Derby County have confirmed the departure of manager Steve McClaren with immediate effect.
The 55-year-old had seen his side pick up just one win from their last nine Championship outings, putting an end to their outside hopes of securing a playoff spot.
The Rams are now 10 points off the top six and 25 points behind pacesetters Newcastle United and Brighton & Hove Albion following their 3-0 reverse to the Seagulls at the Amex Stadium on Friday night.
In a statement on the official Derby website, chairman Mel Morris wrote: "Steve is a great coach, we have very talented players and first class facilities but the heartbeat, commitment, focus and passion has been lacking something fundamental.
"The Brighton game on Friday night was so far from what we expect to see from those wearing a Derby County shirt.
"To ensure we are on the right path, it is important to put the building blocks in place so we can develop a team we can all be proud of. Players should wear the shirt with pride and share, espouse and exude the qualities and values we believe are important to the club, its supporters and the community.
"We need a manager who shares our values and who is prepared to develop the team, staff and processes that will set us on course for a sustainable place in the Premier League. We are less concerned about timescales than we are about getting things right. Of course we would like to achieve this sooner rather than later.
"That manager will of course be given the full support and backing of myself, the board, our executive team and staff to shape and develop the team around those who truly and demonstrably want to be part of Derby County."
The East Midlands side also confirmed that assistant manager Chris Powell and technical director Chris Evans have also left the iPro Stadium, with an announcement regarding a new head coach to be made in the coming days.
Giuseppe Labellarte
