Sports
‘Hire and fire’: The exhausting job of a soccer manager in 2026
There have been a number of stunning managerial changes in recent weeks — from Xabi Alonso at Real Madrid to Ruben Amorim at Manchester United — and the cutthroat nature of a career in football management will not be lost on Gary Rowett.
The 51-year-old former Derby County, Birmingham City and Leicester City defender was sacked as head coach of Championship side Oxford United just two days before Christmas. The call came just over a year after the one that appointed him.
Rowett had helped keep Oxford in English football’s second tier last season following his arrival on Dec. 20, 2024. But after one win in 10 games, which saw Oxford slip into the relegation places, club chairman Grant Ferguson and the board decided it was time for a change.
“Gary joined during a challenging period and deserves immense credit for the hard work and leadership,” said Ferguson in a statement. “However, following a disappointing run of results, we have had to take this difficult decision in the best interests of the club.”
A nice way of saying, “Thanks, but see you later.”
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The timing of Rowett’s dismissal makes it particularly brutal, but for managers, it’s part of the job. Already this season, six Premier League bosses have been sacked — Nuno Espirito Santo (Nottingham Forest), Graham Potter (West Ham United), Ange Postecoglou (Nottingham Forest), Vitor Pereira (Wolves), Enzo Maresca (Chelsea) and Amorim (Man United).
Eight Premier League clubs changed their manager last season, and it’s not unusual for more than half the 20 top-flight clubs to fire coaches over the course of a campaign. The next dismissal is never far away.
Thomas Frank is under increasing pressure at Tottenham Hotspur despite taking over only in June, and Arne Slot has faced questions about his position mere months after leading Liverpool to the title. There were doubts over the summer over whether Daniel Farke would even see Leeds United play a game in the Premier League despite masterminding their promotion from the Championship last season.
Xabi Alonso, unveiled by Real Madrid in May, was sacked on Jan. 12 after losing to rivals Barcelona in the Spanish Supercopa.
“A career in football management is one that can be both rewarding and challenging,” said Richard Bevan, CEO of the League Managers Association (LMA). “The role of the manager or head coach is increasingly complex, with significant and varied demands requiring high levels of skill, flexibility and resilience.
“To be a football manager is to work in an employment market that is characterized by short-termism and high turnover.”
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According to LMA statistics, the average tenure of dismissed managers and head coaches in men’s and women’s English professional football last season was 1.35 years. Postecoglou was axed by Forest after just 39 days, with the official statement landing 17 minutes after the final whistle of his eighth game in charge. In Scotland, Russell Martin was sacked by Rangers in October after 17 games, while Glasgow neighbors Celtic dismissed Wilfried Nancy just 33 days into a 2½-year contract signed in December.
“If you look over history, I think managers were always the ones who the buck stopped with,” former Brentford, Aston Villa, Norwich City and current Charlotte FC boss Dean Smith told ESPN.
“In the past, managers were given a little bit more time. There wasn’t this hire-and-fire mentality. It’s really tough that it’s so highly scrutinized now, so you understand the position you’re in.
“You’ve got to go into clubs, and all you can do is control what you can control.”
Whatever issues a club might be dealing with, the manager invariably becomes a lightning rod for criticism as the public face of the team. Amorim had concerns about United’s recruitment operation and the strength of his squad — worries shared by the majority of supporters — but he was well aware that only one man would eventually pay the price regardless of the club’s other failures.
“You can feel that something has to change and you are not going to change 22 players,” Amorim said after the shock Carabao Cup exit to League Two minnows Grimsby Town in August.
Postecoglou, Martin and Nancy all expressed the need for time to get their ideas across in the days before their sackings. Frank has branded his job at Tottenham as “a marathon.” Maresca, fresh from winning the UEFA Conference League and FIFA Club World Cup, lost his battle with the Chelsea board for more power at Stamford Bridge.
A manager’s job is essentially determined by his ability to keep everyone happy — players, fans and the hierarchy.
“Managers and head coaches are tasked with leading often very diverse and multicultural playing squads as well as ever-expanding teams of performance support staff,” said Bevan. “Additionally, they must navigate relationships with owners, chairpersons, chief executives, technical directors and so on.
“Success in the role requires strong organizational awareness, effective communication skills and an adaptable and contextually aware leadership approach.”
Smith had successful spells at Brentford and Villa. His tenure at Norwich was much shorter, in part because of the supporters, and he left Carrow Road with the club fifth in the Championship.
“Norwich was a tough one,” he said. “The fans just hadn’t taken to myself for whatever reason and that can happen. I’ve got no bad blood to the Norwich fans, and I hope they do well, but I just didn’t think that they were going to give us an opportunity to try and change a way of playing that could give us a chance if we got back to the Premier League again.”
Whatever the reason — results, playing style, fan frustration or board pressure — once things start going downhill, the noise can be difficult to escape for an under-fire manager.
Ahead of Real Madrid’s UEFA Champions League clash in December, Alonso held a news conference at the club’s training ground that was dominated by questions about his future. The game hardly got a mention. Frank faced a similar situation on Monday ahead of Spurs’ Champions League clash with Borussia Dortmund, a fixture that came fresh off the back of another damaging home league defeat, this time against struggling West Ham.
Premier League managers are expected to hold news conferences before and after every game, as well as honoring their other commitments. Following United’s 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa in December at the height of questions about his job, Amorim was required to speak to five broadcasters — three of them international rights holders — plus club media and selected radio stations.
“Football managers and head coaches operate in a modern media landscape that places unrelenting demands on them,” said Bevan. “They face constant scrutiny, where every result, decision, and comment is analyzed by the public and media in real time.”
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The intense nature of the spotlight means that when the going gets tough, there’s nowhere to hide.
“It’s never nice, but you understand it’s coming,” said Smith. “The intensity now with media within the Premier League is massive. Becoming a manager in the Premier League now is like being a prime minister at times.
“The amount of times you have to speak in front of the cameras is incredible. And when you’re going through that run of not winning games, you know the inevitable questions are going to come, but you’ve got to have a belief in what you do and just be steady in your answers.”
Ultimately, whatever a manager says, the only currency that really matters is results. Clubs make appointments in the hope that they’ve found a figurehead for years to come, but pressure mounts quickly if the team isn’t performing.
Time, usually, can only be bought by winning.
“It’s a fact, less time,” said Pep Guardiola, when asked about the job of a manager earlier this month. “I don’t think there is a country where you are safe if you don’t win games. If you don’t get results, it doesn’t matter — the past or the present.
“Every manager is hired for their ideas, and they are sacked for their results.”
Bevan says the pressure, scrutiny and high stakes of each game can take its toll on managers — both mentally and physically.
“The demands on football managers and head coaches are relentless,” he said. “Long days at the training ground, extended periods away from home and a relentless travel schedule often result in a range of physical health problems including lack of sleep, poor lifestyle behaviors, limited exercise and burnout.
“It’s clear that the volatility, scrutiny, organizational challenges and role complexity that makes up football management can, at times, lead to negative mental health consequences. Stress, anxiety, burnout and depression are common experiences across the management and coaching workforce and often, as a consequence of their role, additionally suffered by managers’ and coaches’ family members.”
Smith has a managerial CV that spans 15 years and over time, he has learned ways to cope.
“I went to watch Fleetwood Town play on a Tuesday night … and I bumped into [former Celtic manager] Neil Lennon, and then he said, ‘You look really relaxed, how are you so relaxed?'” he recalled.
“I said, ‘Listen, mate, you need to buy yourself a dog.’ My dog doesn’t realize how many teams he picked and just having that hour in the morning just to go and walk him just to take your mind off things.”
Still, in one of the toughest jobs in football, the pressure is never far away.
“I think it’s impossible to be completely immune,” added Smith. “You’re aware of it, but part of your character, I think, to be a good manager, you have to put it aside. I’ve never worried about getting sacked because in my head I’m not in control of that.
“What you’re in control of is trying to put a product on the pitch. Trying to get the best out of players so that they can go and perform and get a result.”
That, though, is easier said than done. Just ask Rowett, Amorim, Alonso and the rest.
Sports
Bills owner dives into reasoning for Sean McDermott firing, blames ‘coaching’ on lack of wide receiver success
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The body wasn’t even cold before the Buffalo Bills decided to let go of Sean McDermott.
The Bills fired McDermott on Monday after the team’s heartbreaking playoff loss to the Denver Broncos in the AFC divisional round.
That loss, team owner Terry Pegula said, single-handedly cost McDermott his job.
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Head coach Sean McDermott and owner Terry Pegula of the Buffalo Bills before the Buccaneers game at Raymond James Stadium on Dec. 12, 2021, in Tampa, Florida. (Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)
“My decision to bring in a new coach was based on the results of our game in Denver,” Pegula, alongside general manager Brandon Beane, told reporters on Wednesday.
“I looked around, first thing I noticed was our quarterback with his head down crying. I looked at all the other players, I looked at their faces and our coaches, I walked over to Josh [Allen], he didn’t even acknowledge I was there. First thing I said to him was ‘That was a catch.’ We all know what I’m talking about. He didn’t acknowledge me. He just sat there sobbing. He was listless. He had given everything he had to try to win that game. And looking around, so did all the other players on the team.”
“I did not fire a coach based on a bad officiating decision. If I can take you into that locker room, I felt like we hit the proverbial playoff wall year after year,” Pegula added.
The owner also made sure to note that Allen “didn’t have any input at all” in the decision.
“I didn’t talk to Josh about this. I talked to him afterwards, but that conversation will stay private,” Pegula said.
Buffalo Bills owner Terry Pegula before the AFC divisional playoff game against the Baltimore Ravens at Highmark Stadium on Jan. 19, 2025, in Orchard Park, New York. (Timothy T Ludwig/Getty Images)
Beane was asked about the lack of wide receiver success, namely in Keon Coleman, but Pegula jumped in and placed blame on “coaching” on the first pick of the second round in 2024. Ladd McConkey was the next selection.
“The coaching staff pushed to draft Keon,” Pegula said. “I’m not saying Brandon wouldn’t have drafted him, but he wasn’t his next choice. That was Brandon being a team player and taking advice from his coaching staff who felt strongly about the player. He’s taken, for some reason, heat over it and not saying a word about it. But I’m here to tell you the true story.”
The defeat marked another crushing blow to McDermott’s tenure as the Bills’ head coach. McDermott took the job before the start of the 2017 season, and Buffalo finished under .500 only once since then. He helped guide the Bills to the playoffs in eight of his nine seasons. The team made the conference title game twice but never got back to the Super Bowl.
Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott speaks at a news conference after the Lions game, Dec. 15, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Rey Del Rio)
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Many thought the Bills were a team of destiny this year, considering Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow and Lamar Jackson all did not make the playoffs.
Alas, Jarrett Stidham and the Broncos will go against Drake Maye and the New England Patriots for a trip to the Super Bowl.
Fox News’ Ryan Gaydos contributed to this report.
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Sports
American star Brenna Huckaby eyes fourth Paralympic gold medal in Milan after leg amputation at age 14
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United States Paralympic snowboarder Brenna Huckaby is preparing for her third Paralympic Games.
Huckaby, 29, has had incredible success as she is a four-time Paralympic medalist, winning three gold medals and one bronze. She won two gold medals in her Paralympic debut in Pyeongchang in 2018 in banked slalom and snowboard cross.
In Beijing in 2022, she won gold in the banked slalom again, while earning bronze in the snowboard cross.
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Brenna Huckaby poses for a photo during the U.S. Olympic Team Media Summit in preparation for the 2026 Milan Olympic Winter Games at the Javits Center in New York City, New York, on Oct. 28, 2025. (Robert Deutsch/Imagn Images)
However, Huckaby’s journey to success on the slopes has been one of triumph in the face of a lot of adversity.
At age 14, Huckaby was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a rare bone cancer, and she had to have her right leg amputated. Her athletic career began as a competitive gymnast, but the Baton Rouge, Louisiana, native turned to snowboarding after the amputation.
As Huckaby prepares to compete again in Italy, she said one of her favorite memories along the journey was crossing the finish line in 2018 and seeing her family.
“One of the biggest (memories) right now though is the 2018 Games — first gold and crossing the finish line and getting to hug my family. I am really looking forward to having a similar experience at (these) games knowing that my family will be there,” Huckaby told Fox News Digital in a recent interview with Hershey’s, celebrating happiness as the real gold.
“Like, to me, I feel like we’ve already won just knowing that I get to share this experience with them. We weren’t able to do that in China. So I’m very excited to be able to do that here.”
In addition to being a four-time Paralympic medalist and five-time world champion gold medalist, Huckaby is also a mother of two. She gave birth to her daughter Lilah in 2016 and gave birth to her second daughter Sloan in 2020.
Huckaby said balancing being a mom while also snowboarding at an elite level and the training that entails can be challenging and takes a lot of self-compassion.
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Team USA Paralympic snowboarding hopeful Brenna Huckaby during the 2018 U.S. Olympic Summit at the Grand Summit Hotel in Park City, Utah, on Sep. 27, 2017. (Jeff Swinger/USA TODAY Sports)
“Balance is always so hard, I feel like. I don’t know if that’s even the right word for it because it’s definitely uneven a lot of the time. But I think it’s having, you know, a lot of compassion for yourself because you’re not always going to get it right, but also, you know, recognizing, hey, I’m not always going to get this right. So, how can I take a step back, pause, see, where I’m needed right now, and then make those harder decisions of right now my focus is with my family, which means I can’t put in that little extra time that maybe some of my competitors can,” Huckaby said.
“And also when it’s crunch time, knowing, okay, hey family, I love you so much, but right now I got to go focus on my sport. I think it’s the hardest part is having to be your own boss to tell you what to do. I think it could be a lot easier to have somebody waving a finger and you’re like, ‘Oh, sorry. I got to go, big boss is telling me.’ But having to be the, you know, the ‘bad guy’ in those situations of having to leave your family can be tough. So having a lot of self-compassion for yourself and knowing like you know you’re doing the best you can um and that’s the best you can do.”
Huckaby said now that her kids are old enough to retain memories, with Lilah being 9 years old and Sloan being 5 years old, she hopes that they remember her journey, that they are worth putting the work in for when they bet on themselves.
“I think right now if my kids are nine and five, so they’re older enough to kind of retain and see what I’m doing and and make some choices for themselves. I hope they see that like it’s not always easy, but when we make the the choice to bet on ourselves, we’re worth putting the work in for,” Huckaby said.
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Brenna Huckaby poses for a photo during the U.S. Olympic Team Media Summit in preparation for the 2026 Milan Olympic Winter Games at the Javits Center in New York City, New York, on Oct. 28, 2025. (Robert Deutsch/Imagn Images)
“We’re worth taking that time. And it’s not always motivating, and it’s going to feel grindy, but in those moments, that’s where you grow as a person and saying yes to yourself and betting on yourself. And I also they know that like sometimes I’m scared to drop into a course, and sometimes I’m scared to be next to the other riders, but that true bravery is doing things even though you’re scared. And so I hope that they see that and gain are able to apply that and gain their own self-confidence.”
Huckaby has said a “core focus” of hers has been to enjoy the process, because that is the only part of the journey that is guaranteed.
“I would say, over the last eight years of, you know, finding a way to enjoy the process because that’s the only part that’s guaranteed. We don’t know if we’re going to win gold. We don’t know if we’ll, you know, we don’t even know if we’ll make it to the game sometimes. And so, how can I make this process and this journey worth it?” Huckaby said.
“For me, it’s taking a moment, a pause, even if it’s just for 30 seconds, to appreciate how far I’ve come, and where I’m at. And a lot of the times I do that on the mountains, and I look out and I see the other peaks and the trees, and I’m able to remind myself like, yeah, things are good. So, it’s just taking a tiny little pause and that’s where happiness is found.”
While being a mother who is training to be a world-class snowboarder, Huckaby also was on the front lines orchestrating an inclusivity campaign.
Olympic athlete Brenna Huckaby, a para snowboarding athlete, speaks with media during the U.S. Olympic Team Media Summit in preparation for the 2026 Milan Olympic Winter Games at the Javits Center in New York City, New York, on Oct. 28, 2025. (Vincent Carchietta/Imagn Images)
The Paralympic qualification guide excluded the lower limb LL1 category, and Huckaby took legal action to fight for her right to compete in medal events that are limited to less-impaired athletes.
Huckaby said that fighting for her right to compete was a hard time, but also a reminder that her journey is bigger than herself.
“That was a that was a hard time, it was really hard to find moments of happiness,” Huckaby said with a smile. “But I think one of the things that I that really came out of that for me is I’ve always said it’s way easier to fight for other people than it is myself. And that was one thing that was really hard because I felt like I was advocating for myself. But truly, what came out of that was a reminder that this has always been bigger than myself.”
“It’s about those kids and even adults that are going through limb loss and life-changing experiences. Like, they deserve to see themselves represented in every single scenario. And for me, seeing above the knee amputee women in snowboarding, that was life-changing for me. And so, how can we make sure that that continues so that we have future generations of people believing in themselves.”
Huckaby was the first Paralympian to ever be on the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, which was another moment she said was bigger than herself.
“I would say similar (to fighting for her classification) for sure, I know this is bigger than me. And for me it I felt like I was doing it for the 14-year-old version of me who had no hair, had just lost her leg, and questioning whether or not I would ever be seen as beautiful, as lovable, as, worthy and yeah, it was scary. But I’m so glad that I did it,” Huckaby said.
Huckaby said that representing the United States is a big role to fill and will do everything in her power to represent well.
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Four-time Paralympic medalist eats a Hershey’s chocolate bar. (Hershey’s)
The 29-year-old said that Hershey’s happiness as the real gold campaign stood out to her because the moments of happiness throughout the process are what matter most.
“When I had learned about the happiness is the real gold campaign, I just was immediately sold because That is something that I’ve been trying to really implement into my journey of like how can I make sure that you know at the end of the day win or lose everything has been worth it and for me it’s been you know finding those moments of happiness and joy and also knowing that that’s the true process that’s the life that’s lived throughout the journey and that’s what’s most important,” Huckaby said.
Families play an essential role in every athlete’s journey, and in each moment throughout the process finding happiness in the grind is what endures.
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Dorothy Slota dedicated much of her life to the Hoosiers. When the football team became great shortly after her death, it meant that much more to her loved ones.
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