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English Football News: Over so soon? - English football's shortest lived relationships

Andy Greeves

Eyebrows were raised this summer when 35-year-old former Tottenham, Arsenal, Portsmouth and England defender Sol Campbell signed for Coca-Cola League Two side Notts County. His ability to handle the rough and tumble of English football's lowest professional league was questioned at the time of putting pen-to-paper, as was his motivation for dropping down four divisions in the space of one summer.

But big Sol was obviously in it for the long haul. He signed a five-year-deal and in that time frame it was hoped, Campbell would spearhead free-spending Notts County's push towards the Premiership, maybe even become a player-coach.

Sadly, having played just one game for the club, Campbell decided League Two wasn't for him after all and his contract was terminated. Those that suggested from the outset Sol Campbell and Notts County were a 'match made in hell' were left to sport smug grins while both Sol and the Magpies went away to lick their wounds.

Campbell was under contract at Meadow Lane for just 29 days and in after math of his departure, Soccerphile remembers some of English football's shortest relationships.

Leroy Rosenior & Torquay United - 10 minutes

In his first managerial spell at Torquay United, between 2002 and 2006, Leroy Rosenior successfully led the Devon club to promotion to League One in his second season in charge. His return to Plainmoor was welcomed by Gulls fans in May 2007, following the club's relegation to the Conference. The former West Ham, QPR and Fulham player seemed the perfect choice of boss to take Torquay back into the Football League. Unfortunately, he was never given the chance.

Just ten minutes after signing a contract to become the manager of Torquay United, Rosenior was sacked. At the same time as he was putting pen-to-paper, the club were being sold to a consortium who installed Colin Lee as Chief Executive and deemed Rosenior surplus to requirement.

Rosenior gained the unwelcome record of the shortest ever managerial reign in English football history as a result of his dismissal and hasn't taken charge of another side since.

Dietmar Hamann & Bolton Wanderers - 24 hours

When 'Didi' Hamann found out that he was surplus to requirement at Liverpool towards the end of the 2005/2006 season, he signed a pre-contact agreement to join Bolton Wanderers for the following season.

He cited the move to Bolton as 'the best decision for his future' yet within the first day of officially becoming a Trotter, Hamann decided the Reebok Stadium wasn't for him after all. He asked to join Manchester City and then Bolton boss Sam Allardyce reluctantly accepted the player's request. In allowing his move to Eastlands, Bolton made a £400,000 profit, despite the fact the German midfielder never kicked a ball for the club.

David Unsworth & Aston Villa - 7 days

Defender David Unsworth performed a similar career u-turn in the summer of 1997, following a £3m transfer from West Ham United to Aston Villa.

After just a week in the Midlands, Unsworth approached then Villa boss John Gregory to inform him he was struggling with his three hour commute from his Lancashire home to Birmingham every day. He requested a transfer away from Villa Park before he'd even set foot on the pitch for his new employers.

Gregory instantly sold Unsworth to Everton, for the same fee he had paid West Ham. He then ridiculed the player and the role his wife had in influencing his preference of geographical location at a press conference.

"You know what players are like," fumed Gregory. "He (David Unsworth) probably thought that Birmingham was just outside Bolton. After his first day at the club it took him three hours to get home and when he did, his meal was in the cat or the bin. There was his wife Jane to deal with - she obviously wears the trousers in their household. It could be Girl Power, call it what you like," he added.

Steve Claridge & Millwall -36 days

One of football's great journeymen found himself back at of one of his fifteen former professional clubs in the summer of 2005. Steve Claridge was the new manager of Millwall, a club for whom he made 91 appearances for and scored 29 goals in his playing days.

Despite being something of a terrace idol at the New Den, it appeared not everyone at the South London club was the hugest Steve Claridge fan. New owner Theo Paphitis, of Dragons Den fame, decided Claridge wasn't up to the job of managing the Lions, despite never taking charge of a competitive match.

Claridge left with Paphitis telling the press, "We (Millwall) has a strong chance of being relegated under Steve." It was of course the kiss of death - Millwall were relegated from the Coca-Cola League Championship the same season without Claridge's guidance.

Brian Clough & Leeds United - 44 days

So acrimonious was Brian Clough's time as manager of Leeds United, a book and film entitled The Damned Utd was produced.

The part fictional, part factual book and film charted Clough's dislike for Don Revie, the man who he replaced in the Leeds hot-seat and his difficulty to win the respect of the Leeds players he had publically condemned before getting the job.

Under Clough, Leeds recorded just 4 points from a possible 18, getting off to their worst start in 15 years. The club's board decided to sack the boss on 12th September, 1974.

Clough went on to win two European Cups with his next club, Nottingham Forest.

Andy Greeves

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