Two of Port Vale's players have told BBC Radio Stoke of their disappointment at the sacking of manager Lee Sinnott.
Striker Marc Richards said: "I'm gutted. All of the other lads will tell you the same thing if you ask them.
"But, if you don't get the results then you get the chop. That's the harsh reality of football."
Midfielder Anthony Griffith added: "It's unfair for him to go after seven games of the season. He deserves a better chance than that."
Sinnott left the club on Monday after just 10 months in charge of Port Vale.
In his time at Vale Park, the former Farsley Celtic manager enjoyed just nine wins in 44 games, and saw his side relegated to League Two in April.
But Richards admitted that the players should take responsibility for Sinnott's departure.
"We're the people that are paid to go out there and perform," he said. "And, in the past couple of weeks, we haven't done that.
"Someone needs to go in the end and obviously the manager was the first person to leave."
Griffith added that he would be missed in the dressing room.
"He was a fun manager, he loved to have a laugh and joke with us."
But he believes Vale still have a chance of promotion.
"Everyone has a rocky period," said Griffith. "And we're in ours at the moment.
"We're working hard to get out of it, but it's going to be harder now with the manager gone."
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