Nottingham Forest have sacked manager Mark Warburton with immediate effect after nine months in charge.
The Reds sit 14th in the Championship after 25 games having only won once in their last seven league matches.
Forest have one of the worst defensive records in the division and have already lost 14 games with only bottom-club Birmingham City having lost more.
Progress?
When new owner Evangelos Marinakis arrived at the club last summer, some of the key words being mentioned were stability and progress. Whilst there is no doubt that massive progress has been made off-the-pitch, Forest's performances and results under Warburton were not improving.
The Reds did produce a number of promising performances under Warburton, including a 4-0 win against Queens Park Rangers in early November. However, these performances were not produced consistently and back-to-back home defeats to Sheffield Wednesday and Sunderland have signalled the end of Warburton's tenure.
The club's hierarchy is said to have been left frustrated with the club's away form with Forest having only won three times away from home all season against Brentford, Sunderland and Hull City. Forest's home form had previously been impressive but has also tailed off in recent weeks.
Warburton's departure has also seen assistant manager David Weir and Director of Football Frank McParland leave The City Ground. The club reportedly do have a replacement in mind and will be looking to get them in place as soon as possible with the January transfer window opening tomorrow.
A statement on the club's website thanked Warburton and his staff for their efforts during their time at the club.
What next for the Reds?
The decision to sack Warburton will without doubt divide the club's fanbase. After five years of demise under the previous ownership of Fawaz Al-Hasawi, the club was crying out for some stability. However, the club's hierarchy clearly lost confidence in Warburton and were not prepared to back him in the January transfer window and would rather allow a new manager to bring their own players in.
The search will have already begun for a new manager. Many names have already been mentioned including Burton Albion manager Nigel Clough who has a deep affinity with the club but did turn down a chance to be manager of the club last season.
However, it has been confirmed that Gary Brazil will manage the team for the trip to Elland Road tomorrow as the Reds face play-off hopefuls Leeds United. This means that whoever comes in at The City Ground could face Arsenal in the FA Cup in their first game.