Leeds United have announced that manager Uwe Rosler has left the club, with former Rotherham boss Steve Evans hired as his replacement.
Rosler has paid the price for a poor run of form, with Saturday's 2-1 loss to Championship leaders Brighton & Hove Albion the club's third defeat in a row -- a run that leaves them 18th in the table.
Leeds have won only twice all season and controversial Italian owner Massimo Cellino has decided the time is right to look in another direction.
#lufc can confirm that Uwe Rosler has parted company with the club. A full statement will be released later today. pic.twitter.com/CjciDqZE8B
- Leeds United FC (@LUFC) October 19, 2015
A short time after the firing, Cellino was disqualified by the Football League after failing to meet its Owners' and Directors' test after being found guilty of a tax charge in Italy.
It is the second time Cellino has faced such sanctions from the governing body after previously being disqualified between December 2014 and the end of last season. He has until Oct. 28 to appeal.
Cellino revealed his reasons for the managerial change, saying: "I wanted them to play heavy rock football but instead it was like country music."
"I watched the game on Saturday and in the second half, we were just trying not to lose. We were not trying to win. That is not good enough," Cellino told the Mirror.
"I did my best to help Uwe, but in the end, I could not see even a patch of blue in the sky, just cloud, cloud and cloud."
Cellino also took issue with Rosler's announcement last week that his side was not good enough to win promotion this season.
"Why did he say that?" said Cellino. "The fans want to dream, so why did he say that? To say that after 11 or 12 games is wrong. That is not right for the fans."
Former Wigan and Brentford boss Rosler took charge of Leeds in the summer, signing a two-year deal, but is the latest in a long line of managerial casualties under Cellino, known as the "manager-eater" in his native Italy after sacking a procession of head coaches during a 22-year spell as Cagliari owner.
Rosler is the fifth manager to be fired by Cellino since he arrived at Elland Road in 2014, with Brian McDermott, David Hockaday, Darko Milanic and Neil Redfearn having all been axed as well.
CONFIRMED | Steve Evans is the new head coach at #lufc. Full story: http://t.co/JVHBZ9TKXD pic.twitter.com/JQlvnG9XJc
- Leeds United FC (@LUFC) October 19, 2015
Evans has been out of work since leaving Rotherham last month, and Cellino said he used to "hate'' Rosler's replacement.
"I used to hate him because he is a fighter," Cellino added. "I didn't like playing against him because he gives his teams his personality.
"He's a tough coach and I want that character in our team. He manages with passion and our team has not been playing with passion.
"Everything I do is to try and make Leeds better. It's easy to blame the coach and it is not just his fault. I was the one who brought him here, so I have to take responsibility also.
"It was my decision to bring him and so I have to take responsibility if things are not working."
It remains to be seen who Evans will answer to in Cellino's absence, with nearly all of Leeds' middle-management having departed during his reign.
Former Leeds director Adam Pearson returned to the club in an executive position in May and appeared a perfect foil for Cellino, especially in the event of another ban, but left last month to concentrate on his commitments with rugby league side Hull FC.
Information from Press Association was used in this report.