Norwich City AGM 2023: Inside the Canaries board's big night

After a few minutes of introductions and the conclusion of formal business, the second shareholder in attendance asked the question all Norwich City supporters had been waiting for the answers to: what has happened to the matchday menu?

Carrow Road’s new vegan Balti pies were the undeniable centre piece, the crowd waiting anxious and with bated breath. Executive director Zoe Webber’s response was as shocking as it was exciting, having taken a moment to consider the correct tone for such a seismic moment.

Just under an hour earlier City’s shareholders had begun to file up the stairs and into the Gunn Club, with Mark Attanasio’s son Mike taking his seat in the back row before new sporting director Ben Knapper and technical director Neil Adams had started to greet the club’s guests by the entrance.

New sporting director Ben Knapper greeted shareholders upon arrival (Image: Adam Harvey/Newsquest)

The evening began in earnest with a video that portrayed the last 12 months perhaps in a more favourable light than they deserved, highlighting the key moments that had taken place.

That video included was one last sighting of Stuart Webber, in the form of a brief summary of 2022-23’s failings and successes; staying in the Championship amounting to the former and Gabriel Sara’s purchase an example of the latter.

Minutes later, the club and its shareholders were in the thick of things, and there were points worthy of note at every turn. The differing levels of support for the reappointments of Michael Wynn Jones and Tom Smith to standard procedural votes, for example.

A brief accounting matter was dealt with swiftly by finance director Anthony Richens, and in truth the official business was over with fairly quickly. The club’s supporters had mainly turned out for the Q&A, and they weren’t made to wait long.

City fans had the chance to ask questions of the board on the night (Image: Adam Harvey/Newsquest)

There was some fairly mundane questions mixed in, but plenty to take from a night during which the board were made to face up to their failings in the most direct format. The first rousing speech of the night included references to Ipswich Town’s successful model, club-wide malaise and problems with the squad. It was met with near-universal applause.

That wasn’t the first time the nine at the top table were taken to task; this was an opportunity for fans to make their true feelings known and articulate to those responsible what they were. Few were keen to waste it.

Included in the topics covered were player sales, January plans, unsurprisingly David Wagner, memberships and potential conflicts of interest. There were also three questions asked about the future of the women’s team, a welcome step forward and a sign of their growing profile.

In truth it was a dressing down the level of which could have been better and could have been worse for the Canaries’ decision makers. The interspersion of those mundane questions broke up what many hoped would be a constant wave of criticism, but there was no fear in those more robust challenges.

Exactly what was said on the night will remain unknown to those who weren’t in the room, but three of the board were given the chance following the AGM to send messages to all of their fans.

For Delia Smith and Michael Wynn Jones that was in the form of a 30-minute interview with the local press, for Attanasio that same conversation as well as two long ones with regional broadcasters.

Mark Attanasio, Delia Smith and Michael Wynn Jones spoke to the press in the stadium's Bluespace Lounge (Image: Adam Harvey/Newsquest)

The American’s in-demand status highlights quite what a change he has made in NR1. It’s 14 months since he officially became a board member, 18 since he travelled to Norfolk for his first live viewing. And yet he remains a figure from which every word is immeasurably valuable.

But he met everyone in the room with a humility that suggested he knew none of that, with time and warmth for all. When he and his colleagues left the Bluespace Lounge it was as low-key as imaginable, despite what had been a significant night in the club’s future, for him and otherwise.

For the most part the important questions will remain ones that Wagner and his charges have to answer on the pitch, as City look to navigate their toughest period in well over a decade.

Clarity was provided on a few of those key queries, however, and hands slightly revealed. On-pitch matters will always be the priority, but this was a big night off it.

Chief among the answers that made it so, “we’ve been asked to provide more vegan options”.