The Premier League managerial merry-go-round continues with Nathan Jones the latest to be sacked this season.
Below, we look at all the top-flight sackings so far this term.
Nathan Jones – Southampton
Sacked on 12 February 2023.
Jones was dismissed after just three months in the job. With a record of eight defeats in nine league games, and an overall record of nine defeats in 14 matches, there is nothing knee-jerk about the decision to relieve the Welshman of his duties.
Already a surprise appointment to replace the sacked Ralph Hasenhuttl in November 2022, Jones was a dead man walking after failing to turn Southampton’s fortunes around. Saturday’s 2-1 defeat by 10-man Wolves, the fourth successive loss at St Mary’s, a match the Saints played with a numerical advantage for over three quarters of the contest, was the straw that broke the camel’s back.
Jesse Marsch – Leeds United
Sacked on 6 February 2023.
Leeds United pulled the trigger following the 1-0 defeat by relegation rivals Nottingham Forest last week. Jesse Marsch had presided over an extended run of abject results, plunging the club into a relegation scrap.
Obviously Leeds felt they had to act sooner rather than later to give their side and the new manager a fighting chance in the battle against the drop. Will the powers-that-be be vindicated?
The club was still to appoint Marsch’s replacement at the time of writing. The interim coaching staff secured a creditable 2-2 draw against Manchester United last Wednesday before suffering a 2-0 defeat at the hands of the same opponents on Sunday.
Frank Lampard – Everton
Sacked on 23 January 2023.
The defeat at fellow strugglers West Ham sealed Frank Lampard’s fate. It was the club’s ninth loss in 12 League games, pushing Everton close to the relegation trapdoor.
Lampard was a victim of his reputation as a player and a half decent managerial spell at Chelsea, a job he got on the back of a stellar stint in charge of Derby County, and an even stellar record as a Chelsea player.
When Everton were in the market for a sixth manager in five years after the axing of Rafa Benitez in January 2022, the club plumped for Lampard. The former England international did well to steer the Toffees to safety, but only just. However, the momentum that was expected in his first full season failed to material through a combination of a lack of investment in the squad and Lampard’s own failure to get the best out of the resources at his disposal.
Lampard’s win ratio of 23.7% is the second worst by an Everton manager in the Premier League era.
Ralph Hasenhuttl – Southampton
Sacked on 7 November 2022.
The Southampton hierarchy would have agonised long and hard over the decision to sack Ralph Hasenhuttl. The Austrian had done an admirable job at St Mary’s, managing to keep the club in the top flight with little discomfort during a tenure spanning four years.
He even masterminded a few memorable results along the way, including a 1-0 victory over Liverpool in January 2021. So overcome with the emotion of the moment Hasenhuttl slumped to his knees and cried at the final whistle. He wore his heart on his sleeve.
A few tears were shed when the axe fell on the Austrian, who had become something of a safe pair of hands, but nothing more. He couldn’t take the club to that next level.
Ultimately, football managers are judged on results and Hasenhuttl was no exception. He left Southampton in the drop zone after a sequence of poor results – one win in eight Premier League games leading to the sack was abject fare.
Steven Gerrard – Aston Villa
Sacked on 20 October 2022.
Steven Gerrard arrived at Villa Park with the club in 16th place and suffering the “second season syndrome” after the highs of their first season back in the Premier League. He left with the club in 17th place almost a year later.
After helping Rangers end Celtic’s dominance in the Scottish Premiership, Gerrard arrived at Villa with a burgeoning managerial reputation. His appointment engendered a feel-good vibe at the club. An exciting future with a rising young manager at the helm beckoned.
The owners backed him in the transfer market too, generously to a fault. So, the club hierarchy and the fans had every reason to expect a commensurate return on the pitch.
The Aston Villa gig was also supposed to be Gerrard’s audition for the Liverpool job when Jurgen Klopp eventually leaves. But instead of enhancing his standing, Gerrard left Villa Park with his managerial reputation in tatters and his Anfield hot-seat prospects severely dented.
He failed to improve the situation he inherited from Dean Smith. At least his successor inherited a raft of new players signed for a pretty penny.
Gerrard’s win ratio of 31.6%, 12 wins in 38 matches, is the abysmal record potential Premier League employers will remember when next the former Villa boss is mentioned in connection with a vacant managerial position.
Bruno Lage – Wolves
Sacked on 2 October 2022.
Bruno Large was dismissed after a wretched sequence of results tossed Wolves into the relegation zone. The Portuguese had been in the role for 16 months after succeeding compatriot Nuno Espirito Santo.
Lage looked a perfect fit for the club, and the ideal candidate to build on the foundations laid by his predecessor. He guided Wolves to a top half finish in his debut season. However, the wheels started to come off somewhat during the tail-end of the campaign. The stuttering form continued into the new season.
After a paltry return of six points from a possible 24 and only three goals registered, and a not too-shabby overall win ratio of 37.25%, the club decided it was time to show Lage the exit door.
Thomas Tuchel – Chelsea
Sacked on 7 September 2022.
A bit of a shock this and perhaps more indicative of the owners’ desire to clear the deck and impose their own stamp on the club than action invited by the manager’s failings.
Tuchel’s record with Borussia Dortmund and PSG, and an impressive trophy haul in the short time he was at Stamford Bridge – the Champions League, the UEFA Super Cup, Club World Cup – suggests his dismissal had little do with results and more to do with Todd Boehly’s desire to freshen up all the club structures, including the coaching department.
Tuchel’s touchline bust-up with Antonio Conte was perhaps a window into his frustrations at developments behind the scenes, especially the evolving transfer strategy under a new regime at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea were sixth in the table after six league matches, so the German’s axing was carried out with indecent haste. He deserved more time.
Five months on and having spent over £500m on new players, the Blues are huffing and puffing under Graham Potter, 10 points and five places adrift of the Champions League spots.
Scott Parker – Bournemouth
Sacked on 30 August 2022.
Scott Parker was the first managerial casualty of the season. After guiding Bournemouth back into the Premier League, the former Fulham boss was axed after just four games. The axe fell following a chastening 9-0 defeat by Liverpool.
The margin of defeat brutally exposed the gulf between the top-flight returnees and the top clubs in the Premier League. In that context, Parker was perhaps a little unfortunate to be shown the exit door early doors.
That Bournemouth are still languishing in the relegation zone five months on to an extent vindicates Parker’s brutal assessment that the Cherries were not adequately equipped for the Premier League.
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