Norwich City chief executive Jez Moxey resigned last night after just six months in the Carrow Road hot-seat.

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Many fans reacted with delight at the news, which was confirmed on the club's official website, but others warned it could now be a difficult road ahead.

Canaries Trust chairman Robin Sainty said: 'I think it's fair to say I was gob-smacked with the news.

'From the Trust's point of view, we had grave reservations about his ability to interact with groups, so I'm not going to pretend it's a bad bit of news.'

Last month the club was criticised for charging fans £25 for the FA Cup Third Round tie against Southampton, which only 12,479 people attended.

It is understood that the situation and the outcry from fans led to tensions between Mr Moxey and the rest of the board. It was seen internally as Mr Moxey's decision.

But in a statement released by the club late last night, chairman Ed Balls revealed that Mr Moxey had left the Canaries by mutual consent.

He said: 'Myself and the board would like to place on record our sincere thanks to Jez for his hard work since joining us last year and most recently in the transfer window.'

'However the role has not worked out satisfactorily for either Jez and his family or for the Football Club, and all parties have professionally and amicably agreed to move on.

'We wish Jez all the best in his future career and now our focus is on the next steps for Norwich City.'

Mr Sainty said he was keen to see how the club would move on, with the next 24 hours being crucial.

'It's obviously over the next 24 hours that we will try to get a bit more information over what has actually happened, as the statement is a bit ambiguous. But it does seem to me to suggest it could be more of a sacking than a resignation.'

Mr Moxey replaced David McNally as City's chief executive in August after joining from Wolverhampton Wanderers following the takeover of the Midlands club by the Chinese group Fosun Group International.

OPINION: What does Jez Moxey's departure mean for Norwich City boss Alex Neil?

But Neville Townsend, chairman of Forces2Canaries, said his time at Wolves had brought with it a bad reputation.

'It doesn't really come as a shock to me,' he said.

'He had such a bad reputation and we was very with for the first few months. When supporters groups tried to get in contact with him, and tried to arrange meetings, we were politely knocked back.

'I don't think he won over the fans, but it's not good because it means we've had four CEOs in a year. It's not good for a club that wants to get back into the Premiership.'

'I'm just glad it happened after the transfer window had closed.'

In reference to the transfer window, shareholder Tim East said he wondered whether Mr Moxey's departure was related.

'I was not very impressed with the transfer dealing,' said Mr East, who has been a season ticket holder since 1959.

'It has not strengthened the squad at all, it has just replaced like for like.'

Mr Moxey's short time at the club was not without controversy. Disappointing results on the pitch saw supporters call for the resignation of manager Alex Neil, while fans turned on the chief himself during the recent game against Wolves.

OPINION: Fans celebrate City's Jexit - but it shows depth of unrest at the top

In December, after declining requests to talk to local media, Norwich City released an interview with Mr Moxey. Norwich City fans reacted with disappointment when he backed the club's under-fire manager.

Mr Sainty added that he expected the resignation would cause some insecurity going forward.

'There's concern it will cause instability, and in the club at the moment it's not needed. The transfer window is no longer open and it's clear Alex Neil is here to stay until the end of the season. So it's a bit of a body blow when we thought we were hunkering down to get through it.'

Finance director Steve Stone, who acted as interim chief executive last summer when a replacement for Mr McNally was being sought, has been placed in charge again for the short term.

Mr Balls added: 'With the finances of the club in good order, fantastic staff in place at Carrow Road and Colney and the team looking to build on consecutive wins, our immediate priority is on providing every support possible to Alex Neil and the squad to maintain our push towards the top six positions in the Championship table.'

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