Soccer Shorts
A round-up of today's other shorts in brief
McCarthy favourite to succeed Coyle
Mick McCarthy has been installed as the bookmakers’ favourite to replace Owen Coyle after Bolton Wanderers sacked their manager yesterday morning. The Scot lost his job after last season’s relegation was followed by a run of results that left the team 18th in the Championship.
Coyle left Wanderers following discussions with Phil Gartside, the chairman, and the owner, Eddie Davies, with sources at the Reebok Stadium claiming that no shortlist for the replacement had been drawn up ahead of the decision. “Owen poured his heart and soul into the job, both on and off the pitch, and he led our club with great dignity during some very challenging times,” Gartside told the Bolton website.
Behind McCarthy, who was sacked as Wolverhampton Wanderers manager last season, the bookmakers also have Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Sammy Lee, Bolton’s former manager who is again on the club’s backroom staff, in the running. Lee and Jimmy Phillips, the head of academy coaching, take temporary charge of the first-team squad.
Britain not to field soccer team in Rio
Britain will not enter a men’s soccer team for the Rio Olympic Games in 2016, English Football Association general secretary Alex Horne said yesterday.
Britain returned to the Olympic finals this summer for the first time since 1960 in Rome.
It was also the first time since 1972, when they were eliminated in the qualifiers, that they had taken part in the event.
The issue is politically sensitive as the Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland FA’s feel their participation threatens their individual status within Fifa, world soccer’s governing body.
Wales players were included in Stuart Pearce’s squad at London 2012 but there were no Scottish or Irish players involved and Horne told Sky Sports News no British men’s team would be entered for the 2016 Games.
“The pinnacle is the World Championships (World Cup) and we’ve got the European Championships as well,” he said.
But Horne said there was a possibility a women’s team might be entered for the Rio qualifiers. “We will keep talking to people about that,” he said. We’re not ruling it out.”
Trapattoni not interested in vacant Blackburn Rovers job
Republic of Ireland manager Giovanni Trapattoni last night distanced himself from rumours surrounding the fact that he had applied for the vacant Blackburn Rovers job.
“I’m not aware of it. It must be agent chit chat. I’m not interested anyway. I’m concentrating on the task in hand,” Trapattoni said.
Rovers will draw up a shortlist of potential managers tomorrow, according to the club’s global adviser, Shebby Singh.
