Every Premier League & EFL manager sacked in the 2024/25 season

Managers coming and going is very much a part of life in football, and with this year’s managerial merry-go-round in full swing as we approch the turn of the year, the number of dugout changes in the 2024/25 season is now into the twenties.

Russell Martin recently became the latest Premier League boss to lose his job after his time at Southampton came to an abrupt end following their poor result against Spurs which left them rooted to the bottom of the table.

He is by no means the only manager to struggle this season – indeed it is hard to keep up with each and every switch when it comes to managers in England’s top four divisions. Thankfully, we have the full list here.

1

Ryan Lowe (Preston North End)

Left: 12th August

Championship side Preston North End parted ways with head coach Ryan Lowe after just one league game this season.

Following the Lilywhites’ 2-0 defeat to Sheffield United, Lowe asked to leave the club, telling Preston’s board he wanted “a change”. The defeat to the Blades was Preston’s sixth on the bounce, with Lowe’s side having lost their final five games of the previous season – a run of form that saw them fade out of the play-off race.

2

Neil Critchley (Blackpool)

Sacked: 21st August

Blackpool sacked manager Neil Critchley after they began their 2024/25 League One campaign with back-to-back defeats against Crawley Town and Stockport County.

The 45-year-old had previously guided Blackpool to the Championship by way of the play-offs in 2021, and returned to Bloomfield Road in May 2023 after spells with Aston Villa and QPR. However, he was unable to recapture the magic of two years prior, with the Seasiders finishing the 2023/24 campaign in eighth.

3

Paul Simpson (Carlisle United)

Sacked: 31st August

Paul Simpson was let go by Carlisle United following a 2-1 defeat to Tranmere Rovers back in August. The defeat was their third from four league matches this season, having been relegated to League Two under Simpson’s tenure last year.

“Everyone at the club would like to thank Paul and his staff for their efforts,” Carlisle said in a statement.

4

Steven Schumacher (Stoke City)

Sacked: 16th September

Stoke City sacked Steven Schumacher after the Potters lost three of their first five games of the campaign. The final straw came by way of a 1-0 loss to Oxford United at the Kassam Stadium.

Schumacher’s tenure as Stoke boss lasted just nine months in total, with the 40-year-old having left Plymouth Argyle to take the job in December 2023.

Two days after sacking Schumacher, Stoke appointed Norwich City coach Narcis Pelach as their new manager on a three-year contract.

5

Mike Williamson (MK Dons)

Left: 19th September

Mike Williamson left MK Dons after a release clause in his contract was met by fellow League Two club Carlisle United, where he replaced Paul Simpson.

Williamson, who spent six years as a player at Newcastle United, had guided the Dons to last season’s play-offs, but suffered a record 8-1 aggregate defeat to Crawley Town in the semi-finals.

6

Erol Bulut (Cardiff City)

Sacked: 22nd September

Cardiff City were rock bottom of the Championship when they fired head coach Erol Bulut in mid-September.

The Bluebirds had picked up just one point from six games and scored one goal – their worst start to a season in 94 years. Bulut’s final game was a 2-0 home defeat against Leeds United. He has since been replaced by Omer Riza, who remains in interim charge heading into December.

7

Scott Lindsey (Crawley Town)

Left: 25th September

Having guided Crawley Town to League One last season, manager Scott Lindsey left the club in September to drop down a division and take charge at MK Dons, whom his Crawley side had thumped in the play-offs.

First-team coaches Jamie Day and Carl Laraman, as well as goalkeeping coach Steve Hale, also followed Lindsay from Crawley to Buckinghamshire. The Dons lost just one of Lindsey’s first nine games, winning six.

8

Mark Robinson (Burton Albion)

Sacked: 23rd October

Mark Robinson was relieved of his duties at Burton Albion following a run of seven successive defeats in all competitions.

“We feel we have reached a point where a change is necessary to improve the team’s results,” sporting director Bendik Hareide said at the time.

Robinson, 58, is the third Burton manager in three seasons to have been given the axe before Christmas, following in the footsteps of Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Dino Maamria.

9

Mark Kennedy (Swindon Town)

Sacked: 25th October

Swindon Town sacked head coach Mark Kennedy after less than five months in charge following a 2-1 defeat at Salford. Kennedy won just 3 of his 15 games in charge of the Robins, who were 22nd in League Two at the time of his departure.

Just hours after Kennedy’s sacking, Swindon appointed former Bristol Rovers, QPR and Blackpool manager Ian Holloway as their new head coach.

10

Erik ten Hag (Manchester United)

Sacked: 28th October

By far and away the most high-profile sacking of the season, Erik ten Hag was let go by Manchester United following a disastrous start to the season. The Dutchman’s final game was a 2-1 defeat to West Ham United, which left the Red Devils 14th in the Premier League with just three wins from their opening nine games.

Though he guided United to two trophies during his two-and-a-half-year spell at Old Trafford, Ten Hag has been dubbed the club’s worst-ever manager. Ruben Amorim has since stepped in as his replacement.

11

Paul Hurst (Shrewsbury Town)

Sacked: 3rd November

Shrewsbury Town parted ways with head coach Paul Hurst after a run of just 1 win in 12 games in all competitions, leaving them second from bottom in League One. Assistant boss Chris Doig was also let go.

Hurst and Doig were in their second spell at the club, having previously led the Shrews to the League One play-off final in 2018.

“Everyone at the football club is hugely disappointed their second spell hasn’t worked out and we find ourselves in our current position,” Shrewsbury said in a statement.

12

Mark Robins (Coventry City)

Sacked: 7th November

Coventry City fired boss Mark Robins after a run of just 4 wins in 14 Championship games this season. Robins, 54, had been in charge of the Sky Blues for 2,803 days, making him the English Football League’s longest-serving manager at the time.

Former Chelsea and England midfielder Frank Lampard has been appointed as Robins’ successor on a two-and-a-half-year deal, replacing interim boss Rhys Carr.

13

Steve Cooper (Leicester City)

Sacked: 24th November

Steve Cooper was sacked by Leicester City after just five months in charge.

The Foxes had won just 2 of 12 Premier League games under the Welshman, who had guided Nottingham Forest back to the top flight in 2022 for the first time in 23 years, before keeping them in the division the following year.

“I actually checked to see if it was real,” former Leicester striker Gary Lineker said while speaking about Cooper’s sacking on his The Rest is Football podcast, adding: “I was stunned, actually.”

14

Tim Walter (Hull City)

Sacked: 27th November

Hull City decided to call time on Tim Walter’s time at the MKM Stadium after just 17 league games in charge, with the team in the Championship relegation zone.

His final game was a 2-0 home defeat at the hands of Sheffield Wednesday that left the Tigers without a win in nine games.

Owner Acun Ilicali had told BBC Radio Humberside before the game against Wednesday that he would not sack Walter regardless of the result, but he subsequently went back on his word.

15

Jon Brady (Northampton Town)

Resigned: 5th December

Australian manager Jon Brady left Northampton Town of his own accord in early December, bringing an end to nearly four years in charge.

The Cobblers had reached their highest league positions under Brady, but after winless run had left them languishing towards the bottom of the League One table, Brady decided it was best to part ways.

Ian Sampson has since taken interim charge.

16

Ruben Selles (Reading)

Left: 6th December

Former Southampton boss Ruben Selles left Reading in December to replace the sacked Tim Walter at Hull City.

The Spaniard had been tasked with taking the Royals out of the third tier in what has been a challenging time for the Berkshire club.

But the Spaniard saw steering the Tigers away from trouble in the Championship as a more enticing mission, though they only picked up one point from his opening two games at the helm.

17

Neil Harris (Millwall)

Resigned: 14th December

Neil Harris bid a second farewell to the Millwall dugout after their defeat to Middlesbrough in mid-December. Harris had announced prior to the match that it would be his last game as Lions boss.

Speaking of his decision to leave, Harris explained: “I always said when I returned that I would leave when the time felt right, and now is that time.”

Having saved the club from relegation following his return in early 2024, Harris appears to be prepared to take a break from management.

18

Gary O’Neil (Wolves)

Sacked: 15th December

While Gary O’Neil’s first campaign at Wolverhampton Wanderers was an undoubted success, his second season in charge had sprialled out of control.

With the club among the main strugglers in the Premier League, his final games were marred by players losing their cool – he was even left to strip Mario Lemina of the Wolves captaincy as a result.

A defeat to relegation rivals Ipswich proved to be the final straw, bringing an end to a tenure that lasted just shy of 500 days.

19

Des Buckingham (Oxford)

Sacked: 15th December

Despite guiding Oxford United to their first second-tier season in 25 years, Des Buckingham was relieved of his duties after enduring a run of just one win in 15 games.

The U’s had started relatively brightly given their newfound status amid play-off success the year before, but Buckingham has paid the price for stalling progress.

It is a big call from the club, with some fans expressing their sadness after his departure was announced.

20

Russell Martin (Southampton)

Sacked: 15th December

Russell Martin lost his job at Southampton after Saints chiefs lost patience with the Premier League’s bottom club.

His final game was a brutal 5-0 thrashing at the hands of Tottenham Hotspur, with scars of their previous 9-0 reverses inevitably reappearing.

Martin had stayed true to his philosophy following the Saints’ play-off triumph in May, but his failure to earn points at the top level eventually forced his former employers’ hands.