Former Newcastle and West Ham boss Glenn Roeder could be coming up on the rails for the job as Norwich City manager - if long-term favourite Paul Jewell is ruled out.

Former Newcastle and West Ham boss Glenn Roeder could be coming up on the rails for the job as Norwich City manager - if long-term favourite Paul Jewell is ruled out.

Plymouth boss Ian Holloway was also named as a potential candidate for the Carrow Road vacancy by Sunday newspaper reports, but he today rubbished those stories.

It is now three weeks since Peter Grant's final match in charge, a 1-0 defeat at Queen's Park Rangers, since when the Canaries have suffered three more Championship defeats under caretaker boss Jim Duffy, Saturday's 2-0 reverse at West Bromwich Albion leaving them three points adrift at the bottom of the table.

Reports suggest former Wigan manager Jewell is still City's first choice, but it is claimed Roeder is a potential second choice after apparently impressing in an interview.

Jewell's future after nearly six months out of the game remains unclear with managerless Leicester now believed to be ready to renew their interest in the 43-year-old.

Leicester chairman Milan Mandaric may try, for a second time, to persuade Jewell to move to the Walkers Stadium and become the club's fifth manager of 2007.

Reports linked Jewell with the vacancy at Bolton before Gary Megson's surprise move to the Reebok Stadium.

Jewell has been taking a sabbatical since leaving Wigan a day after steering the Latics to Premier League safety at the end of last season.

Mandaric was keen to bring him out of his temporary retirement two months ago after sacking Martin Allen - another man linked with the Norwich job - and now wants a second bite at the cherry.

Jewell has spent most of the past two weeks out of the country, but it is claimed City have had at least two “phone interviews” with him and were planning a face-to-face meeting on his return to England.

Whoever wins the race for Jewell has no compensation issue with another club to negotiate, and according to Wigan owner Dave Whelan, there is no clause in their former manager's pay-off deal which prevents him joining another club for six months - a dateline which would have expired on November 14.

Allen, one man to have definitely expressed an interest in the Norwich job, is also reported to have been interviewed twice.

Duffy called on the board to make an appointment as soon as possible after Saturday's defeat at The Hawthorns.