The beginning of a Premier League season is a time of unbridled optimism. There are new signings, contemporary ways, and the assumption that possibly, simply possibly, this season will probably be totally different. Followers flock to stadiums, hearts brimming with hope, as gamers take to the pitch with the promise of glory forward.
Nonetheless, within the high-stakes world of soccer, optimism can swiftly flip into despair. For some managers, the season doesn’t even final lengthy sufficient to open the primary bottle of Christmas wine.
Premier League managers are nicely conscious that success is short-lived, and job safety is delicate. Some survive for years, cementing their place in membership historical past, whereas others barely get time to be taught the place the employees room is.
Right now, we check out the ten earliest Premier League sackings in historical past.
Strap in for the main points.
1. Paul Sturrock – Southampton (2004-05)
- Sacked: 23 August 2004 – 9 days
9 days. That’s all Paul Sturrock needed to make an impression earlier than Southampton determined, “Nah, this man isn’t it.” It’s like being dumped after a primary date earlier than you’ve even ordered dessert. Sturrock, who took over in March 2004, was tasked with steering the Saints into calmer waters, however simply two video games into the brand new season, the membership determined to name it quits.
A 2-0 loss to Aston Villa adopted by a 3-2 win over Blackburn ought to’ve purchased him a while, proper? Incorrect. Two days after the win, Sturrock was gone.
In basic soccer converse, they parted methods by “mutual consent” – which is like saying you each agreed to the breakup, however actually, it was Southampton swiping left exhausting and quick.
His substitute, Steve Wigley, fared no higher, lasting solely till December. And to make issues worse, Harry Redknapp, the eventual saviour, couldn’t maintain them from relegation. The grass wasn’t greener – simply browner and shrivelled.
2. Peter Reid – Manchester Metropolis (1993-94)
- Sacked: 26 August 1993 – 12 days
Again when Manchester Metropolis wasn’t the juggernaut it’s at the moment, Peter Reid grew to become one of many first casualties of Premier League impatience.
Technically a player-manager, Reid may’ve had a hunch that issues had been going south when he noticed the again of a brand new Metropolis hierarchy – a basic “new boss, new concepts” situation.
Simply 4 video games into the season, Metropolis solely managed to scrape collectively a single level, courtesy of a 1-1 draw in opposition to Leeds on the opening day. However three successive losses – together with a 2-0 humbling by Blackburn at residence – proved to be Reid’s undoing. In case you assume Pep’s acquired strain at the moment, think about being a supervisor when all you had was Niall Quinn’s head to goal for.
Reid had anticipated the sacking however was in all probability hoping for no less than a month’s grace earlier than somebody hit the panic button. As a substitute, they hit it after simply 4 matches.
Reid moved on to strive his hand (or ft) at Southampton, whereas Metropolis struggled on, ending simply two factors forward of relegation. Throughout city, Manchester United gained their second consecutive title, as Metropolis followers undoubtedly muttered, “Typical.”
3. Kenny Dalglish – Newcastle United (1998-99)
- Sacked: 17 August 1998 – 12 days
Being the person after the person is rarely straightforward, and nobody knew this higher than Kenny Dalglish. Having changed Kevin Keegan, who was as beloved in Newcastle as Greggs pasties, Dalglish by no means fairly managed to seize the identical magic. And after an underwhelming begin to the 1998-99 season, the board had seen sufficient.
Two attracts – one with Charlton and one other in opposition to Chelsea – was all it took for Newcastle’s notoriously twitchy house owners to determine Kenny’s time was up.
Out you go, supervisor. Ruud Gullit got here in as his substitute, however he too discovered that the Toon job was about as comfortable as a mattress of nails.
Dalglish would go on to reappear at Liverpool some years later, however his early Newcastle exit is a reminder that some jobs are simply poison chalices, irrespective of your pedigree.
4. Bobby Robson – Newcastle United (2004-05)
- Sacked: 30 August 2004 – 16 days
Few sackings in soccer historical past are as universally lamented as Sir Bobby Robson’s departure from Newcastle. Freddy Shepherd, Newcastle’s chairman, famously stated that firing Robson was like “capturing Bambi,” and he wasn’t fallacious. Robson was a beloved determine, not simply in Newcastle however throughout the footballing world.
Nonetheless, the wheels had been beginning to wobble after Newcastle completed fifth within the earlier season, lacking out on Champions League soccer. A couple of matches into the 2004-05 marketing campaign, with no wins of their first 4 video games, the knives had been out.
Robson was dismissed after a 4-2 defeat to Aston Villa. Many blamed participant energy, and to this present day, former chairman John Corridor holds a grudge in opposition to the gamers who contributed to Robson’s sacking.
Newcastle’s poor kind continued beneath Robson’s successors, and the staff ended up within the mid-table wilderness. It’s honest to say the choice to axe Robson didn’t have the specified impact.
They spiralled into mediocrity, whereas Robson left behind a legacy that continues to be untouched.
5. Alan Curbishley – West Ham United (2008-09)
- Resigned: 3 September 2008 – 18 days
Now, technically, Curbishley wasn’t sacked—he resigned. However we’re counting it as a result of it’s one of many extra infamous early-season departures.
After main West Ham to 2 wins from their first three video games, Curbishley stop 18 days into the 2008-09 marketing campaign in protest over the membership promoting gamers in opposition to his will.
West Ham shipped out George McCartney and Anton Ferdinand behind his again, breaking Curbishley’s contract and belief. Naturally, he took them to court docket and gained, pocketing a tidy compensation sum.
However after such a bitter expertise, Curbishley has stayed far away from soccer administration since.
West Ham went on to rent Gianfranco Zola, who led them to a decent ninth-place end. Zola’s attraction could have labored with the followers, however Curbishley’s exit left an unmistakable cloud over the Hammers.
6. Kevin Keegan – Newcastle United (2008-09)
- Resigned: 4 September 2008 – 19 days
The Return of the King was meant to be a dream homecoming for Newcastle followers. As a substitute, it become a Mike Ashley nightmare.
A day after Curbishley threw within the towel at West Ham, Kevin Keegan – the King Kev himself – adopted swimsuit at St. James’ Park.
Pissed off by Newcastle’s shambolic switch coverage (you may bear in mind the identify Xisco – nobody else does), Keegan determined he wasn’t up for being a puppet on Mike Ashley’s string.
Very like Curbishley, Keegan felt that he wasn’t given the management a supervisor ought to have, and if you’ve acquired Keegan’s ardour, compromise simply isn’t an possibility.
His resignation sparked outrage amongst followers, and rightly so. They ultimately dropped out of the Premier League that yr, and Keegan’s second stint as supervisor ended with a bitter style.
What adopted was a managerial merry-go-round that solely solidified Newcastle’s repute as a membership that couldn’t get out of its personal manner.
7. Christian Gross – Tottenham Hotspur (1998-99)
- Sacked: 5 September 1998 – 21 days
When Christian Gross arrived at Tottenham Hotspur in 1997, he famously brandished his London Underground ticket on the press convention, saying it was his “ticket to success.” Spoiler alert: it wasn’t.
As a substitute, it was his ticket out of north London, as Gross grew to become a strolling punchline for tabloid hacks in every single place.
By the point the 1998-99 season rolled round, Gross was on skinny ice, and it didn’t take lengthy for that ice to crack. Simply 21 days into the brand new marketing campaign, the membership had seen sufficient, and Gross was despatched packing.
It was much less in regards to the staff’s poor kind and extra in regards to the feeling that Gross was out of his depth within the Premier League.
Tottenham followers breathed a sigh of reduction as they moved on to George Graham, who no less than knew easy methods to arrange a protection, even when it wasn’t at all times fairly.
8. Ruud Gullit – Newcastle United (1999-00)
- Resigned: 28 August 1999 – 21 days
One other season, one other Newcastle sacking – this time, it was the flip of Ruud Gullit. Gullit had taken over from Kenny Dalglish and, for some time, issues appeared promising. However by the point the 1999-00 season kicked off, Gullit’s relationship with key gamers – notably Alan Shearer – had hit all-time low.
The ultimate nail within the coffin was a 2-1 defeat to Sunderland, the place Gullit bizarrely left Shearer and Duncan Ferguson on the bench. Newcastle followers weren’t impressed, and Gullit paid the worth for his tactical blunder.
The followers had been furious, and Gullit’s resolution to stop earlier than being pushed appeared inevitable.
9. Howard Wilkinson – Leeds United (1996-97)
- Sacked: 9 September 1996 – 23 days
Howard Wilkinson stays the final English supervisor to win the top-flight title, however that wasn’t sufficient to avoid wasting him.
Leeds United, the place Wilkinson had labored miracles by successful the previous First Division in 1992, noticed their kind dip considerably within the 1996-97 season. After simply two league wins of their opening 5 video games, mixed with a humiliating 4-0 defeat at residence to Manchester United, the board determined it was time for “Sergeant Wilko” to march off.
The choice to let Wilkinson go was met with combined reactions.
In spite of everything, this was the supervisor who had delivered Leeds’ first league title in 18 years. Nonetheless, soccer is a fickle sport, and previous glory hardly ever holds weight when the present kind is dire.
Wilkinson’s departure was the start of a turbulent time for Leeds, a membership that might ultimately fall from grace spectacularly within the following years.
10. Graeme Souness – Blackburn Rovers (2004-05)
- Mutual: 6 September 2004 – 23 days
Throughout his taking part in days, Graeme Souness could have been a tough-tackling midfield basic, however his managerial stint at Blackburn ended abruptly.
After simply 23 days into the 2004-05 season, Souness packed his baggage and headed for Newcastle United, a lot to the reduction of Blackburn followers.
His departure was considerably of a mutual resolution, with Blackburn completely satisfied to pocket some compensation whereas Newcastle hoped Souness might flip their fortunes round. Spoiler alert: he didn’t.
11. Frank de Boer – Crystal Palace (2017-18)
- Sacked: 11 September 2017– 29 days
If brevity is the soul of wit, Frank de Boer’s time at Crystal Palace was a Shakespearean tragedy of managerial tenures. Employed with nice fanfare in the summertime of 2017, the Dutchman was speculated to deliver an Ajax-style revolution to Selhurst Park.
However in simply 29 days, he was proven the door after 4 consecutive losses, with zero objectives scored.
Palace’s bold imaginative and prescient of Whole Soccer evaporated virtually as shortly because it started. The Eagles had introduced de Boer in for a tactical overhaul however pulled the plug after simply 450 minutes of soccer.
Whereas de Boer claimed he wanted time, Palace’s hierarchy wasn’t feeling fairly as philosophical. His substitute? Roy Hodgson, who shortly reminded everybody that pragmatic soccer was the best way to go at Selhurst.
De Boer’s ill-fated stint stays the shortest managerial reign in Premier League historical past by way of video games—4, to be precise. The Dutchman later had the doubtful honour of being dubbed “the worst supervisor in Premier League historical past” by José Mourinho.
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