Chris Lakey Glenn Roeder claimed two more victims as he wielded the axe in the Norwich City dressing room on Friday. David Strihavka and Julien Brellier have left the club after their contracts were terminated with immediate effect, taking the number of departures in the last three days to four.

Chris Lakey

Glenn Roeder claimed two more victims as he wielded the axe in the Norwich City dressing room on Friday.

David Strihavka and Julien Brellier have left the club after their contracts were terminated with immediate effect, taking the number of departures in the last three days to four.

Roeder has now allowed five of the squad he inherited from Peter Grant two and a half months ago to leave the club - and more are expected to follow.

“There is a list of targets we want to bring in and there is a list that we would be quite happy to shake hands and wave bye, bye to,” he said on the eve of today's trip to Barnsley.

Strihavka started just three games and scored only one goal in an unhappy six months stay. Much was expected from Brellier - nicknamed Le Juge - after his move south from Hearts in July but he, too, failed to live up to expectations and just six months into a two-year deal made just two starts under Roeder, his last appearance as a sub in the watershed defeat at Plymouth.

Their failure to impress Roeder should act as a warning to the rest of the squad, says Fotheringham.

“We know the standards and we know if we don't hit those levels the manager wants us to get to we won't be at this club,” said Fotheringham.

Strihavka - who played just 11 minutes for Roeder in that same 3-0 loss in the west country - came to City from Czech side Banik Ostrava, where he had been leading scorer last season, on a four-year deal, the full details of which were released by the club yesterday.

The 24-year-old Czech joined on an initial one-year contract with the option for a further three years if City wished to retain his services. That option applied to both fee and contract, with City paying £240,000 for the first year of the deal. A further sum in the region of £1.1m would have been payable this summer if City had chosen to exercise their option for a further three years.

“It's disappointing that it hasn't worked out, but it's always a gamble when signing players from abroad - sometimes it pays off, sometimes it doesn't,” said Roeder. “David found it difficult to adjust while in England and we would like to wish him the best of luck in his future career.

“He just never settled. He has gone back to join a club in his own country. He's a decent enough man, he just never settled into English football.”

Strihavka added: “I tried to play in the Championship - but with the unhappy start to the season and with the change in manager, I now need to re-start my career back in Prague. I would like to wish Norwich City and their wonderful fans best wishes for the future.”

Roeder has now cut all ties with three players, following the termination of goalkeeper Paul Gallacher's contract at the end of December, but he has also banked £800,000 with this week's sales of goalkeeper Joe Lewis and striker Chris Brown.

However, it's unlikely that he will be investing any of that into the acquisition of Bulgarian international Valentin Iliev, with work permit difficulties raising their ugly head.

The CSKA Sofia central defender has trained with City this week, but Roeder says it is now “highly unlikely” he will be allowed to sign.

“He is a decent player but we know he will need a work permit and we are not by any means confident that he would get a work permit because he doesn't come close enough to playing the 75pc of full internationals that is required,” explained Roeder. “So it is unlikely to happen, very unlikely to happen, because of that - and that would be the same if he went to any club in England so I am sure he will have to return home.”