After Farke left Krasnodar rapidly, here's 10 short managerial reigns
Brian Clough’s 44-day Leeds stint was made into a film, while Marcelo Bielsa lasted just THREE DAYS at Lazio… after Daniel Farke left Krasnodar without taking charge of a single match, here are 10 of the most infamously short managerial reigns
- Daniel Farke resigned as Krasnodar manager after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
- The German boss lasted 48 days and did not take charge of a single match
- Sportsmail remembers some of the most famous brief managerial stints
- Brian Clough and Marcelo Bielsa feature – while one lasted just 10 minutes!
Former Norwich City manager Daniel Farke resigned as manager of Russian Premier League side Krasnodar this week without having taken charge of a single match.
The German’s resignation comes following Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, which has seen sport turn its back on Russia.
Farke’s first match was due to take place last weekend before the fixture was cancelled with Krasnodar airport closed due to the invasion.
Despite not taking charge of a match, however, Farke’s reign lasted 48 days as it coincided with Russia’s winter break, meaning his stint is nowhere near the shortest in terms of time in managerial history.
Here, Sportsmail remembers some of the most infamously short managerial stints, including three which lasted less than a week…
Former Norwich boss Daniel Farke departed Krasnodar without taking charge of a match
Nearly 50 years on, Clough’s doomed stint at Leeds is still the most famous of the short managerial reigns. That is because of the size of the club, who had just won the title, and the reputation of the manager, who had also won the title just two years before with Derby.
So dramatic were Clough’s 44 days at Elland Road that a film, The Damned United, was made about it in 2009 starring Michael Sheen, based on a novel of the same name.
Clough’s notorious ego clashed massively with those of the club’s superstar players, who were used to doing things their own way. Having won just one of his eight matches in charge, Clough was sacked. He would win another league title and two European Cups in a remarkable 18-year stint at Nottingham Forest.
Brian Clough (left) leads Leeds out for the Charity Shield at Wembley Stadium in 1974
9) LES REED (Charlton, 2006, 41 days, 7 matches)
After six seasons of comfortably staying up in the Premier League, Charlton let Alan Curbishley leave and replaced him with Iain Dowie, who was sacked just months later. Rather than opting for an experienced manager to steer them to safety, they took a punt by promoting Dowie’s unknown assistant Reed in November 2006.
Reed’s stint was an unmitigated disaster, with the Londoner earning the nickname ‘Les Miserables’ as Charlton won just won in eight and were knocked out of the League Cup by Wycombe, then three tiers below.
He was sacked on Christmas Eve, Charlton were relegated and are now languishing in League One.
Les Reed became known as ‘Les Miserables’ as he lasted just seven matches at Charlton
8) ALEX McLEISH (Nottingham Forest, 2012-13, 40 days, 7 matches)
Forest were knocking on the door of the Championship play-offs on a run of just one defeat in 10 when their new Kuwaiti owner Fawaz Al-Hasawi inexplicably sacked Sean O’Driscoll and replaced him with McLeish, whose stock had fallen after a disastrous spell in charge of Aston Villa.
With the fans and players never on side, Forest won just won of McLeish’s first seven matches in charge, then when Al-Hasawi refused to sanction the signing of George Boyd, the Scot jumped before he could be pushed.
Alex McLeish was an unpopular appointment at Nottingham Forest and was soon gone
7) STEVE COPPELL (Man City, 1996, 33 days, 6 matches)
After 10 years at Crystal Palace over two spells, former Manchester United and England winger Coppell finally ventured out of the Selhurst Park dugout when he took on the task of getting Man City back to the Premier League after relegation.
Just over a month later, having lost three of his first six matches in charge, Coppell resigned out of the blue, citing the pressure of the job being too much.
He returned to Palace the following year, then again for a fourth stint.
Manchester City unveiled Steve Coppell in 1996 – but he only lasted six matches
6) LUIGI DELNERI (Porto, 2004, 36 days, 0 matches)
When Jose Mourinho left Porto for Chelsea after their shock Champions League triumph, the Portuguese giants opted for upcoming Italian coach Delneri to replace him after he had guided Chievo from Serie B to fifth in Serie A.
Just five weeks later, before the season had even started, Delneri was sacked with his Porto bosses furious at his poor timekeeping after allegedly missing or being late for several training sessions.
Luigi Delneri wore a watch at his Porto unveiling – but his timekeeping proved his downfall
5) PAUL SCHOLES (Oldham, 2019, 31 days, 7 matches)
There was a ripple of excitement through English football as one of Manchester United’s greatest ever players, and more recently a forthright pundit, moved from the TV studio to the dugout three years ago to manage League Two Oldham.
Just a month later, after one win in seven matches, Scholes resigned, blaming interference from club owner Abdallah Lemsagam in first-team affairs.
He might have had a point: Oldham have had seven more managers since.
Oldham made the headlines when they appointed Paul Scholes in 2019 – but he didn’t last long
4) BILLY McKINLAY (Watford, 2014, 8 days, 2 matches)
One of the first in a long line of Watford managers to have felt hard done by by owner Gino Pozzo, McKinlay won and drew his two matches in charge, yet was sacked to make way for Slavisa Jokanovic after just eight days.
McKinlay had been the first-team coach of his predecessor Oscar Garcia, who had to resign from the role due to heart problems.
Jokanovic got Watford promoted that season – then was sacked by Pozzo before the Premier League season started.
Billy McKinlay was harshly sacked despite picking up four points from two games at Watford
3) DAVE BASSETT (Crystal Palace, 1984, 4 days, 0 matches)
Having just got Wimbledon promoted to the second tier for the first time in their history, Bassett agreed to move to south London rivals Crystal Palace – also in the Second Division but with a bigger status and budget – in June 1984.
Four days later, he changed his mind – and thankfully had not yet signed a contract despite his appointment having been confirmed by both clubs.
Bassett guided Wimbledon to the top tier two years later, finishing sixth in their maiden top-flight campaign. He would join Palace eventually, lasting a year before leaving in 1997.
Dave Bassett changed his mind after four days and decided to stay at Wimbledon in 1984
2) MARCELO BIELSA (Lazio, 2016, 3 days, 0 matches)
We are all accustomed now to Argentine Bielsa’s unusual methods after his three-and-a-half year stint at Leeds, so it won’t come as a surprise to know it doesn’t always work out when appointing the uncompromising ‘El Loco’.
Still, Lazio might have expected Bielsa to have lasted more than three days in 2016, when he resigned due to differences with the board over signings.
Marcelo Bielsa lasted just three days at Lazio, following a year-long spell at Marseille (above)
1) LEROY ROSENIOR (Torquay, 2007, 10 minutes, 0 matches)
His name might not be as glamorous as Bielsa or Clough’s, but surely no one will ever have a shorter managerial stint than that of Rosenior’s at Torquay in 2007.
Having enjoyed success at the Devon club between 2002 and 2006, Torquay moved to reappoint Rosenior after they had sacked Keith Curle in 2007.
However, just 10 minutes after re-joining the club, a consortium announced they had taken over Torquay, sacked Rosenior and appointed Paul Buckle instead.
Former Torquay manager Leroy Rosenior holds the record for the shortest managerial stint
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