Montella named new Roma coach
Reuters - Monday 21 February 2011, 14:33
ROME - Troubled AS Roma appointed Vincenzo
Montella as coach until the end of the season on Monday after
Claudio Ranieri quit following the club's fourth successive
defeat on Sunday night.
His first match in charge will be Wednesday's league game
at Bologna which was abandoned because of snow last month.
Ranieri resigned following fan protests and after
eighth-placed Roma went down 4-3 at Genoa having been 3-0 up in
their Serie A match.
They also lost 3-2 at home in a Champions League first leg
to last 16 debutants Shakhtar Donetsk last week.
The club confirmed in a statement that youth team coach and
former striker Montella had been given the role until the end of
the season.
What happens after that is open to debate with Chelsea coach
Carlo Ancelotti being linked with a return to Italy by media in
both England and Italy unless Chelsea's slump in form ends.
Ranieri's departure has come at a difficult time for Roma,
who did well to finish second under him last season, but have
slumped in the standings after a poor run.
The club's supporters have been protesting violently, but
the fans' feelings are unlikely to put off an American
consortium from trying to buy the indebted club, Rome mayor
Gianni Alemanno said on Monday.
The mayor has been a central figure in the drawn-out sale
process, with U.S. group Di Benedetto given an exclusive 30-day
window to discuss their purchase.
"I think we are talking about a consortium made up of
experts who won't be scared," Alemanno told reporters.
Italy coach Cesare Prandelli has praised Ranieri for showing
"responsibility and dignity" by resigning - a rare step these
days by a coach as members of his profession usually wait until
they are fired, collecting a bumper payoff when their time is
up.