Norwich left in chaos after Daniel Farke is axed despite the relegation-battling Canaries securing their first win of the season against Brentford
- Norwich sacked Daniel Farke on Saturday just after their 2-1 win at Brentford
- The win – their first in the league this season – wasn’t enough to save the German
- The Canaries lie at the foot of the Premier League table with just five points
- Head of development Steve Weaver is expected to take charge in the meantime
Daniel Farke talked about it being a great day for him and Norwich City on Saturday, only to be summoned to a meeting immediately after his media duties to discover he had been sacked.
Norwich felt they could not wait if they want to stand a chance of staying up, despite securing their first Premier League win of the season and the first away from home since November 23, 2019. Sporting director Stuart Webber was in attendance at the Brentford Community Stadium.
The names being linked with the job last night included Swansea manager Russell Martin and Enrico Maassen, the head coach of the Borussia Dortmund reserve team from whom Norwich hired Farke in 2017.
Norwich sacked Daniel Farke on Saturday just hours after their 2-1 victory at Brentford
Mathias Normann’s fine solo strike sparked wild celebrations from all his Canaries team-mates
The usual firefighters with records of surviving relegation, such as Sam Allardyce and Roy Hodgson, are also being considered but suggestions that Frank Lampard, who has not coached since losing his job at Chelsea last season, is interested in the job are said to be wide of the mark.
Farke had been critical of the club’s activity in the transfer window, over which he had limited influence, and he was not happy that they sold their best player, Emiliano Buendia, to Aston Villa for £33million in the summer. As a self-funded club, Norwich felt they could not turn that offer down.
Head of development Steve Weaver is expected to take charge of the first team until a replacement is confirmed.
Norwich want to make an appointment before the visit of Southampton to Carrow Road on Saturday week. Striker Teemu Pukki, speaking after Saturday’s 2-1 win while his manager was losing his job elsewhere in the stadium, said: ‘First half it was good from us, second half it was a fight. They made it hard but we deserved it.
‘It was not the football we want to play but we got the win. There were a lot of happy faces in the locker room. It’s good to go from here now.’
Norwich’s supporters enjoyed the game as they sang: ‘How s*** must you be? We’re winning away.’
It started with Mathias Normann scoring a solo goal after six minutes. Tim Krul made a series of super saves throughout and Pukki won a penalty after a foul by Charlie Goode then scored it himself. Brentford made it 2-1 through Rico Henry but Norwich held on.
Norwich’s fans had added 5,172 miles to their cars’ odometers since they last saw their side win away in the Premier League. That would be enough to get them to Paris and back six times, or Brussels and back eight times. They could even drive to Moscow and back, with enough in reserve to reach Kiev.
It has been a remarkably long road to achieve this win at Brentford and whoever takes over from Farke faces a similarly arduous journey if they are to survive relegation this season.