Relegation threatened Hull City sack manager Mike Phelan

Hull City have sacked Mike Phelan as their manager after just 20 matches in charge of the relegation threatened club. The Tigers are one point off the bottom of the Premier League after a nine-match winless run in the top flight and are three points from safety.

Phelan was placed in temporary charge for the start of the campaign as a replacement for Steve Bruce, and took over permanently in October after winning his first two matches in charge. But only one win has followed - against Southampton in November – leaving the club facing relegation back to the Championship at the first time of asking. The 3-1 loss to West Bromwich Albion on Monday [2 January] ultimately proved to be his final game in charge.

"The Club can announce this evening that it has parted company with Head Coach Mike Phelan," a statement via the club's Twitter account, read. "We would like to thank Mike for his efforts both as Assistant Manager and Head Coach over the last two years. The search for a replacement has begun and an announcement will be made in due course."

The former Manchester United assistant boss becomes the fourth Premier League manager to be sacked this season, following Francesco Guidolin and Bob Bradley's exit from Swansea City, and Alan Pardew's dismissal at Crystal Palace.

Speaking after his last game in charge at The Hawthorns, which saw Hull surrender an early lead, Phelan said, according to the club's official website: "If we carry on that way, we're going to get punished in every game. Playing well is irrelevant if you can't do the basics. We have to learn and grow quickly. We can't gift teams the opportunities that we do. We can be seen as a good team that plays well, but we get suckered all the time by individual mistakes that we shouldn't suffer from."