Brendon Bolton has fought back tears while saying he understands why Carlton sacked him as coach of the struggling AFL club.
"I am obviously disappointed but I understand the reality of this caper," Bolton told reporters on Monday.
"The win-loss challenges got too much ... it's another Carlton-first decision, so that's the way it is."
Bolton was told of his axing after club hierarchy held crisis meetings on Monday morning.
Assistant coach David Teague will be the Blues' caretaker coach for the remainder of the season.
Bolton coached Carlton to just 16 wins from 77 games
"The club has been really united through a really long rebuild," he said.
"... I'm sure if this group stays united the results will come."
Until Monday, Carlton president Mark LoGiudice had maintained the Blues would keep the faith in Bolton, who was in his fourth year as coach of the club.
But LoGiudice said after Sunday's lame loss to Essendon, he sought out other powerbrokers at the club.
That defeat left the Blues with one win from 11 games this season and Bolton with an overall winning percentage of 20.78 - the third-lowest of any senior VFL/AFL coach to have been in charge for at least 60 games.
"The club was left with no choice but to make the difficult decision," LoGiudice told reporters.
"The lack of wins means the club has fallen short ... Carlton cannot afford to sit back and wait any longer."
Under Bolton, Carlton in 2016 finished 14th with seven wins; 16th with six wins in 2017 and last with only two wins last season.
