With the close of the Premier League season which saw 13 clubs changing their managers, we take a trip down memory lane to have a look at managers who have been have been in the dugout at Premier League clubs in recent years - who you may have forgot.
Jan Siewart – Huddersfield Town
He was appointed by the Terriers in early 2019 with the aim to lift the club off the bottom of the table. Popular manager David Wagner resigned surprisingly so the baton was passed onto Siewart to save the club from the Championship.
Siewart was unable to save the club from relegation as they finished bottom of the Premier League. They equalled the record for the earliest relegation and joined Ipswich Town and Derby County as the only clubs to have been relegated with six games to go.
He picked up just five points in fifteen games but was allowed to take the club into the following Championship season but was sacked in early August having picked up one win in seven months. Unsurprisingly he was unable to get another job in the Premier League, in fact he was unable to get the top job at any club except for an interim stint at Mainz.
A largely forgetful period for those who follow the Terriers as the most memorable moment from this time was Sky Sports mistaking Siewart for a fan in the crowd, prior to his appointment.
Pepe Mel - West Bromwich Albion
The Spaniard took over in January 2014, following on from the departure of Steve Clarke as he initially signed an 18-month contract. He came in with the goal of keeping the Baggies in the Premier League. He managed the club to just 3 wins in his 17 in charge however he somehow kept the Baggies up, avoiding the drop narrowly by finishing 17th and 3 points above the relegation zone.
No surprise that Mel was relieved of his duties at the end of that season. He would move back to Spain and manage Real Betis, Las Palmas, Deportivo and most recently Mel had been with Málaga in Spain’s second division and was sacked in January 2023, after failing to lift the club out of the relegation places.
Felix Magath - Fulham
Magath was appointed by the Cottagers on Valentine’s Day in 2014 becoming the first German to manage in the Premier League. He came with good pedigree as a player and manager having won the EUROs as a player and the Bundesliga as a manager with Bayern Munich and most notably Wolfsburg.
He came in on the back of the sacking of Martin Jol and Rene Meulensteen with the club hovering dangerously above relegation as the 13-year stint in the league became precarious. Magath went on to win just 3 of his games as Fulham boss as they were relegated.
Magath was given the chance to take the club into the Championship, but he was ultimately sacked having picked up just a single point in their first 7 games. He later had a short spell in China and Hertha Berlin in his most recent managerial stints.
Nigel Adkins - Southampton and Reading
Adkins was a Southampton hero having dragged the club from the depths of League One up to the pinnacle, as in 2012 the Saints returned to the Premier League after back-to-back promotions.
He looked to be getting on well in the Premier League, however Adkins was sacked by the Saints in January 2013 despite being unbeaten in four up until his departure. The Saints did go on to appoint Mauricio Pochettino. Adkins did return to the Premier League just two months later, with Reading - the club who came up with his former side that season.
Ironically his first home game in charge was against his former side, Southampton in which they lost 2-0. He only picked up one win, and ultimately saw the club relegated from the Premier League. Reading had stuck with the Adkins for a year and a half before sacking him in December 2014.
Adkins had other managerial stints at Sheffield United, Hull City and Charlton before taking up his current role as Technical Director at his hometown club, Tranmere Rovers.
John Carver - Newcastle United
Carver had been the assistant manager under Alan Pardew. Pardew departed the club following interest from the Crystal Palace. In January 2015 Carver was appointed as the boss until the end of the season.
Carver started well with 3 wins in 4, he then lead the club to 8 defeats in a row between March and May. While the chaos unfolded Carver infamously said in a press conference that he felt he was the best coach in the Premier League - which inevitably saw widespread hilarity for his comments.
His final win as Newcastle boss proved to be most vital as it saved the Magpies from relegation. Jonas Gutiérrez’s famous goal in their 2-0 win against West Ham was enough to survive. Unsurprisingly, Carver was relieved of his duties following the conclusion of the season and was replaced by Steve McClaren.
He had a short spell in Cyprus with Athletic Club Omonia before joining his current role as assistant manager to Steve Clarke at the Scotland National Team
Tim Sherwood - Tottenham Hotspur
Tim Sherwood was appointed manager of the club in 2013 following the departure of Andre Villas Boas. Tottenham were fighting for European places that season, he started off okay winning three of his first four games.
He suffered heavy defeats in his spell however with a 5-1 loss to Manchester City and 4-0 losses to Chelsea and Liverpool , he publicly criticised the players for having a lack of characters following the defeat at Stamford Bridge and telling everyone to ‘wake up’ in regards to those claiming a Champions League place was on the cards.
He was ultimately let go from his duties at Spurs, which was deemed harsh by a few having led the club to sixth place, but Spurs had bigger ambitions as they appointed Mauricio Pochettino. That wasn’t before allowing a fan to sit in the dugout with him in his final home game.
He then went on to manage Aston Villa and guided them to an FA Cup Final and survival in his first season. He was sacked midway through Aston Villa’s disastrous 2015-16 season and turned back to the media where he works for various media outlets.
Terry Connor - Wolverhampton Wanderers
Connor was appointed as Caretaker manager in February 2012, following the departure of long-term boss Mick McCarthy. He worked as assistant to McCarthy during his stint and was promoted to manager in the latter stages of the 2011-12 season to save the club from relegation.
He managed a respectable 2-2 draw against high-flying Newcastle in his first game in charge but that was followed by 8 defeats in 9 games and they were ultimately relegated with 3 games to go after a 2-0 defeat to Manchester City in April 2012.
Connor was demoted to assistant boss to incoming manager Ståle Solbakken for the following season in the Championship, he did not register a single win in his short spell as boss picking up four points from a possible 39.
Connor continued to follow Mick McCarthy in his managerial career at Ipswich , the Irish National Team, Cardiff and most recently at Blackpool as they oversaw their relegation to League One. He was most recently appointed at Caribbean minnows Grenada as their head coach in May 2023, who are ranked 175th in the World Rankings.