PETER Taylor has told Wycombe Wanderers fans he didn’t walk out on the club and says they sacked him.

The club issued a statement on Friday claiming the one-time England manager had left by mutual consent – but Taylor, who led the Blues to their first promotion in 15 years last term, says he was fired.

He said: “It wasn’t mutual consent and I want the truth to come out. I was up for the challenge. I don’t want any supporter to think I walked out on the team just before an important match and left the youth team manager to take the team.

“I have got no doubt that I could have turned it around. I’m staggered and what has happened hurts.

“I hold my hands up and agree that six points from 11 matches isn’t good enough but we were turning it round and I know that if I had been given time we would have got out of trouble.”

Taylor – who along with Crystal Palace’s Neil Warnock holds the record for the most promotions in the English game with five each - says he never saw the axe coming and is mystified by the timing.

He said: “On Thursday morning I did an interview with the Bucks Free Press saying how much I was up for the challenge and then at 3pm that day Steve Hayes (owner) rang me saying that the board had decided to make a change.”

They reacted after two successive 1-0 home defeats against lowly rivals Tranmere and Leyton Orient had kept the Blues pinned in League One’s bottom two.

Blues lost both matches because they didn’t convert any of the many chances they created.

But Taylor says he was about to put that right.

He had agreed a deal to bring in a new striker on loan tomorrow.

He said: “My biggest frustration in all this is that I had agreed with a Championship club to bring in a new striker on Monday and I have no doubt that the boy would have scored goals for us.

“I had been patient, I took my time, I gave our strikers the chance and I deliberately waited but I have been punished for taking my time.

“I was £100,000 under my budget and I was about to spend this on his wages but now I won’t get that chance.

“I’m really surprised because after the Leyton Orient and Tranmere games Steve (Hayes) had said how we were not far away.

"I don’t want to fall out with people but I think they have made a wrong decision.”

Taylor believes Wanderers already have his successor lined up, given that the club also asked his assistant Junior Lewis to leave.

And former Tottenham winger Taylor says he was surprised that the new man wasn’t in place for yesterday’s 3-2 defeat at Gillingham.

Taylor said: “It hurt that I wasn’t in charge yesterday and it hurt having to look at Sky to see how the team were doing.

“But I will bounce back. I’m not knackered or finished and I will come back somewhere and try and get another promotion.”