Neil James Adams (born 23 November 1965) is an English former professional footballer and former manager who is the current technical director of EFL Championship club Norwich City.
[1] Adams began his career playing for his local club Stoke City, where he quickly earned a reputation of being a tricky and productive winger.
After retiring from playing, Adams became a pundit for BBC Radio Norfolk, before taking up a coaching role at the Norwich City Academy – guiding the U-18 team to victory in the 2012–13 FA Youth Cup.
[1] He made a huge impression with his performances for Stoke in his debut season, with his attacking creativity and deadly accurate crossing ability earning him a call up to the England U21 side for their European Championship semi-final tie in Italy.
In early 1994 Norwich City made inquiries about acquiring his services, and after protracted negotiations between the two clubs he eventually signed for the Canaries for a fee of £250,000 in mid-February.
He assumed the role of penalty taker and dead ball specialist for the Canaries, and in his career he only missed from the spot once, in a league cup game against Swansea.
[6] On 31 July 2015, Adams returned to Norwich City as Loan Player Manager, [7] a role he fulfilled until September 2021 when he was promoted to Assistant Sporting Director.