Norwich City have dismissed head coach Johannes Hoff Thorup following a poor run of form and appointed former Arsenal and England midfielder Jack Wilshere as interim head coach for the club’s final two Championship games of the season.
The decision comes after the Canaries suffered six defeats in their last eight matches, including heavy losses over the Easter weekend to Portsmouth (5-3) and Millwall (3-1), conceding eight goals in the process. This run left Norwich 14th in the Championship table, 13 points adrift of the play-off places.
Thorup, 36, was appointed last May, succeeding David Wagner after Norwich’s playoff semi-final defeat to Leeds United. The Dane oversaw 14 wins in his 47 games in charge. His assistant, Glen Riddersholm, has also departed Carrow Road.
Sporting director Ben Knapper acknowledged the club’s initial long-term strategy but stated that recent results necessitated the change. “While we made this appointment with a long-term focus… unfortunately recent results and performances have deemed it necessary for us make a change,” Knapper said. “They are both fantastic people who worked tirelessly… We all wish the two of them the best.”
The dismissal comes shortly after Thorup had commented on the need for a long-term approach following the Millwall defeat, telling BBC Radio Norfolk: “There is no short-term solution here, it’s long-term.”
Wilshere, 33, steps up from his role as a first-team coach, a position he has held since last October after previously managing Arsenal’s Under-18s. He will be assisted by Tony Roberts and Nick Stanley for the upcoming away trip to Middlesbrough and the final-day home game against Cardiff City on May 3rd.
Wilshere inherits a team with contrasting statistics: Norwich are the second-highest scorers in the Championship with 67 goals but possess one of the division’s leakiest defences, having conceded 66 times.
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