Nathan Jones was sacked by Southampton on Sunday after just 95 days in charge and having won just one Premier League game of his eight managed.
His managerial reign goes down as one of the worst in Premier League history, joining a storied list of coaches to have tried and failed to make their mark in England’s top flight.
Jones’ spell on the south coast was also characterised by some bizarre claims and statements in his press conferences, including that he had “compromised” on some of his principles because of others, further alienating a fanbase which never took to the Welshman.
But Jones is not alone in having a disastrous, short-term spell at a Premier League club. Here are some of the other, more recent examples of managers who have fallen well short of expectations…
Frank De Boer at Crystal Palace
Embed from Getty ImagesAfter managing two of European football’s biggest clubs in Ajax and Inter Milan, Dutchman Frank De Boer was given the Crystal Palace job in June 2017, signing a three-year deal.
De Boer would last just 10 weeks of those three years, losing his first four league games of the season in which his side failed to score a single goal.
In terms of the number of games managed, it goes down as the shortest managerial reign in the Premier League and he was later called “the worst manager in the history of the Premier League” by Jose Mourinho.
His sacking was followed by the appointment of Roy Hodgson, a man much loved by the Crystal Palace fans for his almost four seasons at the club.
De Boer would go on to manager Atlanta United in the MLS and his country, the Netherlands, but was sacked from both jobs.
Bob Bradley at Swansea City
Embed from Getty ImagesBradley became the first American to manage in the Premier League when he was appointed by Swansea in 2016 following the dismissal of Fransesco Guidolin.
The former United States boss was sacked less than three months later having overseen just two wins while conceding a whopping 29 goals.
He would later return to his native country to manage Los Angeles FC and is currently the manager of Toronto FC.
Swansea fans will always remember Bradley’s short-lived spell in Wales, but not for the right reasons.
Felix Magath at Fulham
Embed from Getty ImagesMagath was tasked with saving Fulham’s season and keeping them in the Premier League following a disappointing spell in charge by former Manchester United coach Rene Meulensteen.
But the German failed to make an impact in west London as they were relegated from the Premier League with a 4-1 defeat at Stoke City.
Magath is also known for some bizarre decisions during his time at Craven Cottage, including telling defender Brede Hangeland to treat an injury using cheese.
Despite relegation, Fulham kept Magath on as manager to try and regain promotion to the top flight before he was sacked following a run of 11 games without a win in the Championship.
Nuno Espírito Santo at Tottenham
Embed from Getty ImagesIt’s fair to say that the reaction to Nuno Espirito Santo’s appointment at Tottenham in 2021 was lukewarm to say the least, but Spurs fans were left more than happy with his start to life at the club as he guided them to their best ever Premier League start with three wins from three.
But things quickly went downhill. A dismal style of play was reflected in Tottenham’s struggles to create chances and score goals, and he was sacked following a run of three defeats in four and having not seen his side have a shot on target in more than two hours of play.
The former Porto goalkeeper was quickly replaced by Antonio Conte, who guided Spurs into the top four of the Premier League that season.
Nuno, meanwhile, went to the Saudi Professional league to take over at Al-Ittihad, a job which he still holds despite having talks about a possible return to Wolves earlier this season.
Remi Garde at Aston Villa
Embed from Getty ImagesFormer Arsenal midfielder Garde took over at the Villains with the club bottom of the table and left them just five months later with the club in the exact same spot.
Villa announced his exit as one of mutual consent with the club 12 points adrift of safety having taken over from former Spurs boss Tim Sherwood.
He lost 12 of his 18 Premier League games in charge with a win rate of just 10 per cent.
Garde’s last job was with Montreal Impact, where he was sacked in 2019.
Jan Siewert at Huddersfield
Embed from Getty ImagesSiewert became another manager straight off the Borussia Dortmund coaching conveyor belt when he joined Huddersfield in January of 2019.
He took over from another former Borussia Dortmund II boss in David Wagner, who had guided the club to Premier League safety the previous year.
Siewert was not as successful, however. Huddersfield were relegated with six games still remaining of the season and was sacked the following season having won just one of his 19 games in charge over the course of his reign.
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