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Harder times for managers

Managerial turnover is a feature of modern football. It is always the manager who gets blamed for poor performances by owners and fans, rarely the players.  But although it is headlined 'This has to be a brutal year to be a manager' a Chris Dunlavy story in The Football League Paper actually suggests otherwise.

There could still be one or two dismissals, but it's a bit late to make a change.   This season 35 managers have been dismissed in the English Football League, three below the 2015/16 peak of 38.

What is remarkable is the consistency of the figures.   In general over a ten year period they hover around the mean of 30.   In the past four seasons they were never more than four away from this figure.   In other words, about 42 per cent of managers get sacked each season.

What has changed this season is that the pandemic has led to new hires being offered shorter contracts, often as little as six months  or until the end of the season, on lower salaries.   Three year contracts have largely disappeared and termination payments have been cut back.

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