4 Premier League managers who might face the axe by the end of the season

Much like the seeds of the daffodils that arrive and fly away and move to different locations over time, the Premier League has managers with similar attributes, who come and leave as times and circumstances change.

Every new season, there's a constant uprooting of the old and the infusing of the new and it is much needed for the Premier League clubs as well, because old ideas fade as time goes on and new managerial personnel are required to continue the development and increase sustenance.

When Frank De Boer was sacked in a record time at Crystal Palace not so long ago, Roy Hodgson was roped in to ensure survival, West Ham did the same with letting go of Bilic and Moyes and so did Watford with Mazzari and Sanchez Flores.

We are nine games into the season but already the once established tight roots are slowly withering away and some of the clubs are dangling with the fears of dropping down to a level where they do not want to be. In an era where rapid changing of managers is nothing new, here are five Premier League managers who can face the axe before the season ends.

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#1 Rafael Benitez

It's been a tumultuous love affair between Rafael Benitez and Newcastle United. The love story did have a fairy-tale beginning with the Spaniard pulling all of his strings to get the club from the North-East of England to ensure promotion to the Premier League but since then, it's been a story of steady stagnation followed by a slow decline.

Much of the problems begin with the finances of the club and the reduced transfer activity after promotion because Newcastle is a club operating on a tight budget, but the manager faces criticism for his style of play as well because his tendency to park the bus heavily is slowly reaching a complete failure.

Newcastle's fate hangs on thin lines with the club having earned only two points in nine games and if such a tale continues, Benitez might be one of the first to depart. Senior players have spoken volumes about Benitez as a manager with Shelvey and Lascelles praising him, but much of the decision now will depend on the upcoming fixtures against Watford and Southampton.

#2 Mark Hughes

Unimpressive should be the word for Southampton's woeful beginning of the campaign and anyone would think that with the continuation of Mark Hughes after last season, this was expected.

The manager boasts a cadre of experience but his decline has been atrocious and what happened with Stoke City should have warned Southampton enough to let him leave just like West Ham left Moyes.

St.Mary's stadium has been a nightmare of a silence with very little joy and with wins being a rare commodity at the display, time is running out for Hughes. The playing style is pretty old-fashioned with a resolute 4-4-2 but the results just haven't been convincing.

They are hovering just a point above the relegation zone and if the upcoming fixtures against Newcastle and Leicester do not yield a positive result, Hughes will face a departure from an English side yet again.

#3 Slavisa Jokanovic

Although Shahid Khan, the owner slammed the rumors that the Serbian manager might face the sack, there's been mounting pressure and a high number of speculations regarding Slavisa Jokanovic.

It is very safe to say that Fulham have the ability and they try well to play an attacking game with the manager insisting upon such a style but in the Premier League, it's about grit and defense as much as it is about attacking.

In a game of balance, especially with a side like Fulham, defense does need to be a priority, but time and again, Fulham have conceded and that's hampered their chances of moving ahead. This has resulted with the club finding itself in a bothersome relegation race.

Mitrovic and Schurrle along with Seri have provided sparks but the results need to be much more consistent and positive. If such is the pattern of continuity, Fulham might find themselves facing relegation just after getting promoted and that is a fate which the London based club would look to avoid and the first step might be getting a new manager on-board. There is faith and appraisal for Jokanovic but the clock is ticking.

#4 Jose Mourinho

Manchester United v Juventus - UEFA Champions League Group H

One would really be laughing and have their eyebrows raised if Manchester United's Jose Mourinho was not mentioned here. What is it with Jose and the third season? It's been a trajectory of the Portuguese manager to rise initially and then fall in the third season, which is the similar pattern of progress that Manchester United has been experiencing.

There has been no doubt that the club has received a better output overall since he's arrived but with a horrid start to the season and a recent form of having won one in seven, the media hunt has arrived in a spectacularly blazing fashion with Mourinho being plunged into the center of it all again.

Bad recruitment in the summer, a negative playing style and dismal individual performances plagued with inconsistencies have cumulatively inflicted a lot of damage to United's chances this season, but as it is the case in football, the manager faces the questions first.

Jose Mourinho's tenure, it seems is approaching a dangerous period and if Manchester United slip further, there will be a new face at the helm of one of England's greatest clubs. By the looks of it, he seems like a favourite to depart before the season is over, probably bidding his last farewell in England.