May 8 marks the 10th anniversary of Sir Alex Ferguson’s announcement that he would retire as Manchester United manager after 27 years in charge at Old Trafford. A decade on and Premier League bosses are now lucky to last 27 weeks.
Panic has replaced patience in the boardroom due to the fear of financial failure — relegation at the bottom end of the table; missing out on Champions League qualification at the top — but the mistake of making a short-lived appointment can usually be traced back to the very boardroom where the big decisions are made.
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This week, Javi Gracia was dismissed by Leeds United after 70 days at Elland Road. The former Watford manager became the 14th Premier League head coach to lose their job this season — a record figure for a single campaign. Graham Potter (Chelsea, 206 days) and Nathan Jones (Southampton, 95 days) have also been hired and fired inside the same season, while Cristian Stellini lasted 31 days as interim manager at Tottenham Hotspur after the dismissal of Antonio Conte in March.
Sources have told ESPN that interim boss Frank Lampard will remain in charge at Chelsea until the end of the season while the club finalises the appointment of a permanent successor to Potter. But after six defeats in six games since returning to Stamford Bridge on April 6, the 44-year-old might yet suffer the ignominy of losing two jobs in the same season, having been fired by Everton in January after less than a year in charge.
