On This Day in 2008: Leicester Tigers sack head coach Marcelo Loffreda

On this day in 2008, Leicester Tigers sacked head coach Marcelo Loffreda after only one season in charge.

Here, the PA news agency looks back on his time at Welford Road.

Delayed start

Loffreda led Argentina to the World Cup semi-finals in South Africa in 2007 which meant he missed the first three months of the season. It had already been announced, in April, he would join the Tigers after the tournament but did not arrive at Welford Road until the November. “Everything is a mess when you get back to a place and have to settle in again,” he said later.

Season

The season was a disappointment by the club’s standards as Leicester failed to defend their title. They were also knocked out in the Heineken Cup group stages and were beaten by the Ospreys in the final of the EDF Energy Cup. They finished fourth in the Premiership, winning 13 of their 22 games, coming ahead of Sale by just a point. The Tigers reached the play-off final, only to lose 26-16 to Wasps.

Sacking

Loffreda was sacked by Leicester in June, less than eight months after arriving at Welford Road. He lost nine of his 22 league games and was replaced by Tigers coach Heyneke Meyer, who quit for personal reasons in January 2009. “I was disappointed, because I didn’t have enough time to learn and adjust. Leicester have very high expectations and are always in a rush to win trophies,” Loffreda said after his sacking.