NEWS NOW: A former Leeds United player was sacked as manager and was given a harsh one-sentence speech.

Former Leeds United player Patrick Kisnorbo has been sacked by French outfit Troyes after winning just three of his 40 matches in charge of the Ligue 2 club. The former Whites star started his coaching career with hometown side Melbourne City in Australia, having spent three years there as a player between 2013 and 2016.

He started with the youth team before being promoted to assistant manager of the women’s side. He went on to become manager of Melbourne City women and then moved into an assistant role with the men’s side. He was appointed first-team manager of the side in 2020, taking charge of 74 games where he won 43 of those and lost just 15 while drawing the other 16. He twice finished top of the A-League with Melbourne and went on to clinch the A-League Championship in 2021. In the A-League the champions are decided by a play-off finals series, so the team who finishes top are not always guaranteed to win the competition.

Kisnorbo moved to Troyes 12 months ago with the French club owned by City Football Group who also own Melbourne as well as Premier League champions Manchester City. The club sat 13th in Ligue 1 last November but were relegated to Ligue 2 and are currently 17th in the French second tier. Kisnorbo lost 23 of his 40 matches in charge, drawing 14 with just three wins. In a short statement, Troyes confirmed: “The management of ESTAC, in consultation with its shareholder, today notified Patrick Kisnorbo, the coach of the professional team, of his dismissal as a precautionary measure.

Troyes’ third straight loss in all competitions came at home to Guingamp, 1-0, in Kisnorbo’s last game in charge. Before that run, Troyes had drawn their previous three games and defeated SM Caen 2-1. Having previously played for Hearts of the Scottish Premiership and South Melbourne, he joined Leeds in 2009 from Leicester City.

He made 58 Whites appearances and scored one goal. He was a crucial part of the Whites’ 2010 promotion from League One and was present at Old Trafford for the historic FA Cup third-round victory in January. At the end-of-season awards, Kisnorbo won both the Players’ Player of the Year and the Club’s Player of the Year titles.