Premier League cult hero, 42, handed shock EFL manager role as he looks to help club avoid relegation
FORMER Premier League star Matthew Etherington has been named interim boss of the second-worst club in the Football League.
The ex-Tottenham and West Ham winger, 42, will take charge of Colchester United for their League Two clash at Grimsby Town tomorrow.
PA:Press AssociationMatthew Etherington starred for West Ham in the Premier League[/caption]
GettyHe has now taken charge of League Two strugglers Colchester United[/caption]
The U’s sacked Ben Garner after they were beaten 2-1 at home by Harrogate Town on Saturday – their fourth-straight loss.
That result left them 23rd in the fourth tier and just three points above Sutton United at the bottom.
Etherington, who was appointed Under-21 lead coach at Colchester in June, will be assisted by assistant head coach Scott Marshall and first-team coach Dave Huzzey while the club decide on a permanent replacement for Garner.
Etherington hit the headlines in December when he was sacked by Crawley Town after just three games in his first managerial job.
He named former Peterborough and Tottenham teammate Simon Davies as his assistant on November 27, 2022 and went on to beat Swindon Town 2-0 in his opening match.
A 2-0 home defeat to Hartlepool followed on December 9 before another setback on home turf followed on Boxing Day as they were downed 2-1 by Sutton before he was axed.
Etherington retired from playing in 2014 after an impressive playing career with Peterborough, Spurs, Bradford, West Ham and Stoke City.
The ex-England U21 winger battled a gambling addiction while at the Hammers, with the club lending him £300,000, after he accumulated huge debts.
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Etherington also spent time at Tony Adams’ Sporting Chance Clinic.
He began his coaching career in charge of Peterborough’s U18s in 2018. Etherington was then promoted to assistant manager of the first-team in November 2021.
He even had a one-game foray as interim boss before returning to his No.2 position under Grant McCann before then taking the leap and making his ill-fated switch to Crawley.
