Ranieri appointed coach of Parma
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ROME, Feb 13 (Reuters) - Struggling Serie A side Parma have appointed Claudio Ranieri as their new coach. The 55-year-old former Chelsea coach, who signed a contract until the end of June, takes the place of Stefano Pioli, who was sacked on Monday after a 3-0 defeat to AS Roma at the weekend.
Parma lie 19th in the 20-team division on 15 points from 22 games, three points from escaping the relegation zone. Ranieri is expected to take charge of the club for the first leg of their UEFA Cup first knockout round tie at Braga in Portugal on Thursday.
"I'm confident we can avoid relegation. I've taken on this job because I believe in the project the club is trying to push forward," Ranieri was quoted as saying in La Gazzetta dello Sport on Tuesday. "I've seen Parma a few times recently. They play well, but I want them to be less beautiful and more practical."
Ranieri made his name at Cagliari between 1988 and 1991, taking the southerners from the third division Serie C1 to Serie A in successive seasons. Stints at Napoli and Fiorentina followed, but in 1997 he left Italy to take charge of Spanish side Valencia, who he led to victory in the Copa del Rey in 1999.
After a brief period at Atletico Madrid, he took charge of Chelsea at the start of the 2000-01 season. Under Ranieri the club consolidated its position among the elite of English clubs, but never quite fulfilled the promise. Ranieri's over-rotation of the squad, however, earned him the nickname "The Tinkerman" and he was sacked in May 2004. -
GG parma.. rianeri is not a good coach.
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i think its a good appointment. ranieri cant handle clubs at the top so parma seems a good choice
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tinkerman is back
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He is the "biggest" coach which Parma can find so far. Pioli is rubbish. I don't think Ranieri can be any worse, although I still feel that survival is tough this season. Hope he can prove me wrong. I hope that the new owner has a plan in place, instead of just getting a big named coach and pray for the best.
Go Parma!!