Steve Kean's reign as Blackburn boss came to an end on Friday as he resigned from his role, saying in a statement he had been "forced" out.
The Scot has been a much-derided figure at Ewood Park for the duration of his near two-year spell in charge, with the low point being relegation from the Barclays Premier League in May.
But despite poor results on the pitch, Kean retained the backing of the club's owners, Venky's - much to the fury of supporters who regularly protested against him.
The tide seemed to have turned for the 44-year-old this season, on the pitch at least, as Blackburn made a positive start to the campaign, with Rovers sitting third in the npower Championship table ahead of Saturday's trip to Charlton.
Fan unrest has continued, though, and in a statement issued through his lawyers, Kean said: "For reasons that I cannot discuss on legal advice, it is with deep regret, given my hard work and service for the club for a number of years, that I have been forced to resign as manager of Blackburn Rovers Football Club with immediate effect, due to my position as team manager becoming untenable.
"I wish to thank all the players and coaching staff for their great support and the majority of the fans, who now see their club heading towards an automatic promotion position back to the Premiership. I wish the club all the very best for the future."
Rovers later confirmed news of Kean's departure in a brief statement on their website.
"Blackburn Rovers Football Club can confirm that Steve Kean tonight resigned from his position as manager," the statement read.
Kean was appointed as Rovers boss in December 2010, replacing Sam Allardyce who was relieved of his duties despite saving the club from relegation the previous season.
Kean's contract was upgraded a month later and, although he Kept them up that campaign, it was clear he was not a terrace favourite.
As Rovers struggled at the start of the 2011-12 season, the calls for Kean to stand down became stronger, but despite that, he was again given an improved deal in the November.
Regular protests reached their most vicious when Blackburn lost a six-point relegation battle at home to Bolton but Venky's remained nerveless, though, standing by their man despite a seemingly inevitable relegation being confirmed when they drew at Wigan in May.
Even the most loyal Blackburn fans expected Kean might be relieved of his duties over the summer, but the faith remained in the boardroom, despite disparaging public comments from director of football Shebby Singh, who had to apologise for stating Kean would be sacked if he lost three games in a row.
Kean was heavily backed in the transfer market, signing Huddersfield's Jordan Rhodes for ?8million, but despite only losing their first league game of the season last Friday, he remained under heavy pressure.
Singh did little to douse the fires this week when he said the situation was getting worse "day by day", with those comments coming three days before Kean's decision to stand down.
