Lambert has credentials to emulate his former Celtic boss

Betting on who will be the next Scotland manager is perhaps as uninspiring and uninteresting as chancing your arm on who will be the next Z-list 'celebrity' to escape from the jungle.

Unless you have a vested interest that is - and for Norwich City fans with no family ties to Katie Price or Jimmy White, the mere mention of Paul Lambert's name in the odds of those to succeed George Burley is enough to stir the emotions, and gird the loins at the same time.

Had Lambert been around a little longer and performing cartwheels in the Championship rather than League One, we might have more cause to worry.

As it is, the bookies appear to be running over the usual suspects, as well as any unemployed Scottish managers or assistant managers that they can find.

Fortunately Lambert appears way down their list, but the fact he is on it means he is one of a rare breed of Norwich City managers who has managed to attract the attention of a possible suitor. It doesn't happen very often; players are linked with all and sundry, but in recent years the occupants of the City manager's office have rarely felt wanted outside the corridors of Carrow Road - and sometimes not even there.

Looking backwards, Bryan Gunn was always City through and through; the thought of him managing another club was simply not up for consideration.

Glenn Roeder came in with a big name and reputation, but apart from engineering one decent run of form, never really took City to new heights; he just about kept them out of the depths. And even then, the escape from relegation in 2008 only happened in the penultimate game when a hapless QPR manager didn't know what to do when he had a player sent off so unwittingly gifted City the three points which would guarantee survival by making two ridiculous substitutions.

Peter Grant struggled from day one, a young manager using Carrow Road to decide whether his role in life was always to be a coach: his question was answered within a year.

Nigel Worthington was often linked with vacancies that arose at his previous clubs, Sheffield Wednesday and Leeds - as well as his country of birth, Northern Ireland - but that was because he had been relatively successful at Norwich, with a play-off final and later a promotion on his CV. Others like Hull and Swansea come to mind. Whatever, the suggestion that he might move on certainly helped in contract talks.

Bryan Hamilton has done nothing of consequence on the managerial front since his very average reign ended in December, 2000 - unless you count his work as technical advisor with Antigua and Barbuda. Hamilton had taken over from Bruce Rioch, who lasted just over a year and a half before claiming the lack of finances was hampering his plans - a mutual agreement ending the relationship.

Mike Walker's second spell ended proving the adage that “you never go back”, although his first stint had been one of the few in recent years that ended because he was wanted elsewhere. His work in taking City into Europe attracted the attentions of the mighty Everton, so off he went.

Gary Megson had an unhappy seven months which ended with his departure as well as that of chairman Robert Chase, who was responsible for the exit of one man who begs the questions “what if?”

Martin O'Neill had two spells as a player at Carrow Road and in the summer of 1995 became the manager, having cut his teeth in non-league with Grantham and Shepshed Charterhouse before taking Wycombe into the Football League. The chance to manage Norwich was too good to turn down, it was the natural step up the ladder - just as it has been for Lambert.

There are too many similarities between them to ignore: from the socks tucked into the tracksuit bottom on matchdays to the kicking of every ball, from the shared time at Celtic - where O'Neill spent five years as Lambert's manager - and Wycombe and the Celtic background.

O'Neill was 43 when he took over at City; Lambert was 11 days past his 40th birthday.

The Irishman was in charge for 21 league games - most of which was spent in the top six - winning nine, drawing seven and losing five - very respectable. But fans travelling to Filbert Street for a game against Leicester on December 17 discovered O'Neill had resigned. The blame has always been laid firmly at the feet of Chase, for refusing to sanction the signing of Dean Windass from Hull.

There's another connection - manager and money.

The difference is that O'Neill walked when he didn't get his way.

Lambert makes no secret of his admiration for O'Neill.

“I had five years under him at Celtic and I learned a lot from him. I remember him saying to me that if you get the players to listen to you and get them working as hard as they can then that is pretty good start. I have always remembered that.”

But they are very different eras. City were in the Championship in those days, but after three years in the top flight would be regarded as one of the big fish. O'Neill had them in the top six, City fans were thinking they would go straight back.

It didn't work like that: that didn't happen until 2004, and it proved to be a one-off.

The club wasn't equipped to deal with the big time - and its board of directors struggled to find someone who could do it justice.

Now, under Lambert, they are again a big fish, again trying to leap back up at the first attempt, albeit from the depths of League One.

Lambert has been in charge for 15 league games - but there is little reason for him to jump just yet.

Managing the Scotland national team is no longer a step up the career path - the best candidates are falling over themselves to turn it down before the embarrassment of an offer - but Norwich City is.

Get City into the Championship and there will be admiring glances from places that matter. His name will be linked with every vacancy going. It happened to Darren Ferguson after successive promotions at Peterborough; to Alan Irvine, to Simon Grayson, to Aidy Boothroyd.

Get them even further and Lambert will be hot property - that's when City fans might need to start worrying.

Only Lambert knows his ambitions - Celtic one day perhaps - but for now you have to hope that all he wants to do is get a club like Norwich back to where it belongs.

The compliment of being mentioned in despatches means the manager is doing something right.