Newcastle United defender Sol Campbell has blasted the decision to sack manager Chris Hughton.
The Magpies brought Hughton’s reign at St James’ Park to an end on Monday, claiming they need “someone with more experience” than the 51-year-old.
Hughton had guided the club back to the Premier League at the first attempt following their relegation from the top flight in 2009, and had led them to 11th place with 16 games played during the current campaign.
And Campbell, brought to the club by Hughton in the summer, believes the decision will upset the squad.
He told ESPN Soccernet: “This will hit the players hard. The players admired him and like him and won’t be happy now he’s gone like this.
“It makes no sense. Here is a guy who has done an unbelievable job. He got the club back into the Premier League and any manager would have been rewarded for that with a new contract, but Chris wasn’t.
“The players are sure to be asking themselves, ‘What the hell is going on?’, that is only natural. When we left training this morning none of the players had a clue this was coming.
“Yes, it has come as a shock, and it will affect the dressing room there is no doubt about that.”
And Toon legend Malcolm Macdonald has also criticised the decision, telling Sky Sports Radio: “I’m rather shocked to be honest.
“Chris may not be the greatest manager in the world but he’s just starting out and he’s got Newcastle this season, after promotion last season, into the top half of the table.
“There’s been a couple of really poor performances, the last two away games in particular, but I still feel he has been very harshly done by and at a time of the season when it’s going to be difficult to find this experienced replacement that they’re talking of.”