The bookies would have you believe that it is the usual suspects lined up for the Norwich City job.

There are plenty of out-of-work football managers, but some magically work their way to the top of the queue when it comes to persuading punters to part with their money.

After all, who wouldn't want to risk a tenner of their hard-earned money on Alan Pardew in the hope of making £8 profit?

Perhaps the odds-makers missed City chairman Ed Balls describing the Pardew speculation as 'garbage'. One respected sports journalist said he would be appointed within 48 hours. That was Friday. Still waiting.

Former England manager Roy Hodgson is up there too, but with genuine deduction work going on here – it's well-known he is a friend of Delia Smith and Michael Wynn Jones (they were there to witness his Euro humiliation against Iceland last summer) so putting 2/1 and 2/1 together makes sense.

Alan Irvine, who coached under Alex Neil, is in the running; it would be rude not to include him, but then again, he's written himself out of the equation.

Gary Holt, Simon Grayson, Alan Stubbs, Billy Davies, Brian McDermott, Darren Ferguson, Dave Jones, Dennis Wise and Malky Mackay all get a run with BetVictor. Some of those names are just laughable.

The big surprise is that Steve Coppell, Graeme Souness and George Graham aren't on the list...

Truth is, City have been known to spring a surprise or two over the years. After all, how many City fans had even heard of Alex Neil before January 2015? His appointment was seen as another coup by then chief executive David McNally as Neil led City to promotion via the play-off final. McNally had watched as City lost 7-1 at home to Colchester on the opening day of the 2009-10 season – a week later he'd recruited Colchester's manager Paul Lambert to replace Bryan Gunn. The rest, as they say, is history.

Go back further and who expected Peter Grant (aside from some astute punters in Scotland who appear to have rumbled City and made a quick buck). And Glenn Roeder?

Appointing a manager is a fine art indeed. As is working out the odds for those with a quid to waste.