• Premier League

Norwich chief hints at managerial change

Norwich City chief executive David McNally has suggested the club's board will not be slow to act should manager Chris Hughton fail to turn around the Canaries' Premier League form.

Speaking to the Eastern Daily Press, McNally revealed Hughton's longevity in the job directly relates to the team's results on the pitch.

"I think you have to be aware of the market and, I'll use that phrase again, it would be almost delinquent of the football club to not be aware of potential candidates if for any reason your manager left," he said.

"That could be because your manager wants to go elsewhere, as did Paul Lambert, who was brilliant for Norwich City but he took a decision and moved on, or if results are not good enough you have to be aware of who is out there to help.

"You look at the market and who might be right for Norwich City. If we needed to make a change - and the average tenure of a Premier League manager is about a year-and-a-half, which puts Chris in the top six or top eight longest serving right now - then if a change was necessary it wouldn't be a case of, who are the contenders?

"It would be a case of reviewing what is required, where are we going and who is best placed to take the club forward."

Norwich are the only club in the bottom six with the same manager at the helm that started the season.

"Not every club has taken that route. If you look at West Ham there was a bigger outcry from their supporters for change and they have done okay recently," McNally added.

"You have to be mindful of what is happening at other clubs but similarly if you draw a comparison with transfers we don't react if one of our peers decides to sign seven players in January, for instance.

"If we believe Chris is the right man to take the club forward then we stick with that. It is fine margins in our sport and what you have to be sure of is a guaranteed improvement."

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