Dean Smith has been sacked by Norwich City after their 2-1 loss to Luton Town which left them 12 points behind the automatic promotion spots. Liam Bramley, the first-team coach, and assistant manager Craig Shakespeare have also left Carrow Road. The team is now under the interim leadership of the head of development Steve Weaver and set-piece coach Allan Russell. Cauley Woodrow, a replacement for Luton, scored in the 90th minute to hand Norwich their second straight loss under Smith, following their loss to Blackburn Rovers nine days earlier. Smith, 51, also acknowledged in his post-game press conference that he was going through his most difficult managing stretch.
“Yes, most likely in football generally. I had never experienced that before. It’s unpleasant. Unfortunately, everyone has determined that they can hear what managers have to say,” Norwich manager Dean Smith said. “I put myself in the position of wanting to be the football club’s head coach because I believe I would be successful in that role. Unfortunately, I’m the bad guy because recent events have gone against us.”
In November 2021, Smith took Daniel Farke’s place as the head coach of Norwich, signing a two-and-a-half-year contract in the process. However, the Canaries’ bottom-of-the-table result in the previous campaign prevented Smith from keeping the club in the Premier League. The club has decided to take action right away in order to maintain its chances of winning automatic promotion back to the Premier League at the first attempt, despite a promising start to life in the Championship this time around.
“We would like to officially express our gratitude to Dean, Craig, and Liam for consistently prioritizing the football club’s best interests,” sporting director Stuart Webber said. “We now have a real chance to develop some forward and positive momentum, both on and off the field, with just under half the season left to play and three straight home games ahead.”
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