Culverhouse and Karsa Depart

The club have confirmed this morning that Assistant Manager Ian Culverhouse and Head of Football Operations Gary Karsa have left the club.

Although the news is not unexpected, it is still disappointing that the duo have decided to leave.

Chris Hughton brought in his own backroom staff when he was appointed in Paul Trollope and Colin Calderwood, but the delay in their move away did raise a few questions. The quotes on their futures when Hughton was appointed now look a little ridiculous in hindsight...

CEO David McNally said, 'They (Culverhouse and Karsa) are very much part of the team,' he said. 'We had been encouraging Paul for some time to expand his team at Carrow Road and this is an ideal opportunity to do that. Ian and Gary`s roles are exactly as they were, their responsibilities are exactly as they were and they will be joined by a bigger team.

'We want this football club to continue to progress - on and off the football pitch - and through the efforts of Paul and many others we have done that in the previous three years. For us it is now about tomorrow and the next day and the next season. We want to move this great football club forward and continue to improve in every aspect.'

Hughton also made a point about the additional coaching staff at the time, 'In this day and age the areas you want to be able to cover, you need the manpower to do that. 'It`s not just about what you do on a match day or on the training pitch, it`s about helping the scouts out, it`s about coaches watching games, about having a real interest in the development squad and the academy squad. Results and the games mean so much now you have to protect yourself the best way you can and make sure you`re able to cover all the bases.'

I suspect this was all just a negotiating point, to try and receive as much compensation as possible. It was just a shame that it left fans still hoping that both coaches would remain at the club.