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By Phil McNulty BBC Sport Online chief football writer

Ipswich Town power-brokers of days gone by claimed the only crisis at Portman Road was when the white wine ran dry in the boardroom.

It was a romantic image from a by-gone age - and the sacking of George Burley is the sign of grim reality gripping even this most traditional and stable of football clubs.

Ipswich sack Burley

Ipswich Town chairman David Sheepshanks will have suffered much soul-searching before sacking a manager he holds in the highest regard, and who stood by through play-off disappointments and relegation.

Burley was a hugely popular figure as an Ipswich player and had been a high-profile success since taking over as manager in 1994.

In pictures: Burley's Ipswich reign

The Scot's dramatic fall from grace is the classic example of how football's fluctuating fortunes, allied to the desperate desire for instant results, can claim even the most secure of men.

Burley under pressure

It was only in April 2001 that Burley was crowned manager of the year after guiding Ipswich to fifth place in the Premiership and back into the Uefa Cup in their first season back in the Premiership after promotion.

Burley beat title winner Sir Alex Ferguson to the crown - and even came ahead of Liverpool manager Gerard Houllier, who won the Worthington Cup, Uefa Cup and FA Cup.

He was then handed a lengthy new contract and spoke of his ambitious plans to take Ipswich even further.

Burley handed five-year contract

But this was to be the high-point of Burley's long reign, and what followed was a remarkable decline for one of the most respected football men and football clubs.

Ipswich lost England goalkeeper Richard Wright to Arsenal in a �6m deal, and Burley's spending did not pay off as they slumped into a long season of struggle towards inevitable relegation.

Matteo Sereni was not a succeesful successor to Wright, while a �3m deal for Nigeria's Finidi George did not prove a sound investment.

Ipswich beat Inter Milan at home in the Uefa Cup, but once the adrenalin of their European campaign evaporated, Burley's team was doomed.

George did not return Ipswich's investment

Burley was entrusted with the task of guiding Ipswich back to the Premiership, but a poor start sealed his fate and even a board that regards dismissal as the very last resort was forced to act.

The Scot can be proud of his work and will remain much-loved at Ipswich, but as with Peter Reid at Sunderland, a manager who has enjoyed a lengthy stint in charge can sometimes find a slide difficult to arrest.

Burley enjoyed vast goodwill at Ipswich, but it is a commodity that counts for little in the cash-conscious world of the First Division.

It is a lack of points not a lack of wine that constitutes a crisis - and Burley was drinking at the last chance saloon.


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