Carlisle United have announced that manager Paul Simpson has tonight left the club with immediate effect.
It followed another disappointing defeat at Brunton Park this afternoon when they went down 2-1 to Tranmere Rovers, their third defeat of the season.
United, relegated from League One at the end of last season are now 20th in League Two with only one win.
The club owners, the Piatek family have been very supportive of Simpson emphasising their faith in the manager in the summer transfer window with funds to provide a dozen new players.
It’s not clear whether Simpson resigned or he was sacked but that will become clearer in the next few days.
His back room staff of Gavin Skelton, Billy Barr and Jake Simpson have also departed.
Mark Birch, Steven Rudd and Jamie Devitt will take temporary charge of first team affairs while the club begins the recruitment process.
The United statement ended: “Everyone at the club would like to thank Paul and his staff for their efforts during their time at Brunton Park.
“A further update will be provided early next week.”
Match report: Tranmere Rovers undo Carlisle United
In the end it proved to be the last game for Paul Simpson as manager of his home town club when Carlisle lost 2-1 to Tranmere Rovers.
Within hours the news was announced that Simpson had left the club – and Carlisle were looking for a new man to take charge.
Ironically it was a former Carlisle player under Simpson, the enigmatic Omari Patrick who supplied both goals for his new club.
Carlisle had been a lot better than of late in the first-half, playing some decent football and matching their visitors in most aspects of the game.
The two sides had exchanged goals inside a minute but it was Tranmere’s second goal just before half-time which changed the mood of the game – and the fans on the terraces.
Carlisle, despite a summer overhaul, went back to the toothless, unconvincing mode that had cost them their Division One life. The longer the game went on, the poorer Carlisle became
Former Carlisle man Patrick had opened the scoring for Rovers on six minutes with a low shot which beat Harry Lewis and went in off the post.
At that early stage Carlisle were full of fight and energy and they roared back a minute later through Davies who fired home after some clever play on the left from one of the new boys Jordan Jones.
It was Patrick’s second goal just before half-time with a superb strike that was the killer blow for Carlisle, and as it turned out, for their manager as well. Patrick curled in a fine left-footed shot after a well-worked short-corner routine.
Simpson’s side struggled with their delivery from the final ball and as a result they hardly brought Tranmere keeper Luke McGee into action.
There was a late chance for substitute Luke Armstrong but he headed a Davies cross over the bar and a third defeat in four games meant it was the end for Simpson.
