Manager eater strikes again

Manager Gennaro Gattuso has been sacked by Palermo after a string of bad results in Serie B.

“It’s with great sadness that I write to say that I have relieved Gennaro Gattuso of his duties as first-team manager,” , president Maurizio Zamparini wrote on the club’s official website.

“Unfortunately for both me and him, we might have bitten off a little bit too much for his first experience as manager, at a club with a demanding public like Palermo’s. Results have shown that we were wrong (to offer Gattuso the job).”

If you think the public’s demanding, wait until you hear about the president.

Dubbed “mangiallenatori” (the manager eater), Zamparini is famous for firing coaches and has now sacked at least 26. The exact number is difficult to work out as there have been a number of interim coaches and plenty who have been reappointed after being fired.

Last season, he used three different coaches, two of them twice. He fired Gian Piero Gasperini, replaced him with Alberto Malesani for three games, then brought back Gasperini before sacking him after two matches. He eventually returned to Giuseppe Sannino, who had started the season as manager but was sacked after three matches.

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Gattuso arrived from Sion in June after a disappointing time as player-coach last season, was fired after losing 2-1 at Bari on Tuesday.

Palermo, relegated from Serie A last season, are languishing in 12th place after winning two of their opening six games.

The club said Gattuso would be replaced by Giuseppe Iachini, who managed Siena last season until leaving after they too were relegated to Serie B.