In 2007, we find ourselves in the fourth tier of English football, known as League 2. Torquay United has been relegated to the National League, the fifth level in the English football hierarchy. As a consequence of this setback, the senior coach, Kate Carl, is dismissed, and Leroy Rosenior is appointed to take over the position.
However, an astonishing turn of events occurs just ten minutes after Leroy Rosenior’s appointment. The manager from Sierra Leone is suddenly relieved of his duties. The reason behind this surprising development is as follows:
Leroy Rosenior had previously managed Torquay United for a period of four seasons, from 2002 to 2006. When the club faced a crisis, the executive director, Debbie Hancox, made the decision to appoint Rosenior at 16:15 during a meeting with the club’s then-majority owner, Mike Bateson.
During this very meeting, a few minutes later, Mike Bateson announces that he has sold the club to a consortium led by Chris Boys and Colin Lee. The new owners of Torquay insist on a complete overhaul of the club, which includes appointing a new head coach, to be announced by Chris Boys.
Hence, at 16:26, Chris Boys makes the announcement that Leroy Rosenior is being relieved of his managerial duties at Torquay. Consequently, Rosenior receives a phone call from Mike Bateson, who informs him that he has been let go from his position due to the club’s recent sale. Initially, the coach is taken aback by the news and finds it hard to believe. Despite later claims that Rosenior had not been fired, the facts indicate otherwise.
This incident turns Leroy Rosenior into the shortest-tenured manager in the history of world football, surpassing the previous record held by Dave Bassett, who managed Crystal Palace for just a little over 48 hours in 1984.
When interviewed by the BBC, Leroy Rosenior shares his perspective: “After the meeting where they appointed me, the owners started discussing the politics of Torquay following the club’s relegation and began planning for the future management. Ten minutes later, Mike Bateson called me and said I was relieved of my duties.”
“At first, I thought he was joking because I knew Mike well. However, it didn’t take long before they made the official announcement. It was a strange decision, given that I had previously been in charge of the club for a successful four-year period. During my previous tenure, we even secured promotion to League 1. Nevertheless, we parted ways by mutual consent when we returned to League 2 a season later. I had always been cooperative with the management, as they had everything they needed, and my primary focus was on the players and on-field matters,” Rosenior further explained in the BBC interview, shedding light on his brief second term as the head of Torquay United.
