Gunn Takes the Bullet As the Managerial Merry-go-round Begins

With the football season just six days old, the football league has endured its first managerial casualty.

Brain Gunn, the former Norwich City player has been relinquish of his position at Carrow Road after just two games this season.

The Canaries were in shocking form as they lost 7-1 on the opening day of the season to Colchester United, before a Grant Holt hat trick helped them ease past Yeovil Town in the League Cup in mid-week.

Gunn has been in charge of the club for eight months after taking the club down from the Championship last season after Glen Roeder’s unceremonious exit in January.

He was unable to keep the club in the Championship, but despite this disappointment Norwich were one of the firm favourites for promotion for League One this season.

After just one league game however, albeit a heavy defeat against Colchester, Gunn has departed and has left the Norwich board searching for a manager to gift them the perfect return to the Championship.

Three names have already come to the fore in Paul Tidsdale of Exeter City, Mark Robins of League Two Rotherham, and currently unattached manager Alan Curbishley.

Tidsdale has recently secured successive promotions with the Grecians, while former Norwich player Robins guided Rotherham to safety in League Two after the club were deducted 17 points at the beginning of last season.

Curbishley, since stepping down from the job at West Ham United early last season has been linked with a number of high profile jobs and it’s left to be seen whether he can be tempted out of the managerial wilderness by Norwich.

However as Gunn’s sacking opens the door for one of these three talented managers to take the mantle, it again raises the concern over the time given to managers in this current football climate.

For a club like Norwich, one that are built for Championship or even Premiership football, another season in League One could be devastating for the clubs finances, sure to have been hit by their previous relegations.

With success paramount, the longevity of managers job’s at clubs such at Norwich are becoming smaller and smaller.

Last season 39 managers lost their jobs, and with a sacking within a week of the season starting we could see that figure beaten before the season is up.

For Norwich, with expectations high the next appointment could make or break their season, one that they can’t afford to mess up.