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Alex Neil was sacked as Stoke manager on Sunday after the struggling club slumped towards the Championship relegation zone.

Stoke's 1-0 home defeat by relegation rivals Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday proved to be Neil's final match in charge.

A fourth consecutive defeat in a six-match winless run brought an end to Neil's reign after he was hired in August 2022 following his surprise decision to leave Sunderland.

The former Norwich and Preston boss could only lead Stoke to a 16th-place finish last season and they had fared even worse this term.

Paul Gallagher has been installed as caretaker manager ahead of the home game against Swansea.

Stoke chairman John Coates said: "With the way the results have been so far, we have made the difficult decision to seek a new direction for the team at this time.

"Nothing matters to me more than the success of our club and we are now working towards the appointment of Alex's successor."