Guus Hiddink (Chelsea)
Guus Hiddink was chosen to pick up the pieces following a poor reign by World Cup winning coach Luis Felipe Scolari at Stamford Bridge. He managed the club from February 2009 until the end of the season, where he would return to managing Russia on a full-time basis. While they missed out on the league title, the Blues lost only once under his stewardship and clinched the FA Cup. He was also only denied a spot in the Champions League final, after an awful refereeing display in the last four allowed Barcelona to go through.
Rene Meulensteen (Fulham)
Rene Meulensteen had previously been a coach under Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United prior to his arrival at Fulham to assist Martin Jol. However, his presence at Craven Cottage led to speculation that the club were looking to replace Jol with his countryman, so it was certainly no surprise when that came to pass less than three weeks after Meulensteen’s appointment.
He had a tough time at the helm of the sinking ship however, and was sacked himself later that season as one last desperate attempt was made to keep the side up. He was replaced by Felix Magath who failed to do any better and was relegated for the first time in his career.