The managerial merry-go-round stops in Norfolk

With 5 games to go, Norwich City's senior management decided it was high time the club as plunged into chaos by sacking their manager. As far as bolting the stable door after the horse has bolted, it was more like the horse has bolted, won the grand national, put to stud and made into dog food.

I make no appologies for a blog about nothing by Norwich, but then for me, it is important stuff. Those of you who who may read my words, will know that I have long since given up on Chris Hughton knowing what he was doing and have accepted that our reward for a season of massive under-achievement would be relegation.

Tempering that, I also have said that once the transfer window closed, we had to stick with what we had, so when the news came through at eight o'clock yesterday evening, it was something of a surprise. And yet, no surprise. Sadly, Norwich moved the goalposts during the season as to when Hughton's position would be looked at from mid-table to dropping into the bottom three. Of course, the only problem with that course of action is what happens if City drops into the bottom three on the last day of the season?

I have not seen City play this season, but I read tweets from my friends who do go, home and away, and to be honest, most have long since given up on the team this season. There appears to be no strategy, not plan B when things go wrong, no leadership and no one knows what to do when things do go wrong.

With hindsight, Hughton should have gone back in November when things clearly were not going right, and he had been given more than 10 games to settle the team down for the season. But, wait until we drop into the bottom three said the board. And so as the season went on, we sunk lower and lower in the league.

In truth, things were not well last year. I said as much before the last two games of the season which we managed to win. Giving a manager who presided over such a dire season thirty million quid to spend on new players in the summer now seemed a tad reckless. But it is easy with hindsight, or course.

Chris is a nice man. Chis is the nicest man in football. These are things that have been said since the news of the sacking. Since when does being nice make anyone a good manager? Either the players had no idea what they were supposed to be doing, or they couldn't do what was asked.

In the end, what good can come of sacking a manager so late in the season? Well, either the club has lost any confidence that he can lift the team before next weekend's game, or they see relegation as a done deal and decide to change now. Neil Adams, the youth team coach has been appointed to manage the team until the end of the season, what can he do?

One thing makes or breaks managers, and that is goals. Or in this case the lack of them. Norwich spent big on goalscorers in the summer; Van Wolfswinkel and Hooper, along with other purchases took City's spending to something between £23m and £30m. And the result? Well, after 33 games, Norwich have managed to score just 26 goals. The second lowest in the division. Had those two new signings scored something like the 15 each we expected, or at least hoped, then we would not be here.

As the world and his wife, and Gary Lineker, expresses shock and ridicule that Norwich took this action, and yet almost to a man most City fans say right move, but wrong time. Maybe had the media watched every one of our games this season, like many of my friends, maybe they would also say, enough is enough.

Anyway, the king is dead, long live the king, and OTBC.