Steve Clarke was sacked as West Bromich Albion manager on Saturday just hours after the team’s 1-0 defeat at Cardiff.
The loss, which was their fourth in a row in the Premier League, left West Brom two points off the relegation places.
“We have reluctantly come to the decision to relieve Steve of his duties after very careful consideration,” said West Brom technical director Richard Garlick.
“It has been well documented that we have not had the rub of the green in certain games this season but that does not cloud the generally disappointing points return during this calendar year, culminating in today’s fourth-successive defeat at Cardiff.”
The 50 year old Clarke, a former assistant coach at Chelsea and Liverpool, took over at West Brom in June 2012.
West Brom have won only seven of their 34 Premier League games during the calendar year although they did finish eighth last season, their best performance in the top flight.
Joint-assistant head coach Keith Downing will assume control of first-team affairs until a new full-time appointment is made, the club said in a statement.
“This club’s track record proves we do not take such decisions lightly, having only enforced a change in this position three times in approximately 14 years,” added Garlick.
“But with key games coming thick and fast, we felt it was important we acted now to give the club the best possible chance of a successful outcome this season.
“Our player wage bill is the highest in the club’s history and we feel we have built a squad capable of being very competitive in the Premier League.
“We now begin the search to find a new head coach who will work within our existing structure, which has been in place for the past six years.”
Clarke’s team lost their season-opener 1-0 at home to Southampton at the Hawthorns.
But under his guidance, West Brom went on to celebrate a 2-1 victory against champions Manchester United, their first win at Old Trafford in 35 years.
Clarke admitted after Saturday’s game that his team were not enjoying great fortune.
“We created some chances as we normally do, but at the moment things aren’t quite going for us,” he admitted.
“I don’t think it’s a lack of confidence. We tried to pass the ball but Cardiff started brightly and put us on the back foot.
“We resisted them and stayed in the game. The longer the game went on, the more we played and the more chances we created. It’s difficult.”
Clarke becomes the fourth Premier League manager to lose his job this season.
Paolo Di Canio was the first to go at Sunderland followed by Ian Holloway at Crystal Palace and Martin Jol at Fulham.
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Barcelona v Liverpool, Wednesday, 11pm (UAE).
Second leg
Liverpool v Barcelona, Tuesday, May 7, 11pm
Games on BeIN Sports
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
Recent winners
2002 Giselle Khoury (Colombia)
2004 Nathalie Nasralla (France)
2005 Catherine Abboud (Oceania)
2007 Grace Bijjani (Mexico)
2008 Carina El-Keddissi (Brazil)
2009 Sara Mansour (Brazil)
2010 Daniella Rahme (Australia)
2011 Maria Farah (Canada)
2012 Cynthia Moukarzel (Kuwait)
2013 Layla Yarak (Australia)
2014 Lia Saad (UAE)
2015 Cynthia Farah (Australia)
2016 Yosmely Massaad (Venezuela)
2017 Dima Safi (Ivory Coast)
2018 Rachel Younan (Australia)
Abaya trends
The utilitarian robe held dear by Arab women is undergoing a change that reveals it as an elegant and graceful garment available in a range of colours and fabrics, while retaining its traditional appeal.
