Special Report: Hearts sack Vucicevic

Hearts of Oak have sacked Serbian boss Nebojsa Vucicevic on Friday afternoon.
SuperSport.com's Ghana editor breaks down his tenure with the Phobians.

Record at a glance:


Tenure: 406 days (1 year, 41 days)
Position when he took over: 14th
Position when he left: 2nd
Form (2010/2011):Won 21 of a possible 33 points (Won 7 games, Lost 4, Drew 0).

Form (2011/2012 season): Won 32 of a possible 57 points (Won 8 games, Lost 3, Drew 8)
Form (total since taking charge): Won 53 of a possible 90 points (15 wins, 7 losses,
8 draws).

Estimated cash made

Gross salary: $70,200 in total (as per $5,400/month for 13 months)
Severance package: $55,300
Total cash made (Gross + severance): $125,500

On the field


Hearts announced its decision to part ways with the
Serbian "on mutual grounds."A poor run of form led to his dismissal, having allowed
club rivals
Kotoko a nine point lead at the top of the Ghana Premier League.


The club's press release made available to the Ghana News Agency said the
decision had been reached "during a cordial meeting on Friday, during
which Hearts
agreed to discharge all its obligations under the employment contract,
and both parties wished each other well in all future endeavours"
In his stead, the club has directed Shaibu Tanko to take temporary charge
of the team.

Fun stat

19 - Nebojsa was hired 19 games into
2010/2011 season. He was sacked 19 games into the 2011/12 season. Coincidence or
design? You decide.


His signing

The Serbian has been in charge of the Phobians for just over a year and a
month, having taken the club's reins on February 4, 2011. Vucicevic, 49, was a
former manager of (former) Yugoslav side FK Radnicki Beograd and his last job was in
charge of Serbian second-tier side FK Srem. Uske, as he is affectionately called,
agreed a two-year deal on a US$ 5,400 monthly salary.

Hearts
of Oak were in the relegation zone on 14th-place when he came in. He
started well, beating Mighty Jets 2-1 in his first game and followed it
with another win against Liberty. His first loss, 2-0, came against
Kotoko at home. Hearts fans became jittery when Wa All Stars also beat
them 1-0, after which the season
see-sawed.

They finished 6th, their worst in years. It was time to visit the drawing board.

Form (2010/2011):Won 21 of a possible 33 points (Won 7 games, Lost 4, Drew 0).

Rebuilding

The
transfer window opened with Hearts looking to strengthen and clear out
simultaneously. The club had also been going through a bit of soul
searching, having put themselves in an Initial Public Offer that failed
miserably. But Nebojsa Vucicevic was determined.

The Serbian
presented
12 players to the team's management for approval of contract extensions.
Some of them featured in the hugely-successful preseason warmup
tournament dubbed the Super 2, which saw back-to-back games with Kotoko.

Pre-2011/2012 season and start

The
Super 2 would be the Serbian's only chance to test the ability of his
players, following the team's withdrawal from the Glo 8 tournament for
financial and logistical reasons. The season started well enough for the
club, as they kept the heat for top spot for several weeks with Kotoko.
In the end, the reds' consistency and lack of finishing for Hearts' led
to them dropping points in key matches.

Second transfer window

Hearts,
like many other teams, did not finish registering their players
on time, so the PLB extended the process till January 20, 2012. In the
end, the Serbian opted for Edwin Osei Pele to join Aduana Stars on loan
till the end of the
season after he was deemed surplus to requirements. But he held on to
Kofi Abanga, who had not featured for the club since he
ruptured both knees last season.

James Abban from Liberty was also brought in, as were others
from elsewhere: Iddrisu Moro, Philemon McCarthy (resigned for the club),
Edward Affum and Haruna Ganiyu. These signings did not help much, as
the creative spark needed to deliver goals was still missing. Defensive
frailties reared their heads now and again.

Tipping point

After
drawing Bechem on February 26th, pressure went up a notch. His next
game was away at AshGold. "Every game is massive now until the end of
the season and it is exciting", he told Hearts News. "What is terrible
is to play a
game of no importance. What is important is that we enjoy it and come
out with a good performance".

He lost that game through poor play from his boys. But the writing was
being put on the wall. Looking back at that loss, he said: "I don't know
if this is my most important match yet". It was, because he had been
given an ultimatum to win at Tema Youth or leave. He could not, as he
drew at home. It was time to go.

Form (2011/2012 season): Won 32 of a possible 57 points (Won 8 games, Lost 3, Drew 8)

Legacy

The
first thing one notices is how Hearts played better away under the
Serbian. Before leaving, he'd notched 5 wins on the road and six at
home. Out of 19 games, Nebojsa had 11 clean sheets. It suggests that
from where he took the club at the time of being hired till date, a
little patience may have served them well. He has also left a disjointed
team - at the time of taking over - quite sound. But he will be blamed
for not solving the perennial problem of scoring. His biggest win was
3-0 against a hapless B.A Stars last season; this season, 2-0 has been
his most prolific win margin.

Going forward

Whether Hearts rushed into sacking him will be seen by the end of the season, as the
management seek to elect another
boss within the next ten days. Continuity has always been an issue with Hearts.

Will the next boss allow procedure to be the same, or go for another needless
massive overhaul? We'll see.

Report by: Gary Al-Smith, SuperSport.com
Twitter: @garyalsmith