Tony Pulis sacked by Sheffield Wednesday

Sheffield Wednesday have sacked manager Tony Pulis just 45 days after being appointed.

The Championship strugglers made the announcement late on Monday night, with chairman Dejphon Chansiri pointing to on- and off-field issues behind the decision.

Pulis’ sacking came two days after a 1-1 draw at Blackburn in his 10th game in charge.

Chansiri said in a statement on the club’s website: “Performances and results have not been up to expectations since Tony Pulis was appointed. There are also other aspects that influenced this decision.

“On the field, seven points out of a possible 30 is not acceptable. It’s vital that we maintain our Championship status and I feel I need to make a change now with over half the season left to give us the best possible chance of doing so.”

He said on Wednesday that first-team coach Neil Thompson will take charge of the team until a permanent replacement is found, starting with Tuesday’s game against Middlesbrough.

Former Stoke, West Brom and Middlesbrough manager Pulis was only appointed on 13 November following the departure of Garry Monk, but has only won one game, a 1-0 home win against Coventry on 19 December.

Wednesday are second bottom of the table with 13 points, three points from safety.