Norwich City stalwart Dave Stringer has urged the doubters to give Neil Adams a chance after embarking on the same path from FA Youth Cup winner to first team manager at Carrow Road.

Stringer guided the Canaries to a top four finish in the old First Division, along with two FA Cup semi-final appearances, during a successful period in charge after making the transition from a successful youth coaching stint. The 69–year-old is convinced Adams has sound credentials to lead the club's fightback from Premier League relegation after replacing Chris Hughton on a long term basis.

'It is easy for people to react and say it is the safe option or the cheap option but that is not necessarily so,' he said. 'The board will have tried to find the right person who they genuinely believe can do the job. There are no guarantees in any shape or form with whoever had come in.

'The proof will be in the pudding if you like in terms of how the games pan out and the results and that is the time perhaps to judge him – not at the moment.

'If you look at the pressures on the team towards the end of the season when he took over and the way he handled himself it was credit to him and people should look at that side of things and not focus on who else was out there or linked with the job.'

Stringer was part of Ken Brown's backroom team before stepping into the top job but the Hall of Famer believes Adams' lack of first team managerial experience is not an issue.

'How do you get the experience if you are not given a chance to do the job? That is something which can only be looked at down the line,' he said. 'People want to get back in the division immediately and it is not an exact science. You can only look at a person's character and their qualities and anyone who has studied Neil over the past 12 months or so and the success he had with the FA Youth Cup team can see he fits the criteria.

'You have got six positions that give yourself a chance. Two certain spots and four in the play-offs. You have an achievable aim and it is about adapting to your environment. I think the general thing is to realise it is a long season, a hard season and you have to churn out the results. You have to keep coming back from adversity if you like.'

• Read Saturday's Pinkun and Evening News for an in-depth interview with Stringer on the challenges and the pitfalls facing Adams after stepping into the top job, and his words of advice to the new man.