Premier League managers
At the end of 2016/17, the League Managers Association revealed that the average tenure of the bosses sacked by top-flight clubs that season was just 1.3 years. The position of Premier League head coach has, in most cases, become a temporary one.
A handful of clubs have tended to preach patience, while others have developed a reputation for being ruthless. In this slideshow, we rank the 20 current Premier League outfits by the number of permanent managers they’ve employed since 1992/93.
N.B.: Managers are counted twice if they’ve had two separate spells at the same club
20. Arsenal (3)
Comfortably English football's longest-serving manager, Arsene Wenger has been in his position at Arsenal since September 1996. It's therefore no surprise that the Gunners have gone through the fewest bosses in the Premier League era, with George Graham and Bruce Rioch the only other men to have held the post since 1992/93.
Wenger has won three league titles and seven FA Cups during his 21-and-a-half years in north London, while Graham won the FA Cup, League Cup and Cup Winners' Cup after the establishment of the Premier League.
19. Man United (4)
Alex Ferguson spent 27 years as Manchester United manager, winning a remarkable 13 league titles as well as two Champions Leagues, five FA Cups and four League Cups. The Scot was United’s only boss in the Premier League era until 2013, when he hand-picked David Moyes as his successor before heading off into retirement.
Moyes didn’t see out the 2013/14 season at Old Trafford, and Louis van Gaal lasted just two campaigns at the club before being replaced by Jose Mourinho.
18. Liverpool (8)
Liverpool have been among the most patient Premier League outfits when it comes to managers, with only eight permanent appointments made in the last 26 years. The period began with Graeme Souness in the hot seat, before Roy Evans' arrival in 1994; he then shared the position with Gerard Houllier for 18 games in 1998, before the Frenchman took sole control.
15= Burnley (9)
Sean Dyche celebrated his fifth anniversary as Burnley manager in October 2017, which makes him the longest-serving Clarets boss since Stan Ternent, who was in charge between 1998 and 2004.
Eddie Howe was Dyche's predecessor at Turf Moor, with Jimmy Mullen, Adrian Heath, Chris Waddle, Steve Cotterill, Owen Coyle (pictured) and Brian Laws the other men who have managed the club since the inception of the Premier League.
15= Bournemouth (9)
Eddie Howe has done a remarkable job at Bournemouth, guiding the club from League Two to the middle of the Premier League in his two spells in charge. Lee Bradbury and Paul Groves both spent time as manager following Howe’s move to Burnley in January 2011, before the current Cherries coach returned 21 months later.
Sean O’Driscoll (pictured) and Mel Machin each spent six years at Dean Court between 1994 and 2006, which is part of the reason why the Cherries rank low down this list.
14. West Ham (10)
It is noteworthy that West Ham have made fewer managerial appointments in their history (16) than six of their current Premier League rivals have made since 1992. Ten of those 16 coaches have bossed the club in the last 26 years, starting with club legend Billy Bonds in the early 1990s.
Harry Redknapp was Bonds' replacement in 1994 and went on to manage 327 of the East Londoners' games, before giving way for Glenn Roeder in 2001. Alan Pardew, Alan Curbishley, Gianfranco Zola, Avram Grant, Sam Allardyce, Slaven Bilic and David Moyes have since held the position.
12= Newcastle (12)
Rafael Benitez is an extremely popular man on Tyneside, so Newcastle supporters will be desperate for their number of managers in the Premier League era to remain at a round dozen for a good while yet.
Rafa The Gaffer still has a way to go before he surpasses Kevin Keegan and Bobby Robson in the hearts of the Geordie nation, who harbour rather more negative feelings towards ex-bosses Joe Kinnear and Alan Pardew.
12= Tottenham (12)
Mauricio Pochettino will only celebrate his fourth anniversary as Tottenham boss later this year, which is remarkable given the progress the club have made in a relatively short space of time under the Argentinian.
Pochettino recently surpassed Harry Redknapp as Spurs’ longest-serving honcho in the Premier League era, with Andre Villas-Boas, George Graham, Martin Jol and Glenn Hoddle (pictured) among the other men to have managed the club in the last 26 years.
10= Chelsea (13)
Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has been heavily criticised for his trigger-happy approach since assuming control of the club in 2003, but when the entire Premier League era is taken into account, the Blues only rank joint-10th on this list.
Jose Mourinho, Carlo Ancelotti and Antonio Conte have all won the title at Stamford Bridge, while Roberto Di Matteo, Gianluca Vialli and Ruud Gullit were successful in cup competitions – as were Guus Hiddink and Rafael Benitez, but neither counts towards Chelsea’s overall total given their status as interim bosses.
10= Man City (13)
Manchester City fans would probably advocate handing Pep Guardiola a contract for life given his work in 2017/18, but the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich head coach has never previously stayed in one job for more than four seasons.
The Citizens, for their part, haven't employed the same manager for four full seasons since Tony Book in the 1970s. Roberto Mancini is their longest-serving boss since 1992 in terms of games managed (191), with Peter Reid, Joe Royle (pictured), Kevin Keegan and Manuel Pellegrini the other men who have broken the 100-game barrier.
9. Stoke (14)
Paul Lambert is only the third manager to have been installed as Stoke’s permanent boss since 2006, with the club having preferred relatively long-term relationships in recent years. Tony Pulis and Mark Hughes were both afforded time during their employment in the Potteries, as was Lou Macari across two spells in the 1990s.
Chris Kamara, Chic Bates, Joe Jordan, Steve Cotterill and Gary Megson didn’t hang around for quite as long, taking control of 126 games between them.
8. Huddersfield (15)
When Manchester United won the inaugural Premier League title in 1992/93, Huddersfield were lower mid-table in the third tier. Ian Ross was the man in charge of the Terriers back then, before he gave way for Neil Warnock the following summer.
Peter Jackson (197) and Lee Clark (pictured, 177) managed most Huddersfield games in the period covered, although Town fans will hope incumbent David Wagner – on 118 by Valentine's Day 2018 – ultimately surpasses those tallies, not to mention those of pre-Premier League legends like Bill Shankly (137) and Herbert Chapman (194).
7. West Brom (16)
Alan Pardew became the 16th man to be employed as West Brom's manager since the rebranding of the English top flight in 1992. The Baggies have tended to favour British bosses for much of the last 26 years, although the period began with Ossie Ardiles at the helm at The Hawthorns, with Italian Roberto Di Matteo and Spaniard Pepe Mel subsequently taking charge of the club.
Gary Megson was West Brom's longest-serving boss with 221 games between 2000 and 2004, with Tony Mowbray (140) and Tony Pulis (121) taking second and third place respectively.
6. Brighton (17)
The 2017/18 campaign is Brighton's first in the top tier since 1982/83, with the club having experienced life in all four divisions since the Premier League began a decade later. Chris Hughton was the man to eventually get Albion over the line in their bid to reach the promised land, after Gus Poyet (pictured), Oscar Garcia and Sami Hyypia had all tried but failed to make it.
Before that quartet, Liam Brady, Peter Taylor, Steve Coppell, Mark McGhee and Mickey Adams were among those to boss the Seagulls, who had three 'permanent' chiefs in 2009 alone.
5. Swansea (18)
Swansea's succession planning was once a major strength, with the Welsh club tending to transition smoothly between managers as they rose through the divisions. Kenny Jackett, Roberto Martinez, Paulo Sousa, Brendan Rodgers, Michael Laudrup and Garry Monk all played a part in the Swans ultimately establishing themselves in the top tier.
The club have struggled for stability more recently, with Francesco Guidolin, Bob Bradley, Paul Clement and Carlos Carvalhal having all been employed as Swansea's permanent manager in the last 16 months.
4. Leicester (19)
Leicester’s sacking of title-winning coach Claudio Ranieri drew ire in 2016, although the club’s decision was vindicated when Craig Shakespeare subsequently led the Foxes to Premier League safety.
The East Midlands outfit have never been afraid to pull the trigger on an under-performing manager, as their figure of 19 appointments in 26 years suggests. Martin O’Neill was arguably the most successful Leicester boss in that time, winning promotion to the top flight in 1996 and two League Cups in the next four years.
3. Watford (20)
The Watford hot seat has been scalding in recent times, with no fewer than nine managers having occupied it since December 2013. Javi Gracia is the incumbent following Marco Silva's departure in January 2018, although it remains to be seen whether he'll be the first Hornets boss to remain in the post for more than a season since Gianfranco Zola.
Graham Taylor is the most successful manager in Watford's history by virtue of his exploits between 1977 and 1987, but he also did well in his second spell at Vicarage Road, guiding the club to promotion to the top flight in 1999.
2. Southampton (21)
Southampton have had a high degree of player turnover in the last few seasons, and they’ve also gone through a significant number of managers since 1992/93.
Only five of Saints’ 21 managers in the Premier League era have overseen 100 matches or more – Ian Branfoot, Dave Jones, Gordon Strachan, George Burley and Nigel Adkins – with Steve Wigley and Paul Sturrock limited to just 30 games between them in a particularly turbulent nine months in 2004. Graeme Souness (pictured) managed 48 in his solitary season at the helm in 1996/97.
1. Crystal Palace (23)
With 23 permanent managerial appointments since the Premier League began in 1992/93, Crystal Palace top this ranking. The south Londoners have had seven bosses since their most recent promotion to the first division in 2013, but only one of those - Alan Pardew - completed a full season at Selhurst Park.
The Eagles' longest-serving head coach in the period covered was Neil Warnock, who took charge of 129 games during his first spell at the club. Steve Coppell, meanwhile, has enjoyed four separate stints as Palace manager in the Premier League era.
