Frank Lampard has been sacked as manager of Everton with the club sitting second bottom of the Premier League.
The Merseysiders were beaten 2-0 by fellow strugglers West Ham United on Saturday, meaning they had lost eight of their last nine games in all competitions.
That was also been their ninth loss in 12 league matches, winning just once, leaving them with 15 points and above Southampton only on goal difference. It is the club’s lowest points tally at this stage of any Premier League season.
Saturday's match had been dubbed El Sackico after reports suggested that the losing manager would lose their job with Hammers coach David Moyes also under intense pressure after an equally dismal run of results.
But it was Moyes who came out victorious and Lampard's Everton reign is now over. He took over at Goodison Park on January 31, 2022, with the team 16th in the table, replacing Rafa Benitez who had been sacked after less than seven months in charge.
Lampard, 44, had been out of work since being sacked himself by Chelsea – where he had been manager for 18 months – a year earlier and replaced with Thomas Tuchel, who would lead the London club to Champions League glory by the season's end.
Everton finished two places and four points outside the bottom three last season and there were joyous scenes at Goodison Park when their 68-year top-flight status was confirmed for another campaign following a dramatic 3-2 comeback victory against Crystal Palace.
“It is one of the greatest moments of my footballing life and career,” Lampard said after the match. “It is a special night in Everton's history.”
But hopes that his first full season would see a change in fortunes would quickly evaporate. Star striker Richarlison was sold to Tottenham Hotspur without being adequately replaced and the team would go on to win just three of their opening 20 league matches.
Fan anger at the club ownership has boiled over in recent weeks and Everton’s board of directors were ordered to stay away from Goodison Park due to perceived security risks, meaning they missed Everton's home defeat to bottom side Southampton.
Banners were displayed around Goodison Park before kick-off while supporters then staged sit-in protest after the final whistle, but Lampard still inistsed he could turn the club's fortunes around.
“I am fortunate in the fact I have been in the game a long time and you become quite tough to these things. It becomes your life,” Lampard said. “The only thing I want to do is bring success to this club. In terms of my own abilities I always remain confident in that.”
Despite having also received the public backing of beleaguered owner Farhad Moshiri, the West Ham defeat proved the final straw.
In his 44 games as coach, Lampard won 12, drew eight and lost 24, managing a win percentage of just 27.3 and Everton are now looking for their sixth permanent manager in five years.
Terror attacks in Paris, November 13, 2015
- At 9.16pm, three suicide attackers killed one person outside the Atade de France during a foootball match between France and Germany
- At 9.25pm, three attackers opened fire on restaurants and cafes over 20 minutes, killing 39 people
- Shortly after 9.40pm, three other attackers launched a three-hour raid on the Bataclan, in which 1,500 people had gathered to watch a rock concert. In total, 90 people were killed
- Salah Abdeslam, the only survivor of the terrorists, did not directly participate in the attacks, thought to be due to a technical glitch in his suicide vest
- He fled to Belgium and was involved in attacks on Brussels in March 2016. He is serving a life sentence in France
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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Rating: 4/5
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Key figures in the life of the fort
Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa (ruled 1761-1793) Built Qasr Al Hosn as a watchtower to guard over the only freshwater well on Abu Dhabi island.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Dhiyab (ruled 1793-1816) Expanded the tower into a small fort and transferred his ruling place of residence from Liwa Oasis to the fort on the island.
Sheikh Tahnoon bin Shakhbut (ruled 1818-1833) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further as Abu Dhabi grew from a small village of palm huts to a town of more than 5,000 inhabitants.
Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbut (ruled 1833-1845) Repaired and fortified the fort.
Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon (ruled 1845-1855) Turned Qasr Al Hosn into a strong two-storied structure.
Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa (ruled 1855-1909) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further to reflect the emirate's increasing prominence.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan (ruled 1928-1966) Renovated and enlarged Qasr Al Hosn, adding a decorative arch and two new villas.
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (ruled 1966-2004) Moved the royal residence to Al Manhal palace and kept his diwan at Qasr Al Hosn.
Sources: Jayanti Maitra, www.adach.ae
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
LA LIGA FIXTURES
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