Appleton sacked by BlackburnMarch 19, 2013
By ESPN staff
Blackburn Rovers have confirmed the sacking of manager Michael Appleton after just two months in charge at Ewood Park.
PA PhotosAppleton joined Blackburn from Blackpool in January
Appletononly joined the club from Championship rivals Blackpool in January, butthe 37-year-old has been shown the door after just 67 days.
Roversare currently 18th in the table, just four points off relegation,having gained just two points from their last five league games andwithout a win in their last seven matches in all competitions.
Theclub's academy coach, Gary Bowyer, has been put in charge until the endof the season. Bowyer won three of his four games in charge over theturn of the year as caretaker between Henning Berg's sacking andAppleton's arrival.
A short statement on the club's websitesaid: "Blackburn Rovers FC can confirm that Michael Appleton has beenrelieved of his duties as manager along with assistant manager AshleyWestwood, first team coach Darren Moore and head of senior recruitmentLuke Dowling."
ESPN understands that Appleton's appointmentwas made by the club's managing director Derek Shaw and operationsdirector Paul Agnew, and not by Rovers' global advisor Shebby Singh.
Blackburnwon just four of Appleton's 15 games in charge, while they have lostsix. Although one of those victories was a famous
1-0 win over Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium in the fifth round of the FA Cup, Rovers were eliminated from the competition in a
1-0 quarter-final replay defeat at home to Millwall last week.
Appleton's last match in charge saw David Dunn's late strike rescue a point in a
1-1 draw against local rivals Burnley, and he leaves the club having won just two of his ten league games in charge.
TheBlackburn job was Appleton's third of the season, having begun thecampaign in charge of Portsmouth before moving to Blackpool lastNovember. He is also the third full-time manager of Rovers this term,with the club's controversial owners Venky's already dispensing with theservices of Steve Kean and Berg. Kean was in charge as Rovers wererelegated from the Premier League last season while Berg, his full-timereplacement, lasted only 57 days at the helm.
笑死人，Steve Kean就兩年都唔炒，而家一年換六個領隊
