It's not a great feeling for either party when the manager is let go, but it's even worse for the club when they realise in hindsight it was the wrong decision. Here are five of the worst sackings in the modern game:
1. Roberto Di Matteo - Chelsea 2012
Perhaps the most infamous sacking decision ever, the man known affectionately by the fans as 'Robbie', was sacked just six months after guiding the Blues to the F.A Cup and a more than surprising Champions League title, becoming the first London club to win Europe's most prestigious cup competition. He was let go by owner Abramovich after a disappointing start to the 2013 season in both the league and Champions league (which they only qualified for after winning the preceding tournament), despite many objections from the fans. To make things worse, he was replaced by Rafa Benitez, who is far from a fan's favourite and now, in every 16th (shirt number when he played for the Stamford Bridge club) minute of a match, he is sung about passionately by the crowd.
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| Di Matteo was sacked by Chelsea less then 6 months after winning the Champions League and F.A Cup |
2. Mick McCarthy - Wolves 2012
When McCarthy was sacked by the Wolves board in 2012, they were lying 18th in the Premier league, only in the relegation zone on goal difference; by the end of that season, they had finished bottom, six points behind 19th place and 12 points from safety. After he was sacked, Wolves turned to assisstant coach, Terry Connor, who had no experience of managing and struggled to win a game before the end of the season, only gaining four points from the 13 games after McCarthy's sacking. This was also a strange decision as McCarthy was the man who had brought the molineux side into the Premier League and kept them there against all odds for two seasons; this was a blatant sign that owners no longer have respect for mangers anymore, especially ones who put so much work and effort into the club like the former Ireland boss did.
3. Sam Allardyce - Blackburn 2010
Big sam was sacked by new owners, the Venkys, in December 2010, after a run of three losses in five games. For a team fighting for survival, that is not even too bad and, when you consider he was replaced by the inexperienced Steve Kean, it doesn't look any better. Too make things even worse, if that's possible, when Allardyce was sacked, Blackburn were 13th in the league, by the end of the season they finished 15th, and the next season resulted in relegation. This sacking started the ongoing decline which has seen them fall from premier league winners in 1995, to relegation candidates in the Championship.
4. Mark Hughes - Man City 2009
Hughes, in my opinion, was treated very unfairly by Man City's rich owners. He was doing a fine job, but they were impatient for the results, and I feel if Hughes had stayed the Title that eventually came last year, may have come even earlier. When Hughes was sacked, City were lying sixth in the league, but had only lost twice all season, and were in the semi-finals of the league cup. At the end of the season, after hiring Mancini, they had only managed to improve to 5th place, which probably would have happened, even if Hughes still had his job. They also did not win a trophy that year, which was the target.
5. Chris Hughton - Newcastle 2010
Hughton was an unexpected saviour in Necastle, reinstating them back into the top flight after only one year out of it; but although many thought he would get a full Premier League season to see what he could do at the top level, he was sacked just three onths into the season when his side were in 11th. He was sacked by the board because they wanted a more experienced manager who could lead the team forward, however Pardew had the opposite effect as they ended the season 12th, a place lower then Hughton was, who enjoyed noteable wins against rivals Sunderland and Aston Villa. We have also seen later on, that Hughton is a great manager, making Norwich punch way above their weight.
So these are my worst five sackings, but if you can think of any others, don't hesitate to comment below!
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