West Brom part company with Di Matteo
Sunday, February 6, 2011
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West Bromwich Albion FC have opted to relieve Roberto Di Matteo of his duties as manager, with the Premier League club lying above the relegation zone on goal difference alone.
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Roberto Di Matteo has been relieved of his duties as manager of West Bromwich Albion FC following a disappointing sequence of results.
Di Matteo, who masterminded West Brom's promotion to the Premier League last season, made a promising start to his first season in top-flight football management but has parted company with the club after a run of 13 defeats in 18 matches in all competitions. West Brom are now hovering above the relegation zone on goal difference alone.
"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 Premier League," said WBA's chairman Jeremy Peace. "Our poor sequence of results stretches back more than three months and there has been little sign of it coming to an end."
Di Matteo took charge at the Hawthorns in summer 2009 and guided his side to a second-placed finish in the Championship at the first attempt. The former S.S. Lazio, Chelsea FC and Italy midfielder has been replaced by first-team coach Michael Appleton while the club seek a successor to the 40-year-old Italian.