Mark Fotheringham’s return to Carrow Road is beyond the means of Orwich City.

After deciding to fire Liam Manning, who took over as manager just in the summer, the Canaries are searching for a new manager.

Manning came at Carrow Road with a stellar reputation and appeared to be a huge coup for the Norfolk team, having just led Bristol City to the Championship play-offs for the first time in 17 years.

Hopes of a return to the top six quickly spread among the Canaries’ supporters under their vibrant, youthful, and dynamic new manager, particularly after star striker Josh Sargent chose to stay despite persistent interest in his services.

But it quickly became evident that Manning’s future was not going to go as planned. Norwich would not experience another victory under the 40-year-old after winning two of their first four games, a streak that dated back to late August.

During the 11 games, the Canaries only managed three draws and eight times finished second best. Ben Knapper, the sporting director, decided to fire Manning because his team’s late comeback against Leicester City was too drastic after they had taken the lead.

Since then, other names have surfaced as possible contenders to take over as manager at Carrow Road, but none have been more unexpected than Mark Fotheringham.

Mark Fotheringham’s return to Carrow Road is something Norwich City must resist.

Fotheringham made headlines lately when he joined Celtic FC’s Martin O’Neill as a temporary employee. He is now being connected to a full-time position at Carrow Road.

The 42-year-old is reportedly a candidate to succeed Manning as Norwich City’s manager, which would be shocking given his comparatively low managerial standing, according to the Scottish Sun.

Given that Fotheringham played 76 games for Norwich from 2007 to 2009, there is an evident connection between his employment with the Canaries and the fact that he would be going back to a somewhat familiar environment.

But if the Canaries were to make such an appointment, it would have all the makings of a disastrous choice.

Huddersfield Town was Fotheringham’s final long-term position as a first-team manager. Before receiving his marching orders, he led the Terriers for four months during the 2022–2023 season.

Norwich shouldn’t be impressed by his record, as he only won five of his twenty-one games as manager. It might go horribly wrong if they did choose to choose the 42-year-old as their new boss. Having achieved success in Germany with Swansea City and now Celtic, Fotheringham is a highly regarded coach. However, it is impossible to deny the proof that he led the Championship.

With only nine points from 15 games, the Canaries, who haven’t played in League One since 2010, are currently ranked 23rd in the Championship. The only team below them is Sheffield Wednesday, who would only be one point behind Norwich if not for this penalty. Sheffield Wednesday was fined 12 points for entering administration.

The Norfolk team needs a manager who has the essential expertise of moving up the Championship to take over, and Fotheringham doesn’t have that. Rather, Norwich might be doomed to League One if the former Huddersfield Town manager is hired.

With the correct hire, Norwich City still has time to improve their season.

Even though Norwich City is in a terrible situation right now, there is yet hope for them to avoid expulsion.

They have enough quality in their roster to avoid relegation, and they have plenty of football remaining to play this season with the right manager in place.

Russell Martin and Gary O’Neil have both been mentioned as candidates for the position, and they are both far superior to Fotheringham. Norwich’s last option is to choose a manager who has no prior success at this or a higher level.

Choosing one of the two names suggested above instead would give the Canaries a coach who has competed in the Premier League and near the top of the Championship, which would increase their odds of surviving by a factor of ten.

Norwich needs to make a smart decision because it might have a significant impact on the club’s future.

To be fair, the connections to Fotheringham don’t seem as clear-cut as those to other names. That should give the Canaries a lot of hope that brighter times are ahead.