Sturrock New Swindon Manager?

Many sources today have stated that Paul Sturrock will be named manager of Swindon Town this week.

It is believed that Sturrock has already been interviewed for the Swindon Town job.

The Daily Mail was quoted as saying, ‘Sheffield Wednesday have decided to appoint Scunthorpe boss Brian Laws as their new manager next week to replace Paul Sturrock who is expected to take over at Swindon’.

When acting chief executive Martyn Starnes was asked to comment on the story, he said he was unable to confirm or deny that Sturrock was about to be named as manager.

In our fans poll most fans chose Sturrock as their choice for new manager.

About Paul Sturrock

Since retirement from playing in 1989, he has become a coach and latterly a first team manager. He is one of the most qualified coaches in Europe, and he assessed current Chelsea manager José Mourinho at one point. In 1993, he became the manager of a First Division team, St Johnstone. During this time, he is reported to have suffered a heart attack, although he claims that he only suffered hyperventilation, brought on by tiredness and stress; nonetheless he guided them to promotion and was later appointed manager at Dundee United.

Sturrock shocked fans by resigning from the club in August 2000. Perhaps more shockingly, he made a bold move to manage Plymouth Argyle, a club which was struggling in the English Division Three. The following season, he guided them to the Division Three title with a record points total of 102. In October 2003, Sturrock had successfully taken Argyle back to the top of the Football League Second Division and left when Plymouth Argyle were only one win away from being promoted to the Football League Championship. As a result of his success at Home Park he has remained a folk hero and was named as the manager of Argyle’s all time team. During the troubled reign of his successor Bobby Williamson Argyle fans often chanted ‘We want Luggy’.

Sturrock was named as the successor to Gordon Strachan as manager of Southampton on 4 March 2004. On 23 August 2004 it was announced that Sturrock was leaving the club ‘by mutual consent’, after a disappointing run of form and rumours of player unrest and boardroom dissatisfaction with his management.

He was then appointed by League One club Sheffield Wednesday on September 23 2004, and he guided the club to the League One play-offs. After beating Brentford in the semi-final with an aggregate score of 3-1, Sturrock took Wednesday to the play-off final at the Millennium Stadium and beat Hartlepool United 4-2 after extra-time, winning promotion to the Championship.

A slow start to the 2006-07 season sparked rumours that Wednesday were about to sack Sturrock, but this speculation looked to be false when he agreed a new four-year contract on 14 September. But he was sacked on the evening of 19 October, just five weeks and 3 games after agreeing a new deal. The new contract was agreed while the club were at the bottom of the League, while he was sacked when ther were fourth from bottom.