Managers jobs are on the line every day. Are these the top five likeliest managers to get the sack?
Managers no longer have the job security of the last few decades, and one bad season (or one bad week in the case of some trigger happy clubs) and you can find yourself in the unemployment line.
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Here are five Premier League managers who are most likely to get the sack this season.
5) Paul Lambert
Aston Villa are flying high with seven points from the first three games of the season, but it wasn’t long ago that Paul Lambert’s job was in serious danger. At the end of last season not only did the club narrowly escape relegation, but Lambert’s two longest serving assistants were let go for poor conduct. If he can manage to keep the Villains in the top half then his job will surely remain secure, but with a tough run ahead of them we could see the Birmingham based side plummet down the table.
4) Harry Redknapp
‘Arry has been talking about a new contract for weeks now. He says it could be signed today or it could be signed tomorrow, but why hasn’t it? QPR have spent far more than their fellow promoted clubs, and if they don’t get the results they are looking for then Redknapp may be asked to sling his hook.
3) Alan Irvine
Irvine hasn’t had great success in his previous managerial roles, getting off to good starts with both Preston North End and Sheffield Wednesday but unable to keep the displays up for long. He doesn’t look like fairing much better with West Brom, and with Irvine only being given a 12-month contract it’s clear the club don’t have a huge amount of faith. I don’t think it’s a matter of if Irvine goes, I think it’s a matter of when; and whether someone else will go first?
2) Sam Allardyce
Sam Allardyce is positively hated by the West Ham faithful at the moment, which makes him a prime target for a sacking. It’s often the case that once you’ve lost the fans, you’ve lost the job; but so far the board seem to be sticking with him. He has been maligned for playing an unattractive brand for football, and for not being an ambitious, top half manager. Fat Sam certainly looks like he is nothing more than a poor run away from the job centre.
1) Alan Pardew
You have to feel bad for Newcastle fans at the moment, with their team being among the most frustrating to watch. They have arguably made some fantastic signings this summer, but Alan Pardew seems totally incapable of getting the best out of them. We regularly have to watch the team capitulate in front of our very eyes, offering the goal up on a plate to their opponents; and while the players are of course very much to blame too, if a manager can’t motivate his players to put in a shift then he’s got to go.
Pardew had a few contentious moments last season too, with his headbutt on Hull’s David Meyler the pinnacle. He seems to be dragging down a Newcastle side which looks capable of far loftier ambitions, and although he was saved last season by the clubs fantastic start to the campaign, I don’t think he will be so lucky this season.
Honourable Mention – Louis van Gaal
I think Manchester United are probably in it for the long haul with van Gaal, but if the club continues in their current vein after the amount he was allowed to spend this summer then surely his job will be under review? The top teams in England ask a lot from their managers, and so far van Gaal hasn’t come close to delivering. It’s very early on in the season so it’s far too soon to tell, but the Dutchman needs to shape up if he wants to have a job this time next year.
Who do you think will be the first manager to get the sack?