Can You Believe This?

[mrtoad]

Just goes to show that no job is safe in any of the football leagues. Totally ridiculous.

Carlisle dismiss manager McDonald

McDonald had been in charge of Carlisle for just over a year

Carlisle United have sacked manager Neil McDonald after just one match of the new League One season.

McDonald had taken over at Brunton Park in June 2006 following Paul Simpson's move to Preston, and led the Cumbrians to eighth place last season.

The shock move was revealed in a statement on the club's website.

"The board of Carlisle United regret to say that they have lost confidence in Neil McDonald and are terminating his contract forthwith," it read.

"They thank him for his hard work at the club and wish him all the best for his future career. Greg Abbott has been appointed as caretaker manager."

The dismissal comes just two days after the Cumbrians began the new season with a 1-1 draw at Walsall - having broken their transfer record to sign Blackburn striker Joe Garner for £140,000 on Friday.

[mrbojangles]

Ridiculous. But me suspects something to do with internal wranglings as opposed to a results driven dismissal

[Deserted]

Couldn't agree more given the fact that he has already spent a year in the position.

Feel sorry for Carlisle fans, doesn't exactly inspire confidence, sacking your manager one game into the season.

[Spit the Dog]

Is Michael Knighton still the chairman there? With him anything is possible.

[lazeeboy]

Is Michael Knighton still the chairman there? With him anything is possible.

must have done or said something bad to the chairman i would think........

[mrtoad]

Is Michael Knighton still the chairman there? With him anything is possible.

Think Knighton has been taken away by Aliens, or something like that.

Soccer chief who saw UFO is under the moon

By Nigel Bunyan ----Tuesday 19 November 1996

A MILLIONAIRE soccer club chairman threatened to resign yesterday after being "publicly humiliated" over his bizarre account of a UFO sighting.

For 20 years Michael Knighton, 45, who owns 90 per cent of Carlisle United, thought he had kept the lid on the most astonishing event of his life. True, he and his wife, Rosemary, had watched an apparently alien craft perform a range of "impossible" aero-gymnastics as they set off from their Yorkshire home one afternoon in 1976.

And, also true, as the glowing UFO disappeared into the stratosphere, he believed he had received a telepathic message urging him: "Don't be afraid, Michael." But, as a businessman, he realised how he might be treated if the press ever got hold of the story. Unfortunately for Mr Knighton, he hinted at his close encounter while at a meeting of the Aetherius Society, an organisation dedicated to studying metaphysics.

A local reporter questioned him in more detail and a front-page report duly appeared in the West Cumbrian News and Star under the headline, "Knighton: Aliens Spoke To Me."

Mr Knighton was not so much glowing as incandescent. Despite the newspaper's assertion that he was sufficiently co-operative to draw a sketch of the craft in the reporter's notebook, he maintains that the disclosure was made during an off-the-record conversation.

"I feel deeply betrayed," he said. "This was a very private story and I made it perfectly clear to the reporter that it was not for publication. The damage has been done now and so I've decided to resign at the end of the season. I have a nine-year-old son and it's not fair for him to be ridiculed."

He still cannot explain his "wonderful" UFO experience. "It was quite extraordinary," he said. "This object fell out of the sky, starting off as a tiny dot like a shooting star but it was unbelievable. It changed from an inverted V to a huge metallic disc the size of half a football pitch. We watched it perform the most unbelievable aero-acrobatics in silence."

Mr Knighton and his wife watched the display for 30 minutes, watching with "two men walking their dog". Although they later read reports of a similar sighting, they decided against informing the authorities. My wife was quite overawed by what we saw and she would not like to experience it again. I was totally enthralled."

The News and Star has now followed its "Aliens speak" story with a campaign to persuade Mr Knighton to stay. In a front-page article, Keith Sutton, the editor, tendered an "unreserved" apology. He said: "Just because Michael Knighton has seen a UFO doesn't disqualify him from being a football club chairman."

Last night Mr Knighton said he would reconsider his decision. "Perhaps it has been an overreaction on my part, which is a bad sign. I don't get uptight about things but I did feel betrayed," he said. Mr Knighton hinted that he might stay as chairman but appoint a new chief executive.

He left the club in 2002 from what I can remember

[chavy]

Even more ridiculous is Mandric sacking Martin Allen from the Leicester position, after 3 games in charge. He apparently said "when you climb a mountain it doesn't mean when you get to the top you finish with who you start out with"

Not sure about anyone else but I for one would like to get to the top of the mountain with my guide in place.

[ThaiPauly]

Even more ridiculous is Mandric sacking Martin Allen from the Leicester position, after 3 games in charge. He apparently said "when you climb a mountain it doesn't mean when you get to the top you finish with who you start out with"

Not sure about anyone else but I for one would like to get to the top of the mountain with my guide in place.

Mandric is a muppett,

Mad Dog IS a good manager...3 games mid-table.I think they nearly went down last year.!

Muppett

[mrtoad]

Even more ridiculous is Mandric sacking Martin Allen from the Leicester position, after 3 games in charge. He apparently said "when you climb a mountain it doesn't mean when you get to the top you finish with who you start out with"

Not sure about anyone else but I for one would like to get to the top of the mountain with my guide in place.

Mandric is a muppett,

Mad Dog IS a good manager...3 games mid-table.I think they nearly went down last year.!

Muppett

Agreed,

Like most of these Chairman when a team starts getting good results they believe that it is because of their input. When the team is not doing well they blame the manager.

Most of these moron's have a bigger Ego than me (Only joking).

Makes no sense whatsoever, sacking a manager who has got a god start and bought in some decent players, but I suppose it should come as no suprise. Anyone remeber Knighton at Carlisle, Noades at Brentfrd and the America guy at Chester. What a bunch of merchant bankers.

[chavy]

Even more ridiculous is Mandric sacking Martin Allen from the Leicester position, after 3 games in charge. He apparently said "when you climb a mountain it doesn't mean when you get to the top you finish with who you start out with"

Not sure about anyone else but I for one would like to get to the top of the mountain with my guide in place.

Mandric is a muppett,

Mad Dog IS a good manager...3 games mid-table.I think they nearly went down last year.!

Muppett

Agreed,

Like most of these Chairman when a team starts getting good results they believe that it is because of their input. When the team is not doing well they blame the manager.

Most of these moron's have a bigger Ego than me (Only joking).

Makes no sense whatsoever, sacking a manager who has got a god start and bought in some decent players, but I suppose it should come as no suprise. Anyone remeber Knighton at Carlisle, Noades at Brentfrd and the America guy at Chester. What a bunch of merchant bankers.

Just think....Knighton nearly ended up with Man U shudder to think where they'd be playing nowdays !

[chavy]

I remember vividly Knighton doing his juggling act in front of the Stretford End in his too tight Man U shorts..Ahhhh

[mrtoad]

I remember vividly Knighton doing his juggling act in front of the Stretford End in his too tight Man U shorts..Ahhhh

Yeah, shocking really. But they reckon that Knighton was responsible for Unite tapping into the merchandising market, as lots of his ideas for funding the club were based around that.

[chavy]

Pity he couldn't make Carlisle work....got to be a good catchment area