Ted Lasso star removed from real life coaching role after just eight months

Martin Macdonald

• 23 Feb 2026 08:01 CST
• 2 min read

Nieuws

Ted Lasso actor Sam Cox has been fired from his real-life management job at Wealdstone after just eight months in charge.

In June of 2025, he was appointed manager of the National League side after a coaching spell at Oxford, while he also acted in a caretaker role at Wealdstone previously, having made 64 league appearances for the club as a player.

He lost his job this week, however, with Wealdstone sitting 17th in the National League, just six points clear of the relegation zone.

Club chairman Rory Fitzgerald explained why the club sacked Cox in a statement:

“With so many games still left to play this season, our shared feeling was that a new energy and fresh impetus is urgently required to re-focus everyone’s minds on both the league and cup challenges ahead of us.

“Like all teams, we’ve had our injury challenges along the way, but we believe our squad can get back to the early-season form that would both secure our National League status and also give us a great chance of reaching Wembley. On behalf of the board, I’d like to wish Sam all the very best for his future coaching career in football.”

An official statement from the club, meanwhile, read: “The Wealdstone FC Board of Directors has this afternoon unanimously agreed upon the decision to remove Sam Cox from the position of manager.

“The change also sees analyst Liam Badcock join Sam in leaving the club with immediate effect.

“Wealdstone FC offers sincere thanks to both Sam and Liam for their dedication and contribution to the Stones. First-Team coach Danny Payne, along with the rest of the management team, will take charge of team affairs for this Tuesday’s home match against Brackley Town.”

As well as a journeyman footballer in the lower leagues, Cox also has some acting credentials as he appeared in Ted Lasso as a fictional player named Armando who featured for West Ham.

Ted Lasso tells the story of an American college football coach who is hired by a Premier League team in England, with the owner actually hiring him in the hopes that he will tank the club into relegation so that she can get revenge on her cheating ex-husband.

It stars Jason Sudeikis, Hannah Waddingham, Phil Dunster, Jeremy Swift, Brett Goldstein, Nick Mohammed, Juno Temple and Brendan Hunt.

Season four has been confirmed and will air in 2026.

The FootballTransfers app

Check out FootballTransfers' new app for all of football's big storylines, transfer rumours and exclusive news in one convenient place directly on your mobile device.

The FootballTransfers app is available in the Apple App Store. Download here:

•App Store