By the end of the 23/24 season, heading into 24/25, it felt like every Premier League club had developed the bad habit of instant sacking. A few losses? Gone. It’s like these clubs were addicted to the “new manager bounce,” even though it would last for only a handful of fixtures.

Take Chelsea, a prime example of chaos. Since Clearlake took over, they have only recently managed to find stability; before Enzo Maresca, four managers got the sack. Four! Every time you thought a manager was building something, they had already packed their bags.

And then there’s Manchester United. Erik Ten Hag was thought to be the man who’d finally bring them back. Third place, Carabao Cup, fans began to believe again. Fast forward one season: an eighth-place finish with an array of injuries. Suddenly, he’s “lost the dressing room.” It’s funny how the game of football works, isn’t it? Yet he managed to lift the FA Cup, and yet in today’s game, trophies still do not buy enough time.

But seriously, are managers always the ones to blame when things are not going well?

Yes, they do make mistakes. But football is not like career mode; you cannot expect a new gaffer to instantly fix all the problems at the club. Things like this will take time. The process of becoming successful as a manager requires you to steadily instill your philosophy and get the players and club to buy into your plans. But as soon as results dip, the trust disappears faster than Arsenal’s chase for a trophy.

Look at Pep Guardiola. In the 24/25 season, Manchester City went on a five-game losing streak for the first time under him, with flat performances and fans panicking. Yet they didn’t pull the trigger on the sack. Why? Because Pep earned that trust. Years of success mean that even when the boat starts rocking, Man City stays calm.

So here is the question: why don’t new managers get the same breathing room? Clubs act as if patience is a sign of weakness.

Every “project” takes time to develop. Arsenal did not transform overnight under Arteta. To this day, fans do not know how he survived the back-to-back 8th-place finishes in the Premier League. It took years before things clicked. This is what more clubs need.

Because right now, Premier League owners are trigger-happy when it comes to sacking. And when you cut the cord, it’s the same old story: no progress, no identity, and another press conference about “a new direction.”

Clubs need to stop the quick-fix method and start trusting their judgment when hiring their manager. Sometimes the best decision is not the bold one; it’s the boring one. Giving the manager time to manage.