TWO of the bottom three Championship clubs have parted company with their managers - but Roy Keane is an exception to the norm.

Carl Marston

by Carl Marston

TWO of the bottom three Championship clubs have parted company with their managers - but Roy Keane is an exception to the norm.

Plymouth boss Paul Sturrock lost his job yesterday, with former Ipswich Town star Paul Mariner taking charge of all footballing activities at Home Park.

The change at second-from bottom Plymouth comes just three weeks after Darren Ferguson left basement club Peterborough United by mutual consent, with Mark Cooper installed as his successor.

However, there is no imminent need for a switch at Portman Road, even though Town remain in the relegation zone.

While Sturrock was Plymouth boss for just over two years (in his second stay at the Devon club), and Ferguson lasted nearly three years as Posh manager, Keane is still learning the ropes with Town following his appointment in April.

And more importantly, after a woeful start, Keane has at least steadied the ship with the current unbeaten run standing at nine games

- two wins and seven draws.

Keane will hope to finally guide his Ipswich side out of the relegation zone tomorrow, when they entertain surprise play-off hopefuls Blackpool.

Meanwhile, although Sturrock will stay on at Plymouth in a business-support role, his former head coach Mariner has been appointed to the manager's job until further notice, just two months after his arrival from America.

Plymouth's first game, with ex-England striker Mariner in the dug-out, was ironically a 1-1 draw against his former club Ipswich on October 24.

The Pilgrims are three points behind Town, and therefore three points adrift of safety, after losing their last three games.

Plymouth chairman Sir Roy Gardner said: "The board has decided to make this move following the continuing poor set of results.

"We are convinced we have the capability to improve our performance and remain in the Championship."