Norwich City have confirmed the dismissal of Liam Manning after their 2-1 defeat to Leicester City in the Championship on Saturday, leaving the Canaries stuck in 23rd place with just nine points to their name.
Mathias Kvistgaarden had fired Norwich ahead in the 62nd minute, but strikes from Bobby De Cordova-Reid and Jordan James flipped the contest in Leicester’s favour. The result marks Norwich’s seventh straight home loss at Carrow Road this season.
For Marti Cifuentes and his Leicester side, the victory ends a miserable streak of five matches without a win and propels them up to 12th in the standings. The Foxes now sit only four points shy of the play-off places, according to the Mirror.
In an official club statement, Norwich announced: “Norwich City can confirm that the club have parted company with head coach Liam Manning. Assistant head coach Chris Hogg and first-team coach analyst James Krause have also departed the club.”
Sporting director Ben Knapper voiced his disappointment over the move, saying: “We have done absolutely everything possible to work through this extremely difficult period but, sadly, given the recent sequence of results and performances, we’ve been left with no alternative other than to make a change at this point.
“Liam and his staff worked relentlessly to drive the football club forward. They are all genuinely good people and we wish them the very best in whatever comes next.”
He also recognised the fans’ growing anger, stating: “We completely understand the frustration and criticism from our supporters right now. Results and performances on the pitch haven’t met expectations. We accept that responsibility, but it’s crucial we now begin rebuilding trust with our supporters and give them something to believe in again.”
The club further confirmed: “First-team coach Ryan Garry, assisted by goalkeeping coach Tony Roberts and set-piece coach Nick Stanley, will take temporary charge of the first team while the club searches for a new head coach.”
Following yet another defeat, Manning admitted post-match that his future was uncertain. “I am sure there will be lots of noise and speculation,” he said.
“I need to go home and reflect on things, it’s too early after the game to say more than that, but I don’t feel great.
“It’s a tough one to take. I thought in the first half we were decent without testing their goalkeeper enough. We showed the right intent, caused them problems, but lacked quality at key moments.
“We also started the second half strongly, got our goal and could have added another. But it’s about maintaining that intensity and what happened after our goal was really frustrating.”
Manning’s exit comes after supporter protests outside Carrow Road against the club’s leadership. Chants of “we want Knapper out” echoed around the ground towards the end of the Leicester defeat, while “sack the board” was shouted near the directors’ entrance.
The 40-year-old had signed a four-year contract in June after less than two years at Bristol City, replacing Johannes Hoff Thorup, who left the club sitting 14th last season.
After 15 league fixtures, Norwich are four points adrift of safety, with only Sheffield Wednesday—on -4 points—below them. The club aims to appoint a new manager before their clash with Birmingham City on November 22, following the international break.