Nathan Buckley said it had become clear there was an “appetite for change” at Collingwood as he gets set to step aside as coach after almost a decade at the helm.

Collingwood confirmed the decision this morning, with chief executive Mark Anderson and football manager Graham Wright fronting the media alongside Buckley.

Buckley will coach his last game in this round’s Queen’s Birthday clash with Melbourne at the SCG on Monday.

Buckley said he and Wright had been “talking openly” about his future for the past couple of months before today’s decision.

“We haven’t performed the way we would have liked to in the early stages of this season,” Buckley said.

“I’m really confident the club will be in good shape going forward.

“I’m so grateful for the role the club has played in my life and all the people within it.”

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Buckley said he was confident the timing was right for a fresh voice to lead the players.

“The last couple of weeks it’s clear there was an appetite for change at the program,” he said.

“I could sense that as well. My messages, my manner, the way that I lead is established.

“We had a general sense it was time for something different, new and fresh. This is the right time.”

Buckley said it was too early to tell whether he might continue his career at another club after 10 seasons as coach and 14 years as a player at the Pies, with question marks hovering over the future.

“That change and regeneration is in the midst of happening and the question was whether I was up for it and whether the club viewed me as the longer term person to do it for the next three to five (years),” Buckley said.

“I can’t categorically say that I want to be here for the next five years, for instance.

“The candidate that the club end up looking for I think should be someone who has fresh eyes and fresh ideas for the group to help it pop again and to help it regenerate.

“Potentially when you’ve been in the seat for 10 years the mandate or the capacity to do that isn’t as great.”

The decision to replace Buckley ultimately fell on the shoulders of Anderson, Wright, football director Paul Licuria and board member Peter Murphy.

“I have had a part in the conversations. Nothing lasts forever, I was going to be tapped at some stage,” Buckley said.

“There’s no doubt that this is the best thing for the football club and I’ve always believed that that’s what should happen.”

Fellow Brownlow medallist and Magpies assistant Robert Harvey will to take over the reins for the remainder of the season.

Collingwood sits in third-last on the ladder with a 3-9 record this season, though the club produced a gutsy five-point road win against the Crows in Adelaide last weekend.

Buckley has been at the helm of the Magpies since the start of the 2012 season, coaching 217 games - with a 53.9 per cent winning record - and leading the club to a grand final in 2018.

Collingwood fell just four points short of another grand final appearance in 2019 after a narrow preliminary final loss, with the club producing an upset elimination final win over West Coast in Perth last year.

But the off-season departure of Adam Treloar and Jaidyn Stephenson contributed to this year’s decline, with pressure on the coach mounting before today’s decision.

Attention is set to quickly turn to Buckley’s successor, with former Fremantle coach Ross Lyon and Hawthorn assistant Sam Mitchell likley to be among the favourites to be considered for the role.

- with AAP