The world s "shortest" head coach, only 10 minutes in office

Less than a month after the 2025-26 season began, the trend of changing coaches in the five major leagues has quietly emerged.

First, Leverkusen of the Bundesliga fired their newly appointed head coach Ten Hager on September 1. At this time, the Bundesliga had just started two rounds, and Ten Hager had only been in office for 62 days.

Then on September 9, the Premier League Nottingham Forest announced the dismissal of coach Nuno, replaced by Australian Post Koglu who led Tottenham Hotspur only to finish 17th in the Premier League last season. Although Nuno has been coaching Nottingham Forest for nearly one year and nine months, the get out of class was dismissed only 25 days from the beginning of the new season, which can be regarded as a squad in the Premier League’s first coach change rankings in a single season.

In fact, whether it is Tenhager or Nuno, it seems a bit unfair to be over this time. Leverkusen sold almost the entire main lineup this summer. It is unrealistic to expect Tenhager to quickly put out the fire. It is not realistic to maintain his strong position in the Alonso era in the Bundesliga. Nuno made great contributions in Nottingham Forest, leading the team into the European arena that has been away for 30 years. His dismissal was more due to the rifts of his relationship with his boss and the new director.

Due to Tenhager's experience at Manchester United, his dismissal at Leverkusen attracted the attention of the British media. According to BBC statistics, not counting those guardian coaches and interim head coaches, in the entire Premier League era, only one coach has coached for a shorter time than Ten Hager coached at Leverkusen. That is Charlton coach Rice Reed from November to December 2005. He coached only 40 days and only scored 4 points in seven Premier League games.

If the scope is expanded to the low-level England league, there will be many people who will be shorter in coaching Leverkusen. The shortest one happened in 2007, when Leroy Rosennier took over Torquay United coaching staff for only 10 minutes. He just replaced Keith Cole as head coach when the club was taken over by his new owner, and Rosennier was immediately replaced by the new head coach.

In addition, in June 1984, Dave Bassett left Wimbledon to coach Crystal Palace. Four days later, Bassett changed his mind and returned to Wimbledon.

In July 2009, Martin Lin became Cambridge United head coach, and eight days later he resigned due to a dispute with then-club chairman George Rawls. On the list of the first coach change in the Premier League single season, a total of 6 people were dismissed within 20 days of the start of the new season.

The first place is Southampton head coach Paul Stroke in the 2004-05 season. He was dismissed on August 23, 2004, and the new season has just begun for 9 days. Southampton defeated Blackburn 3:2 in the second round after losing to Aston Villa 0:2 in the first round of the league. Just two days after the victory, Paul Stroke was declared dismissed. Southampton used three head coaches that season, but in the end it failed to change the fate of relegation.

ranked second with Manchester City coach Peter Reed in the 1993-94 season. Manchester City started the bad start that season and there were changes in senior management. Peter Reed was dismissed on August 26, 1993, and the new season had just begun for 12 days.

Newcastle United head coach Kenny Dalglish was also dismissed 12 days after the start of the new season, and he tied for second place with Peter Reed. He replaced Kevin Keegan at Liverpool 20 years ago, and this time he replaced Kevin Keegan at Newcastle United again. However, Daglish's coaching career at Newcastle United for one and a half years was unremarkable and disappointing, and was eventually dismissed on August 17, 1998.

The fourth-ranked head coach of Newcastle United - Bobby Robson in the 2004-05 season. He was dismissed on August 30, 2004, just 16 days after the start of the new season.

ranked fifth in the 2008-09 season, West Ham United head coach Alan Kirbyshley, who was dismissed on September 3, 2008, and the new season had just started for 18 days.

It seems that Newcastle United is the team that likes to change coaches at the beginning of the season, no one else. On the second day after Kirbyshley was dismissed from West Ham United, on September 4, 2008, Newcastle United head coach Kevin Keegan was dismissed, 19 days after the new season started.

The head coaches who were fired within 20-40 days of the start of the new Premier League season include Tuchel, Mourinho and others.