(GSM) Coventry City manager Chris Coleman has been fired after their 4-0 home defeat to Watford.

The Sky Blues finished 19th in the Championship this season, just three places above the relegation zone.

The decision to remove Coleman was taken at a board meeting on Monday night, the club confirmed, following the conclusion of the Championship season last weekend.

A statement released by the club as follows, “The board stressed that the decision was not a knee jerk reaction to Sunday s match but was made after assessing the last two years and reflected the fact that the team s form deteriorated rapidly towards the end of the season for the second year running.

Coventry chairman Ray Ranson said: It is true I enjoyed a very close working relationship wit…

Portsmouth s battle for survival in the Premier League switched from the pitch to the High Court on Wednesday as the cash-strapped club attempted to stave off a move by the UK tax authorities to have it placed in administration.

Having failed to reach an out-of-court accord with Her Majesty s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) over an outstanding Value Added Tax bill of 7.5 million pounds, Portsmouth s lawyers went to court to seek an adjournment of a hearing on a winding up petition presented by the tax body.

If they failed, Portsmouth faced becoming the first Premier League club to be placed in administration, a move that would lead to a nine-point penalty being imposed and effectively condemn Pompey to relegation from the top flight.

That is looking very likely in an…

Arrigo Sacchi says individual skills are given more importance than teamwork at Real Madrid and feels head coach Rafael Benitez must make compromises to avoid upsetting the squad s hierarchy.

Former AC Milan boss Sacchi served as director of football at the Liga giants from 2004 to 2005, offering him valuable insight into the workings behind the scenes at Santiago Bernabeu.

Benitez, approaching the half-way mark of his first campaign in charge, has guided Madrid to third in the table, five points behind reigning champions Barcelona.

The ex-Liverpool manager has also secured passage to the Champions League round of 16, with the 2013-14 winners drawn against Roma in the first knockout stage.

The club s notoriously demanding supporters appear unconvinced by …

Rolland Courbis has stepped down as Montpellier head coach after two years in charge of the Ligue 1 club.

The 62-year-old returned to Montpellier for a second spell in charge in 2013 and steered them away from relegation trouble by the end of the 2013-14 campaign.

Last season, under Courbis leadership, Montpellier finished seventh in the league, but they have struggled to replicate that form this term.

Montpellier failed to win any of their opening seven games and although their results have improved since mid-October – including a win over Lyon – Courbis has opted to leave the club during the mid-season break.

The Presidents Louis and Laurent Nicollin received today the resignation of Rolland Courbis, a club statement read.

Montpellier wi…

Leicester City will reportedly be in the market for a striker this summer, and one of the names that has attracted their attention, according to Fabrizio Romano, is Chelsea s Tammy Abraham.

https://twitter.com/FabrizioRomano/status/1383420206232473604

The first name that comes to mind when it comes to strikers at Leicester is, of course, Jamie Vardy, but at the age of 34, the experienced goalscorer has definitely entered his declining years. He started the season rather well, but a groin surgery which he underwent in January seems to have completely put him off. He has scored only once in 11 games since.

The Foxes are obviously searching for a fresh source of goals. They ve been linked with Celtic s Odsonne Edouard, but it seems Abraham s situation at Stamford B…

Thierry Henry has criticised Arsenal s owners for a lack of understanding over their involvement in the European Super League fiasco and says he no longer recognises the club.

Arsenal were one of 12 founding members of the breakaway competition announced last Sunday six of those from England which sparked widespread disapproval.

The Gunners withdrew their support 48 hours later, but protesting supporters gathered outside Emirates Stadium on Friday calling for owner Stan Kroenke to leave.

Henry, the club s all-time leading goalscorer with 228 goals, has followed his former boss Arsene Wenger in condemning the American-based owners for their part in the saga.

I do not recognise my club and what happened just now, with them trying to join a league that w…

Lionel Messi, Kaka and Wayne Rooney left their World Cup shooting boots at home, but David Villa and Miroslav Klose are on a hot streak of goalscoring form as the tournament reaches its climax.

Both men have been averaging almost a goal a game as they battle with Thomas Mueller and Wesley Sneijder for the coveted Golden Boot.

Not only that, but Villa and Klose have further records in their sights.

Germany s Klose chose his 100th appearance for Germany to claim his 13th and 14th goals at World Cup tournaments, the same tally as compatriot Gerd Mueller and one less than the all-time record held by Brazilian Ronaldo.

It is an astonishing turnaround for Klose, sent off in the second group game as Germany went down to Serbia.

At that point, it seemed …

Nigeria striker John Utaka is set to leave English Championship club Portsmouth, manager Steve Cotterill admitted on Monday.

Cotterill revealed Utaka is certain to go because the cash-strapped club need to slash their wage-bill following last season s relegation from the Premier League.

Utaka could stay in England as he has been linked with a move to Sunderland, but teams in the Middle East and France are also reportedly keen on the star.

The 28-year-old endured a disappointing World Cup and failed to make a single appearance as Nigeria crashed out in the group stages.

But he can at least look forward to starting off the new season at a more stable club than Portsmouth, who ended last term in administration with debts of over 130 million pounds (195 mill…

Barcelona coach Luis Enrique says the opportunity to become the first team to defend the Champions League is a wonderful stimulus and clams his side have to be considered favourites for the competition.

The Catalans open their European defence against Luis Enrique s former club Roma on Wednesday, just over three months since dispatching Juventus in last season s final.

Barca have made a 100 per cent start to their domestic campaign and Luis Enrique is hoping they can transfer that form to European competition, ending with further success in Milan in May.

No, it is not an extra pressure, it s a wonderful stimulus, he told reporters.

It s wonderful for the team, for Barca and for all Barca fans. We know it s very difficult and that nodody has eve…

Manchester City full-back Pablo Zabaleta said he and his team-mates defied an order from manager Manuel Pellegrini on Sunday.

The Italian boss instructed Zabaleta and his City colleagues to not watch the Liverpool-Chelsea match that preceded their trip to Crystal Palace, for fear of distraction.

But when the Blues trip to Anfield was beamed into Selhurst Park while City players were warming up, Zabaleta said they could not resist watching a match that eventually handed the Eastlands club their title destiny into their own hands.

Sometimes you don t want to watch it but Chelsea were winning 1-0 and it was such a great match to watch, Zabaleta told the Manchester Evening News, of Chelsea s 2-0 win over the league leaders.

Most important was that we put in a fantast…