Ligue 1 relegation battle shows it pays to be decisive if sacking a manager | Eric Devin
Montpellier, Reims, Nice and Auxerre reacted quickly when their coaches were failing, but Strasbourg ditheredBy Eric Devin for Get French Football NewsFootball clubs are often indecisive when the stakes are high. Too often they dither over transfers, dropping players who have lost form, or dismissing managers. The dangers of this approach has been on show in Ligue 1 this season, where the relegation of four clubs rather than the usual three has made the need for success even more acute than usual. Ligue 2 is a particularly difficult division to bounce back from, as St-Étienne are discovering. Having been relegated from the top flight last season, they are now 13th in the second tier.With other clubs understandably concerned about facing a similar fate, they have been quick to fire managers. Eleven bosses have lost their jobs since the start of the campaign. In October alone, five clubs sacked managers – Lyon, Auxerre, Brest, Reims and Montpellier – mostly due to concerns about relegation. Montpellier are on their third manager of the season and Angers have a vacancy following the resignation of Abdel Bouhazama last week. Continue reading…
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