Steve Bull was last night sensationally ousted by crisis-hit Stafford Rangers after just 42 weeks in charge.

The Wolves legend was asked to leave at a training session after a catastrophic week for the cash-strapped Marston Road side. 

In a statement issued this morning, the club’s board of directors insisted the shock decision was wholly due to the ongoing financial crisis and bore no reflection to Bully’s results on the field. Fans spoke of their sadness at the move, which comes less than 10 months after “Bully” was given the job in a hail of publicity. 

When the 43-year-old was appointed in February he spoke of how he would like to see a stadium named after him at Marston Road to match the Steve Bull stand at Molineux. 

Speaking of how the job could prove a stepping-stone to management at Wolves, he urged Stafford to believe in him and pledged to work as hard as he could to keep the struggling side from slipping into the Blue Square North. 

But his career at the club is now over with relegation, the possible loss of the entire squad and potential administration marking a sad end to his tenure. 

The Express & Star understands Bully was taken aside by the club’s directors at a training session last night and asked to resign as Rangers bosses couldn’t afford to pay his wages. 

The news comes just days after Rangers players were asked to take massive pay cuts to keep the side financially afloat. Club bosses say the recession and the side’s relegation from the Blue Square Premier league have seen takings plummet, both from the gate and from sponsorship revenue. 

Fan Alan Smith has been spearheading efforts to help Rangers out of the financial crisis, holding collection buckets at recent games. He told the Express & Star that Bully’s departure was “disappointing” but said feedback from the fans had been “a bit of a mixed bag”, with many saddened but some welcoming the news. 

Speculating that the former Wolves striker’s wages were probably one of Rangers’ biggest expenditures, he said: “Bringing in Bully was a gamble and I think it’s a gamble that hasn’t paid off.”