EmailCrystal Palace last night sacked Trevor Francis, their manager of only 17 months, after he failed to convince the chairman Simon Jordan that he could steer the First Division club into the Premiership next season.
The Palace owner parted company with Francis after a meeting at the club's Beckenham training complex yesterday. The former Birmingham manager will be compensated in part for the remaining two years of his four-year contract.
Jordan has appointed the first-team coaches Steve Kember and Terry Bullivant as caretaker managers until the end of the season when a longer-term replacement will be sought.
Kember, manager at Selhurst Park in 1981-82 and on a temporary basis for two spells in 2001, has expressed his desire to take on the job. But Jordan - who has spent almost £30m on Palace in three years but is now seeking his fifth manager - is committed to finding someone who can achieve his top-flight aspirations.
"I'll see who wants the job," he said. "I don't see this role as a poisoned chalice. People will say working for Simon Jordan comes with a guaranteed P45, but that's not really reflective. Steve Coppell walked before I had my feet under the table, Alan Smith had to go, Steve Bruce left of his accord and Francis I've sacked. I just want someone to come in and do their job - gain promotion.
"People know I am very unhappy with the selection of our players under Francis. We have a very strong squad and we should have done a lot better this season - a lot of lessons need to be learned from injury prevention and transfer policy. I don't want play-offs next year. I want automatic promotion. I need to get the right people in place in order to achieve that."
George Burley, currently in short-term charge of Derby County, could fit that criterion. The south Londoners' favoured target, the former Palace midfielder Alan Pardew, is unlikely to be lured from Reading. Paul Jewell, having achieved promotion with Bradford City and Wigan, and Oldham Athletic's former Palace striker Iain Dowie would also be plausible candidates.
Whoever takes charge will be given leeway to bring in new players, though Jordan is keener to follow Portsmouth's lead, recruiting free transfers on larger wages. "How much money did Pompey spend on transfers last year?" he asked. "Next to nothing. A few strong supplements and a few necessary exits and we should be bordering on success next season."
Once it became clear that Palace, currently 13 points from the play-offs with four games to play, were facing another season in the Nationwide League, Francis came under pressure to pinpoint how future success would be achieved. However, his initial blueprint was rejected by Jordan, who has labelled the players "big time Charlies" and "a disgrace" in programme notes.
Chris Coleman last night called on Fulham fans to back him as he prepares for his managerial debut in today's match against Newcastle.
"The Newcastle match is massive," he said. "I'm counting on the fans to raise the roof, I can't emphasise that enough. What's happened is in the past now.
"We've just got to look forward and that means the last five games of the season. We worked hard to get this club to the Premiership. We're not going to throw all that away."
