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Fans call football ‘the beautiful game’, but managers may have a different view. Especially the gallant entries in the seasonal ‘sack race.’ One minute, managers are fist-pumping their star striker; the next, they’re facing calls from the media and radio sports phone-ins to quit or for their board to fire them. There’s no sadder sight than seeing a manager clearing out their office with a cardboard box and sneaking off in their top-of-the-range, darkened, windowed sports car.
Football is a brutal business. Don’t let anyone tell you differently. Well, that is unless you have the Midas touch of the bookmakers. As the 2024-2025 football season reaches the business end, sackings come thick and fast.
While the managers weep, the bookmakers reap. The ‘sack race’ has become a favourite fixture for the bookies odds. Punters love a flutter, but the disgruntled fans enjoy shortening the odds even more to pressure the board to listen to them. Hey, if you’ve seen or heard it on Facebook, TikTok or X (formerly Twitter), then it must be true. Right?
Let’s dive into which old face may make a surprise return or who’s next for the chop. From Jos¨¦ Mourinho’s shorter expiry date than a carton of milk to English football’s revolving managerial revolving door, the drama is endless. But, the bookies are always on hand to capitalise.
The sack race story
Let’s explore why Brits call it ‘the sack’ when someone is relieved of their duties. Before the Industrial Revolution, employees flocked to the factories and mills to make a living. Workers travelled from job to job carrying their tools and supplies to find work wherever they could. Thus, the easiest way to carry their tools was in a sack. They left this with their employer for safekeeping. So, they were given their sack once their services were no longer required.
Legendary sackings have shaped the sack race into what it is today. Brian Clough’s infamous 44-day stint at Leeds United in 1974 has been immortalised in books and films. Who can forget the heartbreaking sacking of Claudio Ranieri having taken Leicester City to a fairytale Premier League title the season before? Harsh.
A managerial merry-go-round in England
Even though 2025 is the year of punts, prizes and sports betting surprises, bookmakers love the chaos of the managerial minefield. One thing for sure is that the managers don’t! This season, the English league has seen more managers face the chop than aubergines at a Michelin-starred restaurant. Poor Ryan Lowe at Preston North End won the wooden spoon for being the first managerial casualty on August 12, 2024. Lowe felt it was “The right time to move on.” Three wins in his previous fifteen games, and a win ratio of 38 percent contributed to him leaving the club by mutual consent.
Following this, Neil Critchley (Blackpool) and Paul Simpson (Carlisle) faced the discomfort of early season unemployment in August, just as the season started. Stoke gave Steven Schumacher the heave-ho in mid-September, followed by Erol Bulut (Cardiff City), who left after a winless start to the season, Scott Lindsey (Crawley Town), Mark Robinson (Burton Albion), and Mark Kennedy (Swindon Town) who rejected a contract extension. Seeing the silver lining, Mike Williamson packed his bags and headed from the bright lights and big city of Milton Keynes and the MK Dons to the picturesque and slightly chillier Carlisle United.
Old Trafford’s managerial meltdown
The first headline sacking of the season came on October 28 with Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag. Having been under fire for most of the previous season, it was no surprise that his defence leaked more than the Old Trafford roof, ultimately losing ten Hag his job. With a 56.25 percent win ratio in his tenure and a haul of two trophies in two seasons, including the league (Carabao) Cup and the FA Cup, Eric ten Hag’s term had its highs and lows.
In August 2022, following a humiliating 4-0 halftime deficit away to Brentford in his opening game of the season, bookmakers Paddy Power tweeted that they’d paid out early on ten Hag to be the first Premier League manager to get the sack! He is currently being linked with Borussia Dortmund in Germany. Ruben Amorim took over the Manchester United hot seat and currently has a win ratio of 30.8 percent, with his team currently languishing in 13th place in the Premier League. Amorim is pragmatic and recently told the media that his position is far from secure.
Following ten Hag’s exit, Steve Cooper of Leicester City, Gary O’Neil of Wolverhampton Wanderers, and Russel Martin of Southampton received the red card from their respective boards.
The current favourite for the Premier League sack race is Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglu. If you fancy a cheeky bet on no manager to leave this season, that comes in at a fair 6/1 (7.00/+600). Here are the current odds for the next sacking:
Scotland’s tartan axe tales
North of the border, Scottish Football has its own sack race tales. Hearts parted ways with Steven Naismith in October, while Motherwell and Kilmarnock followed suit, axing Stuart Kettlewell and Derek McInnes, respectively. Whilst it’s true that Scottish clubs generally operate on a smaller budget than their English counterparts, they are just as quick to wield the axe. Rangers manager Philippe Clement is under significant pressure because of poor performances.
The Scottish Sun reports that the Rangers Supporters Organisation has called for Clement’s immediate dismissal. At the same time, Rangers Chief Executive Patrick Stewart gave Clement the dreaded vote of confidence. He said sacking the manager was not a “silver-bullet solution” to the club’s deeper-rooted issues. Bookmakers offer 4/6 (1.67/-150) on Clement being dismissed by the end of January. Here are the next Rangers’ manager odds:
Outside of the UK, sack race dynamics differ. German clubs such as Bayern Munich, for example, give managers more time to build squads and coach players with their tactics, which is a contrast to the quick-fire English and Scottish teams. Italy’s Serie A is notorious for its ruthless approach. South American football, particularly in Brazil and Argentina, is known for its impulsive attitude towards sacking managers. Clubs have little tolerance for poor results, as Fluminense manager Fernando Diniz found in June 2024, months after winning the Copa Libertadores.
The Jos¨¦ Mourinho effect
We can’t discuss the sack race without the self-proclaimed “Special One” mentioned honourably. Yes, Jos¨¦ Mourinho gets sacked so many times his social media profiles update themselves automatically! Chelsea (twice), Real Madrid, Manchester United, Tottenham, and AS Roma fired him with hefty payouts to compensate him. The weird thing is that he usually manages to find a bigger job. Mourinho is more than a football manager. He’s a cultural phenomenon.
Jos¨¦ Mourinho is the darling of the bookmakers. Rumours have it his name sits on the odds board permanently. But he has charisma and a footballing nouse, and he knows the game and player psychology inside out. Currently, he is in an eventful tenure in Turkey with Fenerbahce, and he is 1/3 (1.33/-300) to manage any Saudi Pro League side. He has said he’d like to return to England and manage a side, but not a club in a relegation battle. So there’s no chance of a return to Manchester United. Or Tottenham.
Bookmakers can guarantee that when there’s a job going for a high-profile club, the bets always pour in for Mourinho. He is, without a shadow of a doubt, the ultimate sack race icon.
Betting on managerial misery
Despite the dry humour we treat the sack race with, it isn’t just a spectacle. It’s a serious business for bookmakers as odds markets for the next manager to be axed attract huge attention, as do bets on who will replace them. Bookies set the odds, fans place bets, and managers fall like dominoes. Sometimes, the bookmakers lose, as seen in how a winning streak for NFL bettors reshaped Flutter Entertainment¡¯s outlook. But more often than not, it’s the bookies that are left rubbing their hands in delight.
Our insatiable appetite for 24/7 media and to explore every angle in meticulous detail also dictates the sack race. Bookies love a free mention in tabloid newspapers or on blog sites. Some even have sponsored adverts promoting their odds, using rumours from football social media to drive interest.
One of the craziest sacking examples is Leroy Rosenior. He holds the record for the shortest managerial stint in English football history. Rosenior faced the sack just ten minutes after being appointed manager of Torquay United in May 2007. A local consortium took over the club shortly after his appointment and brought in their own manager. Paul Buckle took over and went on to have much success, leading the club to an FA Trophy final in 2008 and gaining promotion to the football league in 2009.
Fan power has a surprising influence on the sack race, as in today’s football climate, there is no hiding place. From viral hashtags to stadium chants and banners, fans sway boards to act. Bookmakers often react to fan sentiment, adjusting odds as the pressure mounts.
The human cost
While bookies, the media and fans revel in this drama, there is a human side, too. Managers are real people with families who share in the fallout. The tribal nature of football sometimes often forgets that managers ultimately do their best. Yes, managers may make mistakes in signings or tactics but rarely does a player face the consequences when things go wrong. Except Harry Maguire, Mario Balotelli and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
However, managers take a job in football knowing the intricacies of the managerial merry-go-round. The sack race remains part and parcel of football. For every manager packing their bags, a new face is lined up, all ready to step in, as was the case with West Ham United manager Julen Lopetegui, sacked on January 8, 2025 and replaced by Graham Potter.
Sticky toffees
Sean Dyche, who’d done a great job keeping Everton in the Premier League, faced the chop on January 9, 2025. Everton could only secure three victories in nineteen league games and is perilously close to the drop zone. New owners, The Friedkin Group, took action because they didn’t want to start a new era in a new stadium in the Championship. David Moyes returns to a club where he had success. Can he keep Everton up?
With an estimated construction cost of ?750 million (€870 million/US$960 million) and an almost 53,000 capacity, Everton needs to play teams like Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester City, Arsenal and Nottingham Forest to generate significant income and attract capacity crowds. Imagine the irony if they are relegated and face former crowd favourite Wayne Rooney’s old teams, Plymouth or Birmingham, in the Championship on the opening day of next season?
Former Everton starlet and England legend Wayne Rooney, who signed for Manchester United in 2004 and won five Premier League titles, the UEFA Champions League, the FA Cup, and the FIFA Club World Cup, isn’t immune from the heavy handle of the axe. Short tenures at Birmingham City and Plymouth Argyle blot his record. Maybe he will follow Steven Gerrard to the Saudi Pro League?
The future of sack betting
Artificial intelligence (AI) has a leading role in the future of sack race betting. Technology advances at breakneck speed, and betting markets will become more sophisticated. Imagine odds set by AI, analysing post-match press conferences, and looking at every team and player statistic possible to make predictions. Then, it factors in fan sentiment on social media for signs of doom and gloom. The sky is the limit for bookmakers who must continually balance the evolving betting markets and offer technological advancements to keep bettors engaged.
One thing is for sure: bookmakers will smile from ear to ear because football provides them significant wins, while it provides managers with p45s. Of course, the sack race is a guilty pleasure with its brutal unpredictability yet entertaining dramas. While managers sweat it out on the touchline, fans and bookmakers revel in the theatrics that the sack race provides.
And somewhere out there, Jos¨¦ Mourinho is waiting for his next big job. With Champions League pedigree with Porto and Inter Milan, league titles in Portugal, Spain, England and Italy and a cheeky Europa Conference League win with Roma in 2022, many fans will welcome his prodigal for quotes such as “I prefer not to speak. If I speak, I am in big trouble.”
Mourinho echoes the sentiments of most managers who face the axe with his famous quote, “If you hate me, it’s because I am very good.” In the sack race, though, it’s not about being good. It’s about the survival instinct and lasting long enough for the bookies to cash in on the chaos.
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