The Los Angeles Rams have fired head coach Jeff Fisher, just a few months after signing him to a two-year contract extension. The 58-year-old put pen to paper just before the start of the 2016 season, but the NFC West outfit have slumped to a 4-9 record after they were thumped 42-14 at home against the Atlanta Falcons.

Fisher has been in charge of the Rams since 2012 and has an overall record of 31-45-1 in his time, but didn’t manage to take his team to the playoffs in any of those five seasons.

Rams searching for new head coach

The news has come as a shock in the NFL, but the Rams were left with no choice with Fisher failing to lead the team to a winning record in any of his seasons in charge.

It is also a shock considering the Rams play on the Thursday Night Football against their divisional rivals, the Seattle Seahawks, and also because there are only three games left in the season.

After a 3-1 start to the 2016 season, things were looking up for the Rams, who had relocated back to Los Angeles in the offseason, but then they lost eight of their next nine games.

This season has been marred with questionable decisions, with the main one being the quarterback situation. Number one draft pick Jared Goff was left on the bench until Week 11, as Fisher opted to start Case Keenum instead.

Kroenke had to make tough decision

The Rams are now on the look-out for a new head coach, and their owner Stan Kroenke, who spoke to NFL.com, said it was a tough decision to make, but he thanked Fisher for his work.

“Making a decision such as this – especially during the season – is one of the most difficult in sports. I have great respect for Jeff as a coach, person, father and friend,” he said.

Kroenke spoke of Fisher’s “tireless” work in some “challenging circumstances” and mentioned his work in taking the Rams back to Los Angeles.

He added: “However, this is the right time to make a change as our performance has not lived up to my or our fans’ expectations. We all are focussed on improving as an organization and building a team that makes Los Angeles proud."

“Our mission is to celebrate a Super Bowl title with our fans in Los Angeles. Today is the first step to bringing us closer to get that goal.”

Special teams coordinator John Fassel will act as interim head coach until Fisher's replacement is found.