CITY boss Glenn Roeder paid tribute to departing winger Darren Huckerby at an end-of-season press conference held at Colney.

Roeder said a lot of thought had gone in to the decision announced on Tuesday that he would not be offering the City star a new contract at Carrow Road.

He commented: "The decision wasn't made quickly or taken lightly. I had to think long and hard about it. Darren Huckerby has had a fantastic career here and will always be remembered for good things that he did and rightly so.

"Everyone at the Club, supporters, directors are very proud of him but he is a player that would expect to be one of the first on the teamsheets every single week - and at times I am sure he would be. But I have targeted one or two players that play in a similar position to Hucks that are younger, exceptionally talented players as well and I am reasonably confident that we can sign at least one of these players. They would be a creator of many chances and hopefully many goals in the new season and it simply came down to that.

"If I didn't think I could guarantee him a starting position every week, when he was fit, I am sure he isn't the sort of person that would want to hang around if he was not playing every game, so that was very much in my thinking."

Roeder added that speculation of a 'bust-up' between manager and player were well wide of the mark, saying: "We have to clear up straight away. contrary to reports of some negative people that would like to drive a wedge between myself and Hucks, we got on very well and he has said that himself.

"Contrary to popular belief, we never had a bad day of any consequence whatever. We had plenty of good days. Every single player here occasionally gets a little bit of that temper I've got, but he's a fantastic professional," he said.

"You couldn't make him have a day off. You nearly had to lock the gates to stop him coming in on a day off, because I actually think a day off is at times part of the training schedule. It's important to rest your body. But he always liked to come in and make his body as strong as it possibly could be.

"We had a really good relationship but we must always respect and remember our heroes and then we must look forward to the new ones. Hopefully if I get my signings right, one or two of the players that I have got in mind will become new heroes for our supporters. I think these are exciting times and we must look forward. Hucks will always be up there with the very best players that ever wore this shirt and he moves on and I wish him and his family well to new pastures."

Those new pastures could well be on foreign soil according to media speculation and Roeder suggested a move abroad might well be in Huckerby's thinking now: "He has always expressed a wish to me, many times in the short time that I have been here that he hoped before his career finished he could play abroad and experience that. This now gives him the opportunity, he tells me, and I hope if the opportunity materialises he does take that up.

"Easily the best coach that I've ever worked for, Terry Venables would always say 'Glenn, if you're going to have regrets in life, regret doing things, don't regret not doing things'  - and I said that to Hucks and he liked that thought. So I wouldn't be surprised to see him turn up in another league in another part of the world.

Meanwhile the Colney door remains open to Huckerby with Roeder stressing the City legend will always be welcomed back by his former Canary colleagues: "I told him, 'whatever happens if you drive past Colney and don't come in to do some training or to see the lads that's because you don't want to. these gates will always be open for you. If you're playing in another part of the world there will be days or even weeks maybe when you're at home so come in and train' - and he was really grateful for that offer.

"He said he would definitely take us up on that, so don't be surprised if we see him around the training ground sometimes during next season and we look forward to that. As far as I and all of my staff are concerned, we wish him and his family every success wherever he goes."

Finally Roeder was asked by the media if he regretted not timing the announcement differently following criticism from some fans angered that they had not been given the chance to give their hero a better send-off.

He responded: "I honestly don't know what all the fuss is about. When the season's finished, most other clubs let you know, or the supporters know, which players are being retained or not. Anyone who looks on that as a slight against Darren is completely wrong. They've got their angles all cock-eyed. It's nonsense.

"I'm not a fence-sitter and I don't let other people make decisions for me. I listen to people I respect and then I make the decision myself. I'll take the pats on the back and I'll take a slap as well.

"I had made my mind up that I was going to wait until the season was complete before I sat down with all the players. Of course Darren deserves the praise and the special mentions that he has had since I said we are not offering him another years contract.

"There are groups of people that think they should have been told sooner, it was my call and hopefully while I'm the manager I will make plenty of calls, some supporters will agree with and some they won't.

"I also took Darren into consideration as well, I knew that he was going to play at Sheffield Wednesday and I wanted him to play at Sheffield Wednesday, I wanted him to be fully concentrated about playing well, I mean he scored a super first goal, he could have equalised for us immediately after they took the lead unfortunately and he was disappointed, with just the 'keeper to beat, he missed the goal by quite a long way and by his standards he was disappointed but it kept him focussed on the game.

"There weren't other things going on around his head because I had spoken to him before and told him that we weren't going to offer him another year's contract and if I had have done that wouldn't have been kept secret, because there are no secrets in football. I stand by what I did and I always will but also because it is a free world that we live in, I accept people are entitled to their opinion - but that is what it is, just their opinion.

"Darren didn't have a problem with it and that is important. We spoke last Tuesday and he never had a problem whatsoever with the timing and that is the most important person, him himself not having a problem, he understood the reasons and he leaves here with his head held high and is very much what everyone has said. He has now become a legend of Norwich City and is welcome back here at any time."