Ange Postecoglou’s reign as Nottingham Forest goes down as the shortest-ever in Premier League history. Which is great news for Les Reed…
Postecoglou was sacked just 19 minutes after the final whistle of a 3-0 defeat to Chelsea.
In truth, he was lucky to last that long when he might have been shown the door during the international break that preceded yet another sloppy performance at both ends.
Here are the 10 shortest managerial reigns in the Premier League era, not including interim appointments, like Big Sam at Leeds, Terry Connor at Wolves, or Giggsy ’til the end of the season.
1) Ange Postecoglou: Nottingham Forest – 39 days
September 9, 2025 – October 18, 2025
It always seemed an odd choice for a notoriously fickle owner to appoint a manager who, inevitably, would need time and yet more players to have a chance of his methods succeeding. It was strange too that Postecoglou would jump into bed with Evangelos Marinakis when the Europa League triumph with Tottenham meant his stock remained high, despite being axed by Spurs.
The Aussie is unlikely to have the same choices in the wake of a disastrous spell in charge that lasted eight games and featured six defeats and two draws.
2) Les Reed: Charlton – 41 days
November 14, 2006 – December 24, 2006
Reed may no longer hold the record for shortest-ever reign but there is no glory in being outlasted by Liz Truss as PM.
Iain Dowie’s former assistant claimed it was a mutual decision to part the night before Christmas with his side bottom of the table and seven points from safety after one win in seven games.
“My position had become untenable in circumstances not of my making and beyond my control,” said Reed of leaving his boyhood club. “I have not run away from this challenge. I have done what is right for Charlton. Alan Pardew is an excellent choice and a good friend.”
Excellent choice or not, Pardew failed to keep the Addicks up.
3) Rene Meulensteen: Fulham – 75 days
December 1, 2013 – February 14, 2014
Fulham were bottom of the table and hadn’t won a league match since New Year’s Day when ex-Man Utd coach Meulensteen received his marching orders.
“Have we hit rock bottom? We probably have,” said the Dutchman just over a week before he departed upon losing an FA Cup replay defeat to Sheffield United, a side languishing second bottom of League One. They then drew at Old Trafford, prompting hopes of a revival, but a home defeat to Liverpool sealed his fate.
Meulensteen was replaced by Felix Magath, who failed to keep Fulham up and tried to cure Brede Hangeland’s knee injury with cheese.
4) Frank de Boer: Crystal Palace – 77 days
June 26, 2017 -September 11, 2017
Described by Jose Mourinho as “the worst manager in the history of the Premier League” and it’s hard really to argue.
De Boer arrived at Palace determined to instil a new possession-based approach and revolutionise the whole philosophy of the club. He was binned off after losing all four of his Premier League games without scoring a goal, with pre-season accounting for a month and a half of his pitifully short reign.
Roy Hodgson replaced De Boer and the ex-England boss dragged Palace up to 11th by the end of the season.
5) Bob Bradley: Swansea – 84 days
October 3, 2016 – December 27, 2016
Managed to live down to every ludicrous and unfair English stereotype of American SOCCER!!! types and did vast amounts of damage that Jesse Marsch struggled in vain to repair.
In a spell sandwiched between Francesco Guidolin and Paul Clement, Bradley brought just two wins in 11 games and was axed after a Boxing Day battering off West Ham.
6) Quique Sanchez Flores: Watford – 85 days
September 7, 2019 – December 1, 2019
This was the Spaniard’s second spell in charge, with Sanchez Flores tempted back to Vicarage Road after Javi Gracia was sacked four games into the season. The returning boss struggled to make an impact, winning only one of his 10 games in charge, with the Hornets bottom of the table and six points adrift of safety.
At least they didn’t have to show him where the door was.
MORE: Who will be next Nottingham Forest manager now Postecoglou is out?
7) Nathan Jones: Southampton – 95 days
November 10, 2022 – February 12, 2023
The writing was scrawled all over the wall well before a weird post-match press conference following a 3-0 defeat to Brentford when Jones claimed “there weren’t many better than me around Europe” when he was at Luton. But that show of defiance served to seal the fate of Wales’ own Brendan Rodgers regen.
The only league win Jones managed at Southampton came against an Everton team who sacked their own boss nine days later.
Jones recovered, returning to management almost exactly a year later with Charlton, where he was last seen by most making the Addicks’ play-off semi-final success all about him.
8) Colin Todd: Derby – 98 days
October 8, 2002 – January 14, 2003
Another who stepped up from an assistant’s position, Todd lasted just over three months, by the end of which Derby were second-bottom of the league and out of the FA Cup after being humbled by League Two strugglers Bristol Rovers.
“Colin has been aware the chairman was not happy with the way things have been going,” said the Rams, who wanted it known the decision had nothing to do with Fabrizio Ravanelli and the striker’s management ambitions.
9) Tony Adams: Portsmouth – 106 days
October 28, 2008 – February 8, 2009
Adams’ name earned him the chance to replace Harry Redknapp at Pompey more than his record, which up to that point consisted of a spell at Wycombe where he won 12 of 53 games in charge.
At Fratton Park, he managed only two wins in 16 games, with Pompey 16th when he was shown the door.
“The team has played well but too many points have been dropped from winning positions,” said the club, amid reports the senior players, like David James and Sol Campbell, weren’t convinced by his appointment.
10) Claudio Ranieri: Fulham – 106 days
November 14, 2018 – February 28, 2019
The Italian, a Premier League title winner with Leicester, lost the Fulham fans barely three months after replacing Slavisa Jokanovic at Craven Cottage. Winning only three games in 16 was enough to turn the board against Ranieri too though, inevitably, it was all disappointingly civil.
“Claudio Ranieri agreed to my decision that a change was in the best interest of everyone,” said Shahid Khan. “No surprise to me, Claudio was a perfect gentleman, as always. Be assured he is not solely to blame for the position we are in today.”
