List of longest managerial reigns in association football

Fred Everiss managed West Bromwich Albion from 1902 to 1948—the second longest managerial reign of all time.

The longest managerial reign in association football belongs to Englishman Jimmy Davies who was manager of Waterloo Dock for 50 years. Second to this, Fred Everiss was manager of Football League team West Bromwich Albion for over 45 years, starting his reign in 1902 and ending when he retired in 1948.[1][a] The longest post-war reign belongs to Frenchman Guy Roux, who managed Auxerre in three separate reigns totalling 44 years, taking them from France's fifth division to become Division 1 champions in 1996.[3][4]

Managerial reigns in football have decreased since the 1960s, and by 2015, the average spell in England's top four divisions was 1.23 years.[5][6] Managers such as Pep Guardiola and Béla Guttmann have been proponents of a "three-year rule",[7][8] as has football journalist and author Jonathan Wilson, who writes that managers can succumb to a "fatalistic idealism" beyond this period, describing it as similar to a Greek tragedy.[9]

  1. ^ Fred Everiss, League Managers Association
  2. ^ "Larry Barilli: Football manager for past 66 years wins SFA award". bbc.com. 22 September 2019. Retrieved 9 September 2024.
  3. ^ Lea, Greg (6 December 2019). "The epic life and legacy of Guy Roux, the man who managed Auxerre for 44 years". These Football Times. Retrieved 27 December 2020.
  4. ^ Saffer, Paul (21 May 2016). "The unsackables: Europe's longest-serving coaches". uefa.com. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
  5. ^ "New statistics reveal average tenure of managers in England just 1.23 years". Sky Sports. 5 June 2015. Retrieved 27 December 2020.
  6. ^ Mayhew, Ben (6 December 2015). "Manager tenure". Experimental 3–6–1. Retrieved 27 December 2020.
  7. ^ Wilson, Jonathan (4 April 2012). "The Question: what marks Pep Guardiola out as a great coach?". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 December 2020.
  8. ^ Thacker, Gary (29 June 2015). "Benfica and the curse of Béla Guttmann". These Football Times. Retrieved 27 December 2020.
  9. ^ Wilson, Jonathan (2 May 2012). "The Question: why do great teams come to an end?". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 December 2020.


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