West Brom sack Di Matteo

06 February 2011 13:00
West Brom head coach Roberto Di Matteo has been relieved of his duties following Saturday's 3-0 defeat to Manchester City. The result was the Baggies' 13th defeat in 18 games in all competitions and a statement on the club's website on Sunday confirmed Di Matteo has been placed on gardening leave. First-team coach Michael Appleton will take over on a caretaker basis while a replacement is sought. Chairman Jeremy Peace said: "This has been a tough decision but we, as a board, believe it is the right one to give the club the best possible chance of remaining in the Barclays Premier League. "Our poor sequence of results stretches back more than three months and there has been little sign of it coming to an end. If this run continues much longer, achieving our goal of retaining our Premier League status will become increasingly difficult. That is why we felt compelled to act now. "We now begin the search to find a new head coach who will fit into our existing set-up and work under our sporting & technical director Dan Ashworth, with a view to taking the club forward." Eddie Newton and Ade Mafe have left the Club with immediate effect.

Source: PA