The managerial rumour mill has cranked into gear as Norwich City search for a replacement for Dean Smith.
The last time City’s sporting director Stuart Webber had to find a new head coach, it took him less than a week to have one in place and ready for action. That man was Smith who, little over a year after his appointment, has been relieved of his duties, having never quite been able to crack the Norwich City code.
Now Webber needs to find someone who can, and there are plenty of candidates being pushed by plenty of people - all of which is the easy part.
City’s statement confirming the exit of Smith and his sidekick, Craig Shakespeare, was, at 216 words, longer than some managers are afforded, but it carried the same message: it’s not been good enough, time for a change.
In the immediate aftermath of the announcement, former Burnley manager Sean Dyche and one-time Canaries loan player Scott Parker were immediately installed among the front-runners to replace Smith.
Dyche, 51, has been out of work since he was sacked by the Clarets in April, with the club in the drop zone but just four points behind Everton.
Parker has taken both Fulham and Bournemouth into the Premier League, but has been out of work since leaving the Cherries in August, having publicly criticised the club for being “unequipped” for the top flight.
Russell Martin – currently in charge at City’s Championship rivals Swansea City – is, inevitably, among the front-runners.
Another manager with Norwich links, Mark Robins, who has overcome off-field adversity to take Coventry into the top half of the table, is 6/1 with SkyBet, as is former Sheffield United and Middlesbrough boss Chris Wilder.
Kjetil Knudsen, who manages Bodo Glimt in Norway, was linked with the City vacancy last winter when Daniel Farke was sacked and Smith took over and is mentioned in the bookies’ despatches.
SkyBet leading odds: Scott Parker 11/4, Sean Dyche, Russell Martin 4/1, Mark Robins 6/1, Chris Wilder, Ralph Hassenhuttl 7/1, Kjetil Knutsen 12/1, Ryan Lowe 16/1, Anthony Barry, Steven Gerrard 18/1.
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