10 Worst Coaching Jobs in World Football

By

James McNicholas

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Being a football manager seems like a dream job. You get to pick up a huge salary and spend the day ordering around millionaires and thinking about football. If you manage to get yourself sacked, you inevitably pick up a hefty sum as compensation.
However, there are some places to work that are far from ideal.
Go to the next slide as we countdown the worst coaching jobs in world football.

10. USA

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When it comes to sport, the USA is used to winning.
Unfortunately, in soccer that means there is a disparity between their expectations and their ability to produce results.
They are a swiftly developing football nation, but there is still work to be done. All too often, however, the coach takes the blame for failings that run far deeper.
The current incumbent, Jurgen Klinsmann, was welcomed with open arms but is now on the receiving end of regular criticism for failing to transform the USA into a winning team.
Already it seems like the German is on borrowed time.

9. Olympiacos

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Olympiacos are ruthless when it comes to dispatching managers.
In January 2013, Portugese coach Leonardo Jardim was sacked despite the club sitting 10 points clear at the top of the Greek Super League.
The problem stems from the clubs lacklustre performances in the Champions League. Not content with their domination of domestic football, the Olympiacos hierarchy wish to make an impact on the European stage. Thus far, they have failed.
Until they succeed, the position as head coach of Olympiacos will always be a difficult one.

8. Steaua Bucharest

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In any job, it is important you have a boss who you like and respect. Unfortunately for the coach of Steaua Bucharest, this boss is Gigi Becali.
As well as being ruthless when it comes to giving managers the chop, Becali is not afraid to spout his views on football, recently claiming that, "there aren't any great bald football players." He's clearly not a fan of Zinedine Zidane, then.
Becali is also controversial away from sport. The country's LGBT community named him Homophobe of the Year in 2006 after he offered to personally fund a referendum on homosexuality.
Working for Becali is one of football's greatest and least desirable challenges.

7. Brazil

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When it comes to Brazil, it is truly a case of win or bust.
Anything but the highest level of success is perceived as failure. Brazil's fans expect them to win every World Cup. If a coach fails to hit that extraordinary height, he is inevitably fired.
Next summer, Luiz Felipe Scolari will attempt to win a second World Cup for the national team. With Brazil on home soil, the expectation levels will be close to unbearable.

6. Real Madrid

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Jose Mourinho is an adaptable man.
He has flourished in many environments. When he leaves a football club, it is generally on his terms. However, even "The Special One" has struggled to tame the beast that is Real Madrid.
Barcelona are famous for claiming to be "more than a club," but the same is true of rivals Real. Real Madrid are a national institution, and they are subjected to incredible scrutiny by the Spanish daily sports press.
The presidential elections at Real create constant pressure.
The situation is best summed up by the fact that Vicente del Bosque was sacked after a four-year spell at the club, which included winning two European Cups, two La Liga titles, the Club World Cup and European Super Cup.

5. Portsmouth

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Coaching Portsmouth must feel like using a bucket to bail water out of a sinking ship.
After the club's relegation and entry in to administration in 2012, practically the entire playing staff departed. Shortly afterwards the club's manager, Michael Appleton, left to join Blackburn Rovers: a measure of the desperation he felt.
Considering the club's well-publicised financial difficulties, most Pompey fans are grateful just to have a club to support. However, the task of managing the club through this period is one few coaches would be grateful for.

4. England

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The England manager's job is sometimes called the biggest job in football.
It's also arguably one of the hardest.
Much like Brazil, England is a country where the expectations are sky-high. Unlike Brazil, England do not have the depth of talent to sustain those kinds of expectations.
Inevitably, the manager suffers, and the English media are particularly pernicious when it comes to dissecting their nation's coaches.

3. Blackburn Rovers

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Michael Appleton has just become the third Blackburn Rovers manager to leave the club this season, following in the footsteps of both Steve Kean and Henning Berg.
Appleton was managed the club for a mere 67 days, during which he was in charge for 15 games. His sacking is typical of the chaotic reign of Indian owners Venky's.
Blackburn's record goalscorer, Simon Garner, said of the move:

"I don't know if anyone would want the job. Three managers in a season - it looks like you lose a few games and you're sacked. Venky's don't seem to know how to handle a manager and the fans."

Blackburn won't be inundated with applications for the newly vacated position.

2. Palermo

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Sicilian club Palermo have now made more managerial changes than they have wins this season (three).
Way back in September, Giuseppe Sannino was dismissed having amassed just one point. He was replaced by Gian Piero Gasperini, who was then given the axe in February.
Alberto Malesani was then appointed, but he lasted only 19 days before Gasperini was recalled from gardening leave.
Now, incredibly, Sannino is back in the hot seat.
It's a one-club managerial merry-go-round.

1. Chelsea

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Roman Abramovich is a difficult man to please.
This man sacked Jose Mourinho, a man revered as one of the greatest tacticians and man-managers in the world.
He also dismissed Carlo Ancelotti, despite the Italian winning a domestic double in his first season in English football.
Most recently, he dispatched Roberto Di Matteo, despite the former Chelsea player having triumphed in both the FA Cup and Champions League just a few months earlier.
Chelsea is a great example of what happens when a club is run on one man's whims.
It is a manager's worst nightmare.
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What do you think is the toughest coaching job in world football? Let us know below.

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