5 of the worst managerial appointments in recent Premier League history
As another season is edging to the end, many managers have come into the job and been dismissed. Fans of various clubs are elated by the men at the helm of their clubs while others are ready to burn down buildings.
There have been some underwhelming appointments in the course of this Premier League season, especially as teams who were not expected to be in trouble got dragged into the survival dogfight. Southampton, Stoke City and West Bromwich Albion all changed managers with their second appointments being more underwhelming than the first.
Mark Hughes, Paul Lambert and Alan Pardew endured poor spells at Southampton, Stoke City and West Brom respectively, but are far away from the worst ever appointments in the Premier League in the last fifteen years.
Arguably, Mark Hughes and Alan Pardew undeservedly got jobs after leading their previous clubs to precarious situations, but their records look much better after a look at their entire careers.
This list looks at some of the worst appointments and managerial reigns in the Premier League in the last fifteen years. Some of these men were not permanent hires but were in effect, specially tasked with doing the job ably. The impact of the reign is also counted when terming a reign as particularly disastrous, so read on to find out more about the 5 worst Premier League managerial appointments in recent years:
#5 Alan Shearer (Newcastle United)
In April 2009, Newcastle United was in a bit of a managerial conundrum. Caretakers Chris Hughton and Colin Calderwood were in charge, while temporary boss Joe Kinnear was due to undergo a bypass surgery.
Newcastle United had been touted to be 'too good to go down' despite the lack of investment and complex managerial situation. Owner Mike Ashley decided to offer Alan Shearer the job with eight games remaining to keep Newcastle up.
What followed, was forgettable to say the least. Despite playing only two of the 'Top Six' teams in Chelsea and Liverpool, Shearer's side failed to put up a fight and recorded only four points including only one solitary victory. Newcastle were subsequently relegated despite teams around them like Hull City and Sunderland failing to win crucial matches as well.
This was a side that had finished 12th the previous season because of a horrid two-month spell in November-December before recovering quite comfortably. Shearer failed to motivate his team effectively and his tactical decisions were questionable according to many experts.
It may not have helped Shearer that he was only there for a few months and the problems at the club were deep-rooted. Regardless, his failure meant that he became the first manager to oversee Newcastle to relegation.
Shearer's failure was not as bad on paper considering the circumstances around the club but his appointment by Newcastle despite his earlier claims of not being interested in long-term coaching and his lack of managerial experience played a massive role in his ranking as one of the worst appointments in Premier League history.
The fact that the Newcastle United legend failed as a manager was not the most relevant aspect. The most important aspect of this appointment was Mike Ashley's incapacity to handle the club effectively for the first time, which eventually set the club on a warpath from which it is yet to recover.
Premier League Record: P8 W1 D2 L5