The number of managers sacked this season has reached a historic point, as this is the first time that eight managers have been relieved of their duties midway through the season.
With the calendar still only in mid-February, Sean Dyche, whose tenure at the club lasted only 114 days, became the third Nottingham Forest manager to be dismissed this season, following the departures of Nuno Espírito Santo and Ange Postecoglou. His exit adds to the ever-growing number of Premier League managers losing their jobs before the campaign has even reached its decisive phase.
Forest’s decision came less than 24 hours after Tottenham parted ways with Thomas Frank. The Spurs boss endured one of the lowest win percentages in the club’s modern history, with a win rate of approximately 34.2% (13 wins in 38 games) across all competitions, such poor results that have left his side languishing in 16th place – just five points above the relegation zone.
In today’s game, the conversation no longer unfolds solely in boardrooms or dressing rooms. It plays out online. Social media has become an increasingly powerful undercurrent in modern football, shaping narratives at a relentless pace.
When fans flood timelines with frustration, debate and outrage, it may seem like background noise – but clubs are watching. And more often than not this season, that digital noise has coincided with decisive action in the form of managerial sackings.
Sean Dyche, Thomas Frank, and the Digital Pressure Behind the High Tally of Managers Sacked This Season.
The decision to sack Sean Dyche came after his side failed to beat bottom-of-the-table Wolves which saw Nottingham Forest remain 17th in the league with 27 points. When quizzed after the game about his future at the club and Thomas Frank’s dismissal he said;
“Unfortunately, it is the way it is. The demands are high. Social media is playing its part now. There seems a lot of anger and resentment – we have got to live to roll with it. That’s what us managers have got to do.”
What Dyche was saying basically was, due to social media’s hostile and aggressive response to every negative result, “anger and resentment” gains traction which leads to a situation where a manager is not judged based on a season-long assessment of his work, but on a 24-hours reaction of a single game.
Take Nottingham Forest’s draw with Wolves for example, in that game, the Reds dominated from start to finish, registering 35 shots, with 10 on target and an expected goal (xG) of 2.55, a tactical performance that would normally suggest the manager had the team playing well.
His departure just hours later added another name to the growing list of managers sacked this season, with the rise of social media amplifying its impact.
Nuno Espirito Santo (Nottingham Forest), Graham Potter (West Ham), Ange Postecoglou (Nottingham Forest), Vitor Pereira (Wolves), Enzo Maresca (Chelsea), Ruben Amorim (Manchester United), Thomas Frank (Tottenham Hotspur), and Sean Dyche (Nottingham Forest) are so far the eight managers sacked this season, and there are no assurances that before the season runs out there won’t be more names added to the aforementioned list.
When social media accounts with millions of followers continuously criticise a coach’s on-field decisions, it can amplify every misstep, creating a perception of failure far greater than reality.
This digital “anger and resentment” creates a perceived crisis that often forces boards to sack managers even when tactical failures are not the primary issue.
The Rising Influence of Online Fans on Premier League Sackings
During Ruben Amorim’s tenure, Manchester United minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe had promised to give the Portuguese manager a minimum of three years to establish his project.
Yet, just 14 months later – following a painful cup exit to Brighton – Amorim was sacked. What changed? Did Ratcliffe lose faith in the process, or did the mounting pressure from fans on social media force his hand?
This isn’t a scenario unique to United. Across the Premier League, more owners are likely to add to the number of managers sacked this season when fans’ online vitriol becomes unbearable.
Record-Breaking Chaos
Four Bosses, One Campaign: Is Forest’s Reckless Approach Responsible for the High Tally of Managerial Dismissals?
Nottingham Forest are set to become the first club in Premier League history to employ four different head coaches in a single season, having already contributed three names to the ever-growing list of managers sacked this season.
The instability began when Nuno Espírito Santo was dismissed just three games into the term. His successor, Ange Postecoglou, lasted just 40 days before he, too, was dismissed. Sean Dyche, appointed in October to steady the ship, became the third of Forest’s managers sacked this season after serving just 114 days in the dugout.
Now, with the club reportedly reaching an agreement for former Wolves boss Vítor Pereira, the revolving door at the City Ground continues to spin. Pereira will arrive under immense pressure, knowing that in the current climate of digital outrage, he is only ever a few bad results away from joining the record number of managers sacked this season.
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The Abramovich Fallacy: Why Forest’s “Sack and Hire” Culture is Leading to Disaster
In the fight to remain in the Premier League, stability is what is needed most at this point, yet, Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis is moving in the opposite direction.
If he’s trying to imitate the “Sack and Hire” culture made famous by Roman Abramovich at Chelsea, he’s definitely going about it the wrong way.
At Stamford Bridge, the Blues were always in the fight for titles and trophies, and Abramovic’s method worked because he always hired elite managers (Mourinho, Tuchel, Conte, Ancelotti, etc) to refine a squad full of world-class superstars. At Forest, they are in a relegation battle, and constant changes would lead to a lack of tactical identity.
If the cycle of managers sacked this season is ever to slow down, club hierarchies must learn to prioritise long-term stability over short-term digital trends and make decisions based on the manager’s performance, player development and season-long progress rather than the 24-hour reaction of online outrage.
The Premier League Sack Race: Who’s Next on the List of Managers Sacked This Season?
Eight down, how many more to follow suite? With the immense pressure coaches are under now, it won’t be surprising to see the list of managers sacked this season expand.
In the Premier League, no manager is safe, especially in this era where social media plays a big part in a manager’s future. If you don’t win games, you’ll lose your job.
Today, several managers are doing everything possible to change the fortunes of their teams or face the same fate as those who have already departed.
Crystal Palace head coach Oliver Glasner has announced that he will depart the club at the end of the season, but Fabian Hürzeler (Brighton). Scott Parker (Burnley) and even Liverpool’s Arne Slot find themselves at the top of the “Sack Race” betting markets, as fan frustration mounts online and boards grow restless over lack of results.
With the 2025/26 season reaching its business end, the margin for error has disappeared.
Main Photo
Credit: IMAGO / NurPhoto
Recording Date: 11.02.2026
