Five shortest managerial reigns in history after Allardyce’s early England exit
Published:
Lee Gormley | September 28, 2016
Shortest managerial reigns in history
Sam Allardyce had admitted taking charge of England was his dream job upon being appointed, but his reign swiftly became a short-lived nightmare, as he departed his role after just 67 days and having overseen one single game.
England are now 16/1 with Coral to win the 2018 World Cup, with Gareth Southgate taking temporary charge of the upcoming qualifiers in light of the shocking Allardyce situation.
Following the dismissal of Big Sam as Three Lions boss, Coral look back at other coaching mishaps by outlining five shortest managerial reigns in history, including some famous names throughout the years…
Leroy Rosenior – Torquay United, 10 minutes
We start with undoubtedly the shortest managerial reign in the history of football, with Rosenior having been in charge of Torquay for a remarkable 10 minutes!
Yes, he was re-appointed as the club’s boss in May 2007, but only lasted a mere 600 seconds in his role, as a local consortium completed a takeover of the side and opted to hire Paul Buckle instead.
Rosenior had the misfortune of being appointed while the papers were being signed, and before the ink had even dried on the takeover, he was swiftly replaced.
Marcelo Bielsa — Lazio, two days
Allardyce wasn’t the only manager to endure a short-lived managerial stint this year, with controversial coach Bielsa having caused a stir this past summer when incredibly lasting just two days as the boss of Serie A outfit Lazio.
The feisty tactician, rightfully nicknamed El Loco (the Crazy One), is regarded as one of the best coaches in the world, but his 48-hour spell in Italy proved his temperament isn’t his strongest quality.
Lazio had hoped the former Athletic Bilbao and Marseille boss would help restore them to the pinnacle of Italian football, but Bielsa bizarrely stepped down just two days after his initial appointment and is currently out of a job.
Kevin Cullis — Swansea City, seven days
Back in 1996, Cullis managed to last just seven days in charge of Welsh club Swansea, with the then third division side having been making a habit of firing managers in quick succession.
What’s more amazing about his week-long reign isn’t the length, but the fact he lasted one and a half games as boss. It’s heavily reported that during his second match in charge, a 4-0 loss to Blackpool, the players ignored his orders and managed themselves in the second-half.
Cullis was widely unknown when taking up the role in the first place, having never played professionally himself and the only coaching experience he had prior to the Swans was at non-league team Cradley Town.
Les Reed – Charlton Athletic, 41 days
The shortest-ever Premier league managerial reign occurred in 2006, when Reed oversaw the running of Charlton in the top-flight for only 41 days before getting the boot.
Reed suffered much misery straight from the off after succeeding Iain Dowie, as his awful tenure saw the club eliminated from both cup competitions to lower league opponents and departed proceedings when they were in the relegation zone. His nightmare was compounded when being dismissed on Christmas Eve. Ouch!
Brian Clough — Leeds United, 44 days
Clough’s reign as Leeds boss is no doubt the most famous, or infamous, of short managerial stints, as he departed Elland Road after just 44 drama-filled days in charge in 1974.
The legendary coach had entered his job after admitting he had hated the Leeds players, and the feelings were mutual from those at the Yorkshire club.
Leeds’ crop of stars soon got their wish as he was dismissed, though Clough didn’t do too bad after leaving – going on to lift two European Cup crowns with Nottingham Forest.
Related
