Sean Dyche has been sacked by Nottingham Forest, and here's the wild part - he was literally up for Premier League Manager of the Month for January. Yes, you read that right. He grabbed seven points from 12 in January, but two weeks into February, he's out the door after a draw with Wolves left Forest just three points above the drop zone.
This is absolutely bonkers. Forest started the season with Nuno Espírito Santo, who'd just gotten them into the Europa League. Three games later, he was gone after a public bust-up with owner Evangelos Marinakis. Enter Ange Postecoglou in September, who managed to lose or draw eight straight games before getting the boot in October with Forest sitting in 18th place.
Now we're in February, and Dyche is manager number three to get sacked. ESPN sources say Vitor Pereira, the former Wolves boss, is lined up to be manager number four. If he gets the job, that'll be a Premier League record. Forest are 17th with 12 games left to play, and punters should probably think twice before backing them for anything right now.
But here's the real question: does this carousel approach actually work? Let's dig into the history books.
The Three-Manager Club: A Mixed Bag
Twenty-one Premier League teams have now tried the three-manager strategy in a single season. The results? Well, they're all over the place.
Crystal Palace pulled it off in 2014-15. Tony Pulis walked out before the season even started, Neil Warnock won just three in 18 games, then Alan Pardew came in during January and dragged them to safety. Happy ending there.
Swansea survived in 2016-17 too. They rotated through Francesco Guidolin, Bob Bradley, and Paul Clement, with Clement's January arrival sparking a late surge that kept them up by seven points. Three wins in their last three games sealed the deal.
Portsmouth in 2004-05 had a proper soap opera. Harry Redknapp left after a row over a director of football, Velko Zajec stepped in, then Alain Perrin came in April and just about kept them up. Drama central, but they survived.
But here's the thing - most teams that go through three managers in one season? They go down. Hard.
When It Goes Horribly Wrong
Leicester in 2022-23 cycled through Brendan Rodgers, Dean Smith, and Craig Shakespeare. Result? Relegated. They were in the bottom three basically all season, and nothing could save them.
Southampton in 2022-23 might be the worst case ever. They went through Nathan Jones, Rubén Sellés, and Rubén Selles/Jones again (it gets confusing), and got relegated after just 31 games. That broke the record for earliest relegation. Absolutely dismal.
Fulham in 2018-19 tried Slavisa Jokanovic, Claudio Ranieri, and Scott Parker. Relegated. They were in the drop zone by mid-September and never really escaped.
West Brom in 2017-18 went Tony Pulis, Alan Pardew, and Darren Moore. They beat Manchester United and Spurs near the end under Moore, but it was way too late. Down they went.
Watford has done this TWICE in recent years - 2019-20 and 2021-22. Both times? Relegated. They're basically the poster child for why this approach doesn't work.
Leeds tried it last season with Jesse Marsch, Javi Gracia, and Big Sam Allardyce. Even Sam couldn't work his usual survival magic. Relegated.
The pattern is pretty clear. When a club gets desperate enough to hire three managers in one season, they're usually in deep trouble already. The managerial merry-go-round is usually a symptom, not the solution.
For Forest, the odds aren't great. They're 17th with 12 games to play, and they're about to bring in their fourth manager. History suggests that when you're changing managers this often, the problems run deeper than just the guy in the dugout. Bettors should probably avoid Forest-related punts until things stabilize - if they ever do.
The reality is simple: stability matters. Teams that keep changing managers mid-season are usually panicking, and panic rarely leads to good decisions. Forest fans better hope Pereira is some kind of miracle worker, because based on history, they're running out of time and options.
