The Worst Managers Of The Premier League Era (Part 6)

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4 years ago

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In the last of our series of articles looking at the worst managers to take charge of clubs in the Premier League, we reflect on four more coaches who failed to make the grade.

Managing in the English top-flight can be a challenge for even the most experienced of managers, but there are a couple of names on this list who actually had their first experience of management by being appointed at a top division club.

That really is a baptism of fire, and it is not surprising that they struggled to really make any sort of impression during their time in charge. Some of the others mentioned here, though, don’t have that excuse.

Press the next page as we again look at some of the worst Premier League managers over the past thirty years.

John Gorman (Swindon Town)

The Scottish coach was a longtime confidant of Glenn Hoddle but when the former England star left Swindon to become manager of Chelsea in 1993, Gorman opted to stay at the Robins and take up the reins as head coach.

It was Gorman’s first and only experience of being number one, and it showed. It took Swindon until their 16th game to register their first win in the Premier League and they were relegated after just one season in the top flight.

Mike Phelan (Hull City)

Much like Gorman, Phelan had invariably been an assistant manager, most notably to Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United. However, when Steve Bruce resigned as Hull City manager before the start of the 2016/17 campaign, he initially took to charge as caretaker.

After some excellent initial results, Phelan was handed the job on a permanent basis but the good form did not last and the Tigers were relegated to the Championship at the end of the season. He had a 15% win ratio during his time as a Premier League manager.

Dave Bassett (Nottingham Forest and Leicester City)

The experienced manager had some initial success with Sheffield United in the Premier League during the early-nineties but two subsequent managerial spells at Nottingham Forest and Leicester City were far less impressive.

Bassett had a win percentage of just 9% during his tumultuous spell at Forest and he didn’t fare much better with the Foxes, winning just three of his 26 league games in charge before he was replaced.

Christian Gross (Tottenham)

The Swiss manager had a tough task on his hands when he took over at Spurs in 1997. The club were already in the relegation zone, and the press were taken aback by chairman Alan Sugar’s decision to appoint a complete unknown.

Gross’s inability to win over the media and fans alike eventually led to his downfall, having taken charge of just 30 games and winning only ten.