Gert Engels' dismissal on Thursday as manager of Urawa Reds was inevitable, but although he must shoulder some of the blame for a disappointing season in Saitama, the German could have expected better than the shabby treatment he received over the past few weeks.
Despite going into last weekend's round of fixtures just one point off the top of the J. League table with three games to go, rumors that the Urawa hierarchy had already decided to relieve Engels of his position at the end of the season refused to go away.
The presence of former Freiburg manager Volker Finke at last Sunday's home game against Shimizu S-Pulse added further grist to the mill, and Engels' exasperated comments after the match painted a bleak picture of his future at Saitama Stadium.