Joey Barton: Bristol Rovers sack manager with club 16th in League One
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Joey Barton won 53 and lost 60 of his 143 games in charge of Bristol Rovers
Joey Barton has been sacked as Bristol Rovers manager after almost three years in charge of the League One side.
Rovers are 16th in the table having won one of their past five matches and recorded four league wins all season.
The 41-year-old former Manchester City, Newcastle and England midfielder led the club to promotion on the final day of his first full season in charge.
First-team coach Andy Mangan will lead the side in the interim while the club look for a new manager.
Fellow coaches Glenn Whelan, Danny Ventre and Anssi Jaakkola will support Mangan, with their first game in charge at home to Northampton on Saturday.
Rovers are the fifth League One side to change manager this season after Charlton Athletic, Fleetwood Town, Cheltenham Town and Lincoln City.
Barton moved to the Memorial Stadium in February 2021 having previously had a spell in charge of Fleetwood Town.
He signed a three-year contract extension with the club until 2026 in July last year following promotion back to the third tier and they went on to finish 17th in the table last season.
They have only won four of 13 league matches this campaign, with five losses and four draws, and drew 1-1 with Stevenage on Tuesday in what would be Barton's final game at the helm.
"Everyone at the club would like to thank Joey for all his efforts and wish him well in the future," a club statement said., external
'I'm devastated for him'
Andy Mangan worked alongside Joey Barton at Fleetwood Town, and followed him to Bristol Rovers two years later
Mangan took part in pre-match media duties on Thursday before Saturday's League One game against the Cobblers.
The 37-year-old has worked alongside Barton both at Fleetwood and at Rovers and found out about his sacking on Thursday morning.
Mangan says Barton was "not happy" when he discussed his departure with him and says he is unsure how long he will be in caretaker charge for.
"I was shocked if I'm honest. I'm devastated for him as you can imagine," he told BBC Radio Bristol.
"We've been together in a professional manner for five, nearly six years, so I'm gutted in terms of being a friend.
"I've spoken to Joe a couple of times already today and I'll speak to him later on this evening.
"Football moves pretty quickly these days, we've got a game in two days against Northampton, so it's something that we can't really dwell on and we have to move forward pretty quick."
'A surprise to some supporters'
Analysis - Richard Hoskin, BBC Radio Bristol sports editor
Nothing should ever surprise you in football but the news that Joey Barton has been "sacked" by Bristol Rovers will surprise some supporters.
He was backed heavily in the transfer market this summer, but has been cursed by injuries to key players. And for all their quality, Rovers have been crying out for a striker this season - highlighted by the failed transfer of Jonson Clarke-Harris.
Wael al Qadi sold his majority stake in the club to Kuwaiti businessman Hussain AlSaeed in the summer - and presumably he's been heavily influential in this decision.
Joey Barton often divided opinion among the fanbase and he was never afraid to tell it how it was. But for the famous 7-0 victory against Scunthorpe alone that secured promotion to League One, he won't be forgotten in a hurry.