CRYSTAL Palace assistant manager Keith Millen admits he was "shocked" to see friend Kenny Jackett leave Millwall on Tuesday, but believes off-the-field problems may have driven him too far.
But he expects Jackett to get another job very quickly although he may want to take a break from the game first.
"Kenny resigning at Millwall shocked me a bit this week," Millen told Advertiser Sport.
"I get on with Kenny really well but he didn't give any signs he was going to do that.
"I think he's had to deal with a lot of off-the-field problems with the club and it must be difficult when you get all these issues with the fans - it can't be an easy club to manage I imagine.
"He's done well there for six years but maybe he thinks he's taken them as far as he could, and they had a great cup run and stayed up, which I think is quite an achievement for Millwall with their budget.
"Maybe he feels he needs a little break from football but it did surprise me, I must admit. I wasn't expecting that one.
"He'll get another club easily because of his record. I know him well and I will probably speak to him soon once we've got our play-off games out of the way."
And after another shock in the managerial world yesterday with Sir Alex Ferguson, Millen says the Scotsman has left Manchester United in a healthy state but admits the game will not be the same in the top flight.
"Someone mentioned it at the training ground and at first I thought it was a joke," he said.
"He's obviously got his reasons and it sounds like he's kept it very quiet.
"Maybe he also feels he's taken them as far as he can and he's leaving them a team after rebuilding them - they're in good condition.
"And maybe he would have wanted another crack at the Champions League but it doesn't look like it's any health issues that have influenced his decision.
"I heard he's having a hip operation but that wouldn't stop him from coming back to work.
"Now they're talking about David Moyes coming into replace him from Everton, and they must be pretty clear on who they want but there aren't many out there who tick all the boxes anyway.
"I don't think Jose Mourinho will get it as he's got a bit of a record on leaving clubs. Man United won't want to appoint someone who will be there for a couple of years, they're not like that.
"Moyes has been at Everton for around 11 years so that will probably help, and I imagine Sir Alex would have a big say in it, plus he's close to Moyes too.
"It will not be the same with Sir Alex in the game. It's a massive loss to football."
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But he expects Jackett to get another job very quickly although he may want to take a break from the game first.
"Kenny resigning at Millwall shocked me a bit this week," Millen told Advertiser Sport.
"I get on with Kenny really well but he didn't give any signs he was going to do that.
"I think he's had to deal with a lot of off-the-field problems with the club and it must be difficult when you get all these issues with the fans - it can't be an easy club to manage I imagine.
"He's done well there for six years but maybe he thinks he's taken them as far as he could, and they had a great cup run and stayed up, which I think is quite an achievement for Millwall with their budget.
"Maybe he feels he needs a little break from football but it did surprise me, I must admit. I wasn't expecting that one.
"He'll get another club easily because of his record. I know him well and I will probably speak to him soon once we've got our play-off games out of the way."
And after another shock in the managerial world yesterday with Sir Alex Ferguson, Millen says the Scotsman has left Manchester United in a healthy state but admits the game will not be the same in the top flight.
"Someone mentioned it at the training ground and at first I thought it was a joke," he said.
"He's obviously got his reasons and it sounds like he's kept it very quiet.
"Maybe he also feels he's taken them as far as he can and he's leaving them a team after rebuilding them - they're in good condition.
"And maybe he would have wanted another crack at the Champions League but it doesn't look like it's any health issues that have influenced his decision.
"I heard he's having a hip operation but that wouldn't stop him from coming back to work.
"Now they're talking about David Moyes coming into replace him from Everton, and they must be pretty clear on who they want but there aren't many out there who tick all the boxes anyway.
"I don't think Jose Mourinho will get it as he's got a bit of a record on leaving clubs. Man United won't want to appoint someone who will be there for a couple of years, they're not like that.
"Moyes has been at Everton for around 11 years so that will probably help, and I imagine Sir Alex would have a big say in it, plus he's close to Moyes too.
"It will not be the same with Sir Alex in the game. It's a massive loss to football."
The contents of this article must not be reproduced without the permission of the Croydon Advertiser.
Follow us on Twitter for the latest Palace news, exclusives and live match updates at www.twitter.com/AdvertiserSport
Palace fans on Facebook, have your say on our page at www.facebook.com/AdvertiserSport
Watch our exclusive away videos following Palace around the country on our YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/AdvertiserSport