Tuesday 9 February 2016 12:06, UK
Derby County have confirmed that Kevin Phillips will stay on to assist new interim manager Darren Wassall after a day of upheaval at the iPro Stadium.
Paul Clement, formerly assistant to Carlo Ancelotti at Real Madrid, was removed from his duties on Monday evening after less than nine months in charge and with the Rams just five points off the top of the Championship. Phillips was appointed as assistant to Clement last September.
The club have said that Wassall will remain in charge until the end of the season but Sky Sports News HQ reporter Rob Dorsett says it is possible the club may yet make a full-time appointment before then.
Dorsett said: "The news came as a bit of a surprise. It was quite a coup when Derby hired Paul Clement eight months ago. He's been assistant to Carl Ancelotti at Real Madrid and PSG and he has built up quite a reputation around Europe. There were a lot of clubs interested in hiring him.
Will Derby wait until the end of the season until they make a full-time appointment?
"Chairman Mel Morris said at the time 'We have got to be patient' but in fact, they gave him 30 games, they weren't impressed with what they saw and decided to sack him. My understanding from my sources is that it was more of a disagreement behind the scenes, about the direction the club was taking, that led to this breakdown.
"He spent £21.5m on players but remember, the club sanctioned those sales. He has had problems with injuries and with Craig Forsyth out for the season, he had not had a recognised left-back.
"My sources say that Wassall, the former Academy director who has been at the club since 2009, will stay in charge until the end of the season. But the question remains, with names like Nigel Pearson and David Moyes out there, will Derby wait until the end of the season until they make a full-time appointment? The next couple of weeks, the next few games, will tell us a whole lot more."
It has also been confirmed that first-team coach John Peacock and head of tactical analysis David Burke have left the club in the wake of Clement's departure. Peacock, 59, returned to the club last summer after a spell working for the Football Association.
In other news, Richard Keogh has been reinstated as club captain, having been relieved of the armband after Clement's appointment last summer.
Clement named summer signing Chris Baird as the new skipper and, since then, Chris Martin and Stephen Warnock have also led the side.
