High expectations in the big-spending Chinese Super League have triggered a spate of departures, with six coaches shown the door in the space of just one month. More than a third of teams in the 16-strong Super League have been affected, in a season which has also been rocked by claims of racism and violence.
Jiangsu Suning, which slumped to 15th in the table after finishing second last year, is the biggest club involved after Choi Yong-Soo departed last week.
Beijing Guoan, Tianjin Teda, Guizhou Zhicheng Chongqing Lifan and Changchun Yatai have also parted ways with its coaches in recent weeks.
It comes as the Super League enjoys unprecedented visibility, broadcasting in Britain and other countries under a new TV deal and featuring several big stars including Oscar and Carlos Tevez.
Chinese teams smashed the Asian transfer record five times in 12 months after President Xi Jinping signalled his desire to turn China into a football power.
Mark Dreyer, founder of the China Sports Insider website, said the managerial turmoil reflected the rising ambitions of Chinese clubs.
"In the English Premier League, there's always the managerial sack race - who's going to get sacked first?" Dreyer told AFP.
"This is just another global football trend that has come to China. The fact is that when you have clubs spending a lot of money, the pressure is on for them to perform, and inevitably in football, it's the managers that get the responsibility."
The sudden influx of well-paid foreign players has also created teething problems this season with two of them, Hulk and Ezequiel Lavezzi, accused of racism.
Shanghai SIPG's Hulk was investigated over an alleged racially motivated assault on a rival team's coach, a claim both he and his club deny.
Lavezzi also caused a storm when publicity photos emerged of him pulling back the corners of his eyelids in a 'slant-eyed' pose.
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