The average tenure of sacked managers during the 2014-15 season was the lowest in 23 years, with the League Managers Association’s annual statistics showing 20 of the 47 dismissals came in the Championship.
The 47 managers dismissed across the top four divisions was the most since 2001-02, with the LMA voicing renewed concerns about the cut-throat nature of the industry and the impact a sacking has on a coach’s family life and future employability.
The Championship figure of 20 managers dismissed is arguably the most alarming statistic to emerge from the review. It is double the number sacked during the previous campaign, although the arrival of Massimo Cellino at Leeds United and Watford’s – ultimately successful – approach of using four managers during their promotion push added to the tally.
The LMA has announced a new four-year strategy aimed at helping prepare its members for a career in management, as well as increasing the number of black and minority ethnic managers employed in the Premier League and Football League.
The average tenure of a sacked manager during 2014-15 was 1.23 years, the shortest since 1992. The figure in the Championship was 0.86 years.
The breakdown of managers sacked was:
• Five in the Premier League
• Twenty in the Championship
• Twelve in League One
• Ten in League Two
Richard Bevan, the LMA chief executive, said: “The end of the season gives us the opportunity to reflect on the number of managers and coaches that have lost their jobs over the preceding nine months. In the 2014-15 season we have seen a total of 47 manager dismissals, 17 of which were first-time managers, many of whom, based on previous statistics, will find it very difficult to get another opportunity to manage again.
“Furthermore, more than 150 coaches have lost their jobs as a direct consequence of the instability caused by sacking the manager and the desire of the club to bring in a host of new staff.”
Regarding many clubs’ short-term attitude to managerial appointments, Bevan said: “Clubs that resist the temptation of ‘boom and bust leadership’ and balance economic stability with sporting ambition will be more successful in the medium and long term. Clubs that keep the top of the game and the grassroots as close as possible, keeping fans and the local community central to everything they do, reinvesting revenues into the club and its infrastructure, will have a platform for continued success.”
