It looks like Norwich City will waste no time in appointing former Newcastle boss, Chris Hughton, as their new manager today.
Chris Hughton – while at Birmingham
Chris was allowed to talk to Norwich City yesterday, by his current club Birmingham City, and it seems a £2M compensation fee has been agreed between the two clubs for Hughton, who had a successful eighteen months spell as Newcastle manager, and of course got us promoted from the Championship with a massive 102 points.
That means Chris will be retuning to St. James’ Park next season, and we’re sure he’ll get a great welcome back, for all he did for the Tyneside club, when we were on our knees, after being relegated in the summer of 2009.
If Birmingham get £2M in compensation for their manager, then we have to think Chris will get a decent wage at Norwich and much more than the measly £250K/year he was getting on Tyneside.
It’s measly of course, only compared to what other managers were getting at the time, and he was the lowest paid manager in the Premier League in 2010.
Chris will replace the very impressive Scot, Paul Lambert, who resigned from Norwich last week, and has recently been appointed the new manager of Aston Villa.
Norwich wanted a manager with Premier League experience, and Chris has that with Newcastle, if only for the first four months of the 2010-2011 season, but Hughton had Newcastle in 11th place in the league when he was sacked, and replaced by Alan Pardew.
As expected Chris will be taking his back-room staff with him, which includes former Newcastle Assistant Manager Colin Calderwood, and also coach Paul Trollope and England goalkeeper coach Dave Watson.
Hughton leaves Birmingham after only one year in charge, but he did what he did ast Newcastle, and took over a club down in the dumps following relegation, and got them back on their feet very quickly.
Chris had Birmingham in 4th place in the Championship last season, after he lost some of Birmingham’s best players last summer, and he also took Birmingham on a good Europa League run – so Chris added European management experience to his resume.
And maybe for the first time in his short management career, Chris will be given considerable funds to spend this summer, to improve the Norwich side, with his first job being to persuade 31 year-old striker Grant Holt to stay at the East Anglia club.
Norwich Chief executive David McNally had this to say recently:
“We are looking to improve the squad this year, we are looking to invest heavily in new players.” “We are under no pressure to sell any players – if we do sell any players then the extra money goes to the football manager, so I think we are in a terrific place.”
Norwich is a great club for Chris to manage, and we wish him the very best in his new position, and look forward to see him back at St. James’ Park next season.
Comments welcome.
23 comments so far
arctoa
Jun 7, 2012 at 10:09 AM
Comment #1I’m quite surprised; even though it’s a move up a division it feels like a move sideways or even downwards in terms of club infrastructure and potential.
Here’s hoping the move doesn’t backfire on him; he’s a decent chap and deserves to do well at the top level: so long as it doesn’t interfere with our own progress!
cupiddstunt
Jun 7, 2012 at 10:12 AM
Comment #2Well done Chris Hope you do well
steve
Jun 7, 2012 at 10:12 AM
Comment #3Good luck to Chris, proper gent
Again this is controversial but I don’t think Norwich is a good move for him. Second season syndrome for Norwich and Swansea I reckon.
Having said that I wish Hoots the very best of luck (just not against us 😀 )
arctoa
Jun 7, 2012 at 10:17 AM
Comment #4Mind you, on further thought I know that personally I would much rather work in Norfolk than under the black smoke of Birmingham. Carrow Road is a relatively friendly place whereas St.Andrew’s is a throwback to the early 1980s in terms of attitude.
toonarmydownsouth
Jun 7, 2012 at 10:17 AM
Comment #5Arctoa how its a downwards step in terms of a club with infrastructure the brums chairmans been banged up for fruad and they have absolutely no transfer funds as a majority of the clubs assetts have been froozen sorry this is a great move for hoots
Toonboy_84
Jun 7, 2012 at 10:20 AM
Comment #6I bet guthrie ends up at norwich. Possibly loven too.
arctoa
Jun 7, 2012 at 10:23 AM
Comment #7@ 5
Fair point, I didn’t know much about those shenanigans before reading up on it just now. I retract my first statement!
However, I still think Norwich will seriously struggle to finish outside the relegation places next season: which is a shame, as I have a bit of a soft spot for them for no other reason than my first ever NUFC kit was that yellow and green Umbro jobby from 1990!
arctoa
Jun 7, 2012 at 10:25 AM
Comment #8Guthrie to Norwich is a decent call. Not sure about Lovenkrands, I think he’s at the stage of his career where he’ll think about heading back to Denmark.
toonruz
Jun 7, 2012 at 10:27 AM
Comment #9Getttt in there!! RT @NUFCOfficial: Chief Scout Graham Carr has signed a new eight-year deal with #NUFC – full story on http://www.nufc.co.uk
Ibizatoon - Back by popular demand
Jun 7, 2012 at 10:29 AM
Comment #10Toonruz…That is the best signing we could have hoped for this summer. The genius that is Carr! 8 Years as well, bloody good business.
Mike, I tip my hat to you
ToonHeart
Jun 7, 2012 at 10:30 AM
Comment #11@Toonboy_84 – That’s the first thing I thought! Guthrie for Norwich!
arctoa
Jun 7, 2012 at 10:31 AM
Comment #12@ 9
An eight-year contract? That’s insane, haha. Good news, though. I guess the vultures have been circling of late.
Dannyo
Jun 7, 2012 at 10:32 AM
Comment #13Thats great news 😀
Now that is a signing that shows ambition 😀
Toonboy_84
Jun 7, 2012 at 10:32 AM
Comment #14Arctoa
Maybe loven will feel he can do another year if hoots wants him. Guthers could do a great job there.
Great news about graham Carr too.
sahil
Jun 7, 2012 at 10:33 AM
Comment #15Thoughts are with Defoe, dad passed away now he’s coming back to England.
Toonboy_84
Jun 7, 2012 at 10:34 AM
Comment #16Toonheart
Great minds think a like and all that one 😉
Offkey
Jun 7, 2012 at 10:34 AM
Comment #17Loving the 8 year deal…….
toonruz
Jun 7, 2012 at 10:34 AM
Comment #18just been on sky sports news as well , they say bindippers were sniffing around him
Munster Mag
Jun 7, 2012 at 10:36 AM
Comment #198 year contract brings him up to 75 ?? Mind you, he looks a young 67…..top man
Indian Magpie
Jun 7, 2012 at 10:38 AM
Comment #20Come on Ed lets cook an article on Carr, a little less sugar please
Munster Mag
Jun 7, 2012 at 10:39 AM
Comment #21Dirt bidippers ….is it no wonder. Amazing when you remember some of the dross Dalglish signed…this was a man who claimed an encyclopaedic knowledge of footmall….Des Hamilton, Brian Pinas, Guivarch, Paul Dalglish, Garry Brady, Georgiadis etc. No wonder they want a decent scout to help sort out the mess the mad Scotsman left!!!!
toonincheek
Jun 7, 2012 at 10:41 AM
Comment #22Put Graham Carr on a percentage of the profit on players he has scouted then sold by MA, and he’ll be a very rich man. Deservedly.
martoon
Jun 7, 2012 at 11:02 AM
Comment #23Wonder if Joey Barton will be going to Norwich 🙂