Danny Cowley was 25th manager in top four divisions sacked in 2022/23 – but he lasted longer than most of the others

Danny Cowley was the 25th manager to be sacked in the top four divisions of English football this season

His 658-day reign as Pompey manager was ended on Monday night - the day after a miserable 3-1 Fratton Park defeat by Charlton Athletic.

News of Cowley’s axing was quickly followed by sacking number 26 - Grant McCann being dismissed as boss of Pompey’s third tier rivals Peterborough United.

Those 26 sackings encompass 25 clubs - League Two outfit Crawley having dispensed with Kevin Betsy and Matthew Etherington already in 2022/23.

And of those 26 bosses, 11 of them (42 per cent) failed to last even a year in their role - highlighting the lack of patience seemingly endemic in football these days.

Of the other 25 managers dismissed, only four - Ralph Hasenhuttl (Southampton, 1,493 days), Michael O’Neill (Stoke, 1,155 days), Leam Richardson (784 days) and Thomas Tuchel (Chelsea, 710 days) - had been in their job longer than Cowley’s Fratton Park reign,

Etherington lasted 40 days at Crawley, with Danny Schofield’s 183 days as Huddersfield Town boss the next lowest total.

The first sacking of the season took place on August 18 - Stockdale leaving Rochdale after just four League Two matches, all of which had been lost.

O’Neill was the second to be axed, a week later, after Stoke had taken four points from their opening five Championship games.

In all, 27 per cent of clubs in the top four divisions have sacked their manager this season.

They are, by division:

Premier League (5): Bournemouth (Scott Parker), Chelsea (Tuchel), Wolves (Bruno Lage), Aston Villa (Steven Gerrard), Southampton (Hasenhuttl).

Championship (9): Stoke (O’Neil), Huddersfield (Schofield), Cardiff (Steve Morison), Watford (Rob Edwards), Hull (Shota Arveladze), Middlesbrough (Chris Wilder), West Bromwich Albion (Steve Bruce), Wigan (Leam Richardson), Norwich (Dean Smith).

League One (5): Derby (Liam Rosenior), Charlton (Ben Garner), MK Dons (Liam Manning), Pompey (Cowley), Peterborough (McCann).

League Two (7): Rochdale (David Stockdale), Hartlepool (Paul Hartley), Colchester (Wayne Brown), Crawley (Betsy, Etherington), Newport (James Rowberry), Doncaster (Gary McSheffrey).

Smith, Bruce and McCann have been sacked for the second season running, after being dismissed by Villa, Newcastle and Hull respectively in 2021/22.

The managers at Sunderland (Alex Neil), Brighton (Graham Potter), Burton (Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink), Rotherham (Paul Warne), Exeter (Matt Taylor), Crewe (Alex Morris), Luton (Nathan Jones) and QPR (Michael Beale) have also resigned.

That means 36 per cent of the 92 clubs in the top four tiers in England have changed their manager, just over halfway through the season.

The comparison between now and yesteryear is remarkable. Thirty years ago, in 1992/93, only one boss was sacked during the inaugural Premier League campaign - Chelsea’s Ian Porterfield in February 1993.

A decade earlier, in 1982/83, just two top flight managers (out of 22) were sacked mid-season - Mike Bailey (Brighton) and John Bond (Manchester City).

How long will we have to wait to witness sacking number 27? Frank Lampard is under huge pressure at Everton, while swathes of Southampton fans are already calling for Nathan Jones to be sacked after just four Premier League matches (four defeats) as Hasenhuttl’s successor.