Speculation was today mounting that City chief executive David McNally would look to either Celtic or Fulham for the answer to Norwich's latest managerial vacancy.
Yesterday's dramatic turn of events as Canary legend Bryan Gunn became the eighth City boss to depart in 11 years swiftly brought the usual raft of names to the fore – led by Iain Dowie and ex-Watford chief Aidy Boothroyd.
Dowie was understood to have reached last January's final short-list only for the then Carrow Road board to plump for a 'Yellow and Green' combination of Gunn, Ian Butterworth and Ian Crook.
However, events of the final 19 games of last season and – in particular – the first game of this have seen the City 'dream team' unravel after just six days and two games of the 2009-2010 campaign leaving McNally and the new-look Board in need of a fresh face at the helm.
Again.
As ever, Boothroyd's name was well to the fore – as it has been every time a job comes up at Carrow Road. But with sources suggesting that neither Dowie nor Boothroyd has been sounded out for the role, so attention was turning to who might 'fit' with McNally's way of working.
Because there is little doubt that events of this week – particularly coming on the back of Tuesday night's much-improved 4-0 Carling Cup success at Yeovil – have merely ensured that the newly-installed Canary chief executive needs to set down a big marker in the sand if the long-suffering Norwich faithful are to believe that the Board is in control of events.
In much the same way that new Ipswich Town chief Simon Clegg disposed of Jim Magilton one day to replace him with a certain Roy Keane the next, all eyes are now turning on McNally to demonstrate similar dexterity and delivery; for the club not to drift through the crucial early stages of the season without a firm hand on the tiller.
On which basis, the former Fulham MD and Celtic commercial chief may well call upon that background to deliver the new man at the Canary helm.
Overnight and the name of Lawrie Sanchez did the rounds. The two were together at Craven Cottage together and the former Northern Ireland boss made it clear that he was itching for a return to front-line management when he chased the vacant Motherwell job in the summer.
“The Motherwell post is one I would not rule out,” he told the Scottish Sun, as the Fir Park vacancy went to Jim Gannon.
“The time is right to get back into the game. I'm on the lookout for a fresh challenge,” added Sanchez, whose ready availability would make him an early front-runner if McNally is now calling the shots.
“I have made a bit of money earlier in my career and it's the love of the game that keeps me going,” said the one-time Wimbledon striker, as he continued for a new opportunity back in the 'big time'. Or as 'big' as League One gets.
There is, however, one other name that is – if nothing else – intriguing.
Paul Lambert.
As in Colchester United boss Paul Lambert. The one whose visit to Carrow Road last week put oh-so many wheels into motion…
Lambert and McNally would know eachother inside out from his time at Celtic Park. Then Bhoys skipper won virtually every gong going north of the border; including Scottish Player of the Season as Lambert put Martin O'Neill's ideas into motion on the pitch.
In fairness to the Us chief, he has an impeccable playing record – including a Champions League winners medal as he and Borussia Dortmund beat Zinedine Zidane's Juventus 3-1.
And he would appear to have taken to management like a duck to water as his Us side demonstrated only last Saturday when they ripped Norwich to pieces in that 7-1 demolition.
Certainly he did little wrong in his first managerial stint south of the border; taking a hugely unfancied Wycombe Wanderers side all the way through to the semi-finals of the Carling Cup after picking up the Premiership scalps of both Fulham (aka McNally) and Charlton en route.
After quitting Adams Park after their play-off heartbreak in 2008, he took over at the Us last autumn and – if only on the evidence of last Saturday's demolition of the Canaries – would appear to have got them playing.
To add irony upon further irony, he also has another of City's UEFA Cup heroes at his side in the shape of Ian Culverhouse.
Together the pair would have seen how you can get Carrow Road to rock if you give 25,000 punters something to believe in; that a switch up the A12 would be a decent career move for someone of Lambert's ilk is not in doubt.
Colchester's willingness to let their star managerial turn go is, however, the biggest sticking point – should McNally to make a re-acquaintance with his one-time Celtic Park hero.
But if there was to be a dark horse in the latest running of the 2009-2010 Canary Managerial Stakes, Lambert might not be a bad bet.
He would, you strongly suspect, tick every box that McNally might be looking for.
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