Garry Monk was sacked by Middlesbrough due to concerns about the team's style of play, a report has suggested.
The Boro board dismissed their manager on Saturday evening, hours after a 2-1 win at Sheffield Wednesday, and placed academy director Craig Liddle in temporary charge.
According to Sky Sports News, Monk was shocked to hear the news as he felt that Boro's players were finally adapting to his tactics after years of a rigid style drilled into them by predecessor Aitor Karanka.
However, the report goes on to claim that club chairman Steve Gibson was not confident that Monk would lead the club back to the Premier League at the first time of asking, leading him to terminate the 38-year-old's contract.
Boro, who spent around £45m on new players in the summer transfer window, have lost eight times already this season and sit in ninth place on 35 points, three points adrift of the playoff places.
Giuseppe Labellarte
