The Built Different Index: Managerial Merry-Go-Round

The Managerial Merry-Go-Round factor looks at dugout stability across five seasons, using the number of managers employed, permanent departures and caretaker spells to create a turnover score. The lower the score, the more stable the club; the higher the score, the more often everyone has had to learn a new shape, a new set of buzzwords and a new preferred time for training.

The data is accurate as of 20 July 2026. That cut-off matters because one dismissal, resignation or caretaker appointment can move a club quickly in this table.

Arsenal keep the door shut

Arsenal top the ranking with a turnover score of 0.

Across the five-season period, they used one manager, recorded no permanent departures and had no caretaker spells.

They rise nine places from their overall Built Different ranking, but the real story is how unusual that continuity now looks. While other clubs have changed direction several times, Arsenal have stayed with the same voice, the same structure and broadly the same idea of what the team is supposed to be.

Whether supporters enjoyed every stage of that process is another matter. Stability does not guarantee peace. It just means the arguments happen under the same manager.

Wrexham make stability part of the plan

Wrexham come second, also with a score of 0, having used one manager with no permanent departures or caretaker spells.

That is particularly notable because the club has changed rapidly in almost every other respect. Expectations have risen, divisions have changed and the spotlight has become much brighter, yet the person in the dugout has remained constant.

Football usually responds to rapid growth by becoming impatient. Wrexham have managed to accelerate without repeatedly reaching for the reset button.

Mansfield complete the top three

Mansfield Town are third with the same clean record: one manager used, no permanent departures and no caretakers.

They climb 35 places from the overall table.

There is nothing flashy about the result, which is probably why it stands out. No emergency appointment, no tactical reboot halfway through the season, no club statement thanking someone for their tireless efforts six months after calling them the future.

Just continuity.

Harrogate are the biggest risers

The biggest jump belongs to Harrogate Town, who climb 62 places from 66th overall to fourth.

Like the top three, they record a score of 0, with one manager used across the five-season period.

That puts Harrogate ahead of clubs with far larger budgets, deeper squads and more people employed to talk about strategic alignment.

Sometimes the strategy is simply not sacking the manager.

Manchester United find another route to chaos

Manchester United sit 70th with a turnover score of 5.

They used four managers, recorded three permanent departures and had four caretaker spells.

That last number is what pushes them down the ranking. United did not cycle through as many permanent managers as some clubs below them, but the interim periods added extra instability.

Four caretaker spells in five seasons is not a transition plan. It is the managerial equivalent of keeping the hazards on.

Swansea drop 52 places

Swansea City fall from second overall to 54th here, one of the biggest drops in the factor.

They used four managers, had three permanent departures and went through two caretaker spells, producing a score of 4.

Swansea perform strongly across the wider Built Different Index, especially in travel and conditions. Managerial continuity is where the picture changes.

The club may know exactly where it is geographically.

The dugout has been less settled.

Chelsea bring the expected levels of movement

Chelsea rank 88th with a score of 7.

Across the five-season period, they used six managers, recorded five permanent departures and had four caretaker spells.

That is a lot of new eras for one stretch of football.

Every appointment arrives with a plan, a preferred system and several articles explaining why this one makes sense. Then, before the training cones have fully adjusted, the process begins again.

Chelsea fall 53 places from their overall ranking, which feels about right for a factor designed to measure whether anyone in the dugout should bother personalising the office.

Cardiff and Swindon share the same churn

Cardiff City finish 89th and Swindon Town 90th, both with turnover scores of 7.5.

Each club used seven managers, recorded six permanent departures and had three caretaker spells.

That is more than one permanent managerial exit per season across the five-year period.

At that point, changing manager is no longer an event. It is part of the calendar.

Huddersfield nearly make it double figures

Huddersfield Town sit 91st with a score of 9.5.

They used nine managers, had eight permanent departures and went through three caretaker spells.

Nine managers in five seasons means the average tenure barely has time to become familiar. By the time the squad understands the new press, someone is updating the shortlist again.

Huddersfield fall 39 places from their overall position and finish comfortably inside the chaos zone.

Watford complete the full rotation

At the bottom are Watford, with a turnover score of 10.

They used ten managers, recorded nine permanent departures and had two caretaker spells across five seasons.

That works out at roughly two managers per season.

At most clubs, a new manager needs time to assess the squad. At Watford, the squad may need time to assess the new manager.

Finishing last here will surprise absolutely nobody, which is perhaps the most stable thing about the whole result.

What the table tells us

At the top, Arsenal, Wrexham and Mansfield show what five seasons of continuity look like: one manager, no departures and no caretaker detours.

At the bottom, Cardiff, Swindon, Huddersfield and Watford have spent the same period repeatedly starting again.

Neither stability nor change guarantees success. Sometimes patience works; sometimes keeping the wrong manager simply means making the same mistake for longer. A dismissal can save a season, while a long tenure can drift into habit.

This factor is not trying to settle that argument.

It is showing which clubs gave someone time to build, and which kept hitting refresh.

Accurate as of 20 July 2026.

Possibly outdated by the time one chairman finishes breakfast.

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