Hughton clear Norwich favourite

Birmingham boss Chris Hughton is the clear favourite for the Norwich job after Malky Mackay ruled himself out of the running.

Cardiff boss Mackay said on Monday he was unlikely to become the new Canaries manager as the club's chief executive David McNally confirmed he was searching for someone with Premier League experience to take over from Paul Lambert. Hughton has now emerged as the leading candidate and some bookmakers have even suspended betting on the former Newcastle boss, who had been linked to the vacant West Brom post but is now seemingly out of the running to take over at The Hawthorns. Hughton has worked wonders at St Andrew's, guiding Blues to the Championship play-offs last season despite losing virtually all of his first-choice XI following their relegation from the Premier League just over 12 months ago. He is thought to be on just a one-year rolling contract at Birmingham and is open to offers as he has been working under difficult conditions there. City are currently under a transfer embargo after failing to file their accounts on time - linked to Hong Kong-based owner Carson Yeung having his business assets frozen by the courts over money laundering allegations.