Erik Ten Hag among fastest manager sackings following Dutchman's nightmare Bayer Leverkusen stint
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Ben Palmer
Mon 1 September 2025 12:17, UK
Erik ten Hag’s brief stint at Bayer Leverkusen is over after the German side sacked their boss on Deadline Day.
The Dutchman was appointed as Xabi Alonso’s successor on 26 May after the Spaniard jetted off to take charge of Spanish powerhouse Real Madrid.
Ten Hag rose to prominence as an assistant at Bayern Munich before a stellar four-year spell in charge of Ajax that included an infamous semi-final in the Champions League loss at the hands of Tottenham, courtesy of a Lucas Moura hat-trick.
The Dutchman was then sounded out for the Man United job, taking over following the departure of Ralf Rangnick.
During his time in England, the 55-year-old struggled immensely, and Ten Hag was sacked by Man United midway through the 2024/25 campaign.
But after just 98 days in charge of the 2023/24 Bundesliga champions, during which time he oversaw three games, the Dutchman has been sacked.
However, Ten Hag’s reign at Leverkusen is not the shortest of any manager’s by a long shot, and Football Insider has taken a look at the head coaches who were in and out of the door before they’d even had a chance to figure out where their office was.
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Frank de Boer was a legendary defender for Ajax and Barcelona, and had spent six years with the Dutch club, and a year at Inter, before taking charge of Crystal Palace in 2017.
However, it became readily apparent that his attempts to implement a possession-based style of play were not going to suit the Eagles, as they lost their opening four games without scoring a goal.
A win in the Carabao Cup against Ipswich Town was not enough to save De Boer’s job, and he was quickly replaced by Roy Hodgson after just five games in charge.
Paul Sturrock was in charge of Southampton for almost double the amount of time that De Boer was, but his time in charge of the Saints was similarly tumultuous.
Having taken over from Gordon Strachan, the Scottish boss guided his side to five wins in his 13 games in charge.
But Sturrock was a fiery character and Southampton’s stars were quickly queuing up at the board’s doors with complaints over his managerial style, and after 134 days in charge, the former Plymouth boss was given the boot.
10 minutes.
That is how long Leroy Rosenior’s stint in charge of Torquay United lasted.
The former Fulham striker was put in charge of the Gulls by chairman Mike Bateson, only for the majority owner to immediately agree to the sale of his 51% stake in the club.
New owners quickly decided they wanted their own man, and Rosenior was out as Torquay manager before he’d even had a chance to learn where his parking space was.
Darren Patterson, Oxford United (2006) – 8 days
There is a recurring theme here, as Patterson was put in charge of Oxford United in 2006, two years after a caretaker spell in charge.
The now 55-year-old was handed the reins, and then had them yanked out of his hands after Firoz Kassam sold the club to Nick Merry.
Funnily enough, Patterson returned as Oxford manager a year later, and lasted until 2008, before being sacked following a poor start to the season.
Two days isn’t too bad when compared with the 10 minutes that Rosenior lasted, but it still isn’t great.
Alex Pastoor took charge of AZ Alkmaar in the Eredivisie after agreeing to succeed AC Milan and Ajax legend Marco van Basten.
Interestingly, Pastoor had been the former Ballon d’Or winners assistant, with the two effectively agreeing to swap jobs.
But after failing to agree on a contract, the Dutchman packed his bags and left the club with immediate effect, sending the club into chaos.