Southampton dismiss Sturrock
Monday, August 23, 2004
Article summary
Southampton FC have announced that manager Paul Sturrock has left the club to be replaced by Steve Wigley.
Article body
'Mutual agreement'
In a club statement, chairman Rupert Lowe said that following discussions over the weekend Sturrock was leaving by mutual consent and with immediate effect. Southampton youth coach Wigley, who assumed caretaker duties when Gordon Strachan quit as manager in February, will take charge on a permanent basis. "From today I will be head coach of this football club and I am looking forward to the job in hand," Wigley said.
First win
The decision comes after Southampton collected their first win of the season on Saturday, 3-2 against Blackburn Rovers FC, but there had been reports for some time of problems between Sturrock and his players. Lowe said: "Management in the Premier League is highly pressurised and when this pressure is compounded by a constant stream of negative and unfair media coverage, which has taken on a life of its own recently, the position becomes untenable."
Success with Plymouth
After beginning his managerial career in Scotland, Sturrock enjoyed success in England with Plymouth Argyle FC whom he took to the third division (now League Two) title and then, last season, to the brink of the second division (League One) title before leaving to join Southampton.
