10 Shortest Manager Stints in World Football History

Every manager enters a new job with the knowledge that it will probably end sooner than expected. Whether that is because they move on to another job or are just moved on forcibly is another matter.

However, some managerial stints are so short that it is almost a case of blink and you'll miss them.

Club takeovers, personal circumstances or just awful results have put paid to many a manager before they have even got their feet under the table.

Here are managers who virtually signed their contract with one hand and were handed their P45 in the other.

Leroy Rosenior

What better place to start than with what is surely the shortest ever managerial reign?

Leroy Rosenior was unveiled for his second spell as manager of Torquay United on May 17, 2007. In his first spell he had got the West Country club promoted to League One, although they were relegated at the first time of asking.

His second stint, however, lasted a lot shorter than the four years he spent at Plainmoor first time around. Just 10 minutes after his return to the dugout was announced, a new consortium completed its takeover of the club and informed Rosenior that his services were no longer required.

Gian Piero Gasperini

After four successful years at Genoa, Gian Piero Gasperini was pegged as the man to take over the reins at Inter Milan at the start of the current season. 

Having seen the success that Milan enjoyed following their appointment of the unheralded Massimiliano Allegri, Inter themselves decided to eschew star names and go for an up-and-coming coach.

It didn't work out.

After becoming the new boss of the Nerazzurri following the departure of Leonardo for Paris-Saint Germain, Gasperini lost the Supercoppa Italiana to local rivals Milan, the opening league game to managerless Palermo, a Champions League group game to Turkish club Trabzonspor and then, finally, to newly-promoted Novara.

Gasperini was sacked by the 2010 European champions after just five competitive matches without a win. He is currently available for work.

Les Reed

Les Reed had enjoyed a long career as a coach and consultant and many different clubs and organisations, and literally wrote the book on coaching: "The Official FA Guide to Basic Team Coaching."

Still, his vast experience could not help him win more than one of his eight games in charge of Charlton Athletic during a torrid six-week spell in 2006. The Addicks lost 5-1 at Tottenham and 3-0 at home to Liverpool before a Carling Cup defeat to League Two side Wycombe Wanderers at The Valley all but sealed his fate.

Reed, dubbed 'Les Miserables' and derided as the worst football manager of all time by some sections of the sporting press, was sacked just before Christmas. Charlton's eight-year residence in the Premier League came to an end that season. 

Brian Clough

Brian Clough's 44-day tenure at Leeds United in 1974 was so disastrous that a book and a film both chronicled a heavily-fictionalised account of his time at Elland Road: The Damned United.

Clough succeeded Don Revie, who had left to take the England job, and announced his arrival at the reigning champions by telling them they were a bunch of thugs and that their medal collections were worthless because they were won by cheating.

The players, led by fierce Scottish captain Billy Bremner, did not take long in launching a revolt against the former Derby boss, and he was soon out on his ear. Still, he went on to win two European Cups with Nottingham Forest, so at least there was a happy ending of sorts for 'Old Big Head'.

Serse Cosmi

The door to the manager's office at Palermo might as well be a revolving one, such is the propensity for club chairman Maurizio Zamparini to wield the axe.

There have been 13 managerial changes at the Stadio Renzo Barbera since 2007, although Delio Rossi has held the post twice in that time, while Francesco Guidolin has been hired and fired three times by the club.

Chief among those short spells in the Rosanero hot seat was Serse Cosmi. The baseball-cap sporting coach filled the vacancy left by Rossi's sacking in 2011, only to be replaced by his predecessor after a four-game span which saw three defeats but also a victory over AC Milan.

Current incumbent Bortolo Mutti is going great guns, having been on the job for two full months now.

Steve Coppell

Former Manchester United winger Steve Coppell crossed the great divide in 1996 when he took the offer to manage Manchester City.

However, Coppell sensationally quit the job at Maine Road after just 33 days, citing stress and the inability to meet the high expectations he had placed upon himself as the reason for his departure after only six games in charge (two wins, three defeats).

Coppell soon returned to Crystal Palace, a club he had managed twice before taking the City job and would do twice again afterwards.

Paul Hart

Under the trigger-happy reign of Flavio Briatore, Queens Park Rangers was a club where managers often did not even have time to get their name put on the door before they were given the boot out of Loftus Road.

Gareth Ainsworth, Luigi de Canio, Jim Magilton and Iain Dowie were all managers who had absurdly short tenures at the West London club during a madcap few years.

But the shortest of all was Paul Hart, who lasted just 28 days in charge over the turn of 2009-10 before a row with star player Adel Taarabt led to his sacking with just one win in five games.

Hart later had short spells in charge of Crystal Palace and Swindon Town, but has been out of work for almost a year now.

Martin Ling

Even by the standards of the men here, Martin Ling's spell at Cambridge United was remarkably brief—or at least it was the first time around.

The former Leyton Orient manager took over at the Conference club after predecessor Gary Brabin fell out with chairman George Rolls. Just nine days after taking over, Ling did the same and walked.

However, Rolls was soon to leave the club, and Ling soon returned and enjoyed a two-year spell at Abbey Stadium.  

Dave Bassett

Dave Bassett was the man who brought WImbledon up from the old fourth division all the way up to the top flight, but it nearly wasn't so.

In 1984, after three years at the Dons, Bassett accepted an offer to take charge of fellow South Londoners Crystal Palace.

However, he had a change of heart just four days into his time with the Eagles. Having not yet signed a contract and Wimbledon yet to employ a successor, Bassett made the short return trip to Plough Lane and the rest is history.

Steve Bruce

While most managers on this list have had their short tenures decided by those upstairs, Steve Bruce had a series of curtailed reigns at different clubs by choice.

Before his six-year stint at Birmingham City between 2001 and 2007, the former Manchester United defender had been in five jobs in a little more than three years.

The shortest of those roles was his first spell at Wigan Athletic,  where he took over in April 2001. Despite getting the Latics to the play-off semifinals that year, Bruce left for Crystal Palace after just two months at the JJB Stadium.

Bruce lasted another six months at Selhurst Park before finally curbing his wandering instincts at Birmingham.

Paul Gascoigne

Gazza's managerial career was as wayward and unpredictable as the second-half of his troubled and disrupted playing career had been.

He deserves several entries in this list all to himself for his brief spells in charge of Gansu Tianma (three months) Boston United (three months) and Algarve United (two months).

However, the shortest of his managerial jobs was at Kettering Town in 2005, where he lasted just 39 days before the club chairman decided the former England star's battle against the bottle made his position untenable.