Norwich City have confirmed Alan Irvine will remain in interim charge until the end of this season, with a head coach appointment to follow 'very quickly after the season ends'.

The Canaries board met at Carrow Road this afternoon to meet with sporting director Stuart Webber and begin planning for the club's new structure.

Following that meeting a statement has been released, saying: 'We were delighted to formally welcome our new sporting director Stuart Webber to the club at our board meeting held at Carrow Road today.

'Bringing in Stuart to lead all of our football operations and recruitment is the second of three key appointments we are making to radically change the way the club is run, following on from the confirmation of Steve Stone's new role as managing director last month.

'The final part of the process is the appointment of a head coach to lead the first team.

'On Stuart's advice we have agreed that Alan Irvine will continue to take charge of the team until the end of the current season in four weeks' time.

'Meanwhile the process of recruiting a new head coach is already under way, with a view to making an appointment very quickly after the season ends.'

Irvine was already preparing the City team for tomorrow's home Championship fixture against Reading but will now also preside over the five remaining fixtures.

He will be in charge for the visit of Fulham to Carrow Road on Good Friday and the trip to Preston on Easter Monday. The home clash with title challengers Brighton follows on Friday, April 21, ahead of a trip to Leeds on Saturday, April 29. The season then ends at Carrow Road, against QPR, on Sunday, May 7.

Webber confirmed when speaking to the media this afternoon that he had already spoken with Irvine, following Wednesday's 3-0 loss at his old club Huddersfield Town, which leaves the Canaries nine points adrift of the top six in 10th place.

'I met with Alan, I met with a lot of people, but I met with Alan first and foremost,' Webber said. 'Wednesday night was a difficult night for the club and hopefully, in a way that might help bottom a few things out, unfortunately you have to have bad nights to move on and go forward and start having some better times.

'I think we're fortunate with Alan that we've had someone after Alex (Neil) going who could take the reins and go on but, listen, the players are professionals. I've not met them all yet but they're professional footballers and every professional footballer that I've ever met wants to win every single game, I've not met one yet who doesn't.

'Reading what Russell Martin had to say when he unfortunately has to come and speak after a defeat like that, gets a little bit of stick from the supporters. Whether that's right or wrong, I don't know, I've been here two minutes, but he has to front it up and that's not easy.

'It's not an easy thing to come out and front up to you guys (the media) when, let's be honest, you're going to be after him a little bit because of what you've just seen and I understand that, and certainly as a supporter you pay a lot of money to go and watch the team play.'