Mark Rudan has been axed as Western United coach after the A-League club's failure to secure finals football.
Rudan's exit was confirmed on Tuesday, after the club's season finished on Saturday with a 2-0 loss to Central Coast in Gosford.
"We will use the opportunity to reset the club's on-field objectives for the forthcoming season in order to meet the longer-term ambitions of our football club," chairman Jason Sourasis said in a statement.
Rudan was appointed the expansion club's inaugural coach in 2019 after a solitary season in charge of Wellington Phoenix.
The ex-Sydney FC and Adelaide United defender led Western to last year's finals series in their first season, falling one game short of the grand final.
After a solid start to the 2020-21 campaign, Western lost their last eight matches of the campaign to finish a lowly 10th on the ladder.
Assistant coach John Anastasiadis has been placed in temporary charge as the hunt for Rudan's replacement gets under way.
