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| | Thursday 15 May, 2008 | | Blog: Hec of a gamble | | Never in Serie A history has a Coach been sacked the week before his side’s final game of the season. James Horncastle asks whether Parma made the right decision in getting rid of Hector Cuper |  |  | | Super Mario is a hero masquerading as a plumber, instead of plugging holes and filling gaps he sets about saving the world and the odd princess. Parma President Tommaso Ghirardi appears intent on following the stubby moustachioed Italian’s example.
He has kicked his Coach, Hector 'the trooper' Cuper, into touch and is undertaking the seemingly impossible task of preventing the 'Game Over' credits fall on the Gialloblu’s 18-year Serie A adventure.
Was Ghirardi right to sack Cuper and can the club’s new Coach and plumber extraordinaire, Andrea Manzo, fix Parma’s leaky defence? Cuper only collected nine points from his 10 games in charge and saw seven of his players sent off, a sign of the tension and frustration running through the club. Cynics believe Cuper was fired because of his links with Sunday’s opponents Inter.
The Argentine was on the Nerazzurri bench when Inter lost the title on the final day of the season in 2002 and some thought he would try to make amends by gifting the Scudetto to his former employers this weekend. The paradox is that Inter’s hand has probably been strengthened thanks to Cuper’s dismissal.
Manzo, who was Parma’s youth team Coach, clearly doesn’t have enough time to implement his ideas, giving the Nerazzurri a psychological advantage. If Ghirardi thought Cuper’s history brought bad luck on Parma he should check out Manzo’s recent past – the former Milan midfielder led the Gialloblu Primavera to a 4-2 defeat against Inter’s youngsters on Sunday.
Cuper, famous for slapping his players on their hearts and yelling “I am with you”, isn’t bitter and believes Manzo can spark Parma into life, but I have my doubts. A total of 15 Coaches have been sacked between 10 teams this season and only five of those clubs are safe, some by the skin of their teeth.
Hiring and firing has traditionally been good for the Italian game. Tacticians from the peninsula boss, on average, four more teams than their English counterparts, giving them more experience, allowing them to learn from their mistakes.
However, the timing of Cuper’s termination is not healthy and can only damage morale. Ghirardi is sticking by his decision, and believes it will send a much-needed shock through the dressing room, a shock that, in a period of such high tension, could kill his club.
Parma need all the luck they can get if they are to survive. Good fortune could come in the form of legendary Portugal and Parma defender Fernando Couto who inspired Lazio to a final day victory over Inter on May 5, 2002, breaking Nerazzurri hearts. The Gialloblu tifosi will also be casting their minds back to that play-off in 2005 when Parma beat Bologna to retain their top-flight status.
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