The curious case of “Unwavering Support” by football club owners
Leicester City manager Claudio Ranieri was finally shown the door nine months after leading Premier League outsiders, Leicester City to the title. The genial Italian managed to pull off a “football miracle” even as his side were the rank outsiders, with odds of 5000-1.
Ranieri’s team has struggled to recapture the form from last season and as a result, has seen them slide down the league table. Currently, the Foxes lie just outside the relegation zone with only a point above the bottom three in 17th place. Frankly, given the sums of money involved in securing Premier League status, it was indeed a surprise that the Leicester owners allowed Ranieri such a long rope before eventually sacking him.
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Over the years, the question of unwavering support has come to light time and again in the Premier League. The words “unwavering support” has become more of a parlance for the owners before the eventual sacking of the concerned manager. There have been umpteen occasions when the clubs in question have backed their manager in public, before eventually giving them the pink slip. All this comes after the club/owner/Chairman/ has pledged their “unwavering support”.
Other instances of unwavering support
In fact, the Premier League is littered with such instances. In the recent past, clubs of stature have gone the same old way of sacking their manager by making the same old noises. Liverpool, for instance, pledged their support for Brendan Rodgers before eventually sacking him two months down the line.
At the time of the declaration the then Liverpool Chairman, Tom Werner even reposed his faith in the former Swansea City manager stating, “We do believe Brendan is the right man for Liverpool and the right man to take the club forward. Brendan was very instrumental in the transfer targets that we went after this summer. We expect we’re going to see a strong improvement.”
Two months down the line, Rodgers was shown the door unceremoniously. And to think that this was the first time the American owners had gone for such a move, one has to jog their memory only till the previous appointment, i.e. Kenny Dalglish.
On similar lines, the Liverpool Chairman, Tom Werner once again reposed his faith in the Scotsman by stating, “We've got great confidence in Kenny. We feel the team is going to make strides in the future and he enjoys our full support.” The above statement was mentioned in the month of April 2012 before the Liverpool legend was sacked in the month of May.
The Merseyside club aren’t the only ones guilty of sacking managers with little logic; other clubs have also taken the same way of dispersing with their managers. At times, it is almost comical the way the things turn out. It is more often than not a sign of mistrust and the fact that the owner/Board/Chairman has lost faith in the manager. For all stakeholders involved – supporters, the sacked manager and the players alike – it leaves a bad taste in the mouth.
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More famously, in the recent past, the names that come to mind are that of Tim Sherwood of Aston Villa who was sacked 10 days after getting the owner, Randy Lerner’s “vote of confidence”. Villa was still relegated after the change in manager as they finished bottom of the league. And in hindsight, one often wonders, whether sacking a manager is always the wisest move or not.
Last season, Mourinho was shown the door out of Stamford Bridge in a similar set of circumstances as his side failed to replicate the form which helped them win the Premier League the season before. To say that Ranieri should have been treated more fairly is an understatement as owners are more concerned about long-term prospects rather than short-term glories.
The cut-throat business of Premier League football
As Premier League football time and again has reiterated, it is a cut-throat business, and for the owners of the Premier League club, it is more important to meet the objectives which have been decided in the pre-season.
To say that Ranieri didn’t see his sacking on the horizon is to court naivety on the Italian’s part. The Foxes have been in horrendous form this season and a look at their results allays all kind of fears for the Leicester faithful. In fact, a look at their record in the past 10 games reflects a solitary win across all competitions. More concerning for them is their failure to find the back of the net in the league this year.
Other relegation contenders in the Premier League have already made their move in the market, with Hull City and Swansea City reaping the benefits of a managerial change. Crystal Palace are yet to click into gear, but in Sam Allardyce, they possess a manager who is familiar with the circumstances of a relegation battle. In fact, one would rarely bet against the man who has guided a variety of teams out of the relegation zone.
Only time will tell, whether the sacking of Ranieri was a wise move or not, but as the club’s Thai owner’s aptly put it, “This has been the most difficult decision we have had to make in nearly seven years. But we are duty-bound to put the club’s long-term interests above all sense of personal sentiment, no matter how strong that might be. It was never our expectation that the extraordinary feats of last season should be replicated this season. Indeed, survival in the Premier League was our first and only target. But we are now faced with a fight to reach that objective and feel a change is necessary to maximise the opportunity presented by the final 13 games.”
The verdict
Although Gary Lineker has made his displeasure very clear by stating that the sacking of the Italian is “unforgivable”, one feels that the Italian was surviving on goodwill rather than the results which his team were producing. Given the sums of money involved, the owners took a pragmatic decision to let the Italian go.
The world of football is pretty divided about the sacking of Ranieri with some calling it a disgrace while others reacted pretty smugly to it. John Hartson, the former Welsh striker and current Match of the Day pundit for BBC questioned. “Will the sacking of Claudio Ranieri seem so mad if Leicester appoints a manager who keeps them in the Premier League?”
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Unfortunately, that question can only be answered over time, but Leicester did need a shakeup as their performances have steadily dropped this season. Whoever comes in knows that the mandate is very clear – save the club from relegation.
While the warmth and charisma of Ranieri will be missed undoubtedly, it was the need of the hour for Leicester to implement a managerial change if they are to avoid the ignominy of being Premier League champions and getting relegated the very next season.