Valentine’s Day. Is it a harmless excuse to treat your significant other or a money-making conspiracy?
Perhaps a bit of both. Regardless of what you feel, you can’t deny that Valentines fever is in the air. But let’s just spare a thought for those relationships that just didn’t quite work out. You need only look at this week’s football headlines to see that some things just aren’t built to last. This has been a hectic week in the Premier League’s managerial merry-go-round, with Thomas Frank and Sean Dyche ousted from their respective posts. Clubs are in survival mode right now, willing to try anything to ensure they remain among English football’s elite. In that spirit, I have decided to rank this season’s managerial annulments from least to most surprising.
8. Vitor Pereira (Wolves)
This was as predictable as a 90’s rom-com. The Portuguese manager did well when he came in to replace Gary O’Neil in December 2024, helping the Midlands outfit avoid last season’s dreaded drop. But this campaign quickly descended into farce, with Wolves picking up just two points in their opening ten games. What else can you say? He oversaw an opening chapter that teams just can’t come back from. Perhaps the Wolves hierarchy could have acted a bit sooner.
7. Ange Postecoglou (Nottingham Forest)
One of three Forest terminations, Ange Postecoglou is by far and away their most ‘sensible’ dismissal. Postecoglou was never going to be the right fit for this club. His combative attitude put him on a collision course with equally abrasive owner Evangelos Marinakis. Postecoglou was also on a hiding to nothing after replacing fan-favourite Nuno Espirito Santo. And he just couldn’t get out of the blocks, failing to win a single match during his eight-match stint. He was eventually put out of his misery after just 39 days in charge! Postecoglou has enjoyed one of the wildest 12-month periods for any manger in recent memory, collecting a Europa League triumph while being sacked by two different clubs. That’s rock and roll.
6. Graham Potter (West Ham)
Yeah, this one was inevitable. Isn’t it crazy to think that Potter was one of the most sought-after young managers in European football just a few years back? This marriage was just a bad fit from the start. Potter’s stygian football rubbed Wets Ham supporters up the wrong way, and the results weren’t much better. Potter won just six out of 23 matches in charge, losing four of his first five matches at the start of this season. The home crowd was baying for blood after a winless stretch of eight matches at the London Stadium. It was simply a case of ‘they were not that into him’.
5. Thomas Frank (Tottenham Hotspur)
Daniel Levy and co finally put Thomas Frank out of his misery this week, parting ways with the Danish manager after a miserable eight-month reign. I really think that the Spurs board should have acted sooner. Frank’s ideas were just not getting across, and he was rumoured to have fallen out with numerous players. Spurs are currently languishing in 16th place in the log (a travesty when you look at the size of the club). The one thing that kept Frank’s head above water was their incongruously brilliant Champions League form: they finished 4th in the league standings. Last year, Spurs stuck by Postecoglou for the sake of a deep European run. The difference this year is that Spurs have as much chance of winning the Champions League as Nick Kyrgios has of winning Wimbledon.
4. Ruben Amorim (Manchester United)
This is certainly the most high-profile dismissal on this list. Amorim probably should have been sacked at several different points during his sordid reign (the Europa League loss to Spurs and FA Cup exit to Millwall spring to mind). So, it was hardly surprising that Amorim- who set plenty of unwanted managerial records at the club- would eventually get the boot. It just felt like the timing was a bit odd. Amorim seemed to have turned the corner around Christmas time, with some of his new singings starting to acclimatize to the demands of the club. But AFCON came and he lost the services of Mbeumo and Diallo. More importantly, he just couldn’t let go of his ego, parading that 3-4-3 formation around like it was the path to immortal life. He beat Newcastle 1-0 after reverting to a back four. He then inexplicably returned to a back three against basement-dwelling Wolves. I really think that moment of unbelievable arrogance was the final straw (though Sir Jim and his stooges waited a few games).
3. Sean Dyche (Nottingham Forest)
Yes, the optics haven’t been great for gravelly-voiced Sean Dyche (he’s always sounded like a coalmining BFG to me). Forest currently sit just three points above the drop zone, recently embarking on a three-game winless streak against Palace, Leeds and Wolves. That goalless draw against Wolves was enough for trigger-happy Marinakis, making Dyche Forest’s 3rd managerial casualty of the season. Sure, Dyche was probably never going to be the guy to take this team to the next level. But there aren’t many other managers that I would rather have when it comes to arelegation dogfight. And that’s what Marinakis in in (whether he wants to believe it or not). And to add to the indignity, Marinakis has hired Vitor Pereira to replace Dyche! Yes, the same Vitor Pereira who inspired Wolves to two points in their first ten games. I think that Marinakis has acted slightly prematurely, terrified by the very real prospect that Nuno- who we will talk about in a minute- could lead West Ham to safety at Forest’s expense.
2. Enzo Maresca (Chelsea)
This one has the complexity of a Christopher Nolan film. So much so that it remains unclear exactly how it went down (though the company line is that they agreed to part ways by mutual consent). Maresca won more trophies in his brief spell at the club than Arteta has currently won at Arsenal, claiming last season’s UEFA Conference League before delivering a shock Club World Cup triumph. Chelsea looked primed for a title push in the early stages of the season, with Maresca claiming the Manager of the Month award in November. But everything capitulated after their resounding Champions League win over Barcelona. Maresca won just one of his final seven matches, virtually ending Chelsea’s far-fetched title hopes. But they were still doing well in cup competitions. Reports suggest that there was heavy melodrama behind the scenes, with Maresca furious with the club hierarchy and medical department for the way that injuries were being handled. Regardless of what happened, this one caught me a bit flat-footed. But it’s not too surprising when you consider the average life expectancy of a Chelsea football manager.
1. Nuno Espirito Santo (Nottingham Forest)
The first managerial axing of the season is still the one that befuddles me the most. Let’s put this into context. Nuno Espirito Santo took over from Steve Cooper in 2023, helping them avoid relegation that season. He then embarked on a terrific 2024/2025 campaign, steering Forest to a 7th place finish and earning European football for the first time in 30 years. The Portuguese manager helped bring back a feelgood factor to the club, endearing himself to the fans despite his slightly cold disposition. How can you sack that manger just three matches into the new season? Sure, Nuno did say a few disparaging things about the top brass in interviews. I personally thought that it was his way of trying to open the club coffers: Nuno isn’t about public relations. And what has Marinakis achieved by firing the man who brought European football back to the club? They have lurched from one disaster to another and will be lucky to survive the drop. Insanity.
