Dennis Allen fired: Oakland Raiders sack head coach Allen after four straight losses this season following Wembley walkover

The Raiders slumped to their 10th straight loss including last season and the final nail in Allen's coffin was the 38-14 defeat to the Miami Dolphins in London

Josh Dubow
Tuesday 30 September 2014 08:41 BST
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Oakland have fired head coach Dennis Allen
Oakland have fired head coach Dennis Allen (Getty Images)

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The Oakland Raiders fired coach Dennis Allen on Monday, just four games — and four losses — into his third season.

The decision was announced soon after the Raiders returned from London where they lost their 10th straight game dating back to last season, 34-14 to the Miami Dolphins. The firing was first reported by Fox Sports.

Allen was the first head coach hired by Oakland after the death of longtime owner Al Davis. His 8-28 win-loss record is the worst for the club since before Davis arrived in 1963.

An announcement on the interim coach will come Tuesday, with offensive line coach Tony Sparano and offensive coordinator Greg Olson the most likely options.

The Raiders have had 11 straight seasons of more losses than wins and no playoff berths. Oakland will now have its eighth coach since 2003.

Allen and general manager Reggie McKenzie were hired after the team finished 8-8 under coach Hue Jackson in 2011, falling one game short of a playoff bid.

They were expected to steady a franchise that ran into disrepair during Davis' final years as owner. Instead, the team has become worse.

The two were hamstrung their first two seasons by a lack of premium draft picks and a difficult salary-cap situation due to bad contracts handed out by Davis.

Raiders quarter-back Derek Carr limped off the Wembley pitch with a knee and ankle injury
Raiders quarter-back Derek Carr limped off the Wembley pitch with a knee and ankle injury (Getty Images)

But after spending their first two years overhauling the roster, owner Mark Davis expected the Raiders to be much more competitive this season after having ample salary cap room in the offseason and a near full complement of draft picks.

Instead, the Raiders have looked overmatched at times. They fell behind 27-0 after three quarters of their only home game against Houston and trailed by 31 points after three quarters against the Dolphins.

In all, Allen had more losses by at least 20 points (nine) than wins. It was performances like those that Davis said he no longer wanted to see in Allen's third season and ultimately led to his downfall.

AP

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