Video: Gunn remains as Norwich City manager

Bryan Gunn has been confirmed as Norwich City's manager for next season.

Assistant manager Ian Butterworth, first team coach Ian Crook and chief scout John Deehan will also remain in their positions.

Joint majority shareholders Delia Smith and husband Michael Wynn Jones announced the news at a Carrow Road press conference this afternoon at which Gunn and fellow shareholder Michael Foulger were also present.

The appointment comes just a day after the resignations of club chairman Roger Munby and chief executive Neil Doncaster.

Gunn has retained the job despite winning just five games out of 19 as the Canaries were relegated into League One, dropping out of the top two tiers of English football for the first time in 49 years.

Mr Wynn Jones said: “The message quite simply and briefly that we have to convey today is that the manager for next season will be Bryan Gunn and his management team of Ian, Ian and John will remain with him.

“I think Bryan will have learned a great deal from his experience of last season and he's faced some tough lessons and we seriously believe that Bryan is the man to react very positively to those and to learn, which is an attribute of every manager, I believe, particularly a new manager.

“We're convinced that the team he has with him has exceptional knowledge of League One and I think that's vital.

“We think that in Ian Crook we have an exceptional coach who not only needs but deserves to have a chance to start with a fresh squad with a fresh pre-season and, stating the obvious perhaps, but the dedication and commitment of Bryan and his team are undisputed and that's equally important for the football club.”

Building a squad with more contracted players was one priority, said Mr Wynn Jones.

He said: “I don't want to rake over the bones of last season but it's pretty clear that one of the things that does not work is the short-term loan system. What Bryan needs is the chance to create a squad of his own and he will infect them with the enthusiasm, dedication and fighting spirit this club needs and being proud to wear the yellow shirt. Bryan is the man to do that.”

Mr Wynn Jones said the decision was taken by the three remaining directors, but it had been “endorsed” by a fourth director.

Mr Munby currently remains on the board despite standing down as chairman.

Gunn said determining the immediate future of his current squad of players would be one of his first tasks.

“There will be players in the squad that have a value and there will be players within the squad that have aspirations of playing at higher levels, and we'll have to deal with that in the hours and days to come,” he said.

“We need to rebuild within the squad, get a committed squad and that means as many contracted players as possible. There will be a need to use the loan market but certainly not in the numbers that we ended up using last season.

“Given the opportunity to manage the club for the coming season, certainly that's the vision we set out last Wednesday when we met the board. Now it's up to us with John Deehan's expertise in recruitment to go out and find the players we feel will give us the best platform to play and compete in League One.”

Many fans have expressed concern over the prospect of Gunn being given the job permanently, and he faced a rough ride at the supporters' forum at the club's open day last week, but he said he hoped to win over his critics.

“There was some hostility and I hope I dealt with that,” said Gunn. “We knew it was going to be a hostile atmosphere. There were obviously planned situations there, but I suppose when I was given the opportunity to speak and present some of my plans on the day, they were well received.

“I am sure there will be people out there with pros and againsts for my appointment, but it's down to me to make sure we keep the pros as high as possible and get rid of the negatives and that will only be done by results on the pitch.”