Horrible Bosses: Has There Been a Worse Football Manager Than Frank de Boer?

De Boer was a fantastic player for the Netherlands but he has been a less than stellar success as a manager.

After a spell at Ajax in Holland, he lasted only three months at Inter Milan in Italy last year, and Palace have lost all of their five games under him this season, failing to score a single goal.

He was sacked on Monday, September 11, after just 77 days in charge.

​Brian Clough, Leeds United (44 days, 1974) 

One of the most famously ill-fated managerial appointments was when Leeds United gave Brian Clough the job of bossing the club in the summer of 1974.

Clough succeeded Don Revie, an almost God-like figure who moved on to become England manager after leading Leeds to two league titles, an FA Cup win and two European trophies.

Revie and Clough had been fierce rivals when the latter was manager of Derby County and when he took over at Leeds he immediately told the players they had won everything through "cheating."

It did not go down well. The players downed tools and Clough was sacked after just 44 days.

But "Old Big Head", as he was known, bounced back and took Nottingham Forest on to win the league and two European cup victories.

Gian Piero Gasperini, Inter Milan (88 days, 2011)

Internazionale of Milan are one of Italy's most famous clubs and their owner, industrialist Massimo Moratti, is used to get things his own way.

In June 2011 he appointed Gian Piero Gasperini after he had impressed as boss of Genoa.  

But he lost four and drawn one of his first five games, including an Italian Super Cup game with arch-rivals AC Milan and a Champions League game with Turkish minnows Trabzonspor. 

An enraged Moratti fired Gasperini after an embarrassing defeat against tiny Novara.

Steve Claridge, Millwall (36 days, 2005)

Steve Claridge was known as a footballing journeyman who scored goals for more than a dozen teams in England.

When his playing days were coming to an end he was appointed manager of south London team Millwall in the summer of 2005.

He was given a two-year contract by Millwall chairman Jeff Burnige but when Theo Paphitis took over as chairman he decided he did not want Claridge in the job so he was kicked out after 36 days and without a ball even being kicked.

"The board believes that it was in the best interests of the club that this move was made quickly prior to the beginning of the season," said a club statement.

"We had a strong chance of being relegated under Steve," added Paphitis.

Claridge may have had a wry smile on his face when…at the end of the season, Millwall were duly relegated.

Jorg Berger, Arminia Bielefeld (5 days, 2009)

During a 39-year career Jörg Berger had managed more than 20 teams in Germany and was known as something of a managerial firefighter.

In May 2009 Arminia Bielefeld were facing relegation from the Bundesliga and had one last throw of the dice left.

Berger was put in charge with one mission — win the last match of the season, against Hannover.

He failed. The game ended in a 2-2 draw and he was shown the door.

Sadly he never managed a team again and died of stomach cancer the following year, aged 65.

Steve Coppell, Manchester City (33 days, 1996) 

In the 1970s Steve Coppell was something of a legend as a wizard of the dribble on the wing at Manchester United, for whom he played 322 games and scored 53 goals.

So it was something of a surprise when he was appointed as manager of their rivals, Manchester City, in October 1996 after a successful spell at Crystal Palace.

"I'm an animal who tends to roost wherever he stays. I was at United and Palace for nine years apiece, and I hope that City is a long-term rather than a short-term move," he said at the press conference when he was unveiled as the new boss.

But after six games and 33 days a gaunt and haggard Coppell appeared at another press conference when he read out a prepared statement explaining that he had resigned because he was "completely overwhelmed" by the size of the task and it had made him ill.

Fortunately Coppell recovered and successfully managed again at Reading, Brighton and Palace, again. He currently manages Jamshedpur FC in India.

​Micky Adams, Swansea City (13 days, 1997) 

Nowadays Swansea City are a Premier League club but 20 years ago they were struggling at the opposite end of football's pyramid when they appointed Micky Adams.

The no-nonsense Yorkshireman was recruited by the Welsh side after a successful spell at Fulham and was promised funds to build a decent squad, which would rise up the leagues.

Less than two weeks later he realized the money he had promised was not likely to materialized and promptly quit.

He later had great success at both Brighton and Leicester but after his stock fell again Adams, still only 55, took a job managing the under-18 team at non-league Harborough Town in June this year.

Serse Cosmi, Palermo (34 days, 2011)

Palermo club president Maurizio Zamparini is another owner with a trigger finger.

He stepped down in February this year, after making no fewer than 40 managerial changes since 2002.

In February 2011 Serse Cosmi was a victim of his fickleness.

Cosmi, who was notorious for his loves of hats, managed to beat the mighty AC Milan during his four games in charge.

But after losing 4-0 to Sicilian rivals Catania he was fired.

His predecessor, Delio Rossi, was then rehired but only lasted until the end of the season before he too was sacked.  

​Dave Bassett — Crystal Palace (3 days, 1984) 

Dave Bassett — known to his friends and some enemies as Harry — was the man who turned non-league Wimbledon into a major force in British football before the club were scandalously sold off to start a new "franchise" team at Milton Keynes.

But his burning ambition almost derailed the club and his own career.

After earning two successive promotions with Wimbledon, Bassett's head was turned in the summer of 1984 when Crystal Palace came knocking.

He verbally agreed to become their manager but, 72 hours later, he changed his mind, refused to sign a contract and returned to Wimbledon.

"I gave it some serious thought, but in the end it just did not feel right. We have unfinished business, and I didn't really want to leave here," said Bassett.

Bassett would eventually take the club into the top tier of English football, before leaving to manage bigger teams.