Leicester City fires manager Shakespeare after 4 months

Four months was the extent of Craig Shakespare's reign.

On Tuesday, Leicester City parted company with Shakespeare and announced that Michael Appleton will be in charge of the Foxes' Premier League game at Swansea City. The club will begin the process of identifying its next first-team manager.

Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha, Leicester's vice-chairman, said in a statement:

Craig has been a great servant to Leicester City - during his spells as an assistant manager and since taking over as manager in challenging circumstances in February. His dedication to the club and to his work has been absolute and the contribution he made to the most successful period in Leicester City history is considerable.

However, our early promise under Craig's management has not been consistently evident in the months since and the board feels that, regrettably, a change is necessary to keep the club moving forward - consistent with the long-term expectations of our supporters, board and owners.

Craig is and will remain a very popular, respected figure at Leicester City and will be welcome back at King Power Stadium in future, both professionally and as a friend of the club.

Shakespeare took charge of Leicester in February on an interim basis, and, in March, was confirmed as the Foxes' manager for the rest of the season, filling a void left by Claudio Ranieri. The club won its first five Premier League games under the English tactician and avoided relegation, and, in June, an agreement was reached for his long-term appointment.

But it was downhill for Shakespeare after that. Leicester kicked off the season by tallying just six points from the first eight Premier League matchdays, and is sitting in the relegation zone as a result.

The last time an English manager left a Premier League club this early in the season was September 2008, when Kevin Keegan departed Newcastle United.