Norwich appoint Hughton as new coach

London : Ex-Newcastle United coach Chris Hughton is to succeed Paul Lambert as coach of English Premier League club Norwich City, the team confirmed. Lambert left for Aston Villa last week after guiding Norwich to a 12th-place finish in their first season in the top flight for seven years. "The club are delighted to confirm that Chris Hughton has been appointed the new Norwich City Manager," Norwich said on the club website Thursday. Former Ireland left-back Hughton returned Newcastle to the Premier League in 2010 after a one-year absence, but was fired after four months of the 2010-11 season despite promising results, and replaced by Alan Pardew. Hughton took charge of Birmingham City for 2011-12 but was unable to lead them back to the top flight, as their season ended with a 2-3 playoff semi-final defeat to Blackpool. IANS