Counting the cost of decision to axe Glenn

Michael Bailey

So how much will Wednesday's events cost Norwich City?

Clearly it is a lot of money. The mere invention of speculation suggesting local businessman Carl Moore helped fund a City pay-off to sack Glenn Roeder points to it. Moore labelled the rumours "100pc utter nonsense".

A �1.1m golden handshake was handed out by Newcastle United after Roeder's resignation from St James' Park in May 2007 and while that may not be a fair comparison, Nigel Worthington's �600,000 pay-out on his sacking from Carrow Road in October 2006 - resulting from a 12-month rolling contract - is a more realistic figure.

Roeder's contract at Carrow Road ran until the end of next season, 17 months, and speaking to chartered accountants involved in various sports, the cost of sacking Roeder and his two first team coaches, Paul Stephenson and Adam Sadler, is likely to have cost one year's salary in each case.

With an educated guess, a manager's salary of �500,000 per year and �100,000 over the same period for each coach, the cost of Wednesday's actions for the City board is already approaching �750,000, whether paid as a lump sum or regularly over a number of weeks.

Pushing it over the edge might be bringing in replacements to the Norwich dug-out, but despite players picking up huge signing on fees when they join a club, the same is not usually the case for managers.

Whoever does arrive will probably be given a relocation allowance - read six-month stay at Dunston Hall or privately rented accommodation, while they find a permanent address.

If someone like Aidy Boothroyd does get the City top job and decides to bring Watford coach Malky Mackay with him to Norwich, then compensation could become another cost added to the pile for Norwich's already stretched finances.

All in all, a cost that possibly matches bringing in David Bell, Wes Hoolahan and Sammy Clingan during the summer.

Whatever happens next, the week will have been a costly one for Norwich City Football Club.