Alexander informed of club's decision to terminate his contract on Monday morning; Salford fifth in League Two
Tuesday 13 October 2020 08:24, UK
Salford City co-owner Paul Scholes has been appointed interim head coach of the League Two club after manager Graham Alexander was sacked.
Alexander was informed of the club's decision to terminate his contract on Monday morning, with City fifth in League Two after two wins in five matches this season.
Former Manchester United midfielder Scholes, who had a brief and unsuccessful spell in charge of Oldham in 2019 - the first managerial role of his career, will oversee first-team proceedings as the club search for a new manager.
His first game in charge of Salford will be this Saturday at 10th-placed Port Vale in the league.
Scholes part owns Salford City with his former Class of '92 team-mates Gary and Phil Neville, David Beckham, Ryan Giggs and Nicky Butt. They control a combined 50 per cent stake in the club.
It is not the first time Scholes has made the switch from the boardroom to the dugout at Salford. He and Phil Neville oversaw a 2-1 win over Kendal Town in 2015 following manager Phil Power's exit.
The United connection at Salford will be strengthened further with Scholes being joined by Warren Joyce as his assistant. Joyce was manager of the United reserves and also Wigan.
A club statement read: "Salford City Football Club announces that manager Graham Alexander has left the club with immediate effect. The club met with Graham this morning and after discussion have agreed to part company.
"The club would like to thank Graham for his contribution and all his hard work. In his first season he guided the team to Wembley, resulting in promotion to League 2 and in his second season he reached the Leasing.com Trophy final.
"The club would like to wish him all the best and success in the future.
"First-team coach, Chris Lucketti, will also leave the club.
"Paul Scholes will act as the interim head coach while the club looks to secure a new manager. Warren Joyce, currently in isolation, will join Paul once he is able to."
Scholes' first foray into management was a quick one.
He was appointed Oldham manager on February 11, 2019, signing an 18-month contract. It was only 31 days later that he left the role with one win in seven matches.
Why did he give up so fast?
"In the short period since I took on the role it unfortunately became clear I would not be able to operate as I intended and was led to believe," Scholes said in a statement announcing his departure.
Scholes felt he was misled by the owner, Abdallah Lemsagam, about his level of interference in first-team matters.
Oldham's owner took exception to these comments and said he was "surprised" to hear the reasoning behind Scholes' exit and insisted "the club gave Paul all the support and autonomy that he asked for".
It was also revealed that Scholes informed the club of his resignation over WhatsApp.
In August, Scholes was ordered to pay his former club a significant five-figure sum after losing a contractual dispute over the manner of his resignation.
