Sports / Soccer
Who will be the first Premier League manager to be sacked?
04 Dec 2020 at 07:12hrs | Views
With one-quarter of the Premier League season having been played, English football fans are starting to get a good idea of how things are shaping up for the rest of the campaign. While few people would have predicted that Tottenham would be at the top of the table, strong starts for Liverpool and Chelsea won't surprise too many.
But with massive teams like Arsenal, Manchester City and Manchester United suffering stuttering starts to their seasons, there have already been calls for certain managers to get the axe. While it's still early in the season, Tottenham sacked Mauricio Pochettino midway through November last year.
All of which means that there's every chance that a Premier League manager might still get the sack by Christmas. To get a good idea of who could get the chop, check out this list here of sportsbooks already taking bets on which Premier League manager will be sacked first. Here's a quick look at the main contenders
Chris Wilder - Sheffield United
With Sheffield United rooted to the bottom of the Premier League table, it's little surprise to find that most bookies think that Chris Wilder will be the first manager to go. With no wins and just one draw from their first 10 games, it's been a joyless experience for the Blades this time around.
It's a marked contrast from last season where Sheffield United were one of the surprise packages of the year. Wilder is a very popular manager amongst the Blades faithful having taken the team from League Two to the Premier League in less than four years. But whether that popularity can be sustained in face of such barren results remains to be seen.
Slaven Bilic - West Bromwich Albion
Few people would be surprised with how West Brom have struggled in top flight football. The Baggies' only win so far came at the expense of fellow strugglers Sheffield United, and it's clear that the remaining six months is going to be one long relegation battle.
Despite this, there is hope that Bilic can turn things around. The Croatian manager was unlucky to get sacked from West Ham despite having the best Premier League record of any previous Hammers manager. It remains to be seen whether Bilic can get what he needs out of a West Brom squad that is clearly limited in quality. But with solid results like a 3-3 draw with Chelsea, it seems that there's plenty of fight left at The Hawthorns.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer - Manchester United
OGS has been threatened with the sack pretty much from day one of taking over at Old Trafford. Manchester United have suffered yet another mixed start to their Premier League campaign with that 6-1 defeat by Tottenham being a definite low point.
Any manager who aims to follow in the footsteps of Sir Alex Ferguson is going to be facing an impossible task. To be fair, Solskjaer's United looked great towards the end of last season, with new signings like Bruno Fernandes looking like inspired moves. But with ongoing problems like the Paul Pogba issue showing no signs of being resolved and a fairly barren summer transfer period, it looks like Solskjaer's time at Old Trafford could nearly be over.
Scott Parker - Fulham
Fulham are another Premier League newcomer who are facing a difficult few months ahead. There is no disputing Scott Parker's commitment to the club, and Fulham's recent impressive 2-1 win over Leicester provides some hope that the Cottagers might get consecutive seasons in top-flight football.
Much of this rests on whether Parker can get the team's defence to tighten up. With 19 goals conceded, Fulham have the worst defensive record in the Premier League. But with young stars like Ademola Lookman playing with flair, there's plenty of hope yet at Craven Cottage.
Steve Bruce - Newcastle United
Steve Bruce faced a tough task in trying to replace the popular Newcastle United boss Rafa Benitez. But since coming to St James Park, Bruce has actually done a fairly similar job to his predecessor in terms of league table position. However, many Magpies fans insist that Bruce is the wrong man for the job.
Newcastle are once again in a mediocre mid-table position, and their overly defensive style of play has won Bruce few supporters. Despite this, the addition of attacker Callum Wilson looks like an inspired move. While the Magpies are unlikely to get relegated, a club of Newcastle's stature may eventually require a manager who can deliver bigger results.
Mikel Arteta - Arsenal
Arsenal are another big club who have suffered a barren start to their Premier League campaign. With 14 points from 10 league games, Arsenal are having their worst start to a season since way back in 1981. As a result, some Gunners fans are making noises to suggest that Mikel Arteta should get the axe despite only coming to the Emirates less than a year ago.
Such discontent is surprising as Arteta was a popular Arsenal player, and had brought the club silverware in the form of the FA Cup and the Community Shield. But with even star players like Pierre Emerick Aubameyang losing his goal scoring touch, it could be a critical couple of weeks ahead for Arteta.
But with massive teams like Arsenal, Manchester City and Manchester United suffering stuttering starts to their seasons, there have already been calls for certain managers to get the axe. While it's still early in the season, Tottenham sacked Mauricio Pochettino midway through November last year.
All of which means that there's every chance that a Premier League manager might still get the sack by Christmas. To get a good idea of who could get the chop, check out this list here of sportsbooks already taking bets on which Premier League manager will be sacked first. Here's a quick look at the main contenders
Chris Wilder - Sheffield United
With Sheffield United rooted to the bottom of the Premier League table, it's little surprise to find that most bookies think that Chris Wilder will be the first manager to go. With no wins and just one draw from their first 10 games, it's been a joyless experience for the Blades this time around.
It's a marked contrast from last season where Sheffield United were one of the surprise packages of the year. Wilder is a very popular manager amongst the Blades faithful having taken the team from League Two to the Premier League in less than four years. But whether that popularity can be sustained in face of such barren results remains to be seen.
Slaven Bilic - West Bromwich Albion
Few people would be surprised with how West Brom have struggled in top flight football. The Baggies' only win so far came at the expense of fellow strugglers Sheffield United, and it's clear that the remaining six months is going to be one long relegation battle.
Despite this, there is hope that Bilic can turn things around. The Croatian manager was unlucky to get sacked from West Ham despite having the best Premier League record of any previous Hammers manager. It remains to be seen whether Bilic can get what he needs out of a West Brom squad that is clearly limited in quality. But with solid results like a 3-3 draw with Chelsea, it seems that there's plenty of fight left at The Hawthorns.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer - Manchester United
Any manager who aims to follow in the footsteps of Sir Alex Ferguson is going to be facing an impossible task. To be fair, Solskjaer's United looked great towards the end of last season, with new signings like Bruno Fernandes looking like inspired moves. But with ongoing problems like the Paul Pogba issue showing no signs of being resolved and a fairly barren summer transfer period, it looks like Solskjaer's time at Old Trafford could nearly be over.
Scott Parker - Fulham
Fulham are another Premier League newcomer who are facing a difficult few months ahead. There is no disputing Scott Parker's commitment to the club, and Fulham's recent impressive 2-1 win over Leicester provides some hope that the Cottagers might get consecutive seasons in top-flight football.
Much of this rests on whether Parker can get the team's defence to tighten up. With 19 goals conceded, Fulham have the worst defensive record in the Premier League. But with young stars like Ademola Lookman playing with flair, there's plenty of hope yet at Craven Cottage.
Steve Bruce - Newcastle United
Steve Bruce faced a tough task in trying to replace the popular Newcastle United boss Rafa Benitez. But since coming to St James Park, Bruce has actually done a fairly similar job to his predecessor in terms of league table position. However, many Magpies fans insist that Bruce is the wrong man for the job.
Newcastle are once again in a mediocre mid-table position, and their overly defensive style of play has won Bruce few supporters. Despite this, the addition of attacker Callum Wilson looks like an inspired move. While the Magpies are unlikely to get relegated, a club of Newcastle's stature may eventually require a manager who can deliver bigger results.
Mikel Arteta - Arsenal
Arsenal are another big club who have suffered a barren start to their Premier League campaign. With 14 points from 10 league games, Arsenal are having their worst start to a season since way back in 1981. As a result, some Gunners fans are making noises to suggest that Mikel Arteta should get the axe despite only coming to the Emirates less than a year ago.
Such discontent is surprising as Arteta was a popular Arsenal player, and had brought the club silverware in the form of the FA Cup and the Community Shield. But with even star players like Pierre Emerick Aubameyang losing his goal scoring touch, it could be a critical couple of weeks ahead for Arteta.
Source - Byo24News
