Wayne Rooney has been sacked as manager of Birmingham after just 83 days.
The former England captain oversaw just two wins in 15 games as Blues went from sixth to 20th in the Championship.
Here, the PA news agency looks at seven other high-profile managers who saw appointments go horribly wrong in short order.
Claudio Ranieri – Fulham – 106 days
(November 14, 2018 – February 28, 2019)
Former Chelsea boss Ranieri returned to west London in November 2018 boasting a resume that included Leicester’s famous Premier League title, the Coppa Italia with Fiorentina and the Copa del Rey with Valencia. His first match in charge was a dramatic 3-2 win over Southampton to end a two-month winless league run, but it was one of only three victories in 17 games in charge before he was sacked.
Tony Adams – Portsmouth – 106 days
(October 28, 2008 – February 8, 2009)
Former England captain Adams stepped up from his role as an assistant at Pompey after Harry Redknapp left for Tottenham in October 2008, but the ex-Wycombe boss lasted only three-and-a-half months. Adams took only 10 points from 16 league games in charge and his win percentage of 18.2 across all competitions remains the lowest of any manager in the club’s history.
Bob Bradley – Swansea – 85 days
(October 3, 2016 – December 27, 2016)
Bradley’s appointment in south Wales brought much intrigue as the man who had enjoyed great success with the United States became the first American boss in the Premier League. But he was always up against it, with the supporters’ trust – who held a 21 per cent stake in the club – immediately issuing a statement criticising his appointment. They proved to be right as Bradley’s 11 games in charge delivered only eight points and the Swans conceded three or more goals eight times.
Frank De Boer – Crystal Palace – 77 days
(June 26, 2017 – September 11, 2017)
Former Netherlands star De Boer was an eye-catching appointment at Selhurst Park as he promised to usher in a new possession-based strategy in south London. But after going through the pre-season, De Boer lasted just four league games, none of which brought so much as a goal or a point, before being replaced by Roy Hodgson.
Brian Clough – Leeds – 44 days
(July 22, 1974 – September 12, 1974)
After Don Revie led Leeds to the league title in the 1973/74 season, he left for England and was, stunningly, replaced by his most-outspoken critic. Clough had previously called Leeds “dirty” and even called for their demotion, and he did little more to endear himself during six abrasive weeks in which he alienated the club’s players and won only one of six games. Clough’s revenge for his dismissal was to join Nottingham Forest a few months later, going on to win two European Cups.
Alex McLeish – Nottingham Forest – 40 days
(December 27, 2012 – February 5, 2013)
Former Scotland boss McLeish made his name north of the border, twice winning the title with Rangers after guiding Hibernian to promotion as champions in 1999. But in England, spells with Birmingham and Aston Villa had already gone sour before a dismal 40 days in charge of Forest, where McLeish won only one of seven games before a fallout with chairman Fawaz Al Hasawi.
Steve Coppell – Manchester City – 33 days
(October 6, 1996 – November 8, 1996)
Former Manchester United winger Coppell pitched up on the other side of town in October 1996 to take charge at Maine Road. This was an age when City were in a state of perpetual chaos, with chairmanship changing hands three times in short order and the club bouncing between divisions. Results were not Coppell’s downfall – he won two and drew one of his six games – but after just a month he left citing stress, soon returning to Crystal Palace.
Maresca promises to bring excitement to Chelsea, tells fans to 'trust the idea'
Enzo Maresca has urged Chelsea's supporters to "trust the idea" and promised to instil an enterprising, aggressive style of play at Stamford Bridge.
Maresca led Leicester City to the Championship title last season before making the move to West London after Mauricio Pochettino's surprise departure.
Pochettino led Chelsea to a sixth-placed Premier League finish in his only campaign at the helm, also overseeing their penalty shoot-out defeat to Liverpool in February's EFL Cup final.
Despite an upturn in the second half of 2023-24, Pochettino failed to win over Chelsea's fanbase after the Todd Boehly regime sanctioned an outlay of around £390million (€464m) before the season began.
Maresca's Leicester were known for their progressive brand of football, ranking second in the Championship for possession share (62.3%) and successful passes (25,248) last term while leading the way for expected goals (85.8 xG).
On Monday, Maresca conducted his first interview with the Blues' website and pledged to bring the entertainment to Stamford Bridge.
"We are going to try to be an aggressive team on the ball and off the ball and we need to create this connection between the fans and the club," he said.
"When you have your own fans behind the team pushing, it's like playing with 12 players and this is what we have to create here.
"Trust the process, trust the idea, be behind the team. For sure we are going to enjoy the journey.
"Like at every club, for every manager, it will not be easy because nothing is easy. But for sure we are going to enjoy our journey."
Chelsea begin their 2024-25 Premier League campaign against champions Manchester City on August 18, before travelling to Wolves and hosting Crystal Palace before the season's first international break.
LA Galaxy 2-1 Minnesota United: Pec late show gets hosts back to winning ways
LA Galaxy maintained the pace at the top of MLS' Western Conference as Gabriel Pec's double earned a 2-1 win over Minnesota United.
Having opened the scoring in the 25th minute, Pec was on hand to tuck home the winner from close range in the 90th minute.
Teemu Pukki had come off the bench to restore parity for Minnesota, who looked set to snap a five-game losing streak.
But it was not to be for the Loons, as Pec's late show ensured the Galaxy returned to winning ways on the back of their defeat to Los Angeles FC in El Trafico.
The Galaxy are level on 43 points with LAFC and Real Salt Lake at the top of the West, while Minnesota are 10th.
Data Debrief: Loons' losing run rolls on
It is now six successive MLS defeats for Minnesota, which marks their worst-ever run in the competition since they joined the league in 2017.
Pec, meanwhile, continues to steal the show for the Galaxy. His two goals came from four shots, three of which he got on target, while the winger also completed six of his seven dribble attempts.
Neville says England have tournament know-how, but warns Netherlands a step up
England have displayed their tournament know-how by battling into the Euro 2024 semi-finals but must improve when they meet the Netherlands, says Gary Neville.
The Three Lions have reached their third semi-final in four major tournaments under Gareth Southgate, having beaten Switzerland 5-3 on penalties following a 1-1 quarter-final draw on Saturday.
They had reached the last four at just two of their previous 17 tournaments (World Cup or Euros, since 1968) before Southgate's 2016 appointment.
Despite overseeing England's emergence as serious contenders, Southgate has been fiercely criticised for the team's tepid attacking performances in Germany, with their total of 4.36 expected goals (xG) bettered by 10 already-eliminated teams.
Most pundits believed the Three Lions improved after changing to a 3-4-3 formation against Switzerland, and Neville feels the system suits Southgate's squad.
"I've felt we've had a better balance, the team suits it. It's more fluid, a more relaxed nature in the football, particularly in the first half," Neville told Sky Sports News.
"In the second half we went back to recycling the ball safely, but in the first half we played some half-decent stuff. Extra-time was then very safe, very cautious.
"But this team has tournament know-how, they get to semi-finals. There's fortune along the way with the draw. We've played Serbia, Denmark, Slovenia, Slovakia and Switzerland.
"If you said you'd get those five teams in a major tournament you'd be very happy. We haven't played at our best but it's a tournament that seems to be moving that way.
"Spain have played some fantastic football but the other teams have been quite unspectacular but getting through."
While Neville feels Southgate has transformed the team into seasoned tournament campaigners, he says Wednesday's semi-final will be their toughest test yet.
"It's a good sign for a team, you have to get through difficult matches – but you can't rely on that all the time. My feeling is you'll get caught out eventually if you don't step up your performance level," Neville added.
"Saturday was definitely a step up in terms of our balance, it was a step forward, now we have to step up again against the Netherlands on Wednesday. We'll have to step up quite a bit because they have some serious players."
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