On Wednesday afternoon, a ten-man Palermo side were defeated by newcomers Pescara. That leaves the rosanero languishing in 19th, their only point coming from a draw with Cagliari, just above them in the table. They have scored just one goal this season, while conceding nine, and if it weren't for Siena's point deduction to start the season, Palermo would be bottom. Having fired Beppe Sannino after just three games, Maurizio Zamparini was at a loss as to how to save his club.
Zamparini's solution? Hire Pietro Lo Monaco, the former sporting director at cross-island rivals Catania. Lo Monaco becomes the new CEO of Palermo, taking on day-to-day operations of the club. Meanwhile, Zamparini fades gently into the background.
This is the sort of decision that could come only from the craziest depths of Zamp's brain. Lo Monaco left Catania because, essentially, he was a troublemaker. He wasn't getting along with the owner but, even worse, he was creating problems with players, leading them to seek transfers or head off on loan moves to their native Argentina.
The next step for Lo Monaco was a position with Genoa. Enrico Preziosi thought it best if he loosened the reigns just a bit, allowing Lo Monaco to take over the daily workings of the club. But Lo Monaco had ideas above his station, wanting to handle the buying and selling of players. Preziosi put the kibosh on that, and now Pietro has washed up on the shores of Sicily once again.
Any takers on how long he'll remain at the club? Zamparini may say he wants to take a backseat at Palermo, but this is a man who regularly tells his managers what players they should put on the pitch. Combine that with Lo Monaco's desire to buy and sell players without interference, and you've likely got a recipe for disaster.
But it will most likely be an entertaining one. For neutral fans, anyway.