Charlton Athletic issued a statement on the club website at just after 7.30pm on Sunday evening confirming Bob Peeters’ departure.

“Charlton have terminated the contract of Head Coach Bob Peeters with immediate effect, the club can confirm.

The contracts of Senior Professional Development Coach Patrick Van Houdt and Performance Analyst Guy Kiala have also been terminated.

Peeters signed a 12-month contract at The Valley in the summer and enjoyed a good start to life in the Championship.

However, given the recent downturn in results and performances the board felt they had to make a change at this time.

The club would like to thank the trio for their efforts and a further statement will be made in due course.”

The Brighton defeat proved to be a bridge too far for Peeters. Things behind the scenes had been uneasy since Peeters publicly criticised Tal Ben Haim following the club’s first home defeat of the season, against Ipswich at the end of November.

There have been persistent rumours that Peeters had lost the support of the players and the body language of some of them told their own tale. Recent performances on the pitch have been on the slide and clearly all was not well in the camp.

In total, Peeters was in charge for 28 games in all competitions, winning 7, drawing 13 and losing 8.

After a bright start, the Addicks have won just two of the sixteen games they have played since September and have only scored two goals in the last five matches.

All six victories were by a single goal, some after stoic defensive efforts.

It would be surprising if Peeters’ replacement was not named soon. Former boss, Jose Riga, would be a popular choice with the fans, with his assistant at The Valley, Karel Fraeye and ex Standard Liege head coach, Guy Luzon, also in the frame.