Study · Coaches
Football sacks its coaches before they peak
The short answerMost head coaches are gone before their teams play their best football. Across 6,876 head-coach spells and about 346,000 matches since December 2022, the median completed spell lasted 4 months, while results against expectation peaked at a median of 16.3 months.
6,876
Spells studied
4 mo
Median completed spell
16.3 mo
Median peak month
346k
Matches
When completed spells end
| 0-3 months | 36% | |
| 3-6 months | 27% | |
| 6-9 months | 16% | |
| 9-12 months | 11% | |
| 12-15 months | 4% | |
| 15-18 months | 3% | |
| 18-24 months | 3% | |
| 24-36 months | 1% | |
| 36+ months | 0% |
Share of completed spells in the study ending in each window.
FAQ
How long does the average football manager last?
The median completed head-coach spell in our study lasted about 4 months.
When do managers do their best work?
Results relative to expectation peak at a median of about 16.3 months, among spells long enough to measure.