Sky Bet Championship promotion chasers West Brom have sacked head coach Darren Moore.
The shock move comes after the Baggies drew 1-1 with Ipswich on Saturday, leaving them nine points adrift of Leeds in second.
After winning just four of their last 12 league games and a recent 4-1 hammering at Leeds, the Baggies have decided to act after losing 'ground in the challenge for automatic promotion'.
Chief executive Mark Jenkins told the club's official website: "This has been an enormously difficult decision for a club which will always hold Darren in such high regard.
"He took over at a very difficult time last season and reunited the club, a contribution that will never be forgotten. We have made it clear from the outset that everything this season was geared to making as swift a return to the Premier League as possible.
"Unfortunately Darren has not been able to engineer the consistency of form and results to convince the board that this objective would be met."
Moore's assistants Graeme Jones and Wayne Jacobs have also left the club while first team coach James Shan has been put in temporary charge of team affairs.
The club have indicated that they intend to identify a replacement for Moore as soon as possible.
Moore, who made over 100 playing appearances for the club between 2001 and 2006, had given no indication of his impending departure at his post-match press conference.
Moore said: "Nobody is going to give West Bromwich Albion the right to win. We have to go and earn it and find it. So we will continue trying to work towards that."
Ipswich manager Paul Lambert, meanwhile, was delighted with the display of his side.
They remain on course for relegation as they are 12 points adrift of safety but Lambert has high hopes for the future after an impressive display against Albion.
The Scot said: "We have been playing really well. I thought that we were the better team and that we deserved to win. We could have have been 3-1, 4-1. We had so many chances. The way we played, passing the ball and the courage to take the ball.
"We have got some really good young players and we don't look like a team at the bottom that's for sure. The club is in a really good place. For the future we had to have the infrastructure which I don't think was there.
"It is just building the club again but there are some really, really good players. We could be a real top side if they develop."
Lambert was also full of praise for the backing of the Town fans and he added: "It is not a normal crowd for a bottom-of-the-table side. It is brilliant. I can't thank them enough. They have been absolutely brilliant.
"I think they enjoy watching us play. They can hopefully see the club will be built right and looked after."
Lambert is also keen to play his part in the future.
He said: "The only way I will leave is if Marcus (owner, Marcus Evans) says go. I love the club, I don't like the position it is in but I think the supporters are enjoying the excitement of what could happen."
West Brom manager on first league game of 2019/20 (via Sky Bet)
- Lee Johnson - 3/1
- Slavisa Jokanovic - 4/1
- David Wagner - 5/1
- David Moyes - 10/1
- Steve Clarke - 11/1
- Sam Allardyce - 14/1