Anderson stands down as Roosters coach
Chris Anderson has stood down as coach of NRL club the Sydney Roosters.
The Roosters' website confirmed Anderson's departure late Monday, with club legend Brad Fittler to take over in a caretaker role effective immediately.
Anderson has had a torrid time since taking over the glamour club, the Roosters winning just five of their 16 games this year.
The last straw for the former Bulldogs great appeared to be the 56-0 thrashing at the hands of Manly on the weekend.
The Daily Telegraph website reported that Anderson rang Roosters boss Nick Politis, who is in Europe on business, to tell him of his resignation.
An unnamed club official was quoted by the website saying Anderson's decision was effective immediately.
"Chris has thought about his future for the last 48 hours and decided to stand down," the official said.
"There was no pressure from management. It was all his decision.
"He was signed until the end of next season but just decided he had had enough."
Anderson's replacement, Fittler, played 217 games for the Roosters in nine seasons from 1996 and captained the club to the premiership in 2002, their first since 1975.
Anderson's departure shocks Roosters CEO
Roosters chief executive Brian Canavan admits he has been shocked by coach Chris Anderson's sudden departure from the NRL club.
Anderson resigned effective immediately last night, 24 hours after the club's 56-0 thrashing at the hands of Manly, and has been replaced by assistant coach and former Australian skipper Brad Fittler.
"It was a shock, I got a phone call from Chris approximately 7.30pm last night," Canavan said on Sydney radio station 2KY on Tuesday.
"Chris has always been very honest and very straight-forward and he just said he was ringing to let me know he was stepping down from the job, it's a job for a younger coach.
"And he also said he was very disappointed, but relieved."
It is believed Anderson's poor health was a factor in his decision, while the club is sitting second last on the table after winning just five of their 16 games in 2007.
Canavan insists Fittler, who played 217 games for the Roosters and captained them to the 2002 premiership, is ready for the role.
"Once he finished playing he took a bit of a step back from the game," Canavan said.
"He stepped out of the limelight but just in the last month he's shown that he really wants to coach.
"He's got that desire in him, you can just hear it in his voice.
"In terms of coaching delivery, having watched him coach in front of a group or one-on-one in video sessions, he's top-shelf, I can say that.
"Now it's the other bits he needs to encounter."
Fittler himself is excited about the opportunity to try and turn around the club's fortunes.
His first match at the helm will be against former mentor Ricky Stuart when the Roosters meet the Sharks at Aussie Stadium on Saturday night.
"It's an exciting opportunity," Fittler told the club's website.
"I want to use the remainder of the season to prove that Chris Anderson's time here wasn't a waste.
"Even though results may not show it, Chris has laid a great foundation within the club through his professionalism and unique experiences as a dual premiership-winning coach."
