Outrageous

As has been said on many occasions, football is a beautiful game. With it, we laugh, we cry and we sometimes throw things at our television screens, but that doesn't diminish our passion. 

What might accomplish that, however, is the constant need for social media to single-handedly try and shatter the illusion that surrounds these overpaid heroes we watch week in and week out.

The 3-1 lead has taken a beating this year. The Golden State Warriors blew a 3-1 lead in the NBA finals. The Oklahoma City Thunder and Los Angeles Clippers also blew 3-1 leads in the NBA playoffs. The Cleveland Inidians blew a 3-1 lead in the World Series.

In the "year in review" pieces declaring 2016 the year of the blown 3-1 lead, one notable choker has consistently been overlooked.

Borussia Dortmund.

In addition to bribery, money laundering and papering over racism, FIFA — football’s very own basket of deplorables — occasionally rolls out a rule change or two. During the weekend’s World Club Cup final, for example, Alvaro Morata became football’s first ever “fourth substitute” as Real Madrid took advantage of a trial rule-change allowing an additional substitution during extra time.

Football is a harsh business, particularly so for managers. Sometimes, simply winning matches isn’t enough to placate fickle supporters and owners. With exorbitant amounts of money being pumped into the game, the business of hiring and firing managers is a particularly trigger-happy one. 

With clubs only a loss away from entering crisis mode, the decisions made are occasionally downright stupid. In modern football, at the risk of sounding old, the men in charge aren't given enough time to succeed.

Here are 10 managerial sackings that history will not look kindly upon.