Wycombe Wanderers have parted ways with head coach Michael Duff after a difficult opening to the League One campaign left the club without a single victory in their first five fixtures. Assistant coach Alex Morris has also departed the Buckinghamshire outfit as part of the shake-up.
The decision means Duff becomes the first managerial departure among England's top four divisions this season. Wycombe have collected just three points from a possible fifteen, though the club's league form has not been catastrophic in terms of outright defeats — they have lost only twice in the division so far this term.
Duff, 48, took charge of Wycombe on 18 September 2025, succeeding Michael Dodds, and had previously managed Cheltenham Town, Barnsley, Swansea City and Huddersfield Town during his coaching career. Notably, his tenure at Adams Park had also begun with a sluggish run of results last season, a pattern that eventually turned around as the team climbed into the upper half of the table by the campaign's conclusion.
That recovery, however, appears to have counted for little given the club's recent form. Since the spring, Wycombe have won just once in 13 matches across all competitions — a run that includes their final-day victory over Rotherham United, but also a Carabao Cup exit at the hands of Stevenage and a stalemate away at Reading in the Vertu Trophy. It was this extended slump, rather than the current league position alone, that ultimately persuaded the club's hierarchy to act.
In an official statement, Wycombe explained the rationale behind the change, saying the decision reflected "a disappointing run of results since the spring" and that the board "believes the time is right to take a new direction." The club confirmed that an interim head coach would be named later the same day, signalling a swift move to stabilise the squad ahead of upcoming fixtures.
Morris, who joined Wycombe's coaching staff in October 2025, arrived at the club following a spell as manager of Crewe Alexandra and two years working within Stoke City's coaching setup. His exit alongside Duff underlines the scale of the overhaul now underway behind the scenes at Adams Park.
The timing of the sacking, so early in the season, reflects growing impatience among League One clubs to arrest poor form quickly rather than allow it to fester, as happened last term when Duff's Wycombe side eventually rallied despite an underwhelming start. This time, the club's ownership has opted not to wait for a similar turnaround, pointing instead to the deeper pattern of results stretching back several months.
Wycombe's immediate priority will now be finding stability under an interim appointment while the search for a permanent successor to Duff gets underway. The club will be eager to arrest the winless run swiftly, with League One proving highly competitive this season and every early point considered valuable in the promotion and relegation picture alike.
As speculation begins over potential candidates to take the helm on a permanent basis, attention will also turn to how the players respond to the change in leadership, given the mixed picture of a squad that has avoided heavy defeats domestically but has struggled badly to convert performances into victories in recent months.
Based on reporting from BBC Sport.