Norwich City have appointed Bristol City boss Liam Manning as their new head coach on a four-year contract.

Manning had been in charge at Ashton Gate since November 2023 and led the Robins to this season's play-offs, only to lose 6-0 on aggregate to Sheffield United.

He replaces Johannes Hoff Thorup, who was sacked by Norwich on 22 April with the team 14th in the Championship following a run of six defeats in eight games.

First-team coach Jack Wilshere, the former Arsenal and England midfielder, was put in interim charge for the final two games of the season, but he also left after learning he would not be considered for the permanent post.

"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," said Manning.

"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."

An announcement about his backroom staff will be made in due course, with Manning's long-term friend and assistant coach Chris Hogg as well as first-team analyst James Krause, who both worked with him at Ashton Gate, also having strong links to East Anglia.

The 39-year-old was born in Norwich and played for the club's academy before joining Ipswich Town - but he never made a senior appearance for them and spent most of his career in non-league football.

His first coaching job was at West Ham and he then took charge of Belgian club Lommel in 2020 before returning to England as MK Dons head coach the following year.

He guided them to the League One play-offs in 2022 and subsequently had an eight-month spell at Oxford United, who were second in the third tier when he accepted an offer to move on to Bristol City.

Despite Bristol City having the smallest squad in the Championship this past season, Manning guided them to their first play-off finish in 17 years, largely built on a strong foundation of home form and squad togetherness.

Only promoted Burnley and Leeds, and play-off finalists Sheffield United bettered their record at home of 13 wins, seven draws and three defeats.

Norwich eventually finished 13th in 2024-25, 11 points outside the play-offs, and are set to embark on their fourth season in the Championship since relegation from the Premier League in 2022.

Last November, Mark Attanasio, whose Norfolk FB Holdings group are now the majority shareholders at Carrow Road, set a target of a return to the top flight in "three to five years" and Manning's task now will be to try and achieve that ahead of schedule.

"This is an exciting appointment, and we are so happy to get it over the line and have him on board," said sporting director Ben Knapper.

"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."

Former Wolves boss Gary O'Neil and ex-Liverpool assistant Pep Lijnders were also spoken to and considered for the head coach role.

Bristol City chairman Jon Lansdown said: "We are disappointed to lose Liam after such a successful campaign. We are assessing all options as we look to replace Liam."


Norwich City's extensive search for a new head coach has led to the club's first ever Norwich-born boss.

Liam Manning's formative years as a Carrow Road season-ticket holder are a nice extra but it's not why he's been appointed.

Canaries sporting director Ben Knapper has expressed frustration that they fell so far short of the play-offs last season. "When I look at the teams that did make it, it confirms that kind of belief," he said.

Envious eyes were being cast in the direction of Ashton Gate where Liam Manning's well coached team was outperforming the sum of its parts.

It felt like Manning was onto a good thing at Bristol City, and the fact that Knapper has managed to sell to him the project of rebuilding a squad that finished 13th should offer any concerned Canaries fans some much needed encouragement.

Entrepreneur Prabhu Srinivasan has completed the takeover of National League club Yeovil Town from former owner Martin Hellier.

Srinivasan's family office, Inflection Holdings, have acquired all shares previously held by the Hellier Trading Group, with Srinivasan becoming owner and chairman.

Hellier stepped down as chairman at the end of March and confirmed his intention to sell the Glovers.

"Investing in Yeovil Town Football Club is a moment of immense pride for us," Srinivasan said.

"This club's rich history and potential inspired us, and we are committed to being a responsible steward as we embark on an exciting new journey together. We are focused on making a positive impact on players, fans, employees and the entire community."

Srinivasan, who lives in Dubai, is said to have 30 years of experience in banking, retail, technology, travel, real estate, e-waste and wellness.

A club statement said he has also "built one of the largest multi-sports youth platforms in India and the Middle East".

Stuart Robins, who was made interim chairman after Hellier stepped down, has become executive chairman and will work alongside Srinivasan.

Stuart Robins, right, with Glovers boss Mark Cooper
Image source,Rex Features
Image caption,
Stuart Robins, right, will stay in a leadership role at Yeovil Town as executive chairman

The purchase marks the second takeover at Yeovil in the past three years, and ends a successful but stormy chapter at Huish Park under the ownership of Hellier, who took over in May 2023.

Hellier, a long-time Yeovil fan and previous club sponsor through his firm, took over the Glovers during another turbulent period, following a failed takeover attempt by the SU Glovers and the club's relegation from the National League.

The club won promotion from National League South in 2024, although recently published accounts show the club made a loss of almost £2.8m in the process, and Mark Cooper's men finished 18th in the fifth tier this season, four points above the relegation zone.

However, Hellier's relationship with sections of the fanbase became hostile after he banned some supporters from the ground for comments made on social media. This led to a backlash directed at Hellier, who responded with abusive posts of his own.

"I'm excited to commit to the long-term vision we have co-created, centred on developing and growing the club for our wonderful supporters," he added.

Plymouth Argyle head coach Miron Muslic is to leave after opening talks with a German second division club.

Argyle, just relegated from the Championship, said they had "reluctantly" allowed the Bosnia-born Austrian to enter into discussions with the Bundesliga 2 club, reported to be Schalke.

Former Cercle Bruges boss Muslic, 42, replaced Wayne Rooney as head coach in January but could not keep the club up in the second tier, despite a good run of form towards the end of the season.

He masterminded Argyle's FA Cup fourth round win over Premier League winners Liverpool.

Following the club's relegation he would not commit to whether he would stay on at Home Park in League One next season.

"Despite regular communication since the end of the season, and no mention of any issues, Miron has now made it clear that, after extended periods away from his family, this opportunity provides him the chance to be closer to them after four years on the road," a statement by Plymouth Argyle read.

"We are frustrated by this decision, having implemented clear structures, processes and personnel to aid Miron and his coaching staff as we look to return to the Championship at the earliest opportunity.

"Not only that, the club have also moved quickly to bring in new signings and received repeated verbal promises from Miron that he was committed to Argyle and would do everything to help the club bounce back to the second tier."

He changed the system to three central defenders and made them more solid defensively - the club had the worst record for goals conceded in the EFL under the former England captain.

Three successive wins in February - including the victory over Liverpool and a season-best 5-1 win over Millwall - gave Pilgrims fans hope of survival.

But a run of one win in eight league games from mid-February until the end of March - including losses to relegation rivals Derby County and Hull City - would eventually seal his side's fate.

Despite that they ended the season well, winning four of their last seven games, against Norwich City, Sheffield United, Coventry City and Preston, but it was too late.

Muslic's family remain in Austria, but he has spent much of the past three years away from them, having joined Cercle Bruges as head coach in 2022 before being sacked late last year.

His loss comes just a week after the Pilgrims appointed David Fox as their new technical director and Muslic's former Cercle Bruges chief scout Tom Randle as head of recruitment

The news that Miron Muslic will not be staying at Plymouth Argyle is not a complete surprise given his post-match comments following the final game of the season.

But it will be saddening news to Argyle fans who had grown fond of their first foreign coach and had high hopes he would be able to guide them straight back to the Championship after relegation.

In that press conference after the final-day loss to Leeds United, you could see how sad he was Argyle had been relegated, but that his first thoughts were not on next season, but getting back home to Austria to see his family.

He is a charismatic figure who commands a room - his first speech to his squad when he was appointed went viral for its motivating content and he was clearly able to motivate a side.

Who takes on the reins at Argyle now remains to be seen - but they will have a lot of issues at their door.

Can they build a squad capable of going straight back up? What will they do about Ryan Hardie and Adam Randell, who have a year left on their contracts? And will they keep Muslic's backroom team, or be forced to get a new set of coaches in?

They must find answers quickly.

Halifax Town boss Chris Millington has stepped down after three seasons.

The 49-year-old had been in charge of the National League side since May 2022 when he changed roles from assistant manager after Pete Wild left for Barrow.

He twice led the Shaymen to top seven finishes and guided them to FA Trophy victory in 2023.

"I am devastated that I will not be the man to lead Halifax Town back to the EFL but I believe the time is right for a change of manager," he told the club website., external

"The club needs a manager to come and build on the solid foundation and positive reputation that has been built over the last six years.

"The club will always hold a special place in my heart and I wish everyone connected all the best."

When I saw he predictions for the final week I fully expected the gamball to play a large part in deciding the final outcome - 2 players picked a 2-1 home win with the other 2 going 1-1. In keeping with tradition, it ended in an away win so everybody lost a point! The bonus ball however did have a big say in the result, with 1 maximum, 1 correct result and 2 missing out completely (on the same game). So........(drum roll)... om to the results:

And it's congratulations to Derby, regaining his title of Prediction League Champion. Derby scored 13 points with 2 correct scores, including the bonus, and 2 other correct results. The runner-up spot goes to Themaclad on 9 points - 1 correct score, 2 other correct results and picking points from both his bonus and scoreball. SCO comes in 3rd, one more correct result than Themaclad but not enough to pull back a 6 point swing from the bonus ball. Minizin lies a point further back, only getting 2 results right (but they were both correct scores) and his scoreball.

13 Derby
9 Themaclad
6 SCO
5 Minizin.

Well done Derby and thanks to everyone who took part this year. Time for a break, so enjoy your summer and we'll hopefully be back in a couple of months.

Can someone/anyone please explain why according to the BBC do all the playoff games kick off at 1 minute past the usual hour? Is it a shift in the time warp or someone else's cut and paste skills are as good as mine?

Newport County have named Manchester United youth coach David Hughes as their new manager.

Hughes has signed a two-year deal at the League Two club, leaving his role as under-21s coach and assistant manager at Old Trafford.

The 47-year-old Welshman replaces Nelson Jardim at Rodney Parade, who left the Exiles two weeks before the end of the season.

"Leaving a great club like Manchester United is never easy, but I'm excited about what lies ahead here," Hughes said.

"You build relationships with people and that makes decisions like this challenging.

"But after speaking to the chairman (Huw Jenkins) on a few occasions, it became a straightforward decision in terms of the challenge ahead and the shared vision for the club."


Having held lead academy roles at Cardiff and Southampton before joining United in August 2022, Hughes has developed an impressive reputation at youth level.

He will now be charged by Jenkins to oversee an upturn in fortunes at Rodney Parade for a youthful squad that finished 22nd in 2024-25.

The Wrexham-born former Wales Under-21s international – who also spent four years as manager of Wales Under-17s – will be assisted by Wayne Hatswell, who was previously number two at Newport under Mike Flynn.

Hatswell leaves a role in the Football Association of Wales (FAW) age-grade set-up to return to Newport, while Lee Kendall has been named the new head of goalkeeping.

The retained list has been announced with four players leaving the club.

The club thanks those who are leaving for their service and wishes them well.

This is a summary of the status of all the players in the squad:-


Under contract: Connor Cook, Armando Dobra, Dylan Duffy, Chey Dunkley, Will Grigg, Bailey Hobson, Paddy Madden, Liam Mandeville, Tom Naylor & Ryheem Sheckleford.

In negotiation: Ollie Banks, Ryan Boot, Janoi Donacien, John Fleck, Kyle McFadzean, Ash Palmer & Tyrone Williams.

Leaving the club: Kane Drummond, Michael Jacobs, Ali Mohiuddin & Darren Oldaker.

Contract option triggered: Ryan Colclough, Vontae Daley-Campbell, Lewis Gordon, Jamie Grimes, Liam Jessop & Ashton Rinaldo.

Returning to parent club: Harvey Araujo, Jenson Metcalfe, Michael Olakigbe, Bim Pepple, Jack Sparkes & Max Thompson.

My pointless opinion: The Under Contract section seems pretty lame with only FOUR current first choice players in the list. Leaving the club is difficult to disagree with, Michael Jacobs did well in our promotion season and retains ability, but has hardly been fit this time. Oldaker is a nearly man, not quite good enough in any aspect, Mohiuddin is untried and there must be a reason and Kane Drummond, a player I long advocated signing, seems to have been offered every chance to fail, especially in roles to which he was unsuited and in loans where he appeared unhappy - Mr Cook clearly doesn't fancy him so that is that.

Of those returning to their parent clubs - I'd love us to sign Araujo if we could keep him fit, which we can't, Jenson Metcalfe has been a success I'd like to keep him, Olakigbe is a player of real talent but he was so poor in the play-off game I couldn't make his case, Bim Pepple came having scored goals, works hard and does a job but doesn't look like a goal machine, Jack Sparkes is okay, but there are better raiding full backs out there, Thompson did fine, but wasn't good enough to unseat Ryan Boot so .........

In negotiation worries me. Fleck, McFadzean, Palmer, and sadly Ty Williams should require no negotiation. They are depreciating with every Tik of the Tok. We need newer and younger. Donacien I could like but is he ever fit? Ryan Boot the keeper should be a definite keeper if he'll stay. And Ollie Banks covers a multitude of managerial sins so he should stay if he agrees.

Contract option triggered - Grimes has been a great club man, but the past tense has caught up with him. Colclough has speed, some ability, but the decision-making of a house fly, I couldn't disagree with any outcome, Lewis Gordon, well we could do worse and Sparkes is no better, Daley-Campbell and Jessop would have to be viable playing options to convince me and I don't think so, as would Ashton Rinaldo and would Cookie trust him anyway?

We are in a position in which we could head into a new season with a predominance of dodgy, prematurely-ageing old blokes and a few new signings who on current form might not be much younger. I think a clear-out is indicated, but with the leading figure at the club incurably ill this might not be the time that there is the impetus for it actually to happen. Bob's Board seems to be investing its hopes in a Markanday return, but we need strengthening all over the pitch.

Not sure about this, thinks he is unlucky

Notts County have sacked head coach Stuart Maynard after he failed to guide them to promotion from League Two.

The 44-year-old's 16 months in charge of the Magpies have come to an end five days after the club were beaten in the play-off semi-finals by AFC Wimbledon.

After their second-leg defeat at Plough Lane, Maynard had said he was "confident" about keeping his job under mounting pressure.

Notts' regular season had ended two weeks earlier to the sound of boos from supporters at Meadow Lane as the Magpies were beaten by League Two champions Doncaster Rovers.

It was a game the East Midlands club needed to win to have any chance of snatching an automatic promotion spot on the final day.

They ended up finishing sixth in the table, with a woeful run of just one win from their final eight matches – including the play-offs - costing them dearly in their bid for promotion to League One.

Notts owners Chris and Alex Reedtz said Maynard's sacking came down to those final weeks of the failed campaign.

"After being unable to achieve our aim of winning promotion this season, we share the disappointment felt by everyone connected with the club," the Danish brothers said in a statement.

"While football is a game of fine margins, and Stuart undoubtedly faced numerous challenges over the course of the campaign, neither results nor performances reached the levels we believe the team was capable of - particularly during the defining period towards the end."

Maynard took over at Meadow Lane in January 2024 from Notts' National League promotion-winning boss Luke Williams, who left the club to take charge of Championship side Swansea City.

The job at Notts was Maynard's first in full-time management, having worked part-time as Wealdstone boss while juggling his long-time career as a telecommunications engineer.

His first few months in the role produced 11 defeats and just five wins in 19 games as Notts ended up finishing 14th in the table last season.

By that time, sections of Notts supporters were already calling for him to leave with banners of 'Maynard Out' appearing in the crowd.

His first full season in charge brought about improvements, with Notts' defence transformed from the worst in the division to among its best as they kept up their challenge for promotion to the very end despite their form stalling badly.

Four successive defeats at home, including a 1-0 semi-final first-leg loss to Wimbledon, were just one reason that former Notts striker Mark Stallard said the club had to make "a quick decision" about the future of a boss that "split the fan base".

Notts' owners say "work is well under way" to find Maynard's replacement, with the Reedtz brothers adding that they are "highly optimistic about the club's future".