Rioch pays the price for poor results

FORMER Scotland international Bruce Rioch has been sacked as manager of Aalborg after less than five months at the helm.

The former Arsenal and Bolton manager, who has 24 caps, had already been told his current deal, due to end on December 31, would not be renewed.

But his departure has been brought forward as the Danes look to reverse their miserable domestic form.

Aalborg won the Danish championship and qualified for the Champions League before Rioch’s arrival.

This season his side has won just two of its opening 10 league matches and is bottom of its Champions League group which also contains fellow Scots Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United and Gordon Strachan’s Celtic.

Aalborg held Celtic to a 0-0 draw at Celtic Park last month, but were thumped 3-0 at home to Manchester United.

The Danes’ 6-3 defeat in Villarreal was to be Rioch’s final match in charge.

Aalborg director of sport Lynge Jakobsen said: “Qualification for the Champions League was a success, but we have to say our results in SAS Ligaen have not been satisfactory.

“We have decided to stop now because we are no longer in agreement with Bruce Rioch about what is the best way to get satisfactory results.”

Assistant coach Allan Kuhn will take charge of the team for the rest of the year.