North East Stars have made a surprising move this week, signing sacked Central FC coach, Ross Russell, at the Sangre Grande club’s coaching helm.
North East Stars, notorious for sudden coaching changings, made the “necessary change” following a board decision, according to team manager Maurice Eligon.
North East Stars once led the Digicel Pro League standings this season but are currently sixth on the 10-team ladder with 13 points after eight games. However they are only four points from leaders Defence Force, who hammered the Sangre Grande club 6-1 on December 19 in their final game before the Christmas break.
Ironically, it was Clarke’s side that hammered the proverbial nail in Russell’s sacking three days earlier.
A first half own-goal conceded by Central against North East Stars sealed Russell’s faith at the Couva Sharks.
Moments after the 1-0 loss—Central’s second consecutive defeat, Russell, a two-time league winning coach with Defence Force, was issued his marching orders by the Couva Sharks’ operations manager Kevin Harrison via a letter of dismissal.
“It’s a results game,” Harrison said this week. “But [the decision by the club to sack Russell] wasn’t purely down to the two games we lost. It was about the performance of the players… perhaps they weren’t giving him their all.
“We won seven trophies (four of them major titles) last season and already we have dropped the First Citizens Cup. We couldn’t risk carrying on that way.
“It just happens—sometimes a good coach comes into successful team and it just doesn’t work. We see it happening all the time in world football.
“We made the change while we still have time. While we want to win everything else on offer, our two major aims now, is to make sure and defend the Pro League and Caribbean Club Championship titles.”
Russell was the three-year-old Central's fourth coach when he took up the vacant post last August. But by December 16, five months into the club’s fourth year of existence, he became the fourth Central coach after former Arsenal and England player Graham Rix, Serbia-born former Trinidad and Tobago coach Zoran Vranes, and former Tottenham and England player Terry Fenwick to bite the dust, although it is believed the latter opted not to pursue contract renewal following his second stint.
Since Russell’s sacking, assistant coach Dale Saunders has been shifted into the role of interim head coach of Central with no immediate plan to find a high profile replacement according to Harrison.
In Sangre Grande however, Eligon said the decision to replace Clarke wasn’t based on results or performance. He said with Russell becoming available and the board having reviewed the club’s plans after four months into the season, the change was necessary in taking North East Stars forward.
Eligon, who said the club remains dedicated to giving local coaches the opportunity, added, “At the moment we are comfortable giving Ross a chance at the helm of our club and we will see how things will go.”
North East Stars will return to action on Friday night from 8 pm at the Hasely Crawford Stadium against San Juan Jabloteh.