Tuesday 4 November 2014 11:41, UK
A quarter of the way through the Premier League campaign, widespread leniency from club chairmen has given the season a refreshing edge.
At this point last year, Paolo Di Canio and Ian Holloway had already left their positions at Sunderland and Crystal Palace respectively.
So far this term, 2013/14 Premier League manager of the year Tony Pulis is the only casualty, and that was by mutual consent before a ball had even been kicked.
But with four managers losing their jobs in December alone last year, the coming months are sure to produce the inevitable. Here, Sky Bet weighs up the odds on who’s likely to go next.
Three of the bottom four in the current Premier League standings are teams that have come up from the Sky Bet Championship, yet Harry Redknapp is the only manager of the trio thought to be under pressure. That’s because Queens Park Rangers stuttered towards promotion with a side many believed, on paper, to be the best in the second tier last season. Despite big fees paid for Steven Caulker, Sandro, Jordan Mutch and Leroy Fer this summer, QPR have lost seven of their opening 10 games and sit second from bottom. Redknapp’s relationship with chairman Tony Fernandes appears healthy, but there comes a time when those at the peak of the hierarchy have to put the common goal of the club first, so the former Tottenham boss could be walking a tightrope, particularly as champions Manchester City are in town next.
Next three fixtures:
Man City (H)
Newcastle (A)
Leicester (H)
After opening up with three wins from four, Aston Villa have since gone into freefall, conceding 15 goals with just one in reply en route to five consecutive Premier League defeats. Lambert’s decision to bring in Roy Keane in July raised a few eyebrows, with many predicting the Scot to set himself up for a fall. Keane would no doubt be among the favourites for the job, if Lambert was to leave the club, but the former Canaries boss has a habit of getting himself out of trouble, much like Alan Pardew at Newcastle, who is now 33/1 to be the next managerial casualty having been favourite a matter of weeks ago. But as for Lambert, who has lost six games in a row in all competitions, he now has to go without suspended striker Christian Benteke for three games, including two trips from home.
Next three fixtures:
West Ham (A)
Southampton (H)
Burnley (A)
Ahead of Monday night’s visit to Crystal Palace, where the hosts are 21/10 favourites to beat Sunderland, Gus Poyet is third in the betting on the next Premier League manager to go. Largely due to their 8-0 defeat to Southampton, only QPR have conceded more than 18th-placed Sunderland, with individual errors at the back adding pressure on Poyet’s position. After last season’s great escape from relegation at the death, in which they took points off Man City, Chelsea and Manchester United in their last six games, Poyet started the season as a 33/1 outsider to be the first manager to go. He was even as long as 40/1 in the second week of October, but just one win in nine suggests he’s back under the cosh. The Uruguayan has been opening critical of his players following eight goals without reply in their last two games, and much will depend on how the respond at Selhurst Park on Monday.
Next three fixtures:
Crystal Palace (A)
Everton (H)
Leicester (A)
As harsh as it would seem, Burnley’s Sean Dyche is the only manager in the division without a win after 10 games, and he therefore must be considered an outsider to be the next manager to leave his post. There is a sense that the Clarets overachieved in the Sky Bet Championship last season, and there’s no doubt they’re finding life tough back in the top tier, so much so that they’re clear favourites to go down at 1/9, and 11/2 to stay up. Dyche was a 33/1 chance of being the next boss to leave after Pulis’ shock departure in August, but he’s proving a popular punt with Sky Bet customers, who saw what a difference a change made at newly promoted Crystal Palace In November last year.
Next three fixtures:
Hull (H)
Stoke (A)
Aston Villa (H)
With Liverpool struggling for form and results on all fronts this season, Sky Bet’s twitter account was bombarded with requests for odds on Brenden Rodgers’ immediate future on Saturday. Although Newcastle’s 1-0 win over the Reds was their first domestic defeat in seven, Liverpool have not performed well since their 3-0 win over Tottenham in August, making Rodgers a 12/1 outsider to be the next Premier League manager to leave having been 50/1. Meanwhile, Tottenham moved level on points with Liverpool with their win at Villa Park on Sunday, easing the pressure on Mauricio Pochettino’s position. The Argentine is now a 20/1 outsider in the sack race. Beyond that, Manuel Pellegrini is 25/1, while Louis van Gaal is 50/1 despite steering United to their worst ever start to a Premier League campaign.
