League One - Huddersfield sack manager Clark
Huddersfield Town manager Lee Clark has been surprisingly sacked by the League One club.
The 39-year-old has left the Galpharm Stadium after more than three years in charge of the Terriers.
The news comes as something of a shock because the former Newcastle United midfielder is seen as one of the brightest young managerial prospects in the country, and steered Town to a club-record unbeaten streak which ran from last season into this campaign.
He leaves Huddersfield with the team fourth in the table, having only lost three games in the league this season, and an overall record of 87 wins, 40 defeats and 51 draws.
He said: "I am very perplexed as to why I was dismissed as the manager of Huddersfield Town. Needless to say I am extremely disappointed and shocked considering that, with just 16 games left, we are in a such great position to compete for automatic promotion.
"We built on last season’s momentum following the play-off final by creating history in the Football League record books for consecutive unbeaten games. This was an immense achievement by everybody connected with the club.
"I am massively proud of my record with Huddersfield and I enjoyed a fantastic relationship with the players, coaching staff, supporters and indeed everybody at the club. I now wish them all the very best for the future and hope they will ultimately achieve promotion this season."
Clark had been linked with the managerial vacancy at Leeds United, and more recently that of Wolverhampton Wanderers following the sacking of Mick McCarthy on Monday.
However, that he was sacked rather than leaving by mutual consent suggests that he does not immediately have another job in prospect.
Club chairman Dean Hoyle said in a statement on the club's official website: "This was a very difficult decision; one not taken lightly or in response to one result. Concerns have been raised over recent weeks.
"Lee and his coaching staff have put their all into the job over the past three seasons and he has made a huge contribution to the club.
"However with 16 matches to go we still have an opportunity to achieve promotion and we have made this change with this in mind."
The same statement also confirmed that academy manager Mark Lillis will take charge of the first team on a caretaker basis.
Last season Clark led Huddersfield to the League One play-off final after they finished third in the league.
Under his management the club went on an unbeaten run of 43 matches in the regular league season, a club-record streak that was ended with a 2-0 defeat at League One leaders Charlton Athletic last November.
Comment 118 - 137 of 137
LEE CLARK'S SIGNINGS: 44
How many other "promising young managers" would have been allowed to do this on top of the players that were here when he arrived and be given 3 years to only put a team into the play-offs?
This may have been posted elsewhere but for those seeing it for the first time
The Signings (December 2008 to February 2012):
Anthony Pilkington, Lionel Ainsworth, Dominik Werling, Lucas Jutkiewicz (L), Martin Kelly (L), Lee Peltier, Peter Clarke, Antony Kay, Theo Robinson, Robbie Simpson, Jordan Rhodes, Danny Drinkwater, Kristian Pearce, Neal Trotman (L), Dean Heffernan, Nathan Eccleston (L), Gary Naysmith, Joey Gudjonsson, Joe Garner (L), Scott Arfield, Jamie McCombe, Damien Johnson (L), Lee Novak, Graham Carey (L), Ian Bennett, Alan Lee, Nick Colgan, Benik Afobe (L), Kevin Kilbane (L), Tamas Kadar (L), Danny Cadamarteri, Stephen Jordan (L), Danny Ward, Sean Morrison (L), Oscar Gobern, Liam Cooper (L), Tommy Miller, Donal McDermott, Callum Woods, Anton Robinson, Jon Parkin (L), Alex Bruce (L), Kallum Higginbotham, Murray Wallace.
End of the day - not beaten too often, but not winning enough of the games that mattered and not putting the club into a strong position to get promoted, despite all the resources he has had, was what finished him.
The mind boggles... what does a manager have to do to keep his job !!!
Lee,come back to Fulham and we can send the fat miserable dutchman home.
Terrier - grow up
He must have been banging the chairmans missus.
thanks lee for the great job you've done at town pity the fans can't sack the chairman.........good luck @leeds.....
Alexandra - I'm flattered that you feel the need to make up lies about me.
I thought he was doing a good job, and then I realised he has had all the money for signings and a massive budget + plus nearly three years to bring success. I could see this coming, even if the pundits on Match of the day couldn't
WHAT A JOKE OF A CLUB YOU REALLY ARE HUDDERSFIELD!!!!!!!!!!sacking lee clarke will be a big mistake!!! i for one hope you miss out on the play- offs cos your certainly not going up automatically!!! A TRUE SUPPORTER OF THE SPIREITES.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Lee Clark ....New England manager ??
Forgot to mention, big thank you to the Huddersfield Town directors for knocking my team ,Leeds United off top spot in the Division of stupid footballing decisions, I thought the title was in the bag for us until you shunted Clarkie. It is nice to see moronic decisions are not just confined to Elland Road....thanks again brainiacs.
Terrier - As you are so fond of the LUFC message boards thought I'd have a look at your desperate teams rants. Clarke breached his contract plain and simple and as for your small insignificant team, middle table then the painful slide to D2 good riddance to bad rubbish. LEEDS UNITED FOREVER.
Huddersfield....big Town, good support, not an easy place to go as an away side.My team Leeds struggled to get out of your division and to me it is even harder now.....Charlton,the two Sheffields...look how well Norwich,swansea and Southampton have done since promotion.Huddersfield is a big scalp to collect and any of the top half of div 1 could turn anyone else over on their day. This leads me to think.......why sack Clark now ???? it does not make sense as you have spent money and now decide to change tack lying 4th with 16 games left....crazy... I thought it was just us at Leeds that took mad ,ill timed decisions.... I guess it must be contagious, as we are so near geograpically, if so on behalf of most Leeds fans I apologise for giving your board of directors crazydecisionitus. I would love to see this guy at Elland Road but I doubt mr bates will act. Great track record and a crazy ,crazy timed decision by Huddersfield. I would imagine the majortity of fans are gutted.
Jack - thanks for having the decency to answer.
The board have backed Lee Clark to the hilt, allowing him to sign player after player after player. This investment was made wirth the idea of budgeting to bankroll the club until we can get into the division above, with increased TV revenues etc.
The chairman budgeted to give him 3 attempts at promotion. Suppose it was your money. How many years would you be prepared to bankroll a club that was consistently finishing amongst the League 1 also rans?
Next season the wage cap comes into force, and Huddersfield Town will no longer have many of the advantages of a multi-millionaire chairman. Even if Dean Hoyle can find the money, and is prepared to bankroll the club for another 2, 3, 4 years of League 1 football - he cant. The squad will HAVE TO be decimated if we are not (as seems likely) promoted. In that case, a "kid in a sweet shop" approach to signing players such as that of Lee Clark will simply not be allowed by the new Football League rules.
Letting Lee Clark go now, means that:
a) We still have a chance (albeit a slim one) of being promoted this year. A new manager might give that last boost to take us over the finish line.
b) If, as seems likely the club are still in League 1 next season, we'll need somebody who can work with a much smaller budget. With the best will in the world, that ain't Lee Clark.
Lee Clark has worked damned hard for HTFC. He's a young manager with a bright future in the game - & he'll probably go on to manage at a higher level. You'll find that most fans of HTFC are grateful for the effort he's put in - but recognise that he has to go if the club are to move forward.
It seems harsh, but Letting Lee Clark go was the right decision.
His win rate is under 50%. He may have only lost 3 in last 55 but if a team has that record they should really be champions and getting promoted.
Have any of you lot been to watch Town? 5 changes against Sheffield United, and then played the long ball!!!. If we don,t go up this time how many season tickets will there be next year?. It,s great that we have a real supporter for a chairman who wants to get us out of this rubbish division.
Ihave nothing but sympathy for lee clarke, what did huddersfield expect from him when he took over. win games, set a new league record for going unbeaten but keep us where we are in football obscurity,fan must be gutted.
Clarke did a great job at Huddersfield, but they have been patchy of late. I can see them offering the job to Neil Warnock, who the Chairman will view as being able to get them out of the division. I think they will live to rue the day they took this decision. From what I've seen of Lee Clarke as a manager to date, he's destined for bigger things.
Chin up Clarkie, Leeds or Wolves jobs up for grabs. Hope Huddersfield fail to make the playoffs.
who on earth will want this job! sacked after losing 3 games in 12 months!
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