City's Clark set to take over at Huddersfield

Norwich City's Lee Clark is today set to be unveiled as the new Huddersfield Town boss.The Canaries have confirmed that Glenn Roeder's assistant is at an advanced stage of talks with the Terriers, where Gerry Murphy has been caretaker manager following the departure of previous boss Stan Ternant on November 4.

Norwich City's Lee Clark is today set to be unveiled as the new Huddersfield Town boss.

The Canaries have confirmed that Glenn Roeder's assistant is at an advanced stage of talks with the Terriers, where Gerry Murphy has been caretaker manager following the departure of previous boss Stan Ternant on November 4.

After the League One side made a formal approach to speak to Clark an undisclosed compensation payment has been agreed between the clubs as Clark had one-and-a-half years of his contract with the Canaries to run. Clark joined the Canary backroom staff shortly after Glenn Roeder took charge in November 2007.

The news of the imminent appointment will come as a major surprise to City fans after Roeder dismissed speculation, a little over a week ago, linking the former Newcastle United player with the job as “totally unfounded and untrue”.

He told the club's official website at the time: "How these irritating stories start I do not know.

"If he was about to join any other club I would know a long time before it got into the media.

"This is just wild speculation and it's very unhelpful. Reports suggesting that my assistant manager Lee Clark is about to join Huddersfield as their new manager are totally unfounded and untrue.”

Today, however, Roeder said: "At the time those stories appeared there was no truth in the speculation at all. In the last few days however Huddersfield have formally asked for permission to speak to Lee, which after chatting to him and to the Board, we agreed to do.

"We've made it clear we would expect compensation for a man of Lee's experience and potential and that has been agreed."

Roeder said he was not surprised at Clark's rapid progress from player, to coach and now potentially to his first managerial role.

"I always knew from day one when I first appointed Lee as Reserve Team Coach at Newcastle how ambitious he was to become a manager one day, probably sooner rather than later.

"At that stage he was just completing his A licence and today he's just about to complete his pro licence, which hes been doing with the Northern Ireland FA. So today's news about Lee joining Huddersfield as their new manager has really come as no surprise to me.

"I feel he has enough experience to be his own man now and he goes with my best wishes and a big thanks for the part he played last year in helping the Club to secure its Championship status."

Wishing Lee all the best on a personal level, Roeder said the appointment of a replacement senior member of the coaching staff at Norwich was imminent. Paul Stephenson would appear to be a prime candidate to step up from his current position as coach and reserve team boss.

Roeder added: "He has been an integral part of my backroom staff and I have been preparing for this day for a period of time now. So consequently I do have plans already made for a new man to come in to replace Lee.

"That will happen very quickly but we won't be making an announcement about that for another day or so. I just want to say I truly hope Lee goes on to fulfill his ultimate ambition by one day managing Newcastle United, any Geordie's dream.

"We've been friends for a long time now and we will continue to be friends in the future and I'm sure we will talk on a regular basis.

"It's important, and I'm sure we will, to move on very quickly and continue the hard work that we have started here to eventually bring success to Norwich City.

"I can confirm that Lee will be going to Huddersfield without taking any other Norwich City backroom staff with him."