Delia Smith, Norwich City’s director and majority shareholder, caused a storm at the end of February with her attempt to raise the spirits of the Carrow Road crowd during the televised clash with Manchester City. While most fans were supportive of her actions, a vocal minority were concerned she’d embarrassed the club and its supporters, a view supported by a string of vitriolic national newspaper articles. However, here at BBC Radio Norfolk, we’re in the supportive bracket, but we had begun to think we were on our own, swayed by the image projected though our green and yellow-tinted spectacles. That was until we came across an article in the Birmingham Evening Post, written by the BBC’s football correspondent for the Midlands, Pat Murphy. Murphy was very much on our side, so he was invited to be a guest on our weekly Norwich City fanzine show The Scrimmage (Thursdays 18:00 - 19:00 GMT). When the subject of Delia came up, he was happy to voice his displeasure at the way she’d been portrayed. "I feel very strongly about this,” said Chelsea fan Murphy. "It’s about time the clichés about Delia and her cookery books were put to rest. She’s been associated, almost slavishly, in one way or another, with Norwich City for over 30 years, certainly since she and Michael [Wynn-Jones, her husband] got together. "I think if you put more than seven million quid of your own money into a club and reward them passionately, you’re entitled to get very much involved.” Murphy was also ready to suggest Delia only picked up the mic after others backed out. "I understand that Delia wasn’t the first choice, in her own eyes, during that half-time. She did suggest that one or two other people, who shall remain nameless, should give it a go. They politely refused so ‘to hell with it’ she said and why not for heaven's sake? "I’ve seen enough egotistical chairmen down the years associated with football clubs, they still exist, and the very idea that Delia Smith should be painted in that corner is just unfair to her, and to the club, and as far as I’m concerned more power to her elbow.” Studio guest Paul Franklin, a former Norwich player, chipped in to note that during his time with Leicester similar half-time pep talks were common under former chairman Alan Birchenall, and barely an eyelid was batted. “Could it be that there’s some misogyny going on here? Could it be that people are having a go at Delia because she’s a fluffy-haired woman in their eyes?” asked Murphy. “I find the mere idea of that absolutely deplorable. She knows about football, she cares about the club, and I believe there’s an anti-female agenda here as well,” he added. | 
