"Morton Football Club has today terminated the contracts of management duo John McCormack and Stephen Frail. Chairman Douglas Rae confirmed that the decision was taken unanimously by the Board as match results since January of this year have been much poorer than expected, with only a 39% success rate being achieved from all League and Cup games played, despite the exceptional input and work rate provided by the Manager and his Assistant. The Club will honour in full the contracts of the outgoing management team, and wish them well in future appointments."
The departure of the manager has mystified elements of the Morton support, who expressed their surprise that just six weeks into the new season, after apparently earning the confidence of Club chairman DDF Rae, the manager has been given the bump. However, with the recent appointment of Joe McLaughlin as youth coach and with other managerial candidates seemingly waiting in the wings, the Morton faithful are eagerly awaiting the appointment of Cowboy's successor.
While the support is surprised, a vast number are as overjoyed as they are surprised. The stats don't lie - Morton collapsed in spectacular fashion last season, and with only a handful of impressive results so far this season, continue to disappoint. A 3-0 away win at Dumbarton and a solid performance against Stranraer were not enough to save the manager, however.
Now speculation abounds as to who will grasp the poisoned chalice. Morton have all the trappings of a good, professional setup - a squad largely full-time, a state-of-the-art training facility, a large support and a chairman not averse to getting the chequebook out when the mood strikes him. However, with backroom and dressing room feuds, as well as sometimes unreasonable demands from the supporter base, the job is certainly more demanding than many at this level. However, with the financial backing and ambition of the current board, they'll be looking to get a manager who can spur the team back onto the form of early 2003/04.