NORWICH SACKS CHRIS HOUGHTON
Norwich City have sacked Chris Hughton
as manager and replaced him with youth
team boss Neil Adams.
Norwich are fourth from bottom of the
Premier League after Saturday's 1-0 home
defeat to West Brom.
They are five points above third-bottom
Fulham who they meet next weekend. After
that, Norwich have by far the toughest run-
in of all the relegation candidates as they
face Liverpool, Manchester United, Chelsea
and Arsenal.
The Canaries have been in the lower
reaches of the top-flight for most of the
season, with a lack of goals their main
problem.
Their tally of 26 in 33 games is only better
than Crystal Palace. Last summer,
Hughton spent a reported £8.5million to
sign Ricky van Wolfswinkel from Sporting
Lisbon and £5million to bring Gary Hooper
from Celtic, while also adding Johan
Elmander on loan - but none of the moves
have paid off.
Hughton's assistants Colin Calderwood
and Paul Trollope have also been
dismissed.
A statement on the club's official website
read: "The Norwich City board has taken
the decision to give the club the maximum
chance to secure the points required
between now and the end of the season to
ensure retention of our Barclays Premier
League status.
"Neil Adams, 48, steps up from his current
role as our Under-18s coach with a wealth
of experience as a player, having won a
league title with Everton in 1987 and made
206 appearances in all competitions as a
stalwart wide player for Norwich City
between 1993 and 1999.
"He moved into the club's youth coaching
set-up and last year guided the young
Canaries to their first FA Youth Cup
triumph in 30 years, courtesy of a shock
victory over Chelsea in the final, in which
his side won both legs.
"Meanwhile, the club would like to place
on record it's sincere thanks to Chris
Hughton, Colin Calderwood and Paul
Trollope for all of their hard work on behalf
of the club since they took over in June
2012.
"Chris's achievement in guiding City to an
11th-place finish in the Premier League
last season was an excellent one and he
has represented the club with dignity
throughout his tenure.
"However, the recent run of four defeats in
our last six Premier League games and six
consecutive away league defeats, left the
club with no choice but to act, with five
games still to play in the current campaign.
"Neil is a progressive and successful
coach who has served this club as a player
and a member of our coaching staff in
exemplary fashion over two decades. With
our fantastic fans getting behind Neil and
the team in the games ahead we will
greatly improve our chances of a
successful end to the current campaign."
Adams, a title winner with Everton in 1987,
finished his playing career at Carrow Road
before moving onto the coaching staff.
He said: "To say that I am delighted to
have been offered the opportunity of
managing Norwich City Football Club
would be a massive understatement.
"People know what
this club means to
me, and so it goes
without saying that
we will be doing
everything
possible to ensure
that we maintain
our top-flight
status for next
season.
"These final five
games will be a
huge test for us,
and everyone must step up to the mark.
But with the full backing of these
magnificent Norwich supporters we will
have every chance of achieving our
objective."
Hughton took over from Paul Lambert in
June 2012, and finished a creditable
eleventh in his first season.
Norwich will hold a press conference on
Monday.
as manager and replaced him with youth
team boss Neil Adams.
Norwich are fourth from bottom of the
Premier League after Saturday's 1-0 home
defeat to West Brom.
They are five points above third-bottom
Fulham who they meet next weekend. After
that, Norwich have by far the toughest run-
in of all the relegation candidates as they
face Liverpool, Manchester United, Chelsea
and Arsenal.
The Canaries have been in the lower
reaches of the top-flight for most of the
season, with a lack of goals their main
problem.
Their tally of 26 in 33 games is only better
than Crystal Palace. Last summer,
Hughton spent a reported £8.5million to
sign Ricky van Wolfswinkel from Sporting
Lisbon and £5million to bring Gary Hooper
from Celtic, while also adding Johan
Elmander on loan - but none of the moves
have paid off.
Hughton's assistants Colin Calderwood
and Paul Trollope have also been
dismissed.
A statement on the club's official website
read: "The Norwich City board has taken
the decision to give the club the maximum
chance to secure the points required
between now and the end of the season to
ensure retention of our Barclays Premier
League status.
"Neil Adams, 48, steps up from his current
role as our Under-18s coach with a wealth
of experience as a player, having won a
league title with Everton in 1987 and made
206 appearances in all competitions as a
stalwart wide player for Norwich City
between 1993 and 1999.
"He moved into the club's youth coaching
set-up and last year guided the young
Canaries to their first FA Youth Cup
triumph in 30 years, courtesy of a shock
victory over Chelsea in the final, in which
his side won both legs.
"Meanwhile, the club would like to place
on record it's sincere thanks to Chris
Hughton, Colin Calderwood and Paul
Trollope for all of their hard work on behalf
of the club since they took over in June
2012.
"Chris's achievement in guiding City to an
11th-place finish in the Premier League
last season was an excellent one and he
has represented the club with dignity
throughout his tenure.
"However, the recent run of four defeats in
our last six Premier League games and six
consecutive away league defeats, left the
club with no choice but to act, with five
games still to play in the current campaign.
"Neil is a progressive and successful
coach who has served this club as a player
and a member of our coaching staff in
exemplary fashion over two decades. With
our fantastic fans getting behind Neil and
the team in the games ahead we will
greatly improve our chances of a
successful end to the current campaign."
Adams, a title winner with Everton in 1987,
finished his playing career at Carrow Road
before moving onto the coaching staff.
He said: "To say that I am delighted to
have been offered the opportunity of
managing Norwich City Football Club
would be a massive understatement.
"People know what
this club means to
me, and so it goes
without saying that
we will be doing
everything
possible to ensure
that we maintain
our top-flight
status for next
season.
"These final five
games will be a
huge test for us,
and everyone must step up to the mark.
But with the full backing of these
magnificent Norwich supporters we will
have every chance of achieving our
objective."
Hughton took over from Paul Lambert in
June 2012, and finished a creditable
eleventh in his first season.
Norwich will hold a press conference on
Monday.
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