Preston North End boss' position in longest serving list surprising after less than 12 months in charge

Watford became the latest club to sack their manager this season, with six clubs in total having changed their managers so far.

Not all have been sackings, with two managers opting for pastures new, including former PNE boss Alex Neil, but so far a quarter of the division looks different than it did at the start of the season just 10 games ago.

Huddersfield Town, Stoke City, Sunderland, Cardiff City, Rotherham United and Watford have all experienced change in the dugout, with Neil moving from the North East for the Stoke job and Paul Warne last week opting to drop into League One to join Derby County.

Watford gave new appointment from the summer Rob Edwards just 10 games before sacking him and swiftly replacing him with former West Bromwich Albion boss Slaven Bilic this week.

The amount of time that managers get is only getting shorter, with managers seemingly fortunate to reach the 12 month mark.

Lowe joined PNE last December but his nine months in charge at Deepdale has him 10th in the league when it comes to longevity.

Mark Robins is clear away at the top, the Coventry City boss having been with the Sky Blues for over five years. In that time he has steered them from League Two to solidifying them as a recognised Championship outfit.

Next come Gary Rowett and Nathan Jones who each have two years under their belt in their current stints at Millwall and Luton Town – though Jones had spent time at Kenilworth Road prior to his appointment – with Nigel Pearson, Leam Richardson and Russell Martin next having each done a year.

There are only six managers in the division to have been in charge of their clubs for longer than 12 months.

Lowe sits behind Chris Wilder, Dean Smith and Paul Heckingbottom who each have been in charge for 10 months.

It is becoming as tough as it ever has been to be a manager, as it’s cheaper to replace the boss than the whole squad. PNE are on their fourth boss in nine years and seem to be one club bucking the trend.