Ed Still has been sacked by RAAL La Louviere after the side lost 1-0 to Cercle Brugge at the weekend. Still, who was sacked by Watford earlier this year, has now lost two jobs in the space of a few months. However, he can feel pretty aggrieved about this latest disappointment. It certainly was not the fault of the former Watford man that his players were unable to convert two penalties that they were awarded against fellow strugglers Cercle Brugge. However, chairman Salvatore Curaba has come out and said he wants a more experienced head coach in charge, arguing that the staff were too young for the challenge facing them this season.
Losing the Watford job is a right of passage for most head coaches, so it was no surprise that Still struggled to achieve much success in English football. However, in defence of Still, the clubs he has managed since he had success with Charleroi a few seasons ago now have all been poor choices and, in some cases, circumstances have conspired against him. After leaving Charleroi he took over at Eupen to end the season. Still kept a poor Pandas side in the league, but was not given a summer to bring in players he wanted to refresh the squad. Eupen were relegated the following season.
At Kortrijk, he was brought in late and given barely any new players to work with just as the season started. This was always going to be a recipe for disaster, with the club being in talks with new owners most of that summer before the sale fell through and Still was brought in at the final hour. Still failed to win a game in Kortrijk, but many would have struggled under similar circumstances.
After leaving Watford this summer he took over at RAAL La Louviere. While Kortrijk gave him very few players to play with, RAAL have acted in a completely different fashion. They were one of the most active sides in the summer, bringing in a host of new players, with multiple players for each position. Suddenly, Still had to manage a pretty bloated squad. Things started well for a side many expected to struggle this season. He leaves with three wins, one draw and eight defeats and RAAL sitting in 17th. Plans are already afoot to bring in even more players in January for a new more experienced head coach. 15 already made it through the door in the summer, so surely some will have to leave. Again, perhaps Still could have done better with what he had, but 15 new players is a lot for any head coach to assess over just a few months.
Still is unlikely to be given another chance in the Pro League after his past few jobs. However, he has worked well as an assistant in the past with Lens and Anderlecht and would likely be a valuable addition to many coaching teams in Belgium.
