RANKED: Serie A's Top 10 cruellest sackings
As usual, please keep in mind that this is not a definitive ranking, as we just want to prompt a debate. Do you agree with us? Join the debate!
HONOURABLE MENTION: Bela Guttman, Benfica
Though he wasn’t fired, the Hungarian manager handed in his resignation when the Eagles failed to give him a pay rise, following two successive European Cup trophies.
It’s the prophecy Guttman uttered to the club’s board that will go down in history - and arguably haunt Benfiquistas the world over: “No Portuguese club will ever win two European trophies, and Benfica will never win the European club again!".
Though Porto have won one Europe League and one Champions League under José Mourinho, As Aguias have not only failed to win a Champions League title, but have also lost the seven European finals they’ve played since Guttmann, the patron saint of fired coaches, left.
9th and 10th (Tied) Stefano Pioli and Devis Mangia, Palermo
Maurizio Zamparini a trigger-happy owner? Well I never! Currently the coaches of Lazio and Ascoli respectively, Pioli and Mangia have the dubious honour of not making it to the Christmas of 2011… combined! Pioli himself didn’t even make it to the starting block, being despatched almost two weeks before the season got underway.
Completely coincidentally, the Rosanero ended the season in 16th place, despite possessing the combined talents of Abel Hernandez, Fabrizio Miccoli (pre-mafia), Josip Ilicic, Emiliano Viviano, Pablo Silvestre and Ezequiel Munoz.
8th Luigi Delneri, Porto
If Guttman’s curse couldn’t quite jinx Porto, it at least guarantees fans of the Lisbon-based sides some entertainment from time to time.
Remember when Os Dragoes hired Delneri? Back in those days, he was the manager responsible for taking the tiny, newly-promoted Chievo to top spot in Serie A, before finishing the season in fourth-place, behind only Juve, Roma and Inter.
Porto thought he’d be the right guy for the job after a certain Jose Mourinho left in the wake of his Champions League triumph. Or did they? He was given his marching orders before the season had even begun.
Delneri beats out his colleagues at Palermo because he had some interesting ideas back then, and could have genuinely done something interesting in Porto. Instead, the dragons cycled through another two coaches, the latter of which, Jose Couceiro, failing to prevent Benfica from reclaiming the title.
7th Max Allegri, Cagliari
Another zany owner! Step forward, Massimo Cellino, who had the incredible idea of firing Max in 2009… just after the latter had just been voted manager of the season!
The Panchina d’Oro winner may not be everyone (or anyone’s) tipple, but he still won a Serie A title with Milan before doing the same with Juventus, even taking the Bianconeri to a Champions League final, where they outplayed Barcelona for large portions of the game. Allegri may not be Nereo Rocco, but he isn’t Marco Tardelli, either!
His successors in Sardinia? Giorgio Melis, Pierpaolo Bisoli, Ivo Pulga, Zdenek Zeman, Roberto Donadoni, Massimo Ficcadenti, Davide Ballardini, Diego Lopez, Gianfranco Zola, Gianluca Festa and Massimo Rastelli.
When was Allegri fired again? 2010.
6th Walter Mazzarri, Inter
Though fans of the Beneamata remember Mazzarri with some bitterness, there’s little disputing that new owner Erick Thohir wasn’t very honourable in dismissing the Tuscan manager, first confirming him in his role… then changing his mind and sacking him.
5th Carlo Ancelotti, Real Madrid
Boy, this was mean. Just one year removed from his Decima glory, Carletto was sent packing by Florentino Perez and replaced by Rafael Benitez, who had just spent two years failing to turn Napoli into Serie A contenders. What is it with Ancelotti and difficult owners?
4th Claudio Ranieri, Juventus.
Juventus didn't regret this one in the long-term. In the short-term, however, getting rid of Ranieri towards the end of the 2008-2009 season with Juventus 3rd in Serie A may not have been the wisest decision.
Having returned to the top flight in 2007 following the Calciopoli scandal, the Old Lady needed stability, and got it from the quiet, unimaginative Roman, who guided the Bianconeri to two consecutive Champions League qualifications.
Juventus, however, had other ideas, opting for former defensive stalwart Ciro Ferrara. Everyone remembers how that one went, as the Bianconeri had to endure both Alberto Zaccheroni and Luigi Delneri before rediscovering their winning touch with Antonio Conte.
Ranieri, for his part, is doing well for himself, and is now third with Leicester City in the Premier League. Not bad for a tinkerman!
SPOILER: Inter feature heavily at the top of this list.
3 Marcello Lippi, Inter
In 2001 Marcello Lippi was fired by President Massimo Moratti following Inter’s away defeat to Reggina.
After the loss, the Nerazzurri boss declated that if he was the President of the club ‘he would have sacked the boss straight away as well as giving each player a kick up the backside’. No confirmation on whether Part 2 was ever carried out.
Moratti handed the keys to the Benz to Marco Tardelli, who would lead Inter to a humilating 6-0 derby defeat to the likes of Federico Giunti and Gianni Comandini (who, last we heard of him, was a DJ on the Romagna coast).
2 Luigi Simoni, Inter
In 1998 Mircea Lucescu took over at Inter as Gigi Simoni was sacked after……. beating Real Madrid 3-1 in a Champions League group stage clash? Really?
Simoni had finished the previous Serie A season in second place behind Juventus, after a controversial decider at the Delle Alpi saw a blatant penalty be denied to Inter's Ronaldo.
Oh, and Simoni was fired a few days after winning, you’ve guessed it, the 1997-1998 Panchina D’oro. Inter would have to wait three more years to compete for the title again.
1 Alberto Zaccheroni, Milan
Did he deserve it? Maybe. But nobody can justify firing Zac… live on television! Having brought the Scudetto back to Milan’s red side in 1999, the former Udinese manager had failed to repeat his success, and his side had floundered repeatedly on the European stage.
Following a Champions League elimination to Deportivo la Coruna in 2001, president Silvio Berlusconi was so impatient to sack his coach that informed him of his decision… whilst Zaccheroni was answering questions in the press conference!
