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The Sheffield Wednesday chairman, Milan Mandaric, has confirmed the club's manager, Alan Irvine, has been sacked after just over a year in charge at Hillsborough. The former Preston North End manager, 52, has been axed by the League One club following a six-game winless run which culminated in a 5-3 defeat at Peterborough on Tuesday.

Mandaric said: "It is unfortunate, but this had to take place. The decision has been made on what is in the best interests of the club. We will be making further announcements in due course."

The Owls' defeat at Peterborough left them 12th in the table, eight points adrift of the play-offs and five above the relegation zone. Irvine, who held crisis talks with Mandaric yesterday after the heavy loss at London Road, had been backed by his chairman during the January transfer window.

Reda Johnson, Michael Morrison, Mark Reynolds, Gary Madine and Isaiah Osbourne have all arrived at Hillsborough in recent weeks.

The former Wednesday player Gary Megson and the ex-Crystal Palace, Coventry City and Hull City manager Iain Dowie have emerged as early candidates to succeed Irvine, who signed a three-and-a-half-year contract when he replaced Brian Laws as manager in January 2010.

The assistant manager, Rob Kelly, and the coach Billy Barr will take charge until a successor for Irvine is found.

Labels: Guardian, Irvine, manager, Sheffield, Wednesday

The Potters have been a fixture in the top half of the Premier League for much of the season, although they dropped to 11th after losing 2-0 at Liverpool.

Pulis told BBC Radio Stoke: "We could have the best season that this football club has had for a long, long time.

"We could finish in the top 10 in the Premier League and we could be in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup."

He continued: "We've got a hell of a lot to play for and to be where we are in February is fantastic.

"The important thing is that people keep their feet on the ground and don't get too greedy.

"We've got to work hard and make sure we stay together to see the club through to what could be a very, very exciting last quarter of the season."

Stoke have finished 12th and 11th in the two seasons since winning promotion to the Premier League in 2008.

And a victory over League One leaders Brighton will see the Potters reach the last eight of the FA Cup for the second consecutive campaign, having failed to do so for the previous 38 years.

Goals from Raul Meireles and Luis Suarez condemned Stoke to defeat at Anfield and Pulis was unhappy with the timing of the first goal.

"I'm disappointed that we conceded the goal so early in the second half," added the Stoke boss.

"I thought in the first half, apart from the last 10 minutes, we contained them very well."

Labels: excited, manager, prospects, Pulis, Stoke

West Bromwich Albion have installed Roy Hodgson as their No1 choice to take over from the sacked Roberto Di Matteo, although they would appear to have plenty of work to do before he could be persuaded to take the job as the manager.

The Midlands club, who have placed the coach Michael Appleton in caretaker charge ahead of the relegation crunch match against West Ham United at The Hawthorns on Saturday, are also keen to talk to Chris Hughton, as they prepare to take the decision upon which their Premier League survival could hinge.

Hodgson and Hughton are both out of work, having been sacked by Liverpool and Newcastle United respectively, and the former has the added advantage of 35 years of managerial experience. Although Hodgson endured a disastrous time at Liverpool his work at Fulham, where he initially helped them to stave off relegation before building them up to greater heights, he has been noted by the Albion board of directors.

The worry for Albion is whether Hodgson can be convinced that they represent his most attractive route back into the game. Moreover, the chairman, Jeremy Peace, is known for keeping a tight grip on the purse strings and Hodgson might prove too expensive for him.

Hughton would seem a more viable option and so might Appleton, who hopes to audition successfully for the post against West Ham. To his mind, it is his job to lose and he hopes to have not only the West Ham game but also the one against Wolverhampton Wanderers thereafter. He has held his first meetings with the backroom and sports science staffs to outline preparations for the visit of West Ham.

Appleton, a former Manchester United and West Bromwich midfielder, whose playing career was cut short by injury, has been coaching at The Hawthorns for five years and, crucially, he has the respect of the players. He is also well regarded by the club's hierarchy, who appreciate that he has turned down the opportunity to leave for other posts on no fewer than seven occasions.

Appleton can look to the Blackburn Rovers manager, Steve Kean, for inspiration. Kean, who had coached at Ewood Park, was promoted from within by the club's owners after the sacking of Sam Allardyce and after he spent a brief period as the caretaker manager.

Albion have dismissed suggestions that the dismissal of Di Matteo on Sunday morning was knee-jerk. The team's results had been poor over a period of time – they are on a run of 13 defeats in 18 matches – while questions had also been asked about the Italian's man-management style.

The club maintain that they have at open mind over the search for his successor, with nothing as yet set in stone. One option under consideration is the appointment of a fire-fighter on a short-term contract until the end of the season, with the brief to keep the team in the Premier League. One manager who can be discounted is Allardyce, who was never an option for Peace, while Steve McClaren, sacked by Wolfsburg, would not be interested in the vacancy.

Labels: Albion, Bromwich, Chris, Guardian, Hodgson, Hughton, manager, wanted

WEST BROMWICH, England (AP)—West Bromwich Albion fired manager Roberto Di Matteo on Sunday as the team battles against relegation from the Premier League.

A 3-0 loss to Manchester City on Saturday was West Brom’s 13th loss in 18 games in all competitions, leaving the team only two points above the drop zone.

The 40-year-old Di Matteo had been in charge for less than 20 months before West Brom announced Sunday that he was being “relieved … of his duties and placed … on gardening leave.”

“This has been a tough decision but we, as a board, believe it is the right one to give the club the best possible chance of remaining in the Premier League,” West Brom chairman Jeremy Peace said in a statement. “Our poor sequence of results stretches back more than three months and there has been little sign of it coming to an end.

“If this run continues much longer, achieving our goal of retaining our Premier League status will become increasingly difficult. That is why we felt compelled to act now.”

Di Matteo, a former Italy midfielder who was hired by West Brom in June 2009, secured the team’s instant return to the Premier League last May.

After losing two of its first nine league games, West Brom was a contender for Europa League qualification. But the team has won only three times since then and taken one point from its past three games.

“This club’s track record proves we do not take such decisions lightly, with Roberto being only our fourth manager or head coach in almost 11 years,” Pearce said. “We are in a results-driven industry and felt we had no choice but to act now.”

Assistant coach Michael Appleton will take over on an interim basis.

Di Matteo retired from playing due to injury in 2002 after struggling to recover from a triple leg fracture two years earlier.

The former Chelsea player impressed in his first managerial job at MK Dons, guiding the team to the 2009 League One playoffs in his only season in charge before moving to West Brom.

Labels: Albion, Bromwich, fires, manager, Matteo

LONDON, Feb 6 (Reuters) - West Bromwich Albion’s collapse in form cost manager Roberto Di Matteo his job on Sunday when the Premier League club said he had been relieved of his duties with immediate effect.

Saturday’s 3-0 defeat by Manchester City left the club in 16th place in the league, two points above the relegation zone, with 13 defeats in their previous 18 matches in all competitions.

“This has been a tough decision,” said West Brom chairman Jeremy Peace on the club’s official website (www.wba.co.uk).

“But we, as a board, believe it is the right one to give the club the best possible chance of remaining in the Premier League.”

Former Chelsea midfielder Di Matteo led the Midlands club back to the Premier League last season and won plaudits early in the campaign with a 3-2 away win at Arsenal and a 2-2 draw with Manchester United at Old Trafford.

They even briefly rose into the top four in October.

However, hopes that he could establish them in the top flight after a decade of promotions and relegations to and from the top two divisions have faded. His position was also undermined by exits from both domestic cups against Championship (second division) opposition.

“Our poor sequence of results stretches back more than three months and there has been little sign of it coming to an end,” Pearce said. “If this run continues much longer, achieving our goal of retaining our Premier League status will become increasingly difficult. That’s why we were compelled to act.”

First-team coach Michael Appleton has been put in charge of the team while the club “considers its options”.

Italian Di Matteo moved into management in 2008 with League One (third division) side MK Dons, just missing out on promotion, before moving to West Brom as replacement for Tony Mowbray in 2009.

In his first season he clinched second place in the Championship behind Newcastle United, winning automatic promotion back to the top flight.

Di Matteo is the fourth Premier League manager to lose his job this season, following Roy Hodgson at Liverpool, Sam Allardyce at Blackburn Rovers and Chris Hughton at Newcastle.

(Writing by Martyn Herman and James Illingworth, Editing by Clare Fallon)

Labels: company, manager, Matteo, Reuters

England manager Fabio Capello has named Jack Wilshere as a key player and important team member for the future of English football.

The Italian spoke highly of the 19-year-old and discussed his various different playing positions, also revealing that he spoke with the Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger to decide where Wilshere would be most effectively deploye.

64-year-old Capello claims that Wilshere will play like Claude Makelele did for Chelsea, and that his role will be vital for the team’s future as the gaffer looks to replace the defensive midfield role.

"One of the players who has only played a short time with us, Wilshere, will be really important for the future,” said Capello to the FA’s official website.

"He is a really young player but he is really important for me, because he can play a position on the pitch where I am looking for some players to play there. 

"I hope he can be like Makelele in the future, now he prefers to play forward, but I monitored him in one game where he played in this position [in front of the back four] and he played very well. I spoke with Arsene and he told me he is better when he is going forward, but he told me also he can play in this position." 

The England manager made known his joy for the return of Wayne Rooney’s goal-scoring form, claiming that his is one of the best players in the world and that he had a decent game against Aston Villa.

"He is one of the best players in the world. He played very well [against Aston Villa] and scored two goals, but he played well before that. 

"I saw him play some good games and he was important in making assists for Berbatov, but he was not lucky sometimes when he tried to score himself. His first goal against Aston Villa was really, really nice for the control of the ball and to shoot at goal, his movement was very good as well. 

"I met Sir Alex on Thursday when he received an award for 2,000 games as a manager, and he told me that Rooney played well every time and was really important. He has some ankle problems but he told me he is fit, not completely, but he told me he is back." 

The Italian was also full of praise for Manchester United’s Gary Neville, who recently retired from domestic football following a 19-year spell at the club.

"He is one of the most important English players. He played a lot of games with the national team, he won a lot of trophies with Manchester United. He is a really important player in the history of football. 

"When a player like him decides to retire, you understand it's the moment to stop this career and start a new one as a coach, as a manager, as a commentator, I don't know which." 

The January transfer window included various record breaking deals, which greatly interested the England manager – who revealed his views on Torres, Dzeko, Chelsea, Manchester United and the title race.

"I followed the events it was really interesting for me because I remember last year the window was not a lot of money spent, £20-30m, but this one there was more than £200m spent. 

"It was really interesting that a lot of teams bought forwards, big changes between teams in England, Bent, Carroll, Torres and also Dzeko came in from Germany to Man City. 

"It will be more interesting to see the rest of the season and who arrives at the top four positions. 

"I don't like to speak about the money that teams spend, I like to speak about the technical quality of the players. In Torres the whole world knows the value of this player, he is good in every moment, his movement, his speed, he scores goals. 

"For Chelsea to win the Premier League I think in this moment they need Manchester United to lose some games, not only the two games that Chelsea have to play against them.

"There are other teams, Arsenal have a better fixture calendar than Chelsea or Man Utd, Man City is in a good position and Tottenham is a really good team and if Gareth Bale is back quickly they will be an important team to fight to win the Premier League.

Labels: Arsenalaposs, believes, Capello, England, Fabio, Goalcom, manager, Wilshere

SkySports

Nottingham Forest manager Billy Davies proud despite FA Cup defeat to West Ham Goal.com Nottingham Forest manager Billy Davies was full of praise for his players after they came up short in a thrilling FA Cup tie against West Ham at Upton Park, where only an inspired Victor Obinna hat-trick stopped his side ... Obinna earns Grant praiseSkySports Davies proud but points to experienceYahoo! Eurosport UK Victor Obinna hat-trick sees West Ham overhaul Nottingham ForestThe Guardian BBC News -Telegraph.co.uk -The Press Association all 140 news articles »

Labels: Billy, Davies, defeat, despite, Forest, Goalcom, manager, Nottingham, proud

Globe and Mail

Motherwell manager Stuart McCall proud but frustrated BBC Sport Proud but bitterly disappointed was how Stuart McCall summed up his first semi-final defeat as Motherwell manager after they went down 2-1 to Rangers. "All I asked of them was to give a good account of themselves. To come off the back pitch as good as ... Rangers 2 Motherwell 1: match reportTelegraph.co.uk Naismith relishing Old Firm fixture flurryYahoo! Eurosport UK Rangers 2 - 1 MotherwellBBC News The Press Association -stv.tv -Goal.com all 119 news articles »

Labels: frustrated, manager, McCall, Motherwell, proud, Sport, Stuart

The Guardian

Wolves manager Mick McCarthy rues 'needless' free-kick that led to Stoke ... Goal.com Wolverhampton Wanderers manager Mick McCarthy believes that the free-kick that resulted in Stoke's goal in a 1-0 defeat was "needless'. McCarthy's men lost their FA Cup fourth round tie at Molineux after Robert Huth managed ... It`sa Knock-Out: Wolves Lose a One-Goal ChillerVitalfootball McCarthy - Wolves made to paySkySports McCarthy frustrated by cup exittalkSPORT.co.uk The Guardian -expressandstar.com -Yahoo! Eurosport UK all 180 news articles »

Labels: aposneedlessapos, freekick, Goalcom, manager, McCarthy, Stoke, Wolves