After Johannes Hoff Thorup was surprisingly dismissed in the summer, it allowed for Liam Manning to take the reins of his hometown club. However, after just 9 points accumulated in the first 15 games, his spell as Norwich City head coach came to an end. But what went so wrong for Manning?

Manning’s Managerial Journey

His career started out in Belgium as manager of Lommel during the 20/21 season, guiding them to a 3rd-place finish in the First Division B – a feat the club have not achieved since.

In the summer of 2021, Manning was snapped up by Milton Keynes Dons, giving him a chance to prove himself within the EFL. This season was a huge success for the club as another 3rd-place finish for Manning gave The Dons a  shot at the Play-Offs. Unfortunately for them, a two-legged tie against Wycombe Wanderers proved to be too much for his side, but a remarkable accomplishment nonetheless.

His second season however was a complete contrast to the previous with just 4 wins in the opening 20 league games, leading to his departure from the club in December 2022.

He would only have to wait 4 months to be rewarded another job in England though, this time head coach at Oxford United. After a good start at the helm, he was approached by Bristol City in November 2023, a chance for Manning to deploy his tactics and beliefs in the Championship.

After a mid-table finish in the 23/24 season, it was the season after that brought media attention to Liam Manning’s name. A surprising 6th-place finish against all odds, he had managed to steer Bristol City to a realistic shot at Premier League football. Ultimately, it was not meant to be after a heavy semi-final defeat to Sheffield United but it showcased Manning’s style of football on the biggest stage of EFL football.

What Has Gone Wrong At Norwich

Many backed Norwich as a contender for the Play-Offs before a ball had been kicked after Manning’s prior season at Bristol City. After finishing 13th the previous season, fans of the club believed the foundations were there to be built upon by Manning, who they hoped would be the man to take them back into the Premier League.

Their summer transfer activity saw The Canaries spend upwards of £17 million on the likes of Mathias Kvistgaarden to bolster their attack, Vladan Kovacevic between the sticks and Papa Diallo, a young exciting winger from Metz.

However, by far the best piece of business Norwich did was keeping hold of star striker Josh Sargent who attracted a lot of interest over the summer. Among the clubs chasing for his signature were both Premier League outfit, Burnley, and Bundesliga side Wolfsburg. Despite 8 figure sums being placed on the table, Sargent stayed loyal to his current club, hoping to build upon his successful goal scoring season in 24/25.

A 2-1 home defeat to Millwall on the opening day thanks to a late Macauley Langstaff goal was a sign of things to come at Carrow Road. Since then Manning has taken charge of a further 7 games in the home dugout in all competitions. 8 defeats in a row with just 5 goals scored turned the fanbase against him, creating a toxic atmosphere around the club.

Despite their away form being slightly better, picking up 3 wins in all competitions in August, the travelling faithful are still waiting for their first maximum return since on the road. Failing to beat administration-ridden Sheffield Wednesday seemed to be the last straw for many Norwich fans before his eventual sacking on Saturday after a 2-1 home defeat to Leicester City.

With Josh Sargent failing to score since their last victory on August 30th, goals have become a rarity for Norwich with just 3 in the last 6 games – a problem Manning was unable to figure out, costing him his job. With just 1 clean sheet all season to, it was hard to see the identity which Norwich possessed. Leaking goals without scoring many of your own whilst deploying predominantly a back 5, was never going to end well for the Norwich-born manager.

Potential Replacements

With his departure confirmed, along with his assistant head coach and first team analyst, it gives The Canaries a shot at a fresh start trying to avoid relegation to the 3rd tier.

Gary O’Neil

The former Norwich player has been out of job since his exit from Wolverhampton Wanderers last December. Since taking up a punditry role on Sky Sports, O’Neil has expressed his desire to return to management.

His first season at Wolves saw him stabilise the club after key players had made notable exits. A 14th-place finish along with a run to the quarter-finals of The FA Cup, defeating arch rivals West Bromwich Albion along the way, capped off a season most of the Wolves faithful felt fairly content with.

His second season though saw Molineux turn on O’Neil as no wins in their first 10 league games saw them sit at the bottom of the table. Discipline issues also became apparent after a defeat at home to struggling Ipswich Town which saw player confrontations at the full-time whistle. This signaled the end of O’Neil’s time at Wolves.

Michael Carrick

Carrick is yet to get back into management since his reign ended at Middlesbrough in the summer. A near 3 year stint at the Riverside saw his side flutter in and around the Play-Offs every season.

His appointment in October 2022 had the desired effect as he took Boro from the relegation spaces up to 4th position.  Carrick was praised for his style of football which saw him receive manager of the month in April 2023 and become a limelight in the English media.

Despite this, the following 2 seasons saw Middlesbrough labelled as ‘the nearly-team’, missing out on the Play-Off positions by a handful of points. A surprise tie against Chelsea in the semi-final of the Carabao Cup was a particular highlight of his tenure, but gradual regression over time was there for all to see – ultimately failing at the aim of getting Boro to the Premier League.

Russell Martin

Another former Canary has also been linked with the job in spite of his wretched record at his previous clubs recently.

After guiding Southampton back to the Premier League, it led to a disastrous season for the Saints where many tipped them to be the worst Premier League side of all time. Martin was sacked in December 2024 after up just 1 win since the start of the season. His style of football was heavily criticized and left fans bemused at his persistence to continue playing in the same way despite them being on the wrong end of some heavy score lines.

Because of this, football fans were left in shock at him being given the managerial role at Rangers in the summer. However, it was much of the same for Martin’s side who became draw specialists in the Scottish Premiership. After just 1 win in their opening 7, as well as being pointless in the UEFA Europa League, it left the Rangers board with no other choice than to relieve Martin of his duties amid fan unrest.

 

Whatever decision the board at Norwich City reach in terms of the successor to Manning needs to revitalise a fanbase feeling disconnected with their club. A club once a staple within the Premier League is lurking at the prospect of being relegated into League 1 for the first time since 2010.