Former Pompey coach and caretaker boss Stuart Gray is set to leave FulhamFormer Pompey coach and caretaker boss Stuart Gray is set to leave Fulham
Former Pompey coach and caretaker boss Stuart Gray is set to leave Fulham | Getty Images
Stuart Gray spent nearly a year at Pompey before the club’s financial troubles caught up with them again
Former Pompey coach and caretaker manager Stuart Gray is leaving Premier League Fulham.
His departure will bring his decade-long association with the Craven Cottage outfit to an end, with Gray arrving in 2015 and working under Slaviša Jokanović, Scott Parker and curent head coach Marco Silva during his time in west London.
During that period, Fulham won three promotions to the Premier League. At present, the Cottagers sit 10th in the table ahead of their game against City.
Stuart Gray’s time at Portsmouth
The former Southampton midfielder and boss was appointed Pompey assistant manager in July 2011 as he joined Steve Cotterill’s backroom team at Fratton Park.
Following coaching spells at Aston Villa, Wolves, Northampton and Burnley, Gray signed a two-year deal with the Blues as he replaced Ian Woan - who had moved to Watford.
In October 2011 he was appointed interim Pompey manager alongside Guy Whittingham as Cotterill was lured away from the south coast by Nottingham Forest. The duo took charge of six games, winning three and drawing one, before seeing Michael Appleton appointed as the Blues’ new boss a month later.
Stuart Gray, right, alongside Guy Whittingham on the Pompey touchlineStuart Gray, right, alongside Guy Whittingham on the Pompey touchline
Stuart Gray, right, alongside Guy Whittingham on the Pompey touchline | Getty Images
Gray remained in situ at Fratton Park under Appleton, but with the club facing further financial difficulties after running up debts of £58m, he left his role in April 2012 - just before the final game of the season.
Indeed, he was one of four redundancies made that month - including club amabassador Linvoy Promus - with administrator Trevor Birch asking the Blues to part ways with either Gray or Whittingham.
Appleton was ‘backed into a corner’ at Pompey
Speaking to The News at the time, Appleton revealed he and Gray - who had been linked with a reunion with Cotterill at Forest - had an honest discussion at the club’s training ground before the decision was made.
He said: ‘I had a good chat with Stu yesterday and we’ve had a frank conversation.
‘What you aren’t aware of is someone’s mental frame of mind. It’s a difficult situation for everyone.
‘I think I have to look at the bigger picture all the time.
‘Sometimes you might seem a bit hard faced, but a football club is not about one individual.
‘I’ve got to think of the best interests of all the players and staff. Some decisions are taken out of your hands, like the staffing one.
‘There’s nothing I can do about those. There’s a realisation they need to be done. Certain decisions I will have an influence on, and rightly so regarding the player situation.
‘If I’m backed into a corner and have to make a decision then so be it. I don’t l like doing it, but at the end of the day someone has to do it.’
Following his Pompey exit, Gray joined Sheffield Wednesday, where he remained until his move to Fulham in 2015.
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