Sheffield Wednesday relegation rivals sack boss and Sunderland make shock decision

Sheffield Wednesday's relegation rivals Swansea City have confirmed that they have parted company with manager Michael Duff, after just 19 games in charge and Sunderland have also sacked Tony Mowbray.

Duff had led Barnsley to the League One Play-Off Final last season where they were famously beaten by Sheffield Wedneday at Wembley and his work at Oakwell led to Swansea city dragging him from South Yorkshire to South Wales.

However, Duff hasn't been able to replicate his impressive work at Barnsley, with the Swans languishing at the wrong end of the Championship table, in 18th place and just five points outside of the relegation zone.

After an inconsistent start, four wins in a row in September and into October, including a 3-0 win over Wednesday, made it appear as though Duff had got to grips with the step up a division, however since then the Swans have won just once in their last eight matches and a 1-1 draw with fellow strugglers Huddersfield at the weekend appears to have been the final straw.

The club will now set about looking for a new manager, with the usual suspects sure to be in the frame. The fact that Welshman Nathan Jones turned down the opportunity to take over at Rotherham United on Monday might set tongues wagging.

Swansea City chairman Andy Coleman said in a fairly lengthy statement on the club's website that it was a 'difficult decision' to sack Duff but the club hadn't seen 'the result we expect nor the progress from the squad that we need.

“This was a very difficult decision and one that was given considerable thought and attention," he said. “I acknowledge that there has been a significant amount of change at the club, both on and off the pitch, during Michael’s tenure. I consistently asked for patience as we gave him time to implement his plans and bring the squad together.

“Unfortunately, we have seen neither the results that we expect nor the progress from the squad that we need. I believe it is now in the best interests of Swansea City to make a change of head coach."

Sunderland revealed an hour after the Swansea announcement that they too had sacked their manager, with Mowbray stepping away after 15 mo ths in charge at the Stadium of Light.

Mowbray led the Black Cats to the Play-Offs last season, where they lost in the semi-finals to Luton Town. This year has been a little more difficult, not helped by the team's lack of a goalscorer. However Sunderland are ninth in the table, just three points outside of the Play-Offs, which would hint that a manager has become available and they are acting before the miss out.

Sporting Director Kristjaan Speakman said: "This was a difficult decision to make, but we remain loyal to our ambition and our strategy, and felt that now was the right moment to take this step. We are now focused on identifying the right candidate and we will continue to support our coaching team and players throughout the interim period.”