10 shortest managerial reigns in football history

The Give Me Sport page has compiled a list of the 10 managers with the shortest tenures at their new clubs.

Top 10 successful legends as both players and coaches

10. Troy Deeney

Duration: 29 days

Club: Forest Green Rovers (England)

Season: 2023/2024

Less than a month after the former Watford player took charge, the team's performance worsened, leading them to the bottom of the English League 4. As a result, Deeney was promptly sacked.

9. Paul Hart

Duration: 28 days

Club: Queens Park Rangers (England)

Season: 2009/2010

Exactly four weeks after his appointment, Hart left QPR having secured only one victory in five matches under his management.

8. Gennaro Gattuso

Duration: 22 days

Club: Fiorentina (Italy)

Season: 2021/2022

The former AC Milan player agreed to terminate his contract with Fiorentina after just three weeks in charge. It was reported that Gattuso disagreed with the club's management on strategy and resources available for signing new players.

7. Micky Adams

Duration: 13 days

Club: Swansea City (England)

Season: 1997/1998

Less than two weeks after taking the new job, Adams resigned due to unfulfilled promises related to the club's transfer budget.

6. Martin Ling

Duration: 9 days

Club: Cambridge United (England)

Season: 2009/2010

Appointed after the previous manager resigned due to issues with the club's chairman, Martin Ling lasted only 9 days before departing for similar reasons.

5. Billy McKinlay

Duration: 8 days

Club: Watford (England)

Season: 2014/2015

In his first stint as a head coach, McKinlay was unexpectedly sacked by Watford after just two matches, leading to the appointment of another manager.

4. Kevin Cullis

Duration: 7 days

Club: Swansea City (England)

Season: 1996/1997

With no prior playing or coaching experience in English League 3, Cullis suffered two consecutive defeats before being dismissed.

3. Dave Bassett

Duration: 4 days

Club: Crystal Palace (England)

Season: 1984/1985

In the summer of 1984, Bassett left Wimbledon to accept an offer from Crystal Palace. However, within 72 hours, he changed his mind and decided to return to his former club.

2. Marcelo Bielsa

Duration: 2 days

Club: Lazio (Italy)

Season: 2016/2017

Bielsa left Lazio after just 48 hours because the club couldn't secure the players he had requested.

1. Leroy Rosenior

Duration: 10 minutes

Club: Torquay United (England)

Season: 2006/2007

Torquay's leadership reversed their decision just 10 minutes after signing a contract with Rosenior. This is undoubtedly a regrettable record that is unlikely to be broken.