Claudio Ranieri has been sacked by Fulham, after less than four months in charge. The Italian has been an abysmal failure in West London, winning only three of his 17 matches in charge.
The abject loss to Southampton last night was seen as the final straw, with many of the club's players looking as though they have already given up on the season. Scott Parker has been put in charge on an interim basis.
Fulham Football Club Chairman Shahid Khan today named Scott Parker as Caretaker Manager, replacing Claudio Ranieri.
👉 https://t.co/cxx8utJdUy pic.twitter.com/3sikRtiH3I— Fulham Football Club (@FulhamFC) February 28, 2019
While the club were in relegation trouble before his arrival, many felt the appointment of Ranieri could bring about a swift change in fortunes. He is course well remembered for guiding Leicester to an unlikely Premier League triumph in 2015/16, and he was tase with fixing a historically leaky Fulham defence.
Things have not gone to plan, however, and Fulham currently sit a massive ten points from safety. Fans had also grown tired of the former manager's in-game decisions, booing a number of his substitutions in recent games.
While Fulham were famed for their expansive style during their promotion from the Championship, this method did not garner many positive results in the Premier League. The appointment of Ranieri was expected to bring a more pragmatic style, but the change in style did not bring a change in results.
With the club looking nailed on for a return to the Championship, the Italian has paid for it with his job. Ranieri has released a brief statement after the announcement:
I am obviously disappointed with the recent results and that we could not build on the good start we made following my appointment.
Finally, I would like to thank the club, the players and the fans for the support they have given me during my time at the club.
As time passes on, the Italian's time in charge of Leicester is starting to look like even more of an anomaly. His record since then has been poor, getting the sack at Nantes and Fulham since his departure. It is highly unlikely he will reach such heights again, but at least we have the memories.
Arrivederci Claudio.
