English Premier League News:John Collins will listen to any approach from Fulham to become their new manager after Mohamed Al Fayed, the west London club's owner, sacked Lawrie Sanchez yesterday. Collins, who shocked Hibernian by resigning his managerial post on Thursday, is on a short-list of candidates which also includes Martin Jol, the former Tottenham manager.
Sources close to Collins have indicated that, although he has received no direct approach from Fulham concerning the vacancy, he would consider the job if asked. The approach is expected shortly.
Collins made 79 appearances for Fulham from 2000 to 2003 and was a fans' favourite. More significantly he has maintained a friendship with Fayed. The challenge of lifting Fulham out of the bottom three and preserving their Premier League status is one he would relish.
Fulham have said they will carry out a thorough search for Sanchez's successor and this will involve sounding out other candidates, including Jol. The Dutchman embellished his reputation by leading Tottenham to successive fifth-place finishes before he was dismissed earlier this season. Jol is yet to receive the full payment of his €5.5 million severance package from Tottenham and, if he were to accept another job now, he could forfeit money owed to him.
He stated earlier this week that he was enjoying his break and, although he wants another job, he expressed the concern that vacancies at this time of the year are invariably at struggling clubs.
Collins, 39, retired as a player in 2003 and began to obtain his coaching qualifications, including the Uefa pro licence. He has little managerial experience, having taken his first job at Hibernian in October 2006, but he did win the Scottish League Cup last season.
His departure from Easter Road came as a major surprise. Although he was frustrated at the policy of selling players, he was proud of the youth training facilities that the profits had enabled the club to build. He described them as the best he had seen, in a career that includes spells at Celtic, Monaco and Everton.
Yet he walked out on Hibernian after a stormy meeting with the board. The move was seen to have increased the pressure on Sanchez, who had won only four matches at Fulham since he replaced Chris Coleman in April.
Collins' confidant Jean Tigana, the former Fulham manager, was spotted in the directors' box at Craven Cottage last Saturday, for the 1-0 defeat by Newcastle United. The club have said that Tigana was a guest of the former vice-chairman Bill Muddyman, yet it did appear unusual, given the acrimony that surrounded his departure in April 2003.
Tigana was accused by Fayed of making money dishonestly out of transfer dealings and the pair met in the English High Court in November 2004. Tigana was cleared of any wrongdoing but only last year he accused Fayed of having tried to ruin his life. Yet there has been a reconciliation between the pair and there were even suggestions last night that Tigana could play a role in the new coaching set-up. Glenn Hoddle, the former England manager, was also present at the Newcastle game.
The decision to sack Sanchez was taken late on Thursday night. Fayed informed Sanchez at the training ground yesterday before he addressed the squad to stress the importance of results over the Christmas and New Year period.
Fayed was unhappy with results and Sanchez's dealings in the transfer market, having given him £15 million (€20.8 million) to spend in the summer. There was tension between Sanchez and the players at the training ground during the week and, mindful of his impending dismissal, Sanchez stormed away from what proved his final session on Thursday. He will receive £500,000 (€690,000 in compensation. Coaches Dave Beasant and Terry Gibson were also sacked but Les Reed stays on as director of football. Ray Lewington, the reserves' coach, and Billy McKinlay, the development coach, will take charge of the team for the visit of Wigan today.
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