What Are The Shortest Managerial Reigns in Premier League History?

The Shortest Managerial Reigns in Premier League History

Ange Postecoglou's sacking after just eight games in charge of Nottingham Forest made him the quickest dismissal in league history.

Here's how his 39 days in the Forest dugout ranks amongst the top 10 shortest managerial stints the Premier League has seen.

10 Colin Todd - 98 Days at Derby County

Derby legend Colin Todd came back to Pride Park in 2001, but his time in charge was far from the success of his playing days.

Having won the First Division twice during his playing career at the Rams, his managerial record of 11 defeats in 17 games threatened to spoil his legacy.

He was sacked in the January, three months later.

9 Nathan Jones - 95 Days at Southampton

Nathan Jones is the most hated manager in Southampton's modern history, rivalling Ian Branfoot for the all-time crown.

It's pretty clear to see why, given that he took just three points from his eight league games in charge as the Saints fell even closer to relegation.

The tenure was marred by perceived arrogance in press conferences and negative attitude that particularly pricked the Saints fans after Jones was very happy with himself for knocking Manchester City out of the Carabao Cup to quash their quadruple hopes.

8 Terry Connor - 91 Days at Wolves

Terry Connor was assistant manager under Mick McCarthy at Wolverhampton Wanderers, and was given the permanent job after the Irishman was sacked in February 2012.

However, Connor was even more ill-equipped at keeping the Midlands side in the division, taking only four points from 13 as boss.

Unsurprisingly, he was quickly replaced, although he returned to assistant manager under the new appointment before leaving the club altogether months later.

7 Quique Sanchez Flores - 85 Days at Watford

Given the Watford owner's infamous fire-and-hire approach, it's little shock to see one of their former managers on this list.

Sanchez Flores was brought back to the Hornets in September 2019 after a successful first stint at Vicarage Road, although his second one was to be one to forget.

He lasted only 10 games back - which included a 7-0 humiliation to Manchester City - as he was dismissed in the December in a season in which Watford were eventually relegated.

6 Bob Bradley - 84 Days at Swansea City

The first American to manage in the Premier League, he certainly didn't give the Yanks a good representation of themselves in the world of association football.

Somehow, his narration of away games as 'road games' wasn't the worst thing from his two month spell in 2016.

Instead, eight points from 11 games was, as the Swans' American owners eventually had to get rid of one of their own.

5 Frank De Boer - 77 Days at Crystal Palace

Dubbed "the worst manager in Premier League history" by Jose Mourinho in 2018, footballing legend Frank De Boer managed just four games at Crystal Palace.

Leading from the first match of the 2017/18 season, De Boer's side failed to score a single goal and were sat rock bottom without a point at the time of his sacking on 11 September.

De Boer would have had the shortest reign in the Premier League, however his appointment on 26 June - almost two months before the beginning of the season - saved him from the unwanted crown.

4 Rene Meulensteen - 75 Days at Fulham

Once part of Sir Alex Ferguson's coaching staff at Manchester United, Rene Meulensteen's time at Fulham was enough to suggest a place in the backroom staff was where he belonged.

He won three of 13 games at Fulham, who were eventually relegated three months after his departure in February 2014.

3 Les Reed - 41 Days at Charlton Athletic

The author of 'The Official FA Guide to Basic Team Coaching', Les Reed clearly forgot to take a page from his own book during his November-December stint in 2006.

Harshly sacked on Christmas Eve solely because of timing, no one can excuse the decision as he won once in eight attempts plus oversaw a League Cup defeat to League Two Wycombe Wanderers.

Reed also had been part of the England staff from 1998 to 2004, and had managed to anger Steven Gerrard so much that the Liverpool legend said he had "no respect" for him.

2 Ange Postecoglou - 39 Days at Nottingham Forest

Hired in September 2025 after the controversial sacking of Nuno Espirito Santo, who had guided the club to European football months earlier, Ange Postecoglou joined De Boer with the worst win rate in Premier League history.

The former Spurs and Celtic manager coached eight games in all competitions - five in the league - and didn't taste a single victory.

He was dismissed just minutes after the full time whistle in a 3-0 loss to Chelsea, which left them in 17th on five points and the possibility of being in the relegation zone at the end of the weekend.

1 Sam Allardyce - 30 Days at Leeds United

Given the job at Leeds in May 2023 with the sole task of saving their skins from going down, Allardyce had the reputation of having never been relegated as manager, despite taking charge of many clubs close to demotion.

However, that personal record evaporated after the final four games of the season, which saw three losses and a draw that wasn't good enough to keep Leeds up.

Allardyce wasn't actually sacked, keeping Postecoglou as the fastest dismissal in Premier League history, rather he left on his own terms in the June as he wasn't ready for a "long-term project".