Manchester Giants have fired head coach Danny Byrne.
Byrne, who was appointed in 2017, took the Giants to the semi-finals of both the BBL Trophy and BBL Cup in 2018 and steered the club through tough financial restrictions and uncertainty over its future.
This season, under new ownership, there has been instability with personnel coming and going, plus two isolation periods due to Covid.
Manchester currently have a 6-11 record and sit in ninth place in the British Basketball League following nine losses out of ten.
However league sources told MVP that the surprise move came on Monday evening when Byrne was called to a meeting with team management after holding practice at Belle Vue to be informed that his services were being dispensed with mid-season, a rarity in the BBL.
Club chief Jamie Edwards said: “This year was about building a culture on and off the floor; there were positive signs early in the season but recent results have made me believe that we will require a fresh approach to achieve this.
“Danny has been a committed servant of the club over the last four seasons, we thank him for his efforts and we wish him the very best for the future.â€
Assistant coach Ploutos Vourliotis will prepare the team for this weekend’s game as a decision is made on a replacement, a club statement said.
Byrne could not be reached for comment.
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