Ed Balls has "open mind" on manager search

New Norwich City chairman Ed Balls arrives for the game with Aston Villa on December 28, 2015
© Getty Images
Norwich City chairman Ed Balls says that the club have "a very open mind" in their search for a successor to Alex Neil.

Norwich City chairman Ed Balls has said that the club has "a very open mind" in their hunt for a new manager.

The Canaries dispensed of the services of Alex Neil earlier this month with their hopes of reaching the Championship playoff places fading.

The club have since announced a new internal structure, with Steve Stone appointed as a managing director and the new position of sporting director created to work alongside the next head coach.

"We don't want someone who comes in saying 'I see you have an ambition to go the sporting director route and the vision for the academy' and tells us they want to do it a different way," Balls is quoted as saying by The Pink Un.

"An old-fashioned way of doing it, if you like. If they say they don't want to play football how Norwich City want to or 'a sporting director is nothing to do with me', that is not the sort of person we want to hire.

"The sporting director will be part of that decision. In terms of whether we favour young or old, British or international we have a very open mind on that. We have a lot of players from overseas and there is no reason we could not have an overseas manager.

"I don't think age should be a factor. It is about being flexible and willing to embrace state-of-the-art ideas. If they are not willing to embrace sports science, nutrition, a willingness to play young players then they are not for us. We want a head coach who is going to be excited to be a part of this."

Balls has also denied speculation that former England manager Roy Hodgson is in contention for either the sporting director or head coach role.

New generic football image
Read Next:
NZ manager in frame for Norwich job?
>
You May Like
Recomended from Sports Mole



Tables
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
3Huddersfield TownHuddersfield44256135653381
4Reading44247136362179
5Sheffield WednesdaySheff Weds442391258431578
6Fulham4421131082552776
7Leeds UnitedLeeds442271557431473
8Norwich CityNorwich441991678661266
9Brentford441891773611263
10Derby CountyDerby441712155048263
11Preston North EndPreston441613156361261
12Aston Villa441613154646061
13Cardiff CityCardiff441611175759-259
14Barnsley441512176363057
15Wolverhampton WanderersWolves441510195255-355
16Ipswich TownIpswich441316154854-655
17Bristol City44149215965-651
18Burton Albion441312194658-1251
19Queens Park RangersQPR44148225062-1250
20Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest44139225970-1148
21Birmingham CityBirmingham441114194264-2247
22Blackburn RoversBlackburn441015194964-1545
23Wigan AthleticWigan441011233955-1641
RRotherham UnitedRotherham4456333896-5821