With much speculation over the futures over managers all over the country, and recently Mick McCarthy and Martin Allen facing up to being dismissed, does sacking your manager in a mid-season panic work? We take a look at some notable examples of this happening, and the success their replacements achieved, or not as the case may be.
Alan Shearer – Newcastle
With Newcastle battling bravely at the foot of the Premiership table in the 2008/2009 season, club legend Shearer took charge in on a short-term deal to try and save them. Alas, his status as a hero on Tyneside couldn’t perform the miracle needed, and the Geordies faced up to relegation with Shearer only delivering 1 win in his 8 games as boss, and a meager 5 points wasn’t enough as Damien Duff’s own goal sent them down.
Verdict – Error, should’ve gone with a more experienced man and perhaps his icon status clouded judgment
Guus Hiddink – Chelsea
The Blues were struggling, and Scolari was dismissed as they slipping into a fierce battle to retain a Champions League spot. A close ally of owner Ambramovich, Hiddink stepped in and after a 1-0 win at Aston Villa first up, he lead Chelsea to 3rd and an FA Cup win. They were only defeated once in the league, and he came so close to taking them to another Champions League final – foiled by a last gasp Iniesta strike as Barcelona went through on away goals.
Verdict – A definite short term success story, but will he ever return to Stamford Bridge?
Sam Allardyce – Blackburn
Big Sam had just left Newcastle after a short and un-successful spell in charge of the Magpies, and he was snapped up by Blackburn who were fighting the drop. A 9 game unbeaten run came first, followed by a League Cup semi-final and eventually a comfortable 15th placed finish clear of any trouble.
Verdict – A good move, with Allardyce using all his experience and managerial skills to secure that all important survival
Leonardo Araujo – Inter Milan
With Rafa Benitez relieved of his duties after a testing start in charge of Italian giants Inter, Brazilian legend Leonardo stepped into the breach. An unpopular choice given he played and managed for rivals AC Milan, he failed to re-ignite any form of a title push with crushing defeats to then bottom of the table Parma, and a hammering 3-0 at the hands of their other stadium tenants. Coppa Italia success did come at the end of the season, but not before a humiliation 5-2 on aggregate to Schalke in the Champions League, and his contract was terminated at the end of the season, cut short by 12 months.
Verdict – Hard to judge, but the success he achieved was definitely not un-reachable by Benitez, and the compensation paid to the Spaniard would have been astronomical.
Guiliano Grazioli – Barnet
With Barnet looking like relegation material last season, club legend Grazioli stepped in with just a few weeks left of the season. Despite a defeat in his first game against Bury, he somehow managed to keep the Bees up after starting the last day still two points from safety.
Verdict – A masterstroke, Barnet had spent almost the whole season in the bottom three but somehow escaped at the very last opportunity.
Have you got any other examples to share? Let us know, or contact me on Twitter by searching @aitkenheadhj
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Shearer was appointed because Kinnear had a heart attack, not because anyone was sacked.
nice research…
Yes, ‘beatski’ that is obviously true, but the diagnosis of Kinnear’s heart problems was only a maximum of two months off work, as of February 2009. So Shearer’s appointment on a contract until the end of the season was a knee jerk reaction, as it effectively ended Kinnear’s time in charge as his contract was up in the Summer of 2009. They could have given the job to a caretaker from the coaching staff already, but chose to hire a new man. My research is complete, I can assure you I know much more than you do about the subject.