Ballardini 15th sacked boss in Serie A

Cagliari today sacked Davide Ballardini less than four months after hiring him, taking the number of coaches fired this season in the 20-team Serie A to 15. The final nail in his coffin was Friday night's 6-3 thumping at Napoli that left the Sardinians one place above the relegation zone. Ballardini is the third Cagliari coach since August to be sacked by president Massimo Cellino. Cagliari came back from their summer break with former Italy coach Roberto Donadoni at the helm but he was fired straight after a pre-season game, which his team had won. They began the season with Massimo Ficcadenti in charge but he lasted only until mid-November before being replaced by Ballardini. Ficcadenti, who is still under contract with Cagliari, is expected to take over again, a move that is typical in Italy where coaches are known to come and go regularly. Cagliari had lost their last three games but otherwise Ballardini's record was quite respectable for a struggling team with four wins, six draws and six defeats from his 16 league games in charge.