Troy Deeney was fired from his position as manager of Forest Green Rovers after just six games, only 29 days into the role. Deeney, who was a first-time manager, received backlash for publicly criticizing his team after losing to Harrogate at home last Saturday.
The ex-Watford forward became a player-coach for League Two’s Forest Green during the summer. He was then promoted to manager after the club’s owner, Dale Vince, fired David Horseman. Horseman, a former assistant coach for Southampton, had also been given his first opportunity as a senior manager.
Deeney received a four-match suspension from the Football Association on Thursday for using inappropriate, abusive, insulting, and threatening language when he was ejected during his second game as coach against Swindon Town.
Following their loss to Harrogate, Deeney, who was in his final game as coach due to their rescheduled match against Mansfield, expressed frustration with his players. He stated that he would prefer to watch Antiques Roadshow rather than his own team. Deeney’s record during his six league matches as coach consisted of three losses and three draws.
Deeney criticized the players of Forest Green, claiming they were like prisoners running the team and that there were too many inexperienced players. He also called out Reece Brown for being late and Fankaty Dabo for not being at a high enough level for several weeks. Deeney expressed his disappointment, stating that just six months ago, Brown had potential to play in the Premier League, but now he struggles to even get playing time in the National League.
“He possesses incredible speed and talent, but he consistently gets outrun in every game. He rarely makes tackles, and whenever the ball comes to him, it appears as if he kicks it with his shin guards. This is the harsh truth.”
Following the loss to Harrogate, Deeney expressed to BBC Radio Gloucestershire, “We have yet to reach rock-bottom, and that is concerning.”
According to Vince, who acquired Forest Green in 2010, it was inappropriate for Deeney to communicate with his players in the manner he did. Vince stated, “I believe it was an error. I do not believe that is the appropriate way to lead and unite a team.”
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Dan Connor, the club’s longstanding goalkeeper coach, is expected to take interim charge. Forest Green, who are fighting against successive relegations, visit Gillingham on Saturday.
Vince explained his choice to remove Deeney from his role by saying, “Making decisions like this is never easy, but we believe it will give FGR the best opportunity to see better results and move up in the league standings. We wish Troy the best and express our gratitude for his hard work.”
Source: theguardian.com
