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Chris Hutchings shown the door by struggling Wigan

Wigan Athletic sacked manager Chris Hutchings yesterday, 12 games into the Premier League season and just six months after he was appointed.

Wigan lost 2-0 at home to Chelsea on Saturday to slip into the bottom three with on eight points.

"This has been a very difficult decision for me and the board to make but I felt we had to act in the best interests of the club and its long-term future," chairman Dave Whelan said in a statement on the club's Web site.

"Chris has worked very hard since becoming manager and I cannot fault either his effort or commitment to the cause. However, it is crucial for the development of Wigan that we maintain our Premier League status this season and following results and performances in recent matches, we feel it is critical to act now," he said.

"My energies will now be fully focused on getting the right man, firstly to stop the decline we have suffered in the last two months or so, and secondly, to take us forward in the future," Whelan said.

Assistant Frank Barlow will take over on a caretaker basis until Whelan finds a replacement for a manager he described in May as "the right person to progress the club into the next era."

"I'd like to give him my assurance that he will have my full and total backing," Whelan said at the time.

Hutchings was formerly assistant to Paul Jewell, who stood down immediately after Wigan avoided relegation on the final day of last season.

Hutchings, who previously had a brief spell in charge of Bradford City in the Premier League in 2000, got off to a great start as the top man at the JJB Stadium.

After winning all of their pre-season friendlies the club had home wins over Middlesbrough and Sunderland and drew at West Ham United in their first four games.

But they were then knocked out of the League Cup at home by Championship side Hull City and have mustered only one point since, losing their last six games in a row.

Hutchings is the fourth Premier League manager to be sacked this season following Sammy Lee (Bolton Wanderers), Martin Jol (Tottenham Hotspur) and Jose Mourinho (Chelsea).

Jewell, who was in charge of the Lancashire club for six years and oversaw their climb from the second division to the top flight for the first time -- with Hutchings as his assistant -- has already been linked with a possible return to the club.

Former Liverpool, Blackburn and Newcastle manager Graeme Souness has also been mentioned by British papers as a replacement for Hutchings.
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