Lee Clark sacked as Birmingham City manager
Monday 20 October 2014 22:48, UK
Birmingham have sacked manager Lee Clark and assistant boss Steve Watson.
City narrowly avoided relegation from the Sky Bet Championship last season and have struggled again this, with Saturday’s 1-0 home defeat to fellow strugglers Bolton leaving them just one place and one point above the relegation zone.
Five defeats and a solitary victory from Clark’s last 10 league matches in charge have left the club in trouble at the wrong end of the table once again and he has now left St Andrew’s.
"Birmingham City Football Club has parted company with Lee Clark and Steve Watson with immediate effect,” read a statement on the club’s official website.
“The search for a successor has already begun and the board will look to make an appointment in the very near future.
“In the meantime, first-team coach Richard Beale and chief scout Malcolm Crosby have been placed in caretaker charge.
“The club wishes to place on record its sincere thanks to Lee Clark and Steve Watson for their combined efforts over a period stretching back to June 2012.”
Speaking at a pre-match press conference on Monday, previewing Blues' trip to Blackburn on Tuesday night, Clark said: "I'm definitely not walking away, no chance. This is a big club, I love working for it and I am proud to be the manager.
"There have been a lot of tough days and I haven't put up with that for over two years just to walk away.
"I've got to come out fighting for myself because there's no one else doing that at the moment. There's some unnecessary criticism of what's happening.
"I'm not after a kiss and a cuddle - maybe from the Mrs - and supporters are within their rights to boo but it's easy to boo when you lose.
"I understand I am not flavour of the month with the supporters and a lot of them would like to see someone different, but I'm not too sure if things would change. I think I'm getting everything out of the players."
