The betting on which manager will be first for the axe each year, or the 'sack race', has become big business for bookies. This year's recipient of the ignoble honour is not a surprise to many but the speed of the sacking has been. Portsmouth lie rock bottom of the league table and underperforming managers are rarely given much time in the Premiership. Below is a list of all of the 'winners' of the sack race during the Noughties, most of whom were not afforded as much time as Hart. (Note that these only include sackings, not resignations or partings on mutual grounds, which occured during the season.)
So what do we learn about the sack list? Well if you make it onto the list you are unlikely to get another job as a Premiership manager. Only Peter Reid has won the race in the past ten years and managed at the top level of English football again, although this was with Leeds in the midst of their death spiral. So don't expect to be seeing Paul Hart appearing in a post match interview on Match of the Day anytime soon.
A couple of clubs seem more keen than most to help their managers win the prize, with both Portsmouth and Tottenham appearing twice. Between their foundation in 1898 and 1988, Portsmouth had 18 different managers. They have now had 18 managers in the 21 years since 1988 and coincidently so have Tottenham. Portsmouth managed to avoid relegation the last time they dished out the award and they will be hoping Avram Grant delivers a similar miracle this time around.
Few of the managers on the list have been successful with other clubs after winning the award, with Alain Perrin the notable exception, and for most it is the start of a terminal decline. Hart should take comfort though that he may now be able to secure a role on television instead. Peter Taylor, Peter Reid, Glenn Hoddle and Iain Dowie all regularly appear as football pundits on British TV and Gianluca Vialli is now a presenter and commentator with Sky Italia. If you win the sack race it would seem, you earn the privilege of telling a television audience just what managers still in jobs are doing wrong.
The most surprising aspect of the list is that the sadly deceased super manager Bobby Robson is on it and that he is in fact the ultimate 'winner' having been sacked the earliest out of all of them. This perhaps shows how sacking your manager early in the season is not always a wise move, with Robson's exit arguably beginning Newcastle's spiral of despair which led to their relegation last season. The season before Sir Bobby left Newcastle they finished 5th in the league, under Robson's replacement Graeme Souness the next year they finished 14th.
Only time will tell if Portsmouth have made the right decision.
The Sack List
2009/10 - Paul HartDate of sacking: 25th November 2009
Club: Portsmouth
Clubs final league position that season: N/A
Manager's recent history: Hart was offered Technical Director role but was sacked while making up his mind.
2008/09 - Juande RamosDate of sacking: 25th October 2008
Club: Tottenham Hotspur
Club's final league position that season: 8th
Manager's recent history: Ramos seems to specialise in short spells with clubs, in fact his tenures are ever diminishing. After leaving Spurs he was hired by Real Madrid in December 2009, much to the british media's shock. He signed a contract until the end of the season which was not renewed. Then in September 2009 he signed a three month contract with CSKA Moscow which he only served 47 days of before leaving with the consent of the club.
2007/08 - Sammy LeeDate of sacking: 17th October 2007
Club: Bolton
Club's final league position that season: 16th
Manager's recent history: Lee got the job at Bolton after being the No.2 to Sam Alladyce and after a short hiatus the human hamster returned to coaching in May 2008 as assistant manager to Rafa Benitez at his old club Liverpool.
2006/07 - Iain DowieDate of sacking: 14th October 2007
Club: Charlton
Club's final league position that season: 19th (Relegated)
Manager's recent history: Sexy Mr Dowie seems to have a thing for the number 15 as that was the amount of games he was in charge of both Charlton and QPR(May to October 2008) before recieving his P45. In between was a spell at Coventry which he lasted seven days short of a calendar year before a bust-up with the board on 11th February 2008. He had a brief spell earlier this year as Alan Shearer's assistant at Newcastle.
2005/06 - Alain PerrinDate of sacking: 24th November 2005
Club: Portsmouth
Club's final league position that season: 17th
Manager's recent history: 'Reggie' has had a pretty successful career in French football since leaving Pompy, winning the French Cup with FC Sochaux in 2007 and then doing a league and cup double with Olympic Lyonnais the following season. He is currently manager of AS Saint-Etienne.
2004/05 - Bobby RobsonDate of sacking: 30th August 2004
Club: Newcastle
Club's final league position that season: 14th
Manager's recent history: After being sacked by Freddy Shepherd Sir Bobby never returned to football managment and died earlier this year. Between January 2006 and November 2007 he held the role of International Football Consultant (whatever that means) under the then manager of Republic of Ireland, Steve Staunton.
2003-04 - Glenn HoddleDate of sacking: 21st September
Club: Tottenham
Club's final league position that season: 14th
Manager's recent history: Faith healing Hoddle managed Wolverhampton Wanderers between December 2004 and July 2006, during this spell Wolves had hopes high of promotion to the Premiership but drew 34 out of 76 games with him in charge.Hoddle has not managed a club since, while without him Wolves finally made it to the Premiership.
2002/03 - Peter ReidDate of sacking: 7th October 2002
Club: Sunderland
Club's final league position that season: 20th (Relagated)
Manager's recent history: Reid was sacked as Leeds manager in November 2003 eight months after taking over from Terry Venables. He was then hired as manager of Coventry in May 2004 but only lasted eight months again. He lasted a whole year managing the Thai national team before leaving in September 2009 to become Tony Pulis' assistant manager at Stoke City.
2001/02 - Peter TaylorDate of sacking: 1st October 2001
Club: Leicester
Club's final league position that season: 20th (Relegated)
Manager's recent history: Since leaving Leicester, Taylor has managed Brighton & Hove Albion, Hull City, Crystal Palace, the England Under 21's, Stevenage Borough and Wycombe Wanderers. He was sacked as Wycombe manager on 9th October 2009.
2000/01 - Gianluca VialliDate of sacking: 12th September 2000
Club: Chelsea
Club's final league position that season: 6th
Manager's recent history: The former European Cup winner only managed one other club after leaving Chelsea. He spent the 2001/02 season at Watford before being sacked for finishing 14th in the old First Division.
Anyone know who has been the most sacked? Include 'stand-in' gigs that didn't lead to a permanent job.
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