FORMER NORTHERN IRELAND manager Michael O' Neill has been sacked by his club side Stoke City this morning.
The club have appointed assistant Dean Holden as interim manager until a replacement can be found.
A statement on the club's website from Joint Chairman John Coates said: “Michael joined us in November 2019 when the Club was in a difficult situation and the job, he did in stabilising our position in the Championship should not be underestimated.
“Michael has worked tirelessly and with extreme professionalism, in particular in reshaping our squad and developing young players, but we feel the time is right to move in a different direction. I would like to thank him for his efforts and wish him every success for the future.”
"The Club has begun the process of appointing a new manager and will be making no further comment at this time."
Stoke City can confirm that manager Michael O’Neill has left the Club.
Assistant manager Dean Holden will take interim charge of the first-team.— Stoke City FC (@stokecity) August 25, 2022
O Neil, a former Shamrock Rovers and Northern Ireland boss joined the club in 2019 and guided the former Premier League club to consecutive 14th-placed finishes in the second tier.
However, Stoke have only won one game and lost three of their opening five games in the Championship this season, and currently lie 21st in the table.
They were also dumped out of the Carabao Cup by League One side Morecambe in the first round.
The highlight of O' Neill's career for many was guiding Northern Ireland to their first major tournament in 30 years after his side beat Greece 3–1 at Windsor Park on 8 October 2015. Northern Ireland had never qualified for a European Championships in their history before this.
Stoke play Blackburn at Ewood Park on Saturday.
