Delio Rossi, Luigi Del Neri and Jean Tigana: A Modern Day Manager's Tale

The manager died today. Or, maybe, yesterday; I can't be sure. The telegram from the stadium says, "The manager passed away. Funeral tomorrow. Deep sympathy." Which leaves the matter doubtful; it could have been yesterday..

In the endless merry-go-round that is football management, sympathy is a rare and beautiful quality. Loyalty even more so. The brief nature of one weekend in football gave us a rare opportunity to witness the peaks and troughs of the managerial game through the experiences of a trio of the sports former players.

As the afternoon sun set on a dark chapter in Delio Rossi's career, little could be heard, save his defeated footsteps, as he made his way down the isolated corridor to the home changing room. After suffering a lopsided defeat to an Udinese team they were expected to match, Rossi and his Palermo side had little positive to take from the match.

The last of seven goals was perhaps the best Palermo could take from the game, after the prolific Udine man, Antonio Di Natale, refused to celebrate his penalty out of respect to the humiliated opponent.

While the curtain drew on Rossi's time at the helm, another in the managerial guild faced similar ends by different circumstances. Only 24 hours before, Luigi Del Neri found himself staring down the barrel of the Old Lady's gun after Juventus succumbed to a lifeless defeat at the hands of Bologna.

The second such loss in two weeks, to a team considered well below the Turin giants, cranked up the mounting pressure on the manager. The final whistle surely signalled the writing was on the wall for Del Neri, a man not known for accepting defeat throughout his career.

Across the border in neighboring France, Jean Tigana found himself contemplating a difficult decision. His late-night choice was not one to be taken lightly. His memories flashed in front of his eyes as he pondered his future. His popular appointment as manager of French champions Bordeaux had been greeted with much fan fare and expectation, following the resignation of Laurent Blanc during the summer.

Yet all this soon passed after a half season plagued by disappointment and unfulfilled promises. The following day, his side were set to face the equally disappointing Auxerre, with the home fans expecting nothing less than a convincing win.

Returning to events in Palermo, Delio Rossi's fate seemed to be sealed as he attended what looked to be his own funeral at the post-game press conference. The gloom was only lifted for a moment by an expression of pride as Rossi found the voice to reject defeat by vowing not to resign.

Little did he know that at the same moment, a sound bite from outspoken chairman Maurizio Zamparini had decided his fate.

Zamparini was quoted as saying "Rossi has a one per cent chance of staying on the bench, you can bet on that", just as Rossi himself stated "I am not firing myself here. I am a fighter and in football you can win or lose".

Zamparini's barrage of personal attacks coupled with the low-lights of a seven goal defeat hovered over Rossi as the spectre of death, foreshadowing his impending expulsion.

The disappointing moments that led to Rossi's demise are not without value. In fact, one particular moment from the Rossi press conference was a near carbon copy of events in Turin the night before.

As Luigi Del Neri found himself addressing the media throng that had sharpened it's knives in anticipation of his resignation, he knew they would be left disappointed. He quickly neutralized any ideas that he would be resigning after the Bologna result by clearly stating, "I go forward (with Juventus), absolutely." Thereby using a common go-to-move preferred by many managers following a loss.

The same move put in practice by Rossi the next day in Palermo. However, the end result for Del Neri was markedly different. Where Rossi had been berated by his club's management, Del Neri found himself supported and defended by the Juventus board. In a striking difference, the Juventus chairman blamed the entire organization from the players to the board for the season's disappointments, thus absolving Del Neri of total culpability. Unfortunately, this same luxury was not afforded to Delio Rossi.

The scenes could not have been more different in Bordeaux, where Tigana's side brushed away recent criticisms by comfortably disposing of Auxerre. The 3-0 score line was as comprehensive as it was deserved and seemed would assure Tigana of another day in charge.

However, as with life, football can be full of surprises, and this day was no different. Following the victory, Tigana handed in an official resignation, citing his failure to match the club's expectations since his arrival in the summer.

His words for the media carried a sombre tone as he explained, "I offered my resignation because I thought I was holding the club back. I cannot be a hindrance."

In a development far removed from the two cases in Italy, the manager offered his own resignation before the club had an opportunity to do it for him. Even more surprising was Tigana's willingness to resign following an important win. A win that helped silence some of his critics.

Just when we thought the weekend of managerial madness could not go any further, the news broke in Bordeaux. Tigana's resignation had been rejected by the club's owners, who responded with one of the most memorable quotes of the entire weekend.

Nicolas de Tavernost, president of the French television group that owns the club, said: "Jean presented us with his resignation, and of course we rejected it...we started an adventure with Jean and we want to see it through to the end...he is fully in charge of the team. It is the players who must face up to their responsibilities."

Not only did the club's owners absolve Tigana of any guilt in the club's downward spiral but they showered much of the guilt on the players. Out of this grand show of loyalty and sympathy Tigana emerged even more committed to his 'adventure' at the club.

Football is a game dominated by tremendous highs and depressing lows. In a matter of 48 hours we were able to witness the peaks and troughs of an underachieving manager's existence through the eyes of three men on the proverbial hot seat.

Unfortunately for the actors in this tragedy, the world of football management does not easily make the distinction between being at risk and losing everything. In the pressure cooker that is management, one finds himself in a constant state of risk.

This state of risk has its victims. On this day, Delio Rossi bore its burden while Del Negri lived to fight another day. But perhaps the most unexpected development of all saw Jean Tigana gain everything; a lease of managerial life accompanied by the rare security offered by a tremendous show of support. Tigana not only survived, but essentially won.

As we have seen, not all managers enjoy this luxury, but in reading this piece we hope it has put the world they operate in into more perspective.

To end consider this quote: "If you are not living on the edge, you are taking up too much space," and rest assured that football manager's live compact lives.