Gus Poyet's reign at Sunderland is over after just 17 months in charge.
The Uruguayan arrived at the Stadium of Light in October 2013 to replace Paolo Di Canio following the club's disastrous start to the 2013-14 season.
After losing his first game in a 4-0 defeat to Swansea City, Poyet guided the Black Cats to a 2-1 victory over bitter rivals Newcastle United.
Sunderland began to pick up positive results and by the turn of the year were out of the bottom three in the Premier League, while a victory over Manchester United had fired them into the Capital One Cup final, the club's first domestic final since 1992.
A 3-0 win over Newcastle United at St James' Park in February lifted Poyet's reputation even higher in the minds of Sunderland's supporters, but the storm clouds were beginning to gather once again.
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The Black Cats enjoyed an excellent 55 minutes against Manchester City in the League Cup final after Fabio Borini's strike had given them the lead at Wembley before Manuel Pellegrini's side rallied to secure the trophy.
Following their defeat at Wembley, their Premier League form also dropped off as Poyet's men lost five matches on the spin, including a 5-1 drubbing at the hands of Tottenham Hotspur, leaving Sunderland staring down the barrel of relegation.
However, the Wearsiders achieved the impossible as they took a point from Manchester City and three from their trip to Stamford Bridge against Chelsea to spark a survival charge.
Further wins over Cardiff City, Manchester United and West Bromwich Albion lifted the club from the bottom of the table to 14th place in one of the greatest escapes in the history of the Premier League.
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Poyet was handed a two-year contract extension by chairman Ellis Short as a reward for the miraculous turnaround, but the club were to lose several key players over the summer as the loan deals of Ki Sung-yueng, Marcos Alonso and Borini all expired.
The 46-year-old made a significant effort to bring Borini to the club on a permanent basis, but the Italian striker snubbed the move to stay with Liverpool.
Sunderland had a steady start to the campaign as they drew five of their first six matches before finally picking up their first win of the season against Stoke City in October.
Catastrophe was awaiting in their next outing as they were hammered 8-0 by Southampton at St Mary's Stadium, equalling the club's largest ever defeat. It was a defining moment in Poyet's tenure at the club.
They appeared to get back on track with a 3-1 victory over Crystal Palace, but a six-game winless run increased the pressure on the Uruguayan before the Tyne-Wear derby in a game neither team could afford to lose.
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Adam Johnson stunned the crowd at St James Park with a last-minute winner to cue momentous celebrations on the touchline, but it was to be Poyet's last moment of joy.
A disappointing defeat to Hull City started the rot as the Black Cats were never able to regain their form.
The beginning of the end for Poyet came in a horrendous week as his team lost at home to Queens Park Rangers before being dumped out of the FA Cup by League One outfit Bradford City.
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The Uruguayan was involved in a furious touchline bust-up with Steve Bruce two weeks ago as the pressure began to take its toll, while Johnson's arrest made matters even worse for the Black Cats.
Sunderland entered their clash with Aston Villa in dire need of three points, but Poyet's men put in a disastrous performance as they conceded four goals in the first half to slump to a heavy defeat, leaving the Black Cats just a point above the relegation zone.
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Poyet enjoyed spells of positive results in his time at the Stadium of Light, which was typified in their run to the League Cup final and their escape from relegation last season, but was never able to bring consistency to the team.
The Uruguayan's ethos of a possession game was present for all to see in his side's performances, but his players lacked the talent to carry out his tactics, and he appeared to be unwilling to bend from his philosophy.
Sunderland's heavy defeat at Southampton seemed to cause Poyet to retreat into defensive tactics which hampered his side, especially against their rivals in and around them in the table.
Home form is crucial for any side in the bottom half to stave off the threat of relegation, and one of the most damning statistics for the Uruguayan is that his side recorded just seven league wins at the Stadium of Light from 30 matches.
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The 46-year-old also reportedly clashed with director of football Lee Congerton over signings, the majority of which under the Uruguayan have failed to work out as Liam Bridcutt and Will Buckley struggled along with Jack Rodwell and Ricky Alvarez.
A lot of people at Sunderland can be blamed for their position this season, including the players, some of whom - such as skipper John O'Shea - will be serving under their fifth manager in their respective spells at the club.
However, the buck has ultimately stopped with Poyet to end his 17 months at the Stadium of Light.
Simon Sinclair
