Bosses exits prove that clubs made poor appointments

Former-Manchester United striker Ole Gunnar Solskjaer left his position as boss of Cardiff on Thursday with the Bluebirds struggling in the Championship

Thursday was a very bad day for two former-Premier League bosses, as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer left Cardiff by mutual consent and German boss Felix Magath was sacked by Fulham.

Both clubs were relegated from the Premier League last season and are currently struggling in the Championship.

Bottom

Fulham currently sit rock-bottom of the Championship, after losing six games and drawing just one of their seven Championship games so far.

It has been a truly horrendous start for the Cottagers and their fans must be very concerned about how the campaign has started.

Gamble

Felix Magath is an experienced boss, but had never managed outside his homeland. He had a reputation as an expert firefighter, but it seems he left his hose on the plane. The Cottagers showed hardly any sign of improvement in the Premier League and seem to have got worse in the Championship.

In truth the appointment of Magath was always a gamble and that gamble failed to pay off, just like the appointment of Rene Meulensteen prior to that, after the rookie Dutchman replaced compatriot Martin Jol. Fulham have really made some poor appointments in recent years.

Stability

The amount of managers that the Cottagers have been through in the last 12 months is very concerning. The Cottagers now really need to find the stability that the likes of Roy Hodgson and Mark Hughes provided in the past.

Struggling

Cardiff has also found life in the second tier of English football difficult. The Bluebirds currently sit 17^th place in the Championship table after winning just two of their seven league games so far this season.

That poor start to the season has saw Ole Gunnar Solskjaer leave his position. The Norwegian arrived in the Welsh capital as a highly-rated boss, if slightly inexperienced boss. Solskjaer just like Magath had never managed outside his homeland.

Experience

Solskjaer had only three years of managerial experience at Molde prior to his move to Wales. The former-Manchester United striker had won the Norwegian league on two occasions and the cup once.

It seems the 41-year-old was slightly out of his depth in the Premier League and did not exactly cover himself in glory in the second tier. The Norwegian’s tactical nous was not the best and fans have asked a lot of questions about his team selections.

Difficult

Cardiff owner Vincent Tan is known as somebody who is very difficult to work with. The fact that the Bluebirds owner sacked Malky Mackay after the Scot had got the club into the Premier League tells you that he can be ruthless, although his decision to fire the Scot may have been more justified since the recent controversy regarding the former-Watford boss.

However, Mr Tan cannot be blamed for the team’s poor performance on the pitch either this or last season. The players have to take a lot of the blame, as does Solskjaer.

Football knowledge

The two clubs have one thing in common. They both have foreign owners who seem to have a very limited knowledge of football. Both are foreign owners, which do not necessarily make them less knowledgeable about the game.

However, their decisions regarding their respective managerial situations suggest that neither has great knowledge about football.

Long-term

It is now vital that the next managerial appointment that both clubs make is the right one for the long-term, because both these clubs need to instil some stability. Neither owner has a particularly good record of appointing bosses.

Nothing suggests that their next choice of bosses will be any better though, so it could be a long time until the two clubs are in the Premier League again. Mismanagement at every level has got the pair where they are and with their current owners at the helm it may get worse before it gets better.

Can Cardiff and Fulham make the right managerial choices this time around?