Is Alex Neil the right man for Norwich City?

Alex Neil has swapped Hamilton for Norwich

Norwich City have moved swiftly to replace Neil Adams by recruiting the promising Alex Neil from Scottish Premiership outfit Hamilton. The quesyion is whether he's the right man for the Canaries?

The 33-year-old has built quite a reputation in his native Scotland, leading Accies to promotion last season and climbing the SPL table this time around.

Neil takes over at Norwich as player-manager and will be in charge for the trip to league leaders Bournemouth on Saturday.

Can he steer Norwich into the playoff places and secure an immediate return to the Premier League?

Neil inherits a club on the heels of the playoff places. Adams had watched his team labour to just one win in ten games before an upturn in fortunes in December.

The Canaries have now steadied their ship, winning three of their last five games, to sit three points behind sixth-placed Brentford.

At the end of his nine-month stint at Carrow Road, the departing Adams declared Norwich were "still on course for a crack at promotion" and it does appear that the new boss is taking over a team regaining its confidence.

Neil quickly established himself as one of Scotland's most impressive young managers having taken over at Hamilton in April 2013. He had been a player at New Douglas Park for eight years before inheriting the manager's job in the wake of Billy Reid's departure.

In his first full season in charge, Accies were involved in a three-way tussle with Dundee and Falkirk for promotion. Hamilton eventually finished as the meat in the sandwich, going up as runners-up.

Results this season have really shone the spotlight on Neil however as he leaves Hamilton in third spot in the Scottish Premiership table, just four points adrift of leaders Aberdeen.

The highlight of their campaign to date was undoubtedly a 1-0 win over champions Celtic in Glasgow back in October. Ali Crawford's winner at Celtic Park sent Accies top of the Premiership table.

That victory was followed up by a resounding 3-0 home success over Aberdeen, a result that reads particularly well in light of the Dons form since.

Neil has built Hamilton's success on an attacking philosophy - his side are joint-second leading scorers in the top flight.

It remains to be seen how much playing time the new boss will allow himself in the Championship, but he has made seven appearances for Hamilton this season.

Most impressive during his stint at New Douglas Park was the ability to bring out the best in his squad while also picking up new talent without a transfer kitty to aid him.

Neil brought in midfielder Tony Andreu from Livingston on a free and he has gone on to net 28 times in 53 appearances.

In his spell at Hamilton, Neil managed to bring in eleven new faces without any transfer fees going out of the club.

Norwich have clearly been impressed with his work and while the new Carrow Road boss admits he was somewhat surprised by their approach, he is relishing the opportunity.

"I was always going to have trepidation. But I've been given the opportunity to take on a big job and I'm excited by the challenge," Neil said of his appointment.

The club have confirmed that the new boss will have complete control over players coming and going at the club.

The top three in the Championship look to be locked-in for places in the top six, but behind them there will be real scrap to get in the playoffs.

With the likes of Cameron Jerome and Lewis Grabban at his disposal, Neil ought to see his team in amongst the fight for a top-six finish and a shot at the playoffs.

Now the second youngest manager in the Football League, this represents a bold step from the powers that be at Carrow Road but with his short track record in Scotland, the signs are all positive that Neil can continue to build his reputation now he has moved to England.