Paul Tisdale leaves Exeter City after 12 years in charge

Paul Tisdale has relinquished his status as the longest-serving manager in the country after leaving Exeter City after almost 12 years in the job. The 45-year-old was upset by the Supporters Trust – that run the club – serving notice on his two-year rolling contract in November 2016 and rejected a new contract at Exeter.

His contract did not formally expire until October but Tisdale had made it clear following Monday’s defeat by Coventry City at Wembley – a second successive loss in the League Two play-off final – that he wished to clarify his future. In his post-match press conference on Monday, Tisdale said: “The whole situation of me being served my notice 18 months ago, the whole situation has been rather surreal and how it happened.”

In a club statement Julian Tagg, the Exeter chairman, said they had offered Tisdale – who has been heavily linked with the managerial vacancy at MK Dons – the “best remuneration it possibly could” to retain his services. Tagg added: “Regretfully, Paul has decided not to sign. We wish him the best of luck for the future and would like to thank him for his commitment to our club over the last 12 years. He has been a dedicated and successful manager, well respected both inside the club and equally so in football generally and ever popular with players staff and volunteers, having worked so extremely hard to bring Exeter City to where we are today.”

Jim Bentley (Morecambe): seven years and 19 days
Gareth Ainsworth (Wycombe): five years and 250 days
Neal Ardley (AFC Wimbledon): five years and 234 days
Eddie Howe (Bournemouth): five years and 231 days
Sean Dyche (Burnley): five years and 214 days
Keith Hill (Rochdale): five years and 130 days
Darrell Clarke (Bristol Rovers): four years and 65 days
Mauricio Pochettino (Tottenham): four years and five days
John Coleman (Accrington): three years and 256 days
Chris Hughton (Brighton): three years and 152 days
Neil Harris (Millwall): three years and 83 days
Gary Johnson (Cheltenham): three years and 63 days
Derek Adams (Plymouth): two years and 355 days
Jürgen Klopp (Liverpool): two years and 236 days

Tisdale was brought to the club in 2006, to work alongside Steve Perryman, the 66-year-old director of football who left the club on Monday. During Tisdale’s 11 years and 11 months in the job, he guided the team to two promotions and four play-off finals. A key aspect of his job was to accelerate the development of younger players to help balance the books, with Ethan Ampadu, Ollie Watkins and David Wheeler departing last summer.

For the past month, following Arsène Wenger’s departure from Arsenal, Tisdale had been the longest-serving manager in the country, with Morecambe’s Jim Bentley taking over that mantle after seven years and 19 days at the club and then Wycombe Wanderers’ Gareth Ainsworth.

Elsewhere, Shrewsbury Town have appointed the Macclesfield Town manager John Askey as Paul Hurst’s replacement. The 53-year-old has signed a three-year contract with the club after Hurst left for Ipswich Town earlier this week. “My hopes are to get Shrewsbury promoted,” Askey said. “Whether that will be next season, or in another year or two, you’ve got to aim high. I’m really looking forward to the challenge and testing myself.”