Coventry City have denied making “a knee jerk reaction” to their 4-0 home defeat to Watford after sacking manager Chris Coleman.
Coleman, who was appointed manager in February 2008 to replace Iain Dowie, has been relieved of his duties with immediate effect.
“The decision was made after assessing the last two years,” said a club statement, “and reflected the fact that the team’s form deteriorated rapidly towards the end of the season for the second year running.”
Chairman Ray Ranson said: “It is true I enjoyed a very close working relationship with Chris and it’s been a pleasure to work with him since his arrival in February 2008. The board would like to place on record their thanks for his efforts over two-and-a-half years.
“We will not be rushed into finding a successor and the board will explore every avenue to appoint the right manager to take Coventry City Football Club forward.”
Speaking after his side’s collapse against Watford, Coleman admitted he was not getting things right but felt the blame could not be laid solely at his feet.
He said: “I’m doing something wrong – I am – but it’s not all just me making mistakes as a manager. I’ve got a great staff who work very hard but we need to make changes and that was evident in the game.
“There were no positives to that, not one. It was an embarrassing end to the season for us. It was the worst possible way to go out.
“It is not good enough and I apologise. The players went out after the game to say thank you to the supporters but if I had been a supporter, I would have gone home. In fact, I would have gone before the end.”
