Could Liam Manning be Norwich City's ticket to success?
While fans of Norwich City wait for a new head coach to be announced, the coach of a rival Championship team has been earmarked as the favourite for the role. Liam Manning has been rumoured to replace Johannes Hoff Thorup, who was sacked in April, as the new head coach of the Canaries. The Bristol City head coach also had spells in charge of Oxford United, MK Dons and Belgian club Lommel. While no formal announcement has been made, could he be the person to take the Canaries to success?
What is the story so far?
Thorup came into the club as the successor to David Wagner in May 2024. However, he was relieved of his duties in April following a run of six defeats in eight league games with only one victory. Under the Dane, the club won 14 out of 47 games. After his exit first-team coach Jack Wilshire was put in temporary charge, but the club opted against giving him the full-time role after Norwich finished 13th in the table. He joined Thorup's backroom team in October but has now left the club. Bristol City finished the 2024-25 season in sixth under Manning, who took a leave of absence in October after the death of his son, but they lost to Sheffield United 6-0 on aggregate in the Championship play-off semi-finals.
How does Manning like to coach?
Manning, 39, favours three central defenders and a high-pressing style.He also likes his teams to play out from the back, something which the Canaries struggled to do successfully last year.
What is his success rate?
Manning's average win percentage across his spells in the Football League with MK Dons, Oxford United and Bristol City is 43.5%. During his time at Bristol City it is 34.1%. Paul Lambert has the best figures of any permanent Canaries' manager in the past 25 years with 49.3%. However, Manning has also been credited in being instrumental in the development of players such as Arsenal and England midfielder Declan Rice. It was during his time working as the under-23's coach at West Ham United where he oversaw Rice's development from the under-17s to first-team regular and senior England international. During his 16 months in charge at MK Dons, he led them to the League One play-off semi-finals.
What are his connections to East Anglia?
The Norfolk-born Manning watched the likes of Bryan Gunn, Chris Sutton and Jeremy Goss at Carrow Road when he was younger. He had a season ticket during the Canaries' memorable 1992-93 Premier League season and the historic Uefa Cup campaign the next. Manning succeeded the former Canaries captain, Russell Martin, when he took on his first senior head coach role in English football at MK Dons. His long-time assistant Chris Hogg also has East Anglian connections as he is the son-in-law of George Burley, a legend at Ipswich Town, where the pair started their coaching careers in the club's academy.
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