STEVE Fletcher acknowledges the players must take their share of the blame for Paul Groves's departure as Cherries manager.

Groves's tenure - believed to have been the briefest in the club's history - yesterday came to an end when he and assistant Shaun Brooks were relieved of their posts.

Appointed permanently in May following a stint as caretaker last season, Groves presided over just 12 games, including 10 in League One.

Fletcher, who had a spell as assistant manager to previous boss Lee Bradbury, told the Daily Echo: “It is sad news. Nobody ever wants to see anybody lose their job in any walk of life. I got on really well with Paul and Shaun, both on and off the pitch.

“These things happen in football, players come and go and so do managers. When you are part of it and close to it, you feel responsible and it isn't nice.

“Whenever a manager is relieved of his duties, nine times out of 10, it is because of results on the pitch.

“It doesn't matter how many teams you have played for or how many years you have been in the game. Any player who says they don't feel any responsibility would be kidding himself.

“We are the ones who go out on a Saturday and, irrespective of how many times you have played, we are all part of the squad. It is a collective thing and we are all in it together. As players, we are accountable.

“There will be players in our dressing room who will be asking if there was anything more they could have done or anything they could have done better. If you don't feel any responsibility when your manager loses his job then you have no heart.”

Fletcher was a second-half substitute during Groves's final game at the helm at Crawley on Tuesday where a 3-1 defeat condemned Cherries to a third successive reverse.

The 40-year-old striker, who will be hoping to feature when Cherries head to Coventry on Saturday, added: “Football is a cut-throat business. There will be a lot of talking among the players over the next few days and it remains to be seen whether someone comes in quickly or someone takes over as caretaker.

“You can't dwell on things. You can remember situations and take out the good and bad but you have always got to move on and keep looking to progress. Our next game is at Coventry and we have got to move forward as a team and express ourselves.

“As much as we can, we have got to put to the back of our minds what has happened and concentrate on performing and trying to get a positive result. That is why we are professional footballers. It is part and parcel of the game and players who have long careers will go through this many times. As a team, we have to push it to one side and focus on the next game because that is what we get paid for.”