Gary Rowett: Stoke City manager sacked after less than eight months

Gary Rowett has been sacked by Championship side Stoke City after less than eight months in charge.

The Potters were one of the pre-season favourites to win promotion, but they are 14th in the second tier, having won just eight of their 26 league fixtures.

Ex-Stoke midfielder Rory Delap, one of Rowett's coaching staff, will help take temporary charge of the first team.

He will be assisted by Kevin Russell and Andy Quy.

A club statement said Stoke hope to make an appointment "as swiftly as possible" as they look for their third manager in a year.

However, former Watford and Fulham manager Slavisa Jokanovic, who was sacked by the Whites on 14 November, has turned down the opportunity of an interview at the Bet365 Stadium.

After Tony Pulis' second spell at Stoke lasted seven seasons and his replacement Mark Hughes was in charge for four and a half years, Paul Lambert was at the helm for only 15 games and Rowett was manager for 29 matches in all competitions.

Rowett, who left fellow Championship club Derby County in the summer, had described mounting speculation over his future as "noise" after seeing his side have to come from behind to take Saturday's FA Cup third-round tie with League One Shrewsbury Town to a replay.

Stoke have lost three of their past 18 games and are eight points off the play-off places.

However, there has been increasing pressure on the former Birmingham City boss, with an expensively-assembled squad failing to deliver the expected push for an immediate return to the top flight.

Some supporters have been critical of the team's style of play and a "Rowett out" banner was displayed during their 2-0 home defeat against Bristol City on 1 January.

Rowett began his managerial career in League Two at Burton before taking over as manager of Championship side Birmingham City in 2014.

He was sacked in December 2016 with the team seventh, but three months later he was named manager of Derby, where he won 26 of his 60 matches in charge and took the club to last season's play-offs.

Former Manchester United and Everton boss David Moyes was linked with the Stoke job last week.

Analysis

Lee Blakeman, BBC Radio Stoke

Rowett was pretty much everything that Stoke City supporters had been asking for when he took over; a young, hungry and upcoming manager, who knew all about Championship football.

However, too many draws, his decision not to play certain players and a playing style that was described as cautious and negative by many, quickly left large parts of the fan base unhappy.

There were complaints about the style of football following home wins over Ipswich and Millwall, but a 0-0 draw at Bolton at the end of December - after which he criticised supporters - led to fans calling for change, which hasn't been long in coming.