There could be a noose hanging over the Ricoh Arena tomorrow evening as Coventry City welcome Norwich City for a Championship match that will go some way to deciding the immediate future of both clubs.

Both languish at the southern end of the division and have endured frustrating seasons that have been characterised by a step forward being quickly followed by three in the opposite direction.

That has led to speculation that their managers, Micky Adams and Nigel Worthington, could be walking a very short plank.

Worthington's head has been called for on a host of radio phone-ins while Adams' position was the subject of speculation in a Sunday newspaper. George Burley, we are told, is on his way.

But Adams is not throwing in the towel and recognises common themes between his situation and that of his opposite number at Carrow Road.

He said: "If anybody knows what he is going through it is me. He was a Premiership manager last year - he has not become a bad manager overnight. I have been in his shoes.

"He'll come through it. He has introduced new players into the squad and that needs time. Like me, he is not a bad manager."

Which is something of a change of tack following Tuesday's 2-0 defeat at Crystal Palace when Adams suggested that he was failing because his team was losing games.

He was rather more bullish yesterday, saying: "I will keep going, nothing is going to rattle me. I knew it was a tough job when I joined. We were in a relegation battle, nothing has changed.

"I don't want to go from here. I maintain that I am proud to be manager at this club. I will go out of here kicking and screaming if I get the resources to do it but I am not daft, managers need results."

He is also aware of an element of discontent among supporters, saying: "Someone said that 50 per cent were with us and 50 per cent not. I have lost 20 per cent because 70 per cent wanted me when I joined. It is up to me to get those people back."

Adams signed midfielder Don Hutchison before the deadline for loan deals passed at 5pm yesterday.

The 34-year-old joins from Millwall in a loan deal which runs until January 3. A former Scottish international with 25 caps, Hutchison was a trainee at Hartlepool before moving to Liverpool in 1990.

He joined the Lions on a short-term deal last summer, but started only eight matches.