How Darren Huckerby has reacted to Norwich City appointing ex-Rangers boss Philippe Clement | OneFootball

Former Norwich City forward Darren Huckerby has given his reaction to the appointment of Philippe Clement as the club's new head coach.

Former Norwich City forward Darren Huckerby has called on Canaries supporters to get behind Philippe Clement following his appointment as the club's new head coach.

Norwich had been searching for a new head coach after parting company with Liam Manning earlier this month following a disappointing five-month spell in charge that saw him win just three of his 17 games at the helm following his summer move from Bristol City.

Manning departed after a run of 11 league games without a win left the Canaries sitting 23rd in the Championship table, four points from safety, and a host of names were linked with the Norfolk outfit prior to Clement's appointment.

Gary O'Neil and Jon Dahl Tomasson were both believed to be in the frame to replace Manning before pulling out of the running on Monday, while Russell Martin and Will Still were also linked with the managerial vacancy at Carrow Road.

However, despite his name barely being mentioned over the past week, Clement was surprisingly named as Norwich's new head coach on Tuesday morning, with the Belgian signing a four-year contract to keep him at the club until the summer of 2029.

Clement has been out of work since being sacked by Rangers in February after a 16-month spell in charge at Ibrox, during which he won 55, drew 15 and lost 16 of his 86 games in charge, as well as guiding his side to Scottish League Cup success in his first season.

Huckerby, who scored 48 goals and provided 26 assists in 203 appearances in a five-year spell at Norwich between 2003 and 2008, played with Clement during his time at Coventry City, and he took to social media to share his reaction to the Belgian's arrival at Carrow Road.

While Huckerby admitted that Clement has a big job on his hands to get the Canaries out of their current predicament, he claimed that the 51-year-old is a strong appointment for the club, and he urged supporters to get behind him after protests against the board in recent weeks.

"Good appointment but massive task ahead, we are bottom of the league for a reason, it's time for club and fans to unite and get behind the new head coach! Also nowhere to hide for the players now, time to step up and be counted!" Huckerby wrote on X.

In response to a supporter asking for his gut feeling about how Clement will fare at Norwich, Huckerby admitted he is unsure what to expect from the former Rangers boss, but he insisted that the players now need to step up after their previous poor performances under Manning.

"Absolutely no clue whatsoever, always believed you're as only as good as your players, so with help from the coach it's down to them now!" Huckerby said.

Clement will take charge of the Canaries for the first time when they make the trip to face Birmingham City at St Andrew's @ Knighthead Park on Saturday before back-to-back home games against Oxford United and Queens Park Rangers next week.

Norwich City have taken a big gamble with Philippe Clement appointment after Rangers spell

The appointment of Clement has taken many Norwich supporters by surprise, and the club have certainly taken a big risk by handing him the job after the disastrous end to his time at Rangers.

Clement made a positive start to his reign at Ibrox, but like many of his predecessors, he struggled to maintain his initial impact, and the Gers were 13 points behind Celtic in the Scottish Premiership at the time of his exit in February, while they had also just been knocked out of the Scottish Cup after a home defeat to second tier side Queen's Park in what was considered one of the biggest shocks in the competition's history.

However, Clement has worked at plenty of big clubs across Europe in the past, including Club Brugge and Monaco, so he should be capable of managing in the Championship, and as Huckerby said, the Canaries' players must now start delivering after underperforming significantly during Manning's tenure.