The Edmonton Rush have fired general manager and head coach Bob Hamley, team president Gord Sawyer announced today.

Edmonton was 9-18 in a season and a half under Hamley, who made major changes to the roster for this past season but could not guide the Rush to its first-ever playoff berth.

"We did not have the home record that the team had hoped for, the team did not perform with the sense of urgency that was required at certain times in the season, and our offense again finished at the bottom of the league which is not acceptable," Sawyer said.

Hamley took over as coach and general manager five games into the 2008 campaign, inheriting an 0-5 record and improving it to 4-12 by the end of the season.

Last offseason, Hamley made numerous roster changes in an attempt to pump life into the Rush's perennially weak offense. However, the team again finished last in goals scored (159) -- its third such finish in four years -- and posted a league-worst 5-11 record.

Making matters worse for Hamley, the Rush also surrendered 200 goals in 2009, eleventh-best in the twelve-team circuit.

"We want a team that the fans are excited to watch and that was evidently not going to happen under the current system," Sawyer said. "We have failed to meet the goals we have targeted, and that has to change for the benefit of our loyal fans."