Pescara have sacked head coach Cristiano Bergodi in the wake of Sunday's Serie A defeat to Udinese.
A solitary Antonio Di Natale goal condemned Pescara to a seventh defeat in eight games that leaves the east-coast outfit five points from safety at the bottom of the Serie A table, where they are in a three-way tie for last place with Siena and Palermo.
A statement on Pescara's official website read: "Pescara announce the dismissal of first-team coach Cristiano Bergodi.
"The club thanks the coach for his hard work and the passion he showed in carrying out the role. The club can also confirm that the name of his successor will be revealed in the next 24 hours."
Bergodi, 48, spent eight seasons as a player with Pescara but registered just three wins and one draw as coach since replacing Giovanni Stroppa on November 20, with 10 matches going against the Delfini during his brief reign.
Bergodi's last words as Pescara boss came as the full-time whistle blew at the Stadio Adriatico this afternoon.
"Being sacked? That's the last thing on my mind," he told La Repubblica. "Looking at the league table, we have not been relegated, mathematically. Just as Siena and Palermo will continue to fight and hope right until the very end, it's right that we stay positive too."
Despite consistently poor results, club president Daniele Sebastiani continued to back Bergodi in public and rejected suggestions he would turn to Zdenek Zeman, who was sacked by Roma last month.
The Czech tactician guided Pescara back into the top flight after a 19-year absence, his young side scoring a record-breaking 90 goals in the process, and he remains an iconic figure in Abruzzo.
Reports in Italy suggest Sebastiani could instead promote 36-year-old coach Cristian Bucchi from his role with Pescara's youth team, suggesting the club are preparing for a swift return to Serie B as the former striker spent the majority of his playing career scoring goals in Italy's second tier.
Bucchi enjoyed particular success with Ancona, Ascoli and Modena before joining newly-promoted Napoli for four million euros in 2006.
A series of loan spells followed, though, as the Azzurri developed into European challengers and Bucchi eventually retired at Pescara in 2011 before joining the coaching staff.
Bergodi's successor will start his tenure with a trip to Atalanta before overseeing daunting games with Juventus, Napoli and AC Milan in the 11-game season run-in.
