Fulham have sacked their manager Paul Bracewell after seven months in charge at Craven Cottage with the Whites ten points off the play-off places.
Mohamed Al-Fayed had promoted the former Everton and Sunderland midfielder, who had been a player-coach under Kevin Keegan, to his first managerial role after Keegan had taken the England job permanently at the end of last season. The Fulham owner had made clear he expected the Second Division title, won in exhilarating fashion by Keegan’s expensively assembled squad, to be followed by another promotion to the Premier League.
The 37 year-old had spent £5m on his squad and guided Fulham to the last eight of the League Cup but struggled to make much of an impression on the Division One promotion race. After Martyn Reuser’s last-minute strike gave Ipswich a 1-0 win at Portman Road on Saturday, Al-Fayed decided to start the search for his fifth manager in his three-year tenure at Craven Cottage.
Fulham spokesperson Max Clifford told the press:
“Paul is highly thought of and respected at the club but things just weren’t happening. The board felt they had backed him during times when umpteen names have been linked with his job. It seemed that history was repeating itself. Fulham were dominating games. They would be the better team but would lose or draw. They didn’t get the goals and things didn’t seem to be happening.
We were becoming less likely to make the play-offs and promotion was becoming more difficult. The club felt they had given Paul as long as they could.
Fulham forward Barry Hayles expressed shock at the news, which was given to Bracewell after he had taken training at Motspur Park this morning.
“Paul took training this morning and there was no indication that anything was wrong. We had seven games to go and thought we could make the play-offs.”
German striker Karl-Heinz Riedle has been asked to prepare the first team for Saturday’s home fixture against Crystal Palace, with Fulham rumoured to be seeking a continental successor to Bracewell. Clifford added:
“The man we will be looking for will be someone who has the ability to take Fulham into the Premiership and establish them among the best. It’s got to be someone who can come immediately. In the meantime, an interim manager will be put in place.”
