The Athletic FC Podcast: "What is the point of an interim manager?"

Date: January 11, 2026
Host: Michael Bailey (with Liam Tham, Michael Cox, Mark Carey)

Episode Overview

This episode delves into the increasingly frequent phenomenon of caretaker and interim managers in top-flight football, fueled by the sudden sacking of Ruben Amorim at Manchester United. With Old Trafford in flux yet again, the panel discusses the meaning, utility, and effectiveness of temporary managerial appointments, the evolving realities of football's leadership churn, and what truly makes a manager the right fit for a club.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Manchester United Sack Ruben Amorim: Reaction and Context

• Surprise Level: None among the panel; Amarim’s departure had felt inevitable due to system inflexibility and failure to connect with the club.
• Volatility of Football Management: Managerial tenures are growing shorter, with 45% of Premier League coaches not making it a year (06:00).
• Quotable Moment:
  • “I honestly thought as early as, like, March, I really feared for Amram. I just don’t think it was ever going anywhere, sadly.” — Michael Cox [02:48]

2. Caretaker vs Interim Manager: What’s the Difference?

• Definitions:
  • Caretaker: Internal, very short-term (weeks), typically someone with club knowledge.
  • Interim: Could be internal or external, usually for a fixed term (until season’s end) with slightly more authority.
• Shift in Frequency: Scenarios requiring these roles are now common due to more frequent sackings.
• Quote:
  • “It used to be quite rare to have a caretaker manager, whereas now it seems quite frequent. The first Premier League season, there was only one manager sacked all season, so it wasn’t that much of an issue. Now it’s quite common.” — Michael Cox [07:00]

3. What is the Role of the Caretaker?

• “The steadying of the ship does feel kind of the remit for the caretaker manager. This is separate from an interim, but it feels to me like fairly ambassadorial... You can’t do too much in the way of actually implementing any tactical ideas.” — Mark Carey [07:44]
• Key is familiarity, club DNA, and buying time rather than implementing philosophy.
• Example: Darren Fletcher’s appointment brings temporary optimism and club connection but is not a long-term tactical fix [09:04].

4. Risks and Cycles of “Knows the Club” Appointments

• At clubs like United, repeated retreats to “club DNA” can risk an endless cycle without real reinvention.
• Comparison to Arsenal: Arteta’s project now feels “distant and removed from [Wenger] in a good way,” allowing for new identities to emerge (10:45).

5. Succession Planning (or Lack Thereof) at Big Clubs

• Shock that clubs as big as United so often lack a ready-made replacement or a clear managerial plan.
• Efficient clubs (like Brighton appointing de Zerbi days after Potter left) show up the giants (14:03).
• “I’m always amazed that the big clubs, for the resources they have, don’t put more into that (succession planning). I think, honestly, I just find it bizarre.” — Liam Tham [15:18]

6. Successes and Failures of Temporary Managers

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at Man United

• “He did a very good job as caretaker. You can say the mistake was appointing him permanently.” — Michael Cox [20:58]
• Solskjaer's tenure typifies new manager bounce, solidifying when both tactical basics and player buy-in are present.

International Football: A Caretaker’s Paradise?

• Southgate (England) and Scaloni (Argentina) as successful promotions from within—less about philosophy, more about organization and talent maximization.
• “International football is quite caretakery in general… It’s about a five, six week period where you don’t necessarily need a philosophy.” — Michael Cox [25:08]

Notable Failures

• Terry Connor at Wolves (2011/12): Worst PL interim record—zero wins in 13 matches.
  • “Poor old Terry Connor… I think it’s clear he didn’t want the job.” — Michael Cox [28:53]
• Ralf Rangnick at Man Utd: Unable to change playing style mid-season; the job was never really suited to radical change.

7. Project Managers and the Problem of Fit

• Longevity rarely works without success (Guardiola, Klopp, Arteta as rare exceptions).
• Chelsea remains the outlier as a perennially short-term club [34:16].
• The importance of a clear club vision to define a manager’s remit: tactical fit, youth development, media management, or instant results?
• “It depends, but the ‘it depends’ answer comes from having clarity at kind of the board level, the club level, which then dictates who the manager is.” — Mark Carey [33:53]

8. Managerial Market and Who’s in Demand

• Best managers may already be in Premier League, with others locked in international jobs (Pochettino, Ancelotti, Tuchel, Nagelsmann).
• Less room for star-making runs (like André Villas-Boas or Graham Potter) now that English teams dominate Europe [35:26].

9. Contenders Beyond the Premier League

• Praise for coaches overachieving with fewer resources: e.g., Franck Haise at Lens, Marcelino at Villarreal [38:00].
• Oliver Glasner (Crystal Palace) seen as a strong coach but not a tactical or organizational fit for a club like United—style too rigid and defensive (40:41).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Caretaker Optimism:
  “If you appoint someone like Darren Fletcher, they tend to get the supporters on board...there’s usually a bit of a burst of optimism and I think that can be a genuinely important factor.” — Michael Cox [09:04]

• On Planning:
  “Smarter clubs always have their finger on the pulse... Brighton appointing Roberto de Zerbi, I think, you know, within a couple weeks after Potter left... I’m always amazed at the big clubs, for the resources they have, don’t put more into that.” — Liam Tham [15:18]

• On Failed Interim Tenures:
  “They tried. They basically couldn’t get anyone else in support. Terry Connor, who was very frank, he didn’t want the job, just had to end up as the front man for like a doomed team.” — Michael Cox [28:14]

• On the Power of Project Managers at Big Clubs:
  “The pressure doesn’t really equate to having time, which I guess is automatically by default what a project manager would need.” — Michael Bailey [34:16]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 02:48 – Amorim sacking reaction & managerial volatility
• 06:29 – Distinguishing caretaker vs interim manager
• 07:44 – Limitations & goals of a caretaker
• 09:04 – Fan optimism & risks of 'knows the club' appointments
• 10:45 – The DNA trap and comparisons to Arsenal's post-Wenger reinvention
• 14:03 – Succession planning (or lack thereof) and big club failings
• 20:58 – Caretaker to permanent: The Solskjaer case study
• 25:08 – International management as caretaker model (Southgate, Scaloni)
• 28:14 – Premier League’s worst caretaker record (Terry Connor)
• 33:53 – What makes a manager a “fit” for a club?
• 34:16 – Project managers and whether they work at big clubs
• 35:26 – Where are the best manager candidates?
• 38:00 – Who’s succeeding outside the Premier League?
• 40:41 – Why Oliver Glasner isn’t (and shouldn’t be) United’s pick

Concluding Thoughts

The episode closes by emphasizing the complexities of succession planning, the ongoing identity crisis at clubs like Manchester United, and the necessity for strong, coherent visions from football club boards. The rotating door of managers—be they caretakers, interims, or “project” hires—is as much a symptom of directionless leadership as it is boardroom nerves. Clubs excel when they know what they want, can identify the right fit, and make moves with intention, not desperation.

“That’s why you need to get the fit right.” — Michael Bailey [42:12]

Episode contributors: Michael Bailey, Liam Tham, Michael Cox, Mark Carey