Norwich City cannot risk 42-year-old’s return - it could end 15-year record | OneFootball

Norwich City must avoid appointing their former player as manager

Norwich City can’t afford to bring Mark Fotheringham back to Carrow Road.

The Canaries are on the lookout for a new manager after making the decision to part ways with Liam Manning, who only assumed that role in the summer.

Having just taken Bristol City to the Championship play-offs for the first time in 17 years, Manning arrived at Carrow Road with a great reputation and looked to be a real coup for the Norfolk outfit.

Under their exciting, young and dynamic new boss, hopes of a return to the top six soon emerged throughout the Canaries’ fanbase, especially when star striker Josh Sargent decided to stay despite constant interest in his services.

However, it soon became quite clear that things weren’t going to plan for Manning. After winning two of their opening four matches, Norwich wouldn’t taste victory under the 40-year-old again, a run stretching back to late August.

Over the course of 11 matches, the Canaries came off second best on eight occasions and only managed three draws. After taking the lead against Leicester City, a late turnaround from Marti Cifuentes’ side was one step too far for sporting director Ben Knapper, who subsequently made the decision to sack Manning.

Following that decision, a number of names have emerged as potential candidates to fill the managerial vacancy at Carrow Road, but perhaps none have been more surprising than Mark Fotheringham.

Norwich City must fight the urge to bring Mark Fotheringham back to Carrow Road

Fotheringham was recently in the headlines for joining Martin O’Neill at Celtic FC as part of his temporary staff and has now been linked with a full-time role at Carrow Road.

According to the Scottish Sun, the 42-year-old is a contender to replace Manning as Norwich City boss, which would come as a massive shock considering his relatively humble managerial credentials.

The obvious link between Fotheringham and the Canaries' job is the fact that he played 76 games for Norwich between 2007 and 2009, which means that he would be returning to somewhat familiar surroundings.

However, this has all the hallmarks of a terrible decision if the Canaries were to make such an appointment.

Fotheringham’s last permanent role as a first-team boss came with Huddersfield Town. He was in charge of the Terriers for four months during the 2022/23 campaign before being given his marching orders.

He only won five of his 21 matches in charge, which isn’t the sort of record that should impress Norwich. If they did decide to make the 42-year-old their next manager, it could end disastrously. Fotheringham is a highly thought-of coach, having done well in Germany, with Swansea City and now Celtic. The evidence of him leading things in the Championship just cannot be ignored, though.

The Canaries haven’t operated out of League One since 2010 but currently sit 23rd in the Championship, having scored just nine points after 15 matches. Below them are just Sheffield Wednesday, who have been docked 12 points for going into administration and, without this penalty, would be just a single point behind Norwich.

The Norfolk side need a boss with crucial experience of climbing up the Championship to take over them, which isn’t a quality that Fotheringham possesses. Instead, appointing the former Huddersfield Town boss could seal Norwich’s fate and send them packing to League One.

Norwich City still have time to turn their season around with the right appointment

Although Norwich City currently find themselves in a harrowing position, all hope is not lost for their chances of avoiding relegation.

There is still plenty of football left to play this season, and with the correct managerial appointment, they have enough quality in their squad to escape the drop.

Gary O’Neil and Russell Martin have both been linked with the job and represent much better options to pick from than Fotheringham. The last thing Norwich can do is appoint a manager with no experience of succeeding at this level or higher.

Instead, deciding to go with one of the two aforementioned names would provide the Canaries with a coach who has competed towards the top of the Championship and in the Premier League, which boosts their chances of survival tenfold.

Norwich’s choice could have huge ramifications for the future of their club, so they must decide wisely.