LONDON: Norwich City have sacked Danish manager Johannes Hoff Thorup following a poor run of results and appointed his assistant and former England midfielder Jack Wilshere as interim coach until the end of the season, the Championship club said on Tuesday.
Norwich lost 3-1 at Millwall on Monday and have slipped to 14th place in the second-tier table with 53 points.
Sporting Director Ben Knapper said: “Whilst we made this appointment with a long-term focus and in line with our wider club strategy and direction, unfortunately recent results and performances have deemed it necessary for us make a change.
“Jack Wilshere ... will take charge of the first team on an interim basis for our two remaining Championship fixtures” Norwich added on their website.
The 33-year-old former Arsenal player Wilshere has been assistant coach at Norwich since October 2024.
Norwich sack Thorup and name Wilshere as interim coach
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Norwich sack Thorup and name Wilshere as interim coach
- Norwich lost 3-1 at Millwall on Monday
- “Jack Wilshere ... will take charge of the first team on an interim basis ” Norwich said
Paolini races into round two to kickstart Australian Open
MELBOURNE: Jasmine Paolini powered into the Australian Open second round with a straight-sets demolition to kickstart the action in a hot and sunny Melbourne on Sunday.
The seventh-seeded Italian outclassed Belarusian qualifier Aliaksandra Sasnovich 6-1, 6-2 on Rod Laver Arena.
Paolini faces Poland’s Magdalena Frech or Veronika Erjavec of Slovenia next.
“It was pretty good today, I did not expect that,” she said of her emphatic win in 69 minutes.
“Always tough to play first round. I played pretty good. I was solid, focused, so happy.
“Before the match I was a little nervous, to be honest, but then stepped on court and felt good from the first ball.”
The 30-year-old broke her opponent’s serve immediately and raced into a 3-0 lead in just 10 minutes.
She polished off the first set in 26 minutes and although Sasnovich put up more resistance in the second, Paolini ran out a comfortable winner.
Paolini reached the finals of Wimbledon and the French Open in 2024, but her best result at Melbourne Park is the fourth round in the same year.
