Tigana leaves Fulham early

Fulham FC coach Jean Tigana has left the club and will be replaced by Chris Coleman.

Earlier than expected
The club announced that Coleman would be in charge in a caretaker capacity for the final five games of the season, with the assistance of academy director and reserve team coach Steve Kean. Earlier this month, Fulham had said Tigana's contract would not be renewed at the end of the campaign. However, the club said it had brought forward his departure in light of "a number of significant defeats".

Instant success
Tigana had been in charge of the west London club since July 2000 and helped the team win promotion to the Premiership in his first season. The 46-year-old former France international, who has also coached Olympique Lyonnais and AS Monaco FC, has said that he will take a break from coaching before deciding his future.

Change wanted
A statement on Fulham's official website said: "It has been decided that a change in management is necessary to enable the players' to focus their attentions on the task ahead and to secure the club's safety in the Premiership, by achieving the maximum number of points possible from the remaining games." Fulham are 15th in the 20-team Premiership but are just six points from the drop zone and have a tough run of games to come including Newcastle United FC at home on Saturday.

Early retirement
Fulham, one of three winners of the 2002 UEFA Intertoto Cup, said the news that Tigana was leaving "had caused a feeling of unrest" and that Coleman was the "man best equipped" to restore team spirit. Former club captain Coleman was forced to retire from the game at the age of 32 last October after failing to overcome a serious knee injury. The ex-Wales international, who moved to Fulham from Blackburn Rovers FC in November 1997, then joined the club's coaching staff.

Confident for future
Despite the task, Coleman was confident the club could avoid relegation. "We have enough quality in the Fulham squad to enable us to stay in the Premiership and the foundations are in place for us to build and come back stronger next season," he told Fulham's website. His words were echoed by chairman Mohamed Al Fayed, who added: "It has been a difficult time for us over recent months and the season has not ended the way that I would have liked. However, the most important thing is that we ensure a successful conclusion."