Wayne Brown: Colchester United sack head coach after poor start to League Two season

Wayne Brown won 12, drew nine and lost 13 of his 34 games in charge of Colchester since taking over in January

League Two strugglers Colchester United have sacked head coach Wayne Brown following Saturday's defeat by Grimsby.

It was their fifth loss in their opening nine games of the season and leaves them fourth from bottom.

Brown, 45, took interim charge of the U's in January after the departure of Hayden Mullins and steered them away from relegation trouble to finish 15th.

He was made permanent boss in May but leaves after a run of only one win at the start of this term.

After taking temporary charge for a third time following a run of five league defeats in a row, former U's defender Brown won his first game in charge at Salford.

He then oversaw a run of seven wins from the final 12 games of the season as Colchester went from just three points above the relegation zone to finish 17 points clear of trouble.

"I accept that many of you will feel I have made a harsh decision, given Wayne's success last season and given that he has been such an exceptional servant to Colchester United over the years as a player, coach and manager," U's chairman Robbie Cowling told the club website.

"However, we have decided to act swiftly and decisively following the team's poor start to this season.

"As the club's chairman I have a duty to make what I believe are the right decisions for the long-term future of Colchester United."

'Appointing from within has yielded little' - analysis

BBC Essex's sports editor Glenn Speller

To the list of Joe Dunne, Tony Humes, John McGreal, Steve Ball and Hayden Mullins, you can add the name of Wayne Brown.

Colchester's insistence on appointing from within has yielded little in return other than one play-off appearance under McGreal.

It is now seven head coaches in eight years for the U's and the pattern of dismissals is stark. The only difference is how early it has happened this time.

Brown steered the club to safety last season, so well in fact they finished the season in the top eight of the form table.

Late recruitment and having so many players under contract from last season did not help Brown but the performances have, for the most part, been flat and uninspiring.

The hierarchy at the club need to look at why this pattern has become so familiar and realise there has to be accountability.

For the majority of supporters, doing the same thing again and again and expecting different results has proved to be Colchester's undoing for too long.