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After an indifferent debut season for The Lions, Morris was expected to follow Dennis Wise out of The Den during the summer but was given assurances about his future by Claridge after the former Weymouth boss was appointed manager by former chairman Jeff Burnige.
The Mirror reports that Claridge held talks with Morris and told him that he would still be considered for selection as long as he put the effort in. However, Morris was left out of several key pre-season friendlies after the board informed Claridge that they wanted the unsettled player out of the club.
When Morris asked his manager to demonstrate the loyalty that had been promised, Claridge sought to hold talks with Theo Paphitis - talks that resulted in him losing his job.
The decision has since split the Lions dressing room with some players - most notably goalkeeper Andy Marshall - behind the board's decision while others are shocked by Claridge's departure, with newly appointed club captain David Livermore handing in a transfer request this morning.