Most Managers Sacked in a Premier League Season

Premier League managers are under great pressure to perform from the first game of the season. If the owners of these super-rich clubs sense that things are starting to turn sour a manager has to watch their back.

There is so much at stake for clubs at both ends of the table, so managers enter their contracts knowing their head is already on the chopping block. Unfortunately, many managerial heads do roll in the Premier League and there has never been a season where all managers have kept their jobs. 

Positions become untenable for various reasons; playstyle, results, personality. How well, and how quickly, a manager responds to things going against them on the pitch is the difference between keeping their job and not. Let’s take a look at which seasons have seen the most managers get sacked in the Premier League.

Most Premier League Sackings in a Season

#	Season	Managers Sacked
=1	2017/18	10
=1	2013/14	10
=1	2008/09	10
=1	2021/22	10

The most Premier League managerial changes in a season is 10 coaches losing their jobs. This has happened several times, in: 2008/09, 2013/14, 2017/18 and 2021/22.

With so much at stake to stay in the most lucrative football league in the world, Premier League owners often get itchy trigger fingers.

Staying means so much to teams financially that they will do whatever it takes to remain in the promised land. Successful teams aren’t immune to sacking their managers either, with the added lure of European football a must for certain clubs.

If they look like missing out on the Champions League or other European slots, owners of the ‘big six’ teams are also quick to change things up.

=1. Season 17/18 – 10 Sackings

Manager	Team	Date sacked	League position when sacked	Replaced by	Final league position
Frank de Boer	Crystal Palace	11 September	20	Roy Hodgson	11
Craig Shakespeare	Leicester City	17 October	18	Claude Puel	9
Ronald Koeman	Everton	23 October	18	Sam Allardyce	8
Slaven Bilic	West Ham United	6 November	18	David Moyes	13
Tony Pulis	West Bromwich Albion	20 November	17	Alan Pardew	20
Paul Clement	Swansea City	20 December	20	Carlos Carvalhal	18
Mark Hughes	Stoke City	6 January	18	Paul Lambert	19
Marco Silva	Watford	21 January	10	Javi Gracia	14
Mauricio Pellegrino	Southampton	12 March	17	Mark Hughes	17
Alan Pardew	West Bromwich Albion	2 April	20	Darren Moore	20

Source: Transfermarkt *not including caretaker managers

The 2017/18 Premier League season saw 10 managerial changes with plenty of surprises along the way. Frank de Boer suffered the ignominy of being the first manager of the season to get the boot, just a few short weeks after the curtain was raised.

It was a terrible tenure and Palace didn’t even manage a goal in the league under de Boer before the Dutch coach was given his marching orders. He was replaced by Roy Hodgson who did a tremendous job for Palace before leaving his post in 2021.

Leicester City also proved that there is no room for sentimentality in football after parting ways with Craig Shakespeare shortly into the season. Shakespeare had guided Leicester to safety the previous season following a disastrous defence of their legendary title win.

However, with relegation looking possible after a handful of matchweeks, Leicester turned to Claude Puel to steer the ship. Puel did manage to lift Leicester to eighth in the table, even if his brand of football wasn’t universally loved on the terraces at the King Power Stadium.

Some teams try to roll the dice and get themselves out of trouble with a managerial change but it backfired for West Brom. When they sacked Tony Pulis they were in 17th but after replacing him with Alan Pardew, and subsequently sacking him too, the Baggies finished rock bottom. Stoke City and Swansea City also tried to pull off the great escape with a mid-season managerial change but fell short.

Perhaps the most surprising exit was Marco Silva from Watford who had the Hornets in 10th when he left his position. Watford ended up in a lower place in the table than they were in when Silva was relieved of his duties.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9Wm27SkqH0

=1. Season 13/14 – 10 Sackings

Manager	Team	Date Sacked	League position when sacked	Replaced bu	Final league position
Paolo Di Canio	Sunderland	22 September	20	Gustavo Poyet	14
Ian Holloway	Crystal Palace	23 October	19	Tony Pulis	11
Martin Jol	Fulham	1 December	18	Rene Meulensteen	19
Steve Clarke	West Bromwich Albion	14 December	16	Pepe Mel	17
Andre Villas-Boas	Tottenham Hotspur	16 December	7	Tim Sherwood	6
Malkay Mackay	Cardiff	27 December	16	Ole Gunnar Solskjaer	20
Michael Laudrup	Swansea City	4 February	12	Garry Monk	12
Rene Meulensteen	Fulham	14 February	20	Felix Magath	19
Chris Hughton	Norwich City	6 April	17	Neil Adams	18
David Moyes	Manchester United	22 April	7	Louis Van Gaal	7

Source: Transfermarkt *not including caretaker managers

The Sunderland manager’s position can’t have been much fun for many of the men who took up the role. Paolo Di Canio stepped into the firing line and was also the first to get sacked in the 2013/14 season. He had Sunderland dwelling at the foot of the table but fortunately, his replacement, Gustavo Poyet, led them to a safe 14th position.

The 2013/14 season saw the emergence of a cult figure, ‘Tactics Tim’ who rejuvenated a lifeless Tottenham Hotspur when he took over from Andre Villas-Boas. Sherwood guided Tottenham back into the European places at the expense of Manchester United.

David Moyes had the impossible job of following Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United. It was an uninspiring first season in charge that ultimately saw Moyes given his marching orders weeks before the season’s end.

Perhaps the most improved team following a managerial change was Crystal Palace. The south London club rose from a lowly 19th when Ian Holloway was sacked to a comfortable 11th under new manager Tony Pulis.

Cardiff City will perhaps feel like they made the worst managerial decision when they went from 16th under Malkay Mackay to 20th with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Norwich City also sacked a manager keeping them out of the relegation places in Chris Hughton, only to drop out of the league under the new man (Neil Adams).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgrvyPc8w-E

=1. Season 08/09 – 10 Sackings

Manager	Team	Date sacked	League position when sacked	Replaced by	Final league position
Alan Curbishley	West Ham United	3 September	6	Gianfranco Zola	9
Kevin Keegan	Newcastle United	4 September	11	Joe Kinnear	18
Harry Redknapp	Portsmouth	25 October	7	Tony Adams	14
Juande Ramos	Tottenham Hotspur	27 October	20	Andre Villas-Boas	8
Roy Keane	Sunderland	4 December	18	Ricky Sbragia	16
Paul Ince	Blackburn Rovers	16 December	19	Sam Allardyce	15
Luiz Felipe Scolari	Chelsea	9 February	4	Guus Hiddink	3
Tony Adams	Portsmouth	9 February	15	Paul Hart	14
Joe Kinnear	Newcastle United	11 February	13	Alan Shearer	18
Ricky Sbragia	Sunderland	24 May	16	Steve Bruce	16

Source: Transfermarkt *not including caretaker managers

Alan Curbishley had built a great reputation as a manager following his success with Charlton Athletic in the Premier League. His stint in charge of West Ham United wasn’t as successful and he became the first managerial casualty of the 2008/09 season.

Curbishley was sacked at the beginning of September, which is a matter of weeks before the season kicks off. He wasn’t the only early Premier League sacking that season and Kevin Keegan’s return to Newcastle ended just one day later.

Both Portsmouth and Sunderland changed managers twice during the season but they may not agree on whether their seasons were successful or not. Portsmouth were punching for Europe under Harry Redknapp before replacing him with Tony Adams and finishing mid-table. Sunderland, on the other hand, had been fighting against relegation under Roy Keane and Ricky Sbragia’s reward for keeping them up was a final day sacking.

At the top of the table, Luis Felipe Scolari had Chelsea in 4th place which wasn’t enough to stay in charge at Stamford Bridge. Scolari was replaced by the go-to season saver for many teams, Guus Hiddink, who improved Chelsea’s league position to 3rd.

=1. Season 21/22 – 10 Sackings

Manager	Team	Date sacked	League position when sacked	Replaced by	Final league position
Xisco Munoz	Watford	3 October	15	Claudio Ranieri	19
Steve Bruce	Newcastle United	20 October	19	Eddie Howe	11
Nuno Espirito Santo	Tottenham Hotspur	1 November	9	Antonio Conte	4
Daniel Farke	Norwich City	6 November	20	Dean Smith	20
Dean Smith	Aston Villa	7 November	16	Steven Gerrard	14
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer	Manchester United	21 November	8	Ralf Rangnick	6
Rafa Benitez	Everton	16 January	16	Frank Lampard	16
Claudio Ranieri	Watford	24 January	20	Roy Hodgson	19
Marcelo Bielsa	Leeds United	27 February	18	Jesse Marsch	17
Sean Dyche	Burnley	15 April	18	Michael Jackson	18

Premier League Manager Sackings This Season (2022/23)

Manager	Team	Date sacked	Position when sacked	Replaced by	Final league position
Scott Parker	Bournemouth	30 August	17	Gary O’Neil	TBC
Thomas Tuchel	Chelsea	7 September	6	Eddie Howe	TBC
Bruno Lage	Wolves	2 October	18	Julen Lopetegui	TBC
Steven Gerrard	Aston Villa	21 October	17	Unai Emery	TBC
Ralph Hasenhuttl	Southampton	7 November	18	Nathan Jones	TBC
Frank Lampard	Everton	23 January	19	Sean Dyche	TBC
Jesse Marsch	Leeds United	6 February	17	Javi Gracia	TBC
Nathan Jones	Southampton	12 February	20	Ruben Selles	TBC
Patrick Vieira	Crystal Palace	17 March	12	TBC	TBC

Premier League Managerial Sackings by Season

In the Premier League, the ‘sack race’ has gotten tougher and tougher each year. The early days of the competition generally saw Premier League owners give their managers time and support. However, the more money entering the league through sponsorships means the stakes are higher.

Today, faltering Premier League managers are often dispatched without much thought. The trend for sacking, rather than backing, managers is rising.

In the history of the Premier League, Tottenham Hotspur has sacked the most managers during the season with 12. The team that has changed managers the most in the Premier League is Chelsea, which will hardly come as a surprise to many.

Of the teams that have been in the Premier League since its inception in 1992, Arsenal has had the fewest managerial changes with four.

Season	Sackings during the season
92/93	2
93/94	7
94/95	9
95/96	1
96/97	6
97/98	6
98/99	5
99/00	4
00/01	5
01/02	8
02/03	4
03/04	3
04/05	8
05/06	3
06/07	7
07/08	8
08/09	10
09/10	5
10/11	8
11/12	4
12/13	6
13/14	10
14/15	7
15/16	8
16/17	8
17/18	10
18/19	7
19/20	7
20/21	4
21/22	10
22/23	9 (so far…)