PAUL Lambert to leave Norwich City after less than five months in charge? Surely not?And yet, as we all know, ambitious Lambert has form - he stayed at Colchester United for just 10 months before deserting for Carrow Road last August.

Carl Marston

By Carl Marston

PAUL Lambert to leave Norwich City after less than five months in charge? Surely not?

And yet, as we all know, ambitious Lambert has form - he stayed at Colchester United for just 10 months before deserting for Carrow Road last August.

Lambert has been linked with the vacant manager's job at Burnley, following Owen Coyle's imminent move to nearby Bolton Wanderers.

In fact, the Canaries boss has been installed as a hot favourite to succeed Coyle at Turf Moor, by several bookmakers.

Norwich yesterday took steps to distance themselves from such a possibility, insisting that they had received no approach for Lambert.

And yet Lambert would fit the bill, especially as Burnley have stated that they are searching for an up-and-coming young manager to replace Coyle, who successfully guided the Clarets to promotion via the play-offs last term.

Ex-Scotland and Celtic midfielder Lambert has, on the face-of-it at least, a fine record as a manager, although he has not actually won promotion with one of his teams.

The Scotsman lost out in the League Two play-offs, while at his first English club, Wycombe Wanderers, and then after guiding Colchester away from the relegation mire and into mid-table security in 2008-09, he promptly left the Community Stadium after just two games of this season.

He left with the U's on top of League One, to join East Anglian rivals Norwich, just over a week after his U's team had thumped the Canaries

7-1 at Carrow Road.

Now, having propelled Norwich into the automatic promotion zone behind leaders Leeds, he has been linked with yet another quickfire switch.

Not surprisingly, Norwich director Michael Foulger remains confident that 40-year-old Lambert will stay with the Norfolk club.

Foulger said: "Once again we have had no approach for Paul.

"I'm really impressed with his commitment to Norwich City and the way he goes about his business, and I want him to take this club forward."

Ladbrokes have installed Lambert as 7-2 favourite to take over at Burnley, while Sky Bet have even shorter odds at 15-8. Ex-Sheffield Wednesday boss Brian Laws is also a leading contender.

Last November, Colchester reported Norwich City to the Football League following the failure to agree compensation for Lambert's departure.

The matter has yet to be resolved, and is set to go to a Football Disciplinary Commission hearing.

Panel

IPSWICH Town supporters were quick to contact Carl Marston via Twitter yesterday, to put forward their suggestions for a new Norwich City manager, if Paul Lambert was to leave for Burnley.

Town fans were obviously showing their concern for the prospective plight of their East Anglian neighbours.

The names put forward ranged from men with managerial experience - like Bryan Gunn and Jim Magilton - to men with no managerial experience at all, headed by celebrity Norwich fan Stephen Fry and prime minister Gordon Brown.

Here is the top 10 (and they are all from genuine tweets):

1 Bryan Gunn (ex-Norwich boss, in charge when Colchester won 7-1 at Carrow Road)

2 Jonathan Ross (following his announcement to quit the BBC this summer)

3 Stephen Fry (comedian, actor and Norwich fan)

4 Stephanie Beecham (actress and Celebrity Big Brother contender)

5 Terry Wogan (now that he has left the rigors of his weekday radio show)

6 Gordon Brown (prime minister could be out of work later this year)

7 Aidy Boothroyd (Paul Lambert's successor at Colchester. Not so funny!)

8 Arsene Wenger (for his catchphrase - "I didn't see it")

9 Whoever loses the next task in Celebrity Big Brother (yet to be decided) 10 Jim Magilton (former Ipswich and QPR boss) You can follow Carl_Marston on Twitter at www.twitter.com