CHRIS LAKEY Craig Fleming believes the Canaries can benefit from Peter Grant's appointment in much the same way as Watford have benefited from their surprise move for former City youth team coach Ady Boothroyd.

CHRIS LAKEY

Craig Fleming believes the Canaries can benefit from Peter Grant's appointment in much the same way as Watford have benefited from their surprise move for former City youth team coach Ady Boothroyd.

Boothroyd defied the critics who questioned his pedigree and experience, to lead Watford into the Premiership last season, and Fleming is convinced that ignoring the so-called "big-name" managers can pay dividends.

"I spoke to Ady last night and he shows what can be done if you get the right man with the right ambition," said the Canaries club captain after the 3-3 draw at Loftus Road.

"A lot of the time big names aren't the answer."

Boothroyd held youth team roles at City and West Brom before becoming part of Kevin Blackwell's first-team coaching squad at Leeds - but less than a year later was put in charge at Vicarage Road. Grant has coached at Bournemouth and West Ham, where he helped Alan Pardew take the Hammers into the Premiership.

"I think Peter has a better pedigree than Ady had," said Fleming. "Ady hadn't really worked at first-team level, Peter has for a good few years now.

"It is not a gamble, but it does go to show you don't need a big name to be successful in this league. They are different characters, very different - Peter was a player with real drive and they both have that drive and ambition, and we're hoping that will rub off on the team."

Fleming knows Grant better than anyone at Carrow Road - they played together during the new manager's two years at Carrow Road in the late 90s.

The City stalwart isn't expecting any favours - "it will probably work the other way knowing Peter," he says - but he is perfectly placed to asses Grant's qualities.

"He came down from Celtic - he was incredibly professional, incredibly fit, hard working, had a great enthusiasm for the game and by all accounts he has taken that into his coaching and now his managerial career," said Fleming.

A managerial future was not hard to forecast, says Fleming.

"He was an organiser," he added. "There are certain people in the dressing room that you play with and think that they will go on and do something and Peter was one. He loved talking about the game and to be fair left us to go to Reading and got straight into it.

"So, yes, he's a good appointment."

Grant certainly watched an improved display by City on Saturday, with Fleming acknowledging that the longer the managerial saga had gone on, the more difficult it would have become.

"I think it is a good thing for the players - the longer it goes without knowing the manager can affect teams. I think we showed today we are a professional bunch, we got our heads down for Martin have and now got to get our heads down and get up to the table.

"In the last couple of games we have been so easy, gone a goal or two down and rolled over. Today we were full value, we conceded a couple again but there was real fight in there. It was sickener to lose a late goal, but we showed a lot of character, a lot of guts."