments
canarydelia
12/5/2013 04:26:44 am
Er, nice try. Leeds have a glorious past. Far more glorious than my beloved Canaries. But come on, we are now guaranteed the Prem for the third year on the trot, our home (and usually our away allocation) is always sold out, we have literally thousands on our waiting list for season tickets (we already have 22000 plus season ticket holders - and did so when we were in D1 three years ago). We've had some good players from you (and it is strange Becchio has hardly been given a chance) but please, please don't suggest we are not fanatic about our team. Our ground is literally too small for the number who'd like to go on a regular basis
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Rusty B
12/5/2013 07:39:28 pm
Yeah but it's still Norwich. 22,000 fans are no good if they don't speak up. Norwich is in Norfolk and being a Norfolk boy myself I can safely say its a rubbish place too. No one goes there to do things apart from look at the castle - woooo.
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Rob Atkinson
12/5/2013 05:24:03 am
If this is THE canary Delia, send me a signed copy of one of your cookbooks, and I'll publish an elegant retraction. Actually, I might do anyway, lest you come over a bit "tired and emotional" and turn up outside my house calling "Where aare yooou?? Let's be 'aving yoooou!!" This is a respectable neighbourhood after all ;-)
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Trevor
12/5/2013 05:28:11 am
Snoddy is our layer of the season and clearly loves it here. We are no less fanatic than Leeds and not a smaller club as you suggest, we have £85 million reasons to be bigger than Leeds. You can have Becchio back though, never a premiership player - the others have been outstanding in fact all four were instrumental on today's goals.
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Rusty B
12/5/2013 07:41:43 pm
layer? is that a brick layer?
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paul
12/5/2013 05:28:21 am
Where do you get this "drivel" from?
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Ev
12/5/2013 05:55:06 am
To "Paul" yes Norwich could be bigger than Leeds if you don't count silverware won, the size of the city, size of the population, catchment area, fan base abroad, general awareness of the club, size of the stadium, biggest attendance ever acheived, the amount of the clubs youth players who have gone on to international carreers........ list goes on.... Without these factors then yes Norwich would be the bigger club lol
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Mike
12/5/2013 01:23:08 pm
Norwich have a bigger fan base than Leeds? are you kidding? lmao. Leeds have fans all over the world, a much bigger history, a bigger ground (by around 11000 or so). If Leeds where in the Prem with Norwich, Elland road would also be sold out in every home match, making our average fan base larger than Norwich. its quite simple, most leeds fans dont fancy paying premiership ticket prices for championship matches. Understandable, right? .. if we play a top prem side like Man Utd, chelsea, what ever, in the cup.. The ground is sold out, because the premiership prices are worth the match. Im pretty sure Forrest and Wedensday are also bigger than Norwich. Love it when people assume just because your in a higher division, your a bigger club. Leeds are a bigger club than a number of Prem sides, like Wigan, 30,000 at the FA cup final, Leeds bring an extra 7000 that to a big Home league or cup match. Dont even get me started our away support. Prices drop next season, Average attendence will rise alot.... MOT.
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karl
13/5/2013 12:19:35 am
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Brian Wakefield
12/5/2013 05:52:04 am
That got a few yellow birds chirping!! I have travelled the world and ALWAYS see a Leeds United shirt, don't think I've seen a yellow, corn fly covered, Norwhich City shirt outside Sky Sports and Match of the day, chirp away my yellow friends, you ain't big and never going to be. If (and it's a huge if) you had a million people waitng like a child for Santa, then I'm sure you would build a bigger stadium, there are plenty of fields nearby... Having good old 'lets be havin you' as your cheerleader is something we Leeds fans could never hope to achieve, so I'll give that one, we will just have to deal with our obvious jealousy. MOT always
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Callum
12/5/2013 05:59:17 am
Any Norwich fan who even attempts to claim that norwich are a bigger club than Leeds.... get your heads out of the clouds.... you dont have the history or the standing in english football to call yourselves a bigger club. I am sure it is great having that many season tickets sold and what have you, but try having the life sucked out of your club by an evil football hating leech and have half the support that we do.
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Graham (Yellows)
12/5/2013 06:53:47 am
Norwich fans don't have thier head in the clouds , but it appears most Leeds fans still live in the past or have thier head stuck up another hole. You were great once but your are not that great now, look back at the passed and you'll never go forwards.
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Mike
12/5/2013 01:29:19 pm
@ Graham (Yellows) Indeed we where great once, and are not as great now, but i do believe the argument here is who is the bigger club, not whos great. Leeds win this argument hands down. "look back at the past and youll never go forwards" Most hilarious statement, if anything we would want to look at our past, to inspire us to drive forward to get back this club back to where we belong.
Dez
12/5/2013 06:06:20 am
Ur all clueless yea Norwich are in prem but it ends there. Leeds are still bigger club look at history ppl that's wat football is all bout. Either way snoddy was greedy and I dnt want him back we need to move on and yea becchio was good for us but old and we need also to move on there is better out there than both. And we will soon be playin Norwich again we it is going up or them coming down either way they will never last in the premiership. As for ur fan base we average close to ur season ticket holders in the championship and sold out almost ever game in premiership at almost 40 thousand fans with more wanting tickets it's only natural that ppl stop going wen in a lower league and wen u have bates treating u like he has other the years. Fact is we are the biggest club outside of the premiership and bigger than 90% in it
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Walts
12/5/2013 06:33:33 am
Laughable... I'm guessing Wolves are obviously bigger than Norwich too, and Nottingham Forest, and Sheffield Wednesday...... Or maybe Leeds fans are just locked in a dark room and haven't been let out for 5 years??? The past is the past, and counts for nothing now, sorry to rub salt in the wounds, but on silverware, in the modern era Wigan are now bigger than Leeds too! Once a big club agreed, but now just a lot of hot air with no substance. Enjoy the Championship, it's good fun down there. But mind out for those big teams....
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sydney leeds
12/5/2013 05:39:11 pm
walts the 3 teams you mention are bigger than norwich as for us we attract players your lot would not have gotten any of our players if we were in the premier league i dont think much of your team but i do take my hat of to use for staying up maybe when you come down next year all our x players will bail out on you.
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canary bob
12/5/2013 06:34:11 am
leeds are massive club so much bigger than my canaries its such a shame your not in the premier with us
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Mike
12/5/2013 01:32:32 pm
Heres a norwich fan i respect.
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John lucic
12/5/2013 03:51:44 pm
A Norwich fan who doesn't know the difference between your and YOU'RE?
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Damo
12/5/2013 06:34:39 am
Norwich are bigger than Leeds? Next joke please!
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Sprake
12/5/2013 06:34:45 am
Jonathan Howson would be my first of the former Leeds Utd. players to take back. He is the midfield player we need. Robert Snodgrass and Bradley Johnson can stay put, but if the exhance deal regarding Luciano Becchie and Steve Morison can be withdrawn I would be happy with that.
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sgncfc
13/5/2013 03:29:33 am
Until yesterdays outstanding performance you could have had Howson back - I'd have driven him there myself. Not Johnson or Snodgrass though because they are now Premier League players and you are not a Premier League club - though I would genuinely love you to be promoted next year so we can play you again. Jury is still out on Becchio, but again some good signs yesterday.
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Ev
13/5/2013 05:33:07 am
In League 1 we averaged 30,000 ..... but 7 years of Bates took its toll on attendances
canaryabatoire
12/5/2013 07:29:22 am
Clearly some are unable to distinguish between a big club and a recently successful club. A big club is known all over the world, has a large fan base, a glorious history with domestic and European titles to its name. Whilst this is true of Leeds, it certainly isn't of Norwich, and despite relative recent success, no-one in their right mind would claim it is. That said, most Leeds fans would kill to be in in the position Norwich are in now. Whilst Leeds have sat in the Championship year after year, Norwich have invested wisely in their playing squad and are now an established Premier League side. But with the right backing, Leeds could be a behemoth again, which Norwich never could.
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Ev
12/5/2013 04:21:43 pm
Fair assesment.... Any club could become big even if the local population are small, they just need to set a trend and get success over a period of time so Norwhich could do it if they can stay in the prem and do something long term. Leeds has been badly managed for a decade and although its not anything to do with the fans (as usual) its had a negative impact
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Leigh LUFC Dickens
12/5/2013 07:39:25 am
Really? Norwich? Look! You lot are having your little bout out abd will be soon relegated back to the cship! Only a matter of time! You built a squad from us for pennies! It's a process of elimination which you will fall victim to eventually! Lets be right you no LUFC! We are shite at the mo but still huge! You wouldn't be here commenting otherwise! Get back to the farm and enjoy your days out whilst they last!!! WAFLL!!!
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Super Yellows
12/5/2013 07:46:17 am
Slightly confused ... Are Leeds a bigger club than Norwich?
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A wilson
12/5/2013 08:26:16 am
Personally i would not take snakeinthegrass .
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Paul
12/5/2013 08:55:01 am
The fact that Norwich have taken our four best players in the last two years would prove that for the moment they are a bigger club than us. It's about time we realised our place and that many young people in the world watching Premier League football haven't even heard of our club.
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Rob Atkinson
12/5/2013 09:10:20 am
Ah Paul - you'll be one of the WACCOE negativity addicts I suppose, a tenaciously pessimistic bunch who won't be happy till you've convinced us proper fans that we're Not A Big Club Any More. Really, what utter rubbish. Read some of the more enlightened comments above and learn about pride in your club. Shame on you - you deserve to support Uddersfailed. You're certainly not a true Leeds fan.
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Bob
12/5/2013 10:45:18 am
Hahahahahahaha. Love a good satire piece. Well done.
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smiffyinoz
12/5/2013 01:10:12 pm
This is comedy gold. I thought for one minute you said "ask for Robert Snodgrass back"....Baaaahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
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joe
12/5/2013 02:21:08 pm
Haha Norwich fans make me laugh, i am a Leeds fan living just outside Norwich [there are a lot of us here too] i bet that there isnt many Norwich fans living near Leeds! MOT
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Jeremy goss
12/5/2013 03:54:48 pm
Cos it's a shithole
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thepostman
12/5/2013 06:23:33 pm
Whilst I respect Leeds worldwide fan base, and it is admirable, I think its a bit deluded of some of you assuming that Norwich dont have a global span, I can assure you, you are wrong parts of Africa, Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand, India, Europe to name a few all have NCFC supporter groups, recent marketing developments have also seen our credit grow in the USA, signingd of people such as Sebastian Bassong, Alex Tettey, Simeon Jackson and Ricky van Wolfswinkle has also brought in fans from France, Norway, Canada and the Netherlands respectively. Whilst Leeds Uniteds history and stature dhould be admired, Norwich's is growing, ask the bigger club question 5 years down the line and the answer could be very very different.
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12/5/2013 07:29:33 pm
I don't think that fast-forwarding 5 years will assist your case. In that time, it's almost certain that Norwich will be relegated - such being the fate of clubs of that size, and so remotely located. It's equally likely that Leeds will be promoted well within that time span, the same factors working in our favour the size of the club and it's location at the confluence of major transport networks conspiring to make it a candidate for growth given enough investment. It's just the way things are - historically, over the longer term, Leeds have always been bigger than Norwich, and over the longer term they always will be.
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Graham (Yellow)
12/5/2013 11:35:26 pm
I think you'll find getting promoted and staying in the Premier is not based on geographic location or rail links, it's not about how big your club is or isn't, although how you measure that I have no idea.
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Mark Barrs
12/5/2013 07:55:18 pm
Norwich fans need to learn how to spell correctly before replying to any comments on this site. For all you turnip lickers around the world, Leeds is a bigger club.
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Tony
12/5/2013 08:18:13 pm
Leeds are a bigger club with an old crumbling ground they can not fill and a massive chip on their shoulder. Norwich are Premier League which is something that you West Yorkshire clowns wont be for a long time. Bask in your history and tradition and let us know when you have some more players we can buy. Snodgrass would only leave us for a proper big club in the Premier League, not the Championship which is where Leeds will be next year.
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12/5/2013 08:23:19 pm
"Norwich are Premier League which is something that you West Yorkshire clowns wont be for a long time."
Billy Bremner
12/5/2013 08:57:38 pm
We are so shit these days even Norwich would batter us off the park. Oh, at least we still have the glory days of 1973! We were like SOOO close to beating a 2nd Division team that day.
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Rob Atkinson
12/5/2013 09:18:47 pm
Pathetic. Pretending to be a Leeds fan as a cover for taking the mick just means you can't stand on your own two feet to make a point and admit who you really support. Whoever that is, it seems you're ashamed of them.
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Tim
12/5/2013 08:57:46 pm
Leeds bigger than Norwich, Norwich bigger than Leeds!!!! Playground argument. What is certain is that at this point in time Norwich are enjoying better success in a 'getting stronger by the minute' premier league. With that in mind why on earth would you think any ex Leeds player would drop back?
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Tony
12/5/2013 08:58:22 pm
Not bollocks just facts. Thanks for your concern but winding you up is time well spent in my opinion. Just post on here for me when you have some more decent players. Also if you want anymore rejects like Morrison, let me know. He was poor in the Premier League but will do a job for Leeds in the Championship.
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Robert Snodgrass
12/5/2013 08:59:04 pm
LOL
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Rob Atkinson
12/5/2013 09:20:44 pm
It seems that with relegation avoided for another year, the Naaaaaaaaaaarritch fans have the time and energy to come on here and get busy with all 12 fingers having a go at poor little Leeds. We're just not famous any more, eh? ;-)
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canarynige
12/5/2013 09:26:34 pm
Does anyone anywhere ever talk about Leeds? They have loads of supporters yes but there so fickle.one week full next week empty.enjoy your history books
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thepostman
12/5/2013 10:26:54 pm
Please, correcting peoples grammer in a football debate, what are we? Juvenile little 12 year olds who don't have the intellectual knowhow to formulate a worthwhile and intelligent point? At the end of the day Leeds are more well known, historic club, English football just wouldn't be the same without you but please just because you have a vibrant history do not try and act as if you are automatically better than other (other not smaller) clubs just because your trophy cabinet was once far more occupied than our own, football is not about history or "what ifs" its about success, Leeds have not got a god-given right to the premier league because of past successes, Norwich City whether you consider them inferior or not have gained their place among the English elite through sheer hard work and determination and for that they deserve even the most pig headed Leeds fans respect. Premier League football doesnt just drop into the lap of those who feel they deserve it through name alone, but those who EARN it. Put that on the Home dressing rooms door, might buck their ideas up.
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Kobecanary
12/5/2013 11:18:20 pm
As a Norwich fan who lived in Leeds, apparently I don't exist but whatever.
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