First it was Russell Martin, then Daniel Farke, and now Norwich City fans’ attentions seem to be on Liam Manning as their side search for a new head coach.
Sporting director Ben Knapper’s most recent encounter with the media took place last week, creating a trail of breadcrumbs for those supporters to follow to Ashton Gate and the Bristol City manager, who appears to fulfill the requirements.
“Nothing changes as far as our broader direction and what we’re trying to do here,” said Knapper, and the boxes appeared to be checked. When Johannes Hoff Thorup was appointed, the emphasis was on style of play, youth, and the development of young players.
“It’s important not to throw the baby out with the bath water and over-correct,” Knapper continued, hammering home the message for anyone who had missed it the first time: this will be an appointment in accordance with his previous recruitments.
However, it has been noted that former temporary head coach Jack Wilshere was passed up for the post due to his lack of experience in charge of a senior team, so employing another rookie would be an unexpected contradiction at this point. When all of these factors are considered, Manning has shown to be the solution for many.
He began his coaching career by training young players in the Ipswich Town academy before going on to West Ham’s under-23s. He, like Thorup, began his career in youth football before moving on to men’s football, first as New York City’s academy director and then as manager of Belgian club Lommel SK.
In terms of play style, he also fits the bill. He has the potential to be pragmatic, as he has demonstrated with his Robins back three in recent months, yet ask any MK Dons or Oxford United fan about his progressive tactics.
The 39-year-old’s current circumstances would also explain the slow pace of Knapper’s quest. Bristol City were just formally eliminated from the play-offs on Monday night, so he couldn’t have engaged in lengthy external discussions while preparing for their semi-final match against Sheffield United.
Aside from his English football knowledge, he has another advantage over Thorup: he is a local boy. The aforementioned relationship with the Tractor Boys has undoubtedly been discussed – he even played for them as a child – but he owned a Carrow Road season ticket long before it became popular to do so.
He was born in the Fine City and played for Norwich before moving south of the border. He has denied being a fan of the club, but he cannot deny that he has a connection with it.
For all of those advantages, there is the significant consideration that he is currently at a club where he has made incremental progress over the last 18 months, where he finished seven places higher than the Canaries in the Championship last season, and from which he would have to uproot his personal life to return to Norfolk.
However, some of Manning’s recent comments on recruitment have sparked the curiosity of fans hoping that he would be lured to return to East Anglia, as he has made no secret of the impact money has had on his difficult Bristol mission.
“If you look at some of the other clubs in the division, the wages they pay but also the fees they pay, we’re not in that position,” he said in December of last year. For the second time in their history, Norwich may provide potential new head coaches with the opposite of that.
The monetary infusion from Mark Attanasio’s Norfolk Holdings company has allowed Knapper more leeway, which, after years of cautious financial management, may entice an ambitious coach like Manning. On the personal side, such wages apply to both staff and players, which may be an enticing incentive.
He, however, divides opinion, as do all of the other names being discussed. Many people have pointed out his resemblance to the dismissed Dane, as well as how badly his charges were defeated in the promotion final. A top-six finish means little in isolation, and Bristol City’s record-breaking 6-0 aggregate loss indicated that they still had a long way to go.
Perhaps Manning requires that extra push from the additional resources he would have at Carrow Road, as well as the financial weight and the youthful squad that is now a year into its predicted ascendance. Perhaps he is exactly what Norwich needs, but only time will tell if he and Knapper believe so.
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