Leicester City rivals make shock decision to axe manager
Two Championship[1] sides, Sunderland and Swansea City, have parted ways with their managers as the season intensifies. Leicester City[2] are top of the table, but below them there are battles all over the league for every position. Just outside the play-off places are Sunderland, but they confirmed the shock exit of Tony Mowbray as manager on Monday evening.
The Black Cats have dropped a bit behind in the play-off race having gone four games without a win. A 1-1 draw against Millwall at the weekend stopped a run of three successive defeats but left them in ninth place in the table, trailing sixth-placed Hull by three points. Mowbray had been in charge since the summer of 2022.
Mike Dodds is taking caretaker charge at the Stadium of Light ahead of the weekend’s game against West Brom. Former Birmingham City manager John Eustace is currently the bookmaker’s favourite for the job, while Nathan Jones and Neil Warnock are also among the front runners. Sunderland were not the only club to make a managerial change on Monday.
Swansea, currently 18th place after winning five of their 19 games, have parted company with Michael Duff. They appointed former Barnsley manager Duff in the summer after Russell Martin’s exit to Southampton. But the Swans are now on the search for another new boss after announcing Duff’s departure.
The decision came following Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Huddersfield Town in which Charlie Patino rescued a point with a 94th minute goal. The game was Swansea’s fifth without a win. Former Luton Town and Southampton manager Jones is the early favourite to take the role.
Former City man Alan Sheehan is currently in interim charge ahead of Swansea’s trip to Rotherham on Saturday. City have come out victorious against both Swansea and Sunderland this season. The first time they face either next is on January 27, when they host Swansea at the King Power Stadium[5].
The away trip to Sunderland is scheduled to take place on March 5 with kick-off at 7.45pm.
What do you think of Swansea and Sunderland’s decisions?
Tell us in the comments section[6]
References
- ^ Championship (www.leicestermercury.co.uk)
- ^ Leicester City (www.leicestermercury.co.uk)
- ^ Leicester City ‘prepare’ EUR20m transfer offer after Liverpool ‘talks’ (www.leicestermercury.co.uk)
- ^ City notebook: Enzo Maresca dismisses Everton talk and mulls over January plan (www.leicestermercury.co.uk)
- ^ King Power Stadium (www.leicestermercury.co.uk)
- ^ comments section (www.leicestermercury.co.uk)