First managers to get sacked in every Premier League season

Let’s check out the Premier League’s fastest sackings featuring Jose Mourinho, Kenny Dalglish, and Roberto Di Matteo.

In the high-stakes world of the English Premier League, managerial job security is a rare commodity. Over the years, numerous managers have found themselves facing the axe early in the season, with some departures occurring in record time.

Ian Porterfield holds the dubious honour of being the inaugural manager to face the chopping block in the 1992-93 season. His stint at Chelsea came to an end on 15 February 1993, setting the precedent for a trend that continues to this day.

The Blues seem to have a knack for firing managers early in the season, appearing on the list three times. Jose Mourinho’s departure from Chelsea in 2007-08, despite being a two-time Premier League-winning manager, shocked Chelsea’s fan base. Similarly, Roberto Di Matteo, who led Chelsea to a historic Champions League triumph, found himself ousted in November 2012.

Peter Reid is the only manager to feature on the list twice, first with Manchester City in 1993-94 and then with Sunderland in 2002-03. Reid’s attacking style of football led City to back-to-back finishes in the fifth spot and a ninth spot in the 1992-93 season. However, he was sacked only four matches into the new campaign.

The fastest sacking in Premier League history was Paul Sturrock’s brutal departure from Southampton only nine days into the 2004-05 season.

Here’s the full list of early manager sackings in Premier League history:

1992-93: Ian Porterfield (Chelsea)
1993-94: Peter Reid (Manchester City)
1994-95: Osvaldo Ardiles (Tottenham Hotspur)
1995-96: Roy McFarland (Bolton Wanderers)
1996-97: Howard Wilkinson (Leeds United)
1997-98: David Pleat (Sheffield Wednesday)
1998-99: Kenny Dalglish (Newcastle United)
1999-00: Ruud Gullit (Newcastle United)
2000-01: Gianluca Vialli (Chelsea)
2001-02: Peter Taylor (Leicester City)
2002-03: Peter Reid (Sunderland)
2003-04: Glenn Hoddle (Tottenham Hotspur)
2004-05: Paul Sturrock (Southampton)
2005-06: Alain Perrin (Portsmouth)
2006-07: Iain Dowie (Charlton Athletic)
2007-08: José Mourinho (Chelsea)
2008-09: Alan Curbishley (West Ham United)
2009-10: Paul Hart (Portsmouth)
2010-11: Chris Hughton (Newcastle United)
2011-12: Steve Bruce (Sunderland)
2012-13: Roberto Di Matteo (Chelsea)
2013-14: Paolo Di Canio (Sunderland)
2014-15: Neil Warnock (Crystal Palace)
2015-16: Dick Advocaat (Sunderland)
2016-17: Francesco Guidolin (Swansea City)
2017-18: Frank de Boer (Crystal Palace)
2018-19: Slaviša Jokanovic (Fulham)
2019-20: Javier Gracia (Watford)
2020-21: Slaven Bilic (West Bromwich Albion)
2021-22: Xisco Muñoz (Watford)
2022-23: Scott Parker (Bournemouth)
2023-24: Paul Heckingbottom (Sheffield United)