Kevin Blackwell has left his post as Sheffield United manager by mutual consent.
Boss shown the door after Rs defeat
Kevin Blackwell has left his post as Sheffield United manager by mutual consent following their miserable start to the new season.
Blackwell was shown the door shortly after the 3-0 home defeat to QPR, who are managed by former Blades boss Neil Warnock.
The Steel City outfit, who reached the Championship play-off final under Blackwell in 2009, missed out on a top-six finish last term.
They opened their campaign with a 1-1 draw at Cardiff despite being reduced to 10 men in the first half, but crashed out of the Carling Cup in midweek with an embarrassing defeat at the hands of League One Hartlepool.
And the 3-0 home humbling by the Rs, who were home and hosed after 23 minutes of the match, proved to be the final straw for the Blades board.
There had been calls for Blackwell's head during the match and the supporters got their way with news of his departure soon after the final whistle.
Immediate effect
The former Leeds and Luton boss had been at the helm of the South Yorkshire club since February 2008, winning 53 of his 124 games in charge and losing 35.
A statement from the club read: "Following the home defeat to QPR, Sheffield United and Kevin Blackwell have jointly agreed to part company with immediate effect.
"Kevin Blackwell has worked tremendously hard over the last two and a half years and his record in terms of results is equal to, if not better than, most previous managers at Bramall Lane.
"He will always have a warm welcome at Sheffield United.
"However, it is time for us to move on because our ambition remains the same in challenging for promotion, hence this decision to look for a new manager to carry on the work Kevin has been doing."
