MX23RW : Tuesday, January 29 12:46:21

Martin Canning leaves Hamilton

Martin Canning leaves Hamilton
© Reuters
The Accies boss had been at the club for 10-and-a-half years.

Hamilton are looking for a new manager following the sudden departure of Martin Canning.

Chairman Allan Maitland announced in a statement that the 37-year-old had left by "mutual agreement".

The announcement comes exactly seven days after Canning launched a fierce defence of his record, which has seen him keep the club in the Ladbrokes Premiership for a record fifth consecutive season.

Accies have since suffered back-to-back 3-0 defeats against Aberdeen and Celtic to make it five losses in a row. They sit 10th, two points and places above St Mirren and with second-bottom Dundee visiting the Hope Stadium on Saturday.

Former Hamilton manager Maitland, who took over as chairman in December, added in his statement: "With the departure of so many important players over the last two seasons (Michael Devlin, Eamonn Brophy, Lewis Ferguson, Ali Crawford and Greg Docherty) it has become increasingly difficult to maintain the playing levels and results previously reached.

"Martin and the board feel that a change was necessary to give the club the best opportunity to get back to those levels.

"The club would like to thank Martin for his commitment and efforts during his 10-and-a-half years at the club as both a player and a manager.

"He played in over 200 games including the play-off match at Hibs in May 2014 when we secured our place in the Premier League and has managed the club in the top division for the last four seasons.

"He has successfully managed to maintain our status in the Premier League and we will be forever grateful for his part in this achievement."

Canning defended his performance seven days earlier after abuse from fans prompted his father, nephew and uncle to leave Hamilton's William Hill Scottish Cup defeat by St Johnstone before half-time.

"It's not often that I defend myself, I usually just accept it and move on, keep my head down and work hard," Canning said last Tuesday.

"But my job is to keep Hamilton in the Premiership. Every year we are tipped to go down, every year we fight extremely hard to stay up, and we have kept the club up four times. That's our record, we have never done that before in our history. That's success.

"My job is to bring young players into the first team and move them on. Since I've been the manager, Stephen Hendrie has moved, Michael Devlin has moved, Lewis Ferguson has moved, Greg Docherty has moved. The club have earned good money from these moves.

"That's exactly what we are asked to do and we are doing that. But fans want to win, I want to win, we all want to win, and it becomes difficult.

"If someone had said you'd be on 14 points at this stage of the season but there would be two teams below you, I would have taken that."

First-team coach Guillaume Beuzelin and academy director George Cairns have been placed in charge "until further notice", while Under-18s coach Jason Scotland has also left the club.


Click here for more stories about Martin Canning

Click here for more stories about Hamilton Academical

Share this article now:
Scott Sinclair in action for Celtic on December 2, 2018
Read Next:
Rodgers hails goalscorer Sinclair as Celtic see off Hamilton
>

Loading ...

Failed to load data.

Loading ...

Failed to load data.

Select and display your favourite team's news and scores in this panel

Loading ...

Failed to load data.

Loading ...

Failed to load data.

Select and display your favourite team's news and scores in this panel
Tables
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Celtic22153453143948
2RangersRangers23136447182945
3Kilmarnock23136434211345
4Aberdeen23134637241343
5Hearts2312382928139
6St Johnstone2211472626037
7Hibernian238873324932
8Livingston238692623330
9Motherwell2383122233-1127
10Hamilton AcademicalHamilton2342171449-3514
11Dundee2334161748-3113
12St Mirren2333171646-3012

Subscribe to our Newsletter


Transfer Talk Daily
Match previews - twice weekly
Morning Briefing (7am UTC)
Ultra close-up image of Kevin De Bruyne [NOT FOR USE IN ARTICLES]Get the latest transfer news, match previews and news direct to your inbox!

Loading ...

Failed to load data.

Loading ...

Failed to load data.

Select and display your favourite team's news and scores in this panel
Login, I already have my ad-free pass
Log in to customise Sports Mole
Buy ad-free access (show me the options)
Buy monthly ad-free access for £1.20/month
Buy yearly ad-free access for £12 (2 months free)
Settings - Logout - Manage your account
Settings - Logout - Manage your account