Former Town academy midfielder and coach Liam Manning has been appointed head coach of Norwich City, leaving his role at Bristol City.
Manning, who has agreed a deal to the summer of 2029, was with the Blues as a player in the early 2000s, having previously been a schoolboy with hometown club Norwich, but moved on without making a senior appearance and after a spell in Iceland played locally in non-league.
The 39-year-old, whose wife Fran also worked at Town, returned to Playford Road later in the decade to coach in the academy before moving on to West Ham’s youth set-up in 2015.
After leaving the Hammers, he spent time running New York City’s academy, then managed Belgian side Lommel, the MK Dons and Oxford before moving to the Robins in November 2023, seeing them into the Championship play-offs this season.
"I’m privileged and honoured to have the opportunity to work for this fantastic football club. It’s a wonderful club with a big history and tradition,” he told the Canaries official website in an announcement which studiously avoids mentioning his spells with Town.
"When I spoke to [sporting director] Ben [Knapper] and the owners about the opportunity here, I was really impressed by their vision and strategy for moving the club forward. I felt a clear alignment in how they want to play and develop players – that is something I was really excited to be a part of.
"It’s clear there has already been a lot of valuable groundwork laid in recent seasons – it’s now important we build further on that and move the club forward.
"I’m really excited to meet the supporters and will do everything possible to give them a club they can be proud of.”
Knapper added: "We’re all thrilled to welcome Liam and his family to Norwich City. This is an exciting appointment, and we are so happy to get it over the line and have him on board.
"It quickly became clear that Liam’s ambitions match our own and we are all committed to driving this club forward towards our targets. Liam knows the league, has consistently demonstrated an ability to outperform resources and his approach aligns with our footballing ideas and strategy.
"He is an exceptionally bright coach who will push himself, and everyone around him, to develop and improve. We are so excited to have him as a key part of our club.”
Bristol City chairman Jon Lansdown said on his club’s official website: "We are disappointed to lose Liam after such a successful campaign.
"I would like to place on record my thanks to Liam for his hard work and commitment over the past 18 months and the memories we have made together and wish him and his family all the best for the future. We are assessing all options as we look to replace Liam.”
Although there has been no confirmation, it’s likely Manning’s regular assistant, former Town reserves centre-half, academy coach and George Burley’s son-in-law Chris Hogg, will join him at Carrow Road.
Manning’s first-team coach analyst at Ashton Gate was James Krause, who was a member of the Town U18s team which win the FA Youth Cup in 2005.