Michael Bailey Why stop at one former Norwich City hero taking charge at Carrow Road following Glenn Roeder's sacking - bring in a whole group of them. That is what former City winger and fans favourite Darren Eadie would like to see rise from the ashes of Norwich's latest managerial upheaval - although he admits Canaries board must go about their recruitment process with care.

Michael Bailey

Why stop at one former Norwich City hero taking charge at Carrow Road following Glenn Roeder's sacking - bring in a whole group of them.

That is what former City winger and fans favourite Darren Eadie would like to see rise from the ashes of Norwich's latest managerial upheaval - although he admits Canaries board must go about their recruitment process with care.

"They've got to be very cautious about how they go about it financially," said Eadie. "Even before this happened, I spoke to Gossy and Gunny about whether a group of ex-players could come in and take charge. You would need an experienced head as well, they could get paid if they win and not get paid if they don't, but you know they'd only have the interests of the club at heart.

"It is hard to read the intentions of the club at the moment and it will be interesting to see who turns up, but the next person who comes in will have a Norwich connection I think."

Eadie was at Carrow Road on Tuesday to watch Norwich's FA Cup exit to Championship strugglers Charlton Athletic - and a make-shift team at that.

"I don't think it was any great surprise and if you take the Ipswich game out of the equation, it might have happened a little earlier," Eadie said of Roeder's departure. "As a player you play for three reasons: yourself, the fans and the management. And judging by the Charlton performance, I'm not sure all three of them were out there.

"I know some of the players and people inside the club, players and people who have left, and they have eluded to that (Roeder losing the dressing room). It's hard to judge without being one of the players, but judging by the performance, they didn't want to play for Glenn Roeder."

So having kept them in the Championship last season, where did it all go wrong for Roeder.

"I know there had to be a certain amount of loans in because of the financial situation at the club, but I think there were probably four too many," said Eadie. "Norwich have always had a good team spirit but with that many players coming in and going out, you can't build. It's that time when the chips are down - can they give you that extra half-a-yard if they know they are going to leave?

"I would get in the likes of Leroy Lita, someone who has something to prove. But if you have a load of kids coming in from Arsenal and Chelsea, they know they are going to go back there whatever happens. These may not be issues for the players, but on the outside that is always going to be in the back of people's minds."

Then there was the departure of Roeder's assistant Lee Clark to take over as manager of League One Huddersfield Town.

"I think things were already on their way down, but I don't think it helped," Eadie added. "The number two is so important as a bridge between the players and the manager. You can't play good cop and bad cop at the same time. It would have been very difficult for someone to come in and fill his place, and that ultimately had an effect."

Despite a host of tricky decisions for the Norwich board to mull over, Eadie believes Roeder's exit was a step in the right direction.

"By the way things were going it can only help," said Eadie. "I know it's a clich� but it is a fresh start. The slate is wiped clean.

"I'd get everyone back here who's out on loan, get Chris Martin and Jamie Cureton up front together and give them the chance to make themselves real heroes."