Graham Westley, coach of English third division club Preston North End, informed eight players they were dropped from the first team by sending them a text message.
Westley, who took over in January, released 14 players at the end of last season and transfer-listed seven, noting: “I’ve had to tread carefully around some of the most mediocre standardsI’ve ever seen in my life.”
In his latest purge, he sent a text message that included: “Lads. U are one of 8 players that I expect to have left the club by the start of the season…. You are free to meet prospective employers between now and then. … Do not attend the club training ground please and do not go abroad. U may be required on the same day to attend a transfermeeting. …”