New seasons offer fresh starts, and the chance to draw a line under previous misery or mere disappointment.
There are novel projections and trajectories; the hope that maybe this time, things will be different. However, it doesn’t take all that much for the pre-season optimism to rapidly dwindle into pessimism and, in some cases, outright nihilism.
So many clubs in this day and age are desperate to back their project manager; to stumble upon their answer to Jürgen Klopp or Mikel Arteta. Letting go of whom you thought was your ideal is tough, but some have been cut-throat enough to pull the plug early before the spiral fully kicks in.
Here are the earliest sackings in Premier League history, based on games played at the start of a new season.
