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Claudio Ranieri's sacking at Leicester casts a dark cloud over player power in football
THERE is arguably nothing more disgusting in football than player power.
Mourinho pays tribute to Ranieri following sacking
It is the spoiled brat image. The sneering at mere mortals. The looking down their nose. The mocking laughter at those less fortunate.
What stinks about the sacking of Claudio Ranieri are the reports that players rifled a knife into his back by telling tales to the owner.
You can almost hear them now. “Sir, Claudio keeps telling us to pass the ball more. Sir, Claudio keeps telling us to raise our game. Sir, Claudio keeps telling us to do what we are paid to do. It’s just not fair sir.”
And you can almost hear them cackling their way back to their plush mansions, happy with the work they have done to betray a man who had made them legends.
Claudio Ranieri was sacked yesterday, just nine months after winning the Premier League title
There have been reports that players rifled a knife into his back
It is the spoiled brat image. The sneering at mere mortals. The looking down their nose. The mocking laughter at those less fortunate.
What stinks about the sacking of Claudio Ranieri are the reports that players rifled a knife into his back by telling tales to the owner.
You can almost hear them now. “Sir, Claudio keeps telling us to pass the ball more. Sir, Claudio keeps telling us to raise our game. Sir, Claudio keeps telling us to do what we are paid to do. It’s just not fair sir.”
And you can almost hear them cackling their way back to their plush mansions, happy with the work they have done to betray a man who had made them legends.
After all that Claudio Ranieri has done for Leicester City, to sack him now is inexplicable, unforgivable and gut-wrenchingly sad.
— Gary Lineker (@GaryLineker) February 23, 2017
Remember how disgusting the Chelsea players were last season when they almost refused to play for Jose Mourinho. Eden Hazard is one such player who springs to mind. His ‘performances’ – if you can call them that – just months after his wizardry helped Chelsea win the Premier League title were, frankly, amateurish.
But, no, he could not become a bad player overnight. Same as Vardy or Mahrez surely could not become bad players overnight.
But Ranieri? Oh yes, he has become a bad manager overnight and can be dispensed with.
Claudio Ranieri was widely praised by his peers for his incredible achievement last season
Did he not earn the right to turn Leicester around? Did he not do enough for such a middle of the road club to be granted enough time to revive their fortunes?
Did he not do enough for also-ran players for them not to betray him and stab him in the back at the first opportunity?
It seems not. That is why football is disliked in so many quarters.
Prior to Ranieri’s sacking, many could not see how Leicester would avoid relegation. Now, many will hope they do get relegated. It would serve them right.
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