We know that Italians Claudio Ranieri and Gianfranco Zola are nice guys, Goodfellas, if you will, but now is the time to say ‘Arrivederci’ to the pair…
Ranieri and Zola alike are hugely respected and liked in English football, they are good men – but neither deserve to be in their jobs any longer.
So Zola is the easy one, he shouldn’t have been in his job in the first place following the disgraceful sacking of Gary Rowett late last year. Rowett had performed miracles at St Andrews, given the budget and for him to be sacked was an astonishing decision.
When shown the exit door by the club’s new owners – Rowett’s side were sat in eighth place in the Championship, just a point outside the play-offs.
Now after just one win in his tenure of 14 games, Zola’s side sit 14th in the table and are much closer to relegation than promotion.
“The Birmingham fans deserve better, they deserve better than Zola and the owners should recognise this.”
Yes Zola is still a name, but that appears to be the only reason for giving him the job. His managerial CV is hardly glowing. Sacked by his last two clubs Cagliari and Al-Arabi for under-performing – just how did Birmingham’s owners think he could do this job.
His previous work in England with West Ham and Watford had its moments, but nothing that cried out hire me.
The Birmingham fans deserve better, they deserve better than Zola and the owners should recognise this.
WIth Zola there is no connection with the fans, but the same cannot be said for Ranieri and is probably one of the main reasons that he is still remains in the hot-seat at The King Power Stadium. How can the fans forget what he has done? They can’t. But sentiment has to put to one side at some point.
Leicester’s Thai owners need to wake up and realise that they are in real danger of being relegated, in real danger of becoming a laughing stock – they could be the first team since Manchester City in 1937.
Lets get this right, Ranieri did wonders with Leicester last season in winning the league – one of the greatest achievements in football history, not just in England but in the world – it was that much of an achievement, but he is in real danger of tarnishing what would have been a glorious legacy.
Without a win in 2017, they have sunk to 17th in the table and are just a point off the drop-zone. And then look at Saturday, they slump out of the FA Cup to Millwall – indeed such is Leicester’s fall from grace, many people did not even see this as a shock that the League One side came away with a win.
The fact they are in the last 32 of the Champions League this week, should have no bearing on Ranieri’s future – they are not going to win this tournament, barring another footballing miracle and the way they are currently playing they will be lucky if Sevilla are not out-of-sight after the first leg.
The Tinker Man needs to now read the Tin-Tac man – he needs to be shown the door and he could pick his fellow countryman Zola up on he way out of the Midlands – neither should be in place – for the sake of both clubs.