Managers coming and going is very much a part of life in football, and with the managerial merry-go-round in full swing, the number of dugout changes in the 2024/25 season grew right up to the end of the campaign.

Premier League bosses like Russell Martin and Sean Dyche could not avoid the dreaded axe, while the Championship saw the likes of Wayne Rooney given their marching orders after dismal campaigns from the dugout.

Firings were rife throughout the rest of the EFL too, as clubs scrambled to avoid failure by making drastic changes.

We have the full list of dismissals here, with nearly 50 managers leaving their posts during the season.

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1

Ryan Lowe (Preston North End)

Left: 12th August

Championship side Preston North End parted ways with head coach Ryan Lowe after just one league game this season.

Following the Lilywhites’ 2-0 defeat to Sheffield United, Lowe asked to leave the club, telling Preston’s board he wanted “a change”. The defeat to the Blades was Preston’s sixth on the bounce, with Lowe’s side having lost their final five games of the previous season – a run of form that saw them fade out of the play-off race.

2

Neil Critchley (Blackpool)

Sacked: 21st August

Blackpool sacked manager Neil Critchley after they began their 2024/25 League One campaign with back-to-back defeats against Crawley Town and Stockport County.

The 45-year-old had previously guided Blackpool to the Championship by way of the play-offs in 2021, and returned to Bloomfield Road in May 2023 after spells with Aston Villa and QPR. However, he was unable to recapture the magic of two years prior, with the Seasiders finishing the 2023/24 campaign in eighth.

3

Paul Simpson (Carlisle United)

Sacked: 31st August

Paul Simpson was let go by Carlisle United following a 2-1 defeat to Tranmere Rovers back in August. The defeat was their third from four league matches this season, having been relegated to League Two under Simpson’s tenure last year.

“Everyone at the club would like to thank Paul and his staff for their efforts,” Carlisle said in a statement.

4

Steven Schumacher (Stoke City)

Sacked: 16th September

Stoke City sacked Steven Schumacher after the Potters lost three of their first five games of the campaign. The final straw came by way of a 1-0 loss to Oxford United at the Kassam Stadium.

Schumacher’s tenure as Stoke boss lasted just nine months in total, with the 40-year-old having left Plymouth Argyle to take the job in December 2023.

Two days after sacking Schumacher, Stoke appointed Norwich City coach Narcis Pelach as their new manager on a three-year contract.

5

Erol Bulut (Cardiff City)

Sacked: 22nd September

Cardiff City were rock bottom of the Championship when they fired head coach Erol Bulut in mid-September.

The Bluebirds had picked up just one point from six games and scored one goal – their worst start to a season in 94 years. Bulut’s final game was a 2-0 home defeat against Leeds United. He has since been replaced by Omer Riza, who remains in interim charge heading into December.

6

Mark Robinson (Burton Albion)

Sacked: 23rd October

Mark Robinson was relieved of his duties at Burton Albion following a run of seven successive defeats in all competitions.

“We feel we have reached a point where a change is necessary to improve the team’s results,” sporting director Bendik Hareide said at the time.

Robinson, 58, is the third Burton manager in three seasons to have been given the axe before Christmas, following in the footsteps of Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Dino Maamria.

7

Mark Kennedy (Swindon Town)

Sacked: 25th October

Swindon Town sacked head coach Mark Kennedy after less than five months in charge following a 2-1 defeat at Salford. Kennedy won just 3 of his 15 games in charge of the Robins, who were 22nd in League Two at the time of his departure.

Just hours after Kennedy’s sacking, Swindon appointed former Bristol Rovers, QPR and Blackpool manager Ian Holloway as their new head coach.

8

Erik ten Hag (Manchester United)

Sacked: 28th October

By far and away the most high-profile sacking of the season, Erik ten Hag was let go by Manchester United following a disastrous start to the season. The Dutchman’s final game was a 2-1 defeat to West Ham United, which left the Red Devils 14th in the Premier League with just three wins from their opening nine games.

Though he guided United to two trophies during his two-and-a-half-year spell at Old Trafford, Ten Hag has been dubbed the club’s worst-ever manager. Ruben Amorim has since stepped in as his replacement.

9

Paul Hurst (Shrewsbury Town)

Sacked: 3rd November

Shrewsbury Town parted ways with head coach Paul Hurst after a run of just 1 win in 12 games in all competitions, leaving them second from bottom in League One. Assistant boss Chris Doig was also let go.

Hurst and Doig were in their second spell at the club, having previously led the Shrews to the League One play-off final in 2018.

“Everyone at the football club is hugely disappointed their second spell hasn’t worked out and we find ourselves in our current position,” Shrewsbury said in a statement.

10

Mark Robins (Coventry City)

Sacked: 7th November

Coventry City fired boss Mark Robins after a run of just 4 wins in 14 Championship games this season. Robins, 54, had been in charge of the Sky Blues for 2,803 days, making him the English Football League’s longest-serving manager at the time.

Former Chelsea and England midfielder Frank Lampard has been appointed as Robins’ successor on a two-and-a-half-year deal, replacing interim boss Rhys Carr.

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