BLACKBURN Rovers legend Tony Parkes was today sensationally sacked by the club he has served for more than 30 years.

Manager Mark Hughes has taken the dramatic step to axe the long-serving coach in order to make way for Glyn Hodges, who has been offered the chance to become Rovers' new reserve team manager.

Parkes, 55, was due to be informed of the shock decision in a meeting with Rovers' chief executive John Williams this morning - but the news had already leaked out in the Press before the club had a chance to speak to him.

Loyal Parkes had been at Rovers since 1970, when he joined the club as a promising centre forward from Non-League Buxton.

Since then, he has served his beloved Blackburn as a player, coach and caretaker manager but his long-running love affair with the club came to a sudden end this morning when he was told he no longer had a role at Ewood Park.

Hughes took the decision himself to relieve Parkes of his duties after deciding he wanted to put his own man in charge of the reserve team.

The former Wales boss wants to strengthen the links between the Academy and the first team and after Rob Kelly, Parkes' assistant with the reserves, recently quit for Leicester, it was felt the time was right to put a younger man in charge of the second string.

As I understand it, current Wales Under 21 international manager Hodges has already been offered the post and he's expected to become Parkes' replacement next week.

Hughes said: "Obviously, I'm disappointed with the way it has come out in the press beforehand. That wasn't what I wanted.

"I needed to speak to Tony personally but unfortunately events have overtaken us and I haven't had the opportunity as yet.

"The situation is he is the victim of a reshuffle.

"It's no reflection on Tony's talent but basically there isn't a position for him at this moment in time, in terms of the way I see the club going forward.

"He was working with Rob Kelly and obviously that situation (he left to join Leicester) was thrust upon us at the weekend so it's been something that has happened very very quickly.

"We tried to deal with it as quickly as we could but unfortunately it's come out before the individual involved has been spoken to."

Hughes said it was a tough decision to axe such a loyal servant but he feels he needs to move the club forward by bringing in a younger man.

"It was a very difficult decision but that can't cloud my judgement," said Hughes.

"I have to make decisions that I think are the best for the club and will help me to take the club forward.

"The situation I inherited with two men doing the reserve team job really doesn't work at other clubs and we are now looking for one man to run the whole thing."

News of Parkes' imminent departure was still sinking in at Blackburn today.

During more than three decades at Ewood, Parkes has played for, coached and managed Rovers in three different divisions, working under 16 different managers.

As a player he clocked up a total of 387 appearances, scoring 45 goals, and helped the club to the Third Division Championship in 1975.

However, a badly broken leg brought his playing career to a premature end in 1981 and it was then that he took his first steps into coaching after being offered a role in Bobby Saxton's backroom staff.

Parkes is most well known, though, for being the most famous caretaker manager in football - a role he has held on an incredible SIX occasions during his Rovers career.

He first stepped into the breach when Saxton got the sack in 1986.

Ironically, the last time he held the position was earlier this season when he took charge for one match before Hughes was appointed as Graeme Souness's successor.

Hughes was considering offering Parkes another role within the club but it now appears he has decided a parting of the ways is the best solution all round.

"I think the club looked at something along those lines and they have looked at positions within the club and the Academy, but they have come back and said that at this moment in time there isn't a role as such," added the Rovers boss.

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