Thursday 16 June 2016 11:18, UK
Head coach Paul Anderson and his assistant Kieron Purtill have been sacked by Huddersfield Giants in a bid to turn around their season.
The Giants last won on May 22 - a 48-20 victory at St Helens - and languish second from bottom in the Super League table with just four wins from 18 matches.
Head of youth Andy Kelly has been put in temporary charge of all first team matters until a new head coach is appointed.
In a statement on the club website, Huddersfield chairman Ken Davy said: "It is with great sadness that we make this change involving two individuals who have previously taken the club to its greatest achievements since the 'Team of All Talents'.
"Unfortunately the simple fact is that the results this year have not been satisfactory and the Giants are not performing to the level that anyone associated with the club expects.
"We are not a hiring and firing club by nature and we have done everything possible behind the scenes to support the team and the staff in their quest for success.
"The search for a new head coach begins now. However we are fortunate to have a man so highly respected in all areas of the game as Andy Kelly to take the first team forward in the very immediate future."
Davy made a point of adding a tribute to Anderson, adding: "He has been at the Giants for nearly ten years now with almost four as head coach and has been at the heart of our rise to the top end of the table.
"I know he has been as disappointed as anyone regarding our performances and has strived night and day to improve our results.
"Paul is an excellent coach and I have no doubt that he will soon be back in the game and both he and Kieron are immensely respected for the work they have done at the club."
Under Anderson, who was capped for England and Great Britain as a player, Huddersfield finished top of the league for the first time in 81 years in 2013, claiming the League Leaders' Shield.
Last season they finished the regular season in fourth place and reached the Super 8s play-off semi-finals.
But Sunday's 10-2 home defeat to Wakefield Wildcats all but ended their hopes of reaching this year's Super 8s.
The club's announcement comes in the same week as the death of 17-year-old academy player Ronan Costello on Tuesday after he was injured in a match on Saturday.
Davy added: "This is another sad day for all concerned with the Giants in what has been a dark and difficult period for the club but it is also the day we draw the line in the sand and move forward with the united aim of turning losses into wins and putting smiles back on the players, staff and supporters faces."
The Giants travel to the AJ Bell Stadium to play Salford Red Devils in the Super League on Friday before hosting the Wildcats in the Ladbrokes Challenge Cup quarter-finals on Thursday, June 23.
