Huddersfield have sacked their manager Simon Grayson just 48 hours brefore their FA Cup fourth round tie against Leicester City.
The Terriers have had a dreadful run and have not won in the Championship since November 10 and a 1-0 win over relegation-threatened Barnsley. Huddersfield have slumped to 18th in the table.
Academy Manager Mark Lillis and Senior Professional Development Coach Steve Eyre will take temporary control of the team, starting with Saturday's game at home to City.
A statement was issued by the club early this afternoon to explain the sacking of Grayson, a former City player.
It said: "Everyone at the Club wishes to reiterate and underline our thanks for what Simon achieved in their time here. Simon led Huddersfield Town to a return to the Championship after a decade-long absence in May 2012 via a Play-Off Final victory over Sheffield United at Wembley."
Huddersfield Town Chairman Dean Hoyle added: ""In making this decision, we have thought long and hard. It has been made with both the shor- term and long-term needs of the club in mind. We brought Simon in with the immediate aim to lead the club to promotion and he did that at the first attempt. It is an achievement for which we are grateful.
"We knew the transition to Championship football would be difficult and our targets for this season have been realistic, with retention of our status the priority.
"However, having worked so hard to get back into the second tier we have to do everything we can to consolidate that position. After exceeding all our expectations in the early part of the season, our results and performances as a team and from individual players have tailed off alarmingly. Worsening displays have accompanied a run of just six points and no wins from the last 12 League games, including some very heavy defeats, culminating at Watford last Saturday.
"Whilst we would all have hoped for even some modest signs of improvement to begin to emerge as the weeks have passed that has not been the case. This has made the position untenable.
"We will now seek to recruit a new First Team Manager who can, in the short term, lead and reinvigorate the team and players for the remainder of this season and also drive us forward towards our long term aims. "We will not rush to make a new appointment."
The Terriers have had a dreadful run and have not won in the Championship since November 10 and a 1-0 win over relegation-threatened Barnsley. Huddersfield have slumped to 18th in the table.
Academy Manager Mark Lillis and Senior Professional Development Coach Steve Eyre will take temporary control of the team, starting with Saturday's game at home to City.
A statement was issued by the club early this afternoon to explain the sacking of Grayson, a former City player.
It said: "Everyone at the Club wishes to reiterate and underline our thanks for what Simon achieved in their time here. Simon led Huddersfield Town to a return to the Championship after a decade-long absence in May 2012 via a Play-Off Final victory over Sheffield United at Wembley."
Huddersfield Town Chairman Dean Hoyle added: ""In making this decision, we have thought long and hard. It has been made with both the shor- term and long-term needs of the club in mind. We brought Simon in with the immediate aim to lead the club to promotion and he did that at the first attempt. It is an achievement for which we are grateful.
"We knew the transition to Championship football would be difficult and our targets for this season have been realistic, with retention of our status the priority.
"However, having worked so hard to get back into the second tier we have to do everything we can to consolidate that position. After exceeding all our expectations in the early part of the season, our results and performances as a team and from individual players have tailed off alarmingly. Worsening displays have accompanied a run of just six points and no wins from the last 12 League games, including some very heavy defeats, culminating at Watford last Saturday.
"Whilst we would all have hoped for even some modest signs of improvement to begin to emerge as the weeks have passed that has not been the case. This has made the position untenable.
"We will now seek to recruit a new First Team Manager who can, in the short term, lead and reinvigorate the team and players for the remainder of this season and also drive us forward towards our long term aims. "We will not rush to make a new appointment."
