17 February 2009

Top 10 Foreign Managers Flops In EPL


By Sandy Macaskill

Luis Felipe Scolari is not the first foreign manager to fail in England and probably not the last

1 - Juande Ramos, Tottenham Hotspur, 2007-08


The Spaniard won the Carling Cup, so he cannot be called a complete failure. But having sold Dimitar Berbatov and Robbie Keane saw Ramos take Tottenham to their worst ever start to a league campaign

2 - Alain Perrin, Portsmouth, 2005

Perrin replaced Zajec in April 2005, and was immediately nicknamed "Reggie" by the media and Pompey fans after the character Reginald Perrin from "The Fall and Rise of Reginard Perrin". He succeeded in keeping the club in the top flight, but was sacked the next season, just eight months into the job after achieving only 4 wins from 20 games

3 - Velimir Zejic, Portsmouth, 2004-05

Zejec arrived at Portsmouth in 2004 as an executive director, but the Croat was forced to take over temporary control of team affairs in November when Harry Redknapp resigned. Five months later he reverted to his intended director's role, following the arrival of Alain Perrin, but that was not an end to the troubles. He resigned from his position at Fratton Park on October 2005 due to personal reasons

4 - Jacques Santini, Tottenham Hotspur, 2004

Santini was one of the lucky ones, as he resigned rather than being pushed. Nevertheless, the Frenchman 's time at the club, which spanned just 13 games, must still considered a flop

5 - Gianluca Vialli, Watford, 2001-02

Having made wholesale changes to the club's coaching staff and made a number of signings which broke the club's wage structure, his team lost 19 of their 46 games and finished 14th. Vialli was sacked, and he ended up suing the club over the payment of the remainder of his contract

6 - Egil Olsen, Wimbledon, 1999-00

It was under this Norwegian's aegis that Wimbledon's 15-years in England top-flight ended. Olsen was sacked in May 2000, a decision that outraged Vinnie Jones - who bear in mind never ever played under the Norwegian because "I never got a chance to chin him"

7 - Attilio Lombardo / Brolin, Crystal Palace, 1998

Despite having no coaching experience, Lombardo was appointed joint player-manager in 1998 with fellow player Tomas Brolin and they presided over the club's relegation that season. Lombardo might have been one of the club's most skillful players ever, but promotion to coach was like being "run over by a lorry"

8 - Christian Gross, Tottenham Hotspur, 1997-98

Gross found it difficult at Spurs from the word go. Arriving into Heathrow Airport, the Swiss had to rely on the Tube to get to his first press conference as manager. A 6-1 defeat to Chelsea on his home debut, however set the tone for his tenure. And when Spurs lost two of their opening three matches of the 1998-99 season, Chairman Alan Sugar ended Gross's contract, blooming the media for destroying his reputation

9 - Ossie Ardiles, Newcastle, 1991-92 and Tottenham Hotspur, 1993-94

The Argentine lasted 12 months at St James' Park before being sacked, leaving Newcastle at the bottom of the second division. Ardiles joined Spurs in 1993, but despite the bringing in Jurgen Klinsmann, Ilie Dumitrescu and Gheorghe Popescu in summer 1994, he was sacked in October with Tottenham battling relegation

10 - Jozef Venglos , Aston Villa, 1990-91

The Slovakian manager was the first manager not from Britain or Ireland to take charge of a top-flight club in England, although he did not last long. His record of 18 different clubs in a career spanning 32 years reveals that he has not lasted long wherever he has gone

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