OUT OF TOUCH
Fulham axe Ranieri over ‘dated’ style
FULHAM sacked Claudio Ranieri yesterday amid concerns over his outdated coaching methods.
The Italian was hauled into a meeting with vice- chairman Tony Khan yesterday morning where he was told of the decision. Scott Parker, who was part of Ranieri’s backroom team, will take charge on a caretaker basis.
Fulham executives discussed sacking Ranieri before the clash against West Ham a week ago. But they decided to give the 67-year-old the game against the Hammers, which they lost, and Wednesday’s trip to Southampton to turn things around.
The 2-0 defeat at St Mary’s left Fulham 10 points from safety and Ranieri was sacked following a board meeting at the club’s Surrey training HQ.
Ranieri’s dismissal came after unrest in the squad about his methods. Sources claim players feel his approach was archaic
and that there was no clear philosophy from the manager. They also believe his tactics were too cautious for a club in deep relegation trouble. That is not to say they disliked Ranieri. The players warmed to the Italian during his threemonth spell in charge. The squad were particularly impressed with how the former Leicester manager dealt with the disruptive influence of Aboubakar Kamara, who was arrested at the club’s training ground after trying to confront chief executive Alistair Mackintosh. Kamara had upset many players and Ranieri, in front of the rest of the squad, told him he was no longer part of the firstteam group — banishing him to the Under 23s and telling him to inform his advisers to find a new club as soon as possible. Kamara has since joined Yeni Malatyaspor. The Italian was well respected but there were grave concerns his approach hindered the club’s attempts to avoid the drop. Khan yesterday virtually conceded Fulham will be relegated by saying Parker’s immediate job is to ‘stabilise, grow and rediscover’ the club, with no mention of staying in the Premier League. ‘Following our discussion, Claudio Ranieri agreed to my decision that a change was in the best interest of everyone,’ Khan said. ‘Claudio was a perfect gentleman, as always.’ Ranieri said: ‘I am disappointed with recent results and that we could not build on the good start we made following my appointment.’