Gary O'Neil told why he should pick Middlesbrough over Norwich City by ex-Arsenal midfielder
Gary O’Neil has been told why he should be more interested in the Middlesbrough job than the vacancy at Norwich City.
Middlesbrough look set to lose their head coach Rob Edwards to Wolverhampton Wanderers, having reluctantly granted permission for talks at the weekend.
Norwich, meanwhile, are on the hunt for a new boss after parting company with Liam Manning.
O’Neil has been linked with both clubs and already has a connection to Middlesbrough, who he represented as a player between 2007 and 2011. He has been out of work since last year, when he was axed by Wolves.
Pundit and former Arsenal midfielder Adrian Clarke has suggested the Middlesbrough job should be more appealing to O’Neil.
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Gary O’Neil verdict
On the What The EFL podcast, he said: “If I am Gary O’Neil, I am much more interested in the Middlesbrough job than I am the the Norwich job, I’m afraid.
“Because, stable ownership, a team that is pretty solid at the top-end of the division. That feels obvious to me.
“Russell Martin has got big links with Norwich, we know that. They do need a clear identity. But I think any manager at the moment would have his work cut out with this group of players.
“Yes, of course, Manning should have got more out of them. I don’t know what is going on behind the scenes.
“I don’t know why the players haven’t responded well to his approach because he did so well at Bristol City. But I just think it is a bad collection of players, a really bad collection of players.”
Middlesbrough in flux
Middlesbrough have also been linked with Cardiff City boss Brian Barry-Murphy, who has previously worked as a coach for Manchester City and Leicester City.
Edwards’ assistant Adi Viveash was at the helm over the weekend as Middlesbrough brushed noise aside to defeat Birmingham City 2-1.
Viveash said: “Footballers are resilient, their job is to produce for the club they play for. We showed a lot of grit, desire, and I would say that has been apparent in most games this season. If you work hard, luck falls on you.”