Breaking News: Assistant Manager Sacked!!!!

'Drastic times call for drastic measures' appears to be the message coming out of the chairman's office at Roots Hall.

With the spectre of relegation looming over the South East Essex club, the Southend United Chairman took the highly unusual step of sacking not the manager, but rather his experienced assistant. The move has caught many by surprise in Southend, who have been struggling for much of this year without seemingly any concern from up high.

However another away defeat on Saturday - the team has yet to pick up a point on the road this calendar year - appears to be the final straw for the assistant, if not the manager. The team now lies firmly ensconced in the relegation zone and the historic ground-breaking success of six years earlier seemingly set to unravel.

Relegation is likely to be financially disastrous for the club, and if the chairman - who despite overseeing consecutive promotions and second tier football remain deeply unpopular - couldn't afford to sack a manager who remains popular from his playing days, he couldn't afford  not to take any action either.


So with his hands financially tied - although many would suggest by his own doing - Chairman Vic Jobson had nowhere else to turn but to sack Ronnie Whelan's assistant manager, Theo Foley in an attempt to break out of the downward spiral that threatens to send the club to the bottom of the bottom tier of the Football League and a depression that could last a generation.