Ex-Brit soccer star-turned club boss hired and fired in ten minutes

Former West Ham and Fulham striker Leroy Rosenior was appointed the boss of a struggling club, and then sacked after ten minutes.

London, May 22 :Former West Ham and Fulham striker Leroy Rosenior was appointed the boss of a struggling club, and then sacked after ten minutes.

Rosenior's sacking broke the record for English football's shortest managerial reign after being introduced with a fanfare by Torquay United.

Sports journalists were summoned to a press conference which finished at 3.30 p.m. Then, at 3.40 p.m., according to The Sun, Leroy was told by the chairman that the Devon club had been sold to a business consortium. And that meant he was sacked.

Last night Leroy, 43 - who was once tipped to be the first black England manager - said: "For it to happen ten minutes after I finished the press conference was a bit of a shock. But we had a good laugh about it afterwards."

Leroy smashed the previous record for the shortest time as manager - Dave Bassett's 72 hours at Crystal Palace in 1984.

He joked: "Obviously they thought I had done a fantastic job after ten minutes and let me go."

The post was Leroy's second stint at Torquay, who will face next season in the Conference after finishing bottom of the Football League. He was boss between 2002 and 2006 when he left by mutual consent.

ANI