Glenn Whelan has been sacked by Livingston after just five league games in charge, with former boss David Martindale taking interim charge.The ex-Stoke and Aston Villa midfielder was named head coach of the Scottish outfit in May in his first managerial role.Glenn Whelan’s first permanent head coach job lasted just over three monthsGettyHowever, Whelan endured a challenging start to life in the dugout and things took a turn for the worse on Friday.His Livingston side failed to qualify for the knockout rounds of the Premier Sports Cup after suffering a 1-0 defeat to Stenhousemuir – managed by his predecessor Marvin Bartley.On top of a disappointing cup exit, Whelan picked up just six points from his first five league matches in Scotland.Livi have won two and lost three – including each of their last two against semi-professional sides Arbroath and Stenhousemuir.And this proved to be the final straw for Whelan, as it was announced on Sunday night that he would not be continuing in his role.Livingston statementIn a club statement on Sunday night, Livingston chairman Calvin Ford confirmed that Whelan and his assistant Danny Ventre would be leaving the West Lothian outfit.Sporting director Martindale will return to the dugout to take interim charge – having previously managed the club from 2020 until February of this year – alongside Frankie McAvoyFord wrote: “After careful consideration and thorough discussions, the Club can confirm that head coach Glenn Whelan and assistant head coach Danny Ventre are no longer with the organisation.“On behalf of everyone at Livingston, I want to express our gratitude for their hard work, dedication and service during their time with us.“In the short term, David Martindale & Frankie McAvoy will temporarily step in as interim coaches assisted by Grant Murray and Brian Potter.Whelan is best known for making over 300 Premier League appearances for Stoke“Davie’s past success and proven track record in the Scottish Championship made this decision easy and we look forward to refocusing and finding success on the pitch while he holds this position.“Looking ahead, we have already begun the process of securing the appropriate search firm to help us find our next head coach.“Our net will be cast far wider than it was in our previous search and the focus of the search will be via data analytics that fit in with the clubs game model and other important criteria that will aid Livingston in finding the ideal candidate to lead our club forward.”Livingston finished rock bottom of the Scottish Premiership – 13 points adrift of closest rivals St Mirren – winning just two games all season.And the club pointed to their desire to secure an immediate top-flight return as part of their decision to seek a new manager.The statement continued: “Mediocrity is not an acceptable solution, and we will continue to work to find the leader that delivers on the ambitions and aspirations of sustained, high-level success that we expect at Livingston. Whelan lasted just four months at Livingston, having previously had interim stints at Wigan and Bristol RoversGetty“Nothing else is acceptable. As always, we are led by the credo that the club comes first. “We are driven by our desire to win and compete at the highest level, and we feel that this decision is appropriate given the unfortunate start to the 2026/27 season.”Glenn Whelan’s managerial careerWhelan’s sacking by Livingston marks the end of a tough first permanent role in senior management.The ex-midfielder – who made over 250 Premier League appearances for Stoke – had previous coaching experience at Bristol Rovers and Wigan.He had two brief spells as interim manager of the latter, stepping in after Shaun Maloney and Ryan Lowe’s respective sackings.On top of this, Whelan has also worked in the Ireland coaching set-up when John O’Shea took temporary charge in 2024, and spent time as part of Ireland’s youth international programme at Under-16 level before this.