Rioch sacked for keeping too quiet in the hallowed halls of Highbury

BRUCE Rioch was sacked by Arsenal because he wouldn't communicate, according to club chairman Peter Hill Wood.

Hill Wood, who is expected to reveal former Monaco coach Arsene Wenger as the new Gunners manager in the next few days, said: 'He hardly talked to us.

'We did not know what was going on or what his thoughts were and that is not healthy,' the Arsenal supremo told The Sun newspaper.

'We employed him in good faith and thought he was the right man for the job. He was not and now we are looking again.' Despite the signing of Dutch ace Dennis Bergkamp and former England captain David Platt last summer, Rioch's only summer signing this year was the acquisition of former Highbury goalkeeper John Lukic from Leeds.

That appears to have unnerved the Arsenal board, especially as the Gunners' Premiership rivals were in the process of breaking the bank in a record close-season in the transfer market.

While Newcastle were beating Manchester United to the GBP15 million (HK$180 million) signing of Alan Shearer, Arsenal's expected interest in the England striker failed to surface.