David Dunn will be in charge of Oldham Athletic for the foreseeable future after inexperienced boss Darren Kelly was sacked on Saturday.
The writing was on the wall for Kelly as early as 4:15pm on Saturday, as his side capitulated to a 5-1 home defeat at the hands of Peterborough.
An official club statement confirming his dismissal was released two hours later, after assistant boss Dean Holden fulfilled the 36-year-old’s post-match media duties. By Sunday morning, midfielder Dunn – signed from Blackburn in the summer – had been installed as ‘interim manager’.
Dunn played 90 minutes in the heart of the Oldham’s midfield as managerless Posh put five past the hosts, who are now without a win in five league outings.
Peterborough debutant Lee Angol opened the scoring, and Erhun Oztumer doubled the visitors’ before half time. Rhys Murphy pulled one back with a tidy finish, but a Souleymane Coulibaly double put the result beyond doubt before Angol got his second with just over ten minutes remaining.
While many Latics fans believe Dunn is in the hot seat for the long haul, speculation remains as to who will take up the permanent position, with Neil Redfearn and Paul Scholes touted as possible replacements.
As far as the immediate future goes, Dunn will be preparing the underachieving squad for next week’s trip to Doncaster Rovers. After finishing 2014/15 poorly, the rot was carried into pre-season and Athletic now find themselves in 19th position having amassed just seven points – and six goals – from their opening seven fixtures.
Speaking after Saturday’s defeat Holden lamented the disappointing, gutless team performance, and he and Dunn will be looking for players to take responsibility in the absence of a permanent first-team manager.
“Now is the time for people to go away and looking at themselves,” Holden told the club’s website in the wake of the home defeat.
“It’s not a time for finger pointing, it’s a time to look in your own mirror and ask: am I giving enough?”
“The rest of the season starts tomorrow morning.”
Despite the turmoil that has accompanied the opening seven fixtures, there are over 100 points still to play for.
Dunn, who has over a decade’s Premier League experience and a solitary England cap, will now look to take his new charges to the Keepmoat Stadium with a fresh attitude following weeks of bad blood both on the field and off it.
Main image courtesy of OfficialOAFC via YouTube, with thanks.
