Phil Veivers: Salford City Reds sack head coach

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Phil Veivers

Salford City Reds have sacked head coach Phil Veivers with the club bottom of Super League.

His dismissal comes after Friday's 38-4 defeat by London Broncos - their fourth loss in five games.

After the match, that "things have to change and changes will be made".

Reds CEO Ed Farish said: "Results speak for themselves and it was felt a change must be made to allow our progression to continue on the field and off it."

Salford began the season with a 42-0 home defeat by Wigan, before further defeats by Catalan Dragons and Leeds.

The losing streak was ended with a stunning second-half comeback in a 38-34 victory over Hull KR, but Friday's loss saw them replace Broncos at the bottom of the table.

Head of youth development Alan Hunte will take over the coaching duties at Salford in the interim.

"We thank Phil for his efforts during an extremely difficult close season and wish him all the best for the future," continued Farish.

"We have had to look at the whole business and what is right for the club.

"In the last month we have undergone major changes with the departures of director of football Steve Simms and commercial director Tina Wilkinson."

The 48-year-old Australian spent time on Wigan's coaching staff before joining Salford in 2011.

Veivers had a spell in caretaker charge of Salford that year when Shaun McRae was ill and was promoted from assistant in November 2011.

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  • @14

    If he is then god help them. It's alright having ambition but he does seem a bit deluded. Did he honestly ever think that they could sign Tomkins? It's whoever takes the reins as coach I fell sorry for, he will be under tremendous pressure from the off.

  • Dr Koukash should be respected for his move to save Salford. However, he seems to be thinking that it is like football and that there is a plethora of top quality managers, players and staff all available, with money being no object. There is a salary cap in place and most clubs have contractual stability. Things needed to change of course but I don't think this will solve many problems.

  • Rough deal for Veivers. Winning one match was more than I expected giving the circumstances.

  • That's a real shame. Given the upheaval he should have been given a chance this year.

  • @26 You do make a sound point there Diane. This is a shot across the bows for everyone else at the club.

  • Don't know about him being the Abramovich of League. I'm worried that this guy is going to be the Venky's of League. Hope I'm wrong.

    Salford have been on the verge of something good quite a few times over the last 6/7 years and always seem to mess it up. Been disappointing again this year. They really need to get it more right before the end of next year or they will lose their licence.

  • Could Koukash now be the Roman Abramovich of rugby league?

  • Let's hope the new coach is given a reasonable amount of time to manage the team. As mentioned by others, we've all seen what happens in football when those wielding the power don't get the instant results they crave.

  • Sack the players not the coach. It is they who are failing to do the job as has been seen. It's obvious (to those who know Rugby League) that some players are even struggling with basic skills. Pehaps the coach is "guilty" by not coaching this, but professional players realy should not need to be taught basic passing and tackling skills!

  • @8 got to agree, Koukash to be applauded but its not football. My grandfather played for Salford in the 1930's I loove the club but we have lurched from one disaster to the next recently, my fear is he wont get the instant results he wants and will walk away, leaving us no better off, I hope for a brighter future for the club and the game as a whole

  • Brian Noble has worked with Phil Veivers in the past.I cannot see him volunteering for the post after his previous experiences and observing this decision from a safe distance.
    Professional sport ? Phil Veivers must feel like he has been horse-whipped

  • It's all a charade anyway as his interests are racecourses not rugby clubs. This fella knows Salford are a means to an end and his takeover is all just an exercise in trying to buy goodwill. A kind of 'i'll save your rugby club and you'll let me and my mates at Peel Holdings build all over your greenbelt' approach. The Reds are little more than a trojan horse.

  • @18 Thing is tho a team like Wigan is always going to be a major force in RL with the amount of talent that comes through there. Granted they did have a few mediocre seasons by their high standards, but the cream will always rise back to the top my friend.

  • This is a carryover from football...there is a Messiah complex about the coach. If a new coach doesn't get results, he will be sacked too, and nothing has changed. I don't think Salford has the cattle.

  • While I do feel sorry for Phil Veivers as he has had a torrid time of it over the last couple of years, I think Salford have done the right thing by sacking him. This sends a message out to the players, staff and league that mediocrity and failure is no longer tolerated. Salford very much needed a total change in culture. This is now happening and it will be for the good in the long term IMO

  • @17, you're hardly likely to attract people to watch their team get demolished are you?! The fan base is still there, they just need to see some hope of a future. It used to be packed in the old ground for games against local rivals but that was a lot more accessible than this new ground. It is a poor choice of location and the parking situation, for home and away fans, is highly frustrating.

  • 6
    Hope you're right about Brown. I'm not sure why he's rated so highly. And I support Wigan not Saints, but he doesn't seem to be the right man for them.

  • @10 Steve
    So where have this fan base been lately. !900 last week 2100 this week.

  • Salford were close to bust and therefore lost some good players. Widnes had the same issues a few years before, did go bust, lost 15-20 players and were docked points. The coaches always get sacked, but with such weak squads what can they do? When you have a poor team any mistake seems to be magnified. Salford now have deep pockets but no-one to buy. They may well finish bottom.

  • cont......... Thus raisin the profile of the sport. Good idea. But, surely we wud become a sport all about money? Surely we wud attract greedy, lazy, image conscience players? Surely we wud lose the loyalty and intergrity of the sport? Surely we would end up with the politics that govern football, what about the SL clubs who can operate at the full salary cap now? Maybe this is the way forward?

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