Liam Manning: Everything you need to know about Norwich City's new head coach

ITV News

2 days ago

Norwich City has appointed Liam Manning as their new head coach.
Manning, 39, has been lured from fellow Championship side Bristol City through a release clause, after he led the Robins to this year's play-off semi-finals.
The announcement completes a thorough month-long search for the Canaries after Johannes Hoff Thorup was sacked in April.
Speaking when the recruitment process started, Norwich City's Sporting Director Ben Knapper said they would take their time but wanted to make their appointment before the players return in late June."We want to have somebody in as soon as we can but without compromising the quality of our process and of course the quality of the candidate and finding the right person," he said at the time. So, who is Liam Manning? ITV News Anglia has been looking at his managerial career so far, as well as his Norfolk roots and international experience.
Carrow Road season ticket
Joining the Canaries means Manning is coming home - he was born in Norwich in 1985 and began his football journey at Bungay Town, before joining City's academy in 1999.
Last season Manning even revealed he used to attend games at Carrow Road as a youngster.
He said he owned a season ticket as a teenager, but clarified he was not a supporter of the club.
So he is familiar with the terraces of Carrow Road, but will have to get used to standing in the home dugout.
Short-lived non-league career
As a manager, Manning has the unusual experience of having had no success as a professional footballer.
He joined Ipswich Town's academy in 2002, but never played a game for the senior side and was released after one season.
He spent five years playing for local teams in the lower echelons of the football pyramid, like Bishop's Stortford, Leiston, Wroxham and Woodbridge Town.
But at the age of 25 he prematurely called an end to his playing career and started concentrating on becoming a coach instead.
Declan Rice and Belgian boom
Manning's first coaching role was with Premier League side West Ham, coaching their under-23 squad.
He has been lauded as playing a "pivotal role" in the development of England international and Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice.
In 2019, Manning left London and joined City Football Group - a British-based holding company that administers a number of football clubs across the world - one of the clubs the group owned was New York City - where Manning became a Director of coaching and then Academy Director.
Staying within City Football Group, in July 2020 he left America and moved to Belgium to become head coach of Belgian First Division B club Lommel SK - he led the previously bottom of the table side to a third-placed finish at the end of the 2020–21 season.
Back to Britain
After a successful year in Belgium, Manning was offered a role back in England with MK Dons.
He led the League One side to a third-place finish with 89 points at the end of the 2021-22 season, however his side were beaten in the play-off semi-finals by Wycombe Wanderers.
He was sacked in December after a poor start to his second season in charge.
In March 2023, Manning was appointed head coach of Oxford United. After 29 games in charge and the club in second place in League One, he left the club to join Championship side Bristol City.
A personal loss
Manning took compassionate leave from his role at Bristol City in October 2024 after the death of his newborn son Theo.
He went on to lead the Robins to a Championship play-off semi-final tie at the end of the 2024-25 season, which Sheffield United won 6-0 on aggregate.