RUTHLESS DAVID AXES CALDWELL
...and Robinson and Zenga go, too
WHEN Dave Whelan handed his 23-year-old grandson control of Wigan Athletic in March 2015, he offered just two words of advice: “Be ruthless.”
The dismissal of Gary Caldwell, just six months after the Scot delivered promotion to the Championship, proves those words did not fall on deaf ears.
“We deservedly won the League One title last season,” said David Sharpe after sacking the man who lifted the FA Cup for Wigan in 2013.
“However, we have not managed to carry on that momentum into this season and, after careful consideration, I feel we need to act now in the best long-term interests of the club.”
Caldwell’s seven-year stay at the DW ended after a run of two wins in 14 games left the Latics in the relegation zone.
Last year, the managerial rookie was given the benefit of the doubt as Wigan’s campaign got off to a faltering start.
This time, with fan unrest rising, he was not.
“As the owner of a football club, I can’t do wishful thinking,” said Sharpe, who is now expected to seek a manager with at least some Championship experience. “I have to be pragmatic.”
Caldwell’s departure on Tuesday capped a grisly week for managers. The ex-Celtic defender’s demise came just two days after MK Dons parted company with Karl Robinson and mere hours after Wolves ended Walter Zenga’s 87-day reign following a run of four defeats in five Championship matches.
An official statement gave no reason for the Italian’s departure, but friction with the club’s British coaching staff and a perceived lack of commitment – Zenga would make regular trips home to Dubai – are understood to be behind the decision.
Linked
Deposed England boss and Wolverhampton native Sam Allardyce would be a hugely popular replacement, with Chinese owners Fosun targeting an experienced Brit.
However, the 62-year-old is not so keen. Nigel Pearson, sacked by Derby earlier this month, has already held preliminary talks with Fosun, while former Wolves striker Dougie Freedman is 2/1 secondfavourite with bookies.
Robinson, meanwhile, has been linked with both jobs after saying that he “absolutely 100 per cent” wants an immediate return to the dugout. In charge at MK Dons since 2009, the 36year-old was the third longest-serving manager in English football after Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger and Exeter’s Paul Tisdale.
Promoted to the Championship in 2015, Robinson rejected advances from Leeds to stay at Stadium:MK but saw his side relegated in May.
This season, he was operating on a playing budget 100 per cent greater than the 2014-15 season, but a record of just five wins – none of them at home – led to crisis talks on Sunday, the result of which was an emotional severing of ties.
Loyalty
“It’s been very difficult, very emotional,” said Dons chairman Pete Winkelman.
“I’ve got so much time and respect for Karl. He’s a really great bloke who totally ‘got’ Milton Keynes. That’s another reason why he stayed so long.
“But things happen sometimes that you cannot plan for. There were moments in the stadium on Saturday (a 3-0 defeat to Southend) when you could see that it was time for a change.
“It’s not a decision I’ve taken lightly.
“And I’ve got more than a heavy heart because Karl has got a huge amount about him. Turning my back on that is a big deal.
“But we’re in a results-led business. Whatever the relationship, whatever the loyalty – which we’ve both shown each other over the years – it reaches a point where you have to act.”
Winkelman described finding a new manager as “an opportunity, not a challenge”, yet Robinson’s boots will be tough to fill.
That is perhaps why he has vowed to discuss potential targets with the players.
“There are a number of ways we can go and I won’t be raced into a decision,” he added.
“It needs to be someone who will excite the fans and excite the city.”
Also searching for a new boss are Grimsby Town after promotion-winning manager Paul Hurst joined Shrewsbury. The 42-year-old takes over a side rooted to the foot of League One following Micky Mellon’s defection to Tranmere.
“It would be wrong of me to say we’ll stay up because I don’t know if the players here are good enough,” admitted Hurst, “but I can promise we’ll try hard.”