Premier League: The five managers next in line for the sack

Before last season’s Premier League campaign ended, four managers had to face the wrath of the result-oriented, impatient Chairmen of the Premier League and were shown the exit door. Over recent seasons, the Premier League has witnessed a host of managerial changes and unceremonious departures, the latest being Roberto Di Matteo who won the Champions League with Chelsea last season.

Fifteen managers have been sacked in the last three seasons and there have already been two departures this season. The Top 5 managers in line for the sack this season are:

1) Martin O’Neill

SUNDERLAND, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 11: Sunderland manager Martin O’ Neill (c) looks on before the Premier League match between Sunderland and Reading at Stadium of Light on December 11, 2012 in Sunderland, England.

Martin O’Neill’s stellar start at the Stadium of Light is compounded by the fact that his team sit just one point above the relegation zone after the first 16 games. O’Neill was a fan favourite for the post once Steve Bruce was sacked following a poor run of form which resulted in the Wearside club languishing near the relegation zone, and it came as no surprise that the Irishman’s midas touch was felt on Sunderland as The Black Cats won the next four out of their six premier league matches, defeating last season’s Premier League Champions Man City in that run.

The morale boosting win over fellow relegation threatened Reading in midweek must have raised the confidence in the Sunderland camp but O’Neill is still odds-on favourite to be the next manager to get sacked. The loss of form of their talismanic midfielder Stephane Sessegnon has resulted in The Black Cats being in stuttering form this season having registered only three league wins. Sessegnon was last season voted the club’s Player of the Season and was also the top scorer and his loss of form can be attributed to Sunderland’s sluggish start to the season.

The fixture list will not be good reading for Sunderland fans as they face Man United, Man City and Spurs in their next four fixtures. A hiding against any of these clubs coupled with the possibility of finding themselves lying in the relegation zone come January may culminate in the departure of the northern Irishman.

2) Brian McDermott

BRIGHTON, ENGLAND – AUGUST 07: Reading manager Brian McDermott during the pre season friendly match between Brighton & Hove Albion and Reading at American Express Community Stadium on August 07, 2012 in Brighton, England.

Brian McDermott took over the reins at Reading in December 2009 replacing the out-of-favour Brendan Rodgers. The Royals rise with McDermott has been stable and impressive. McDermott steadied the ship in his first six months in charge by achieving an unexpected top ten finish. In his first full season in charge, McDermott led Reading to a fifth place finish and narrowly missed out on promotion following a heart-break defeat in the play-off finals. McDermott’s stock grew by leaps and bounds in the next season after winning the Championship which meant automatic promotion to the Premier League and he was additionally named the Championship Manager of the season.

But, such is the competition in this league that managing in this fierce league is no mean feat and one may only ask McDermott about this after his success last season in the Championship. After guiding Reading to promotion, McDermott now has his back against the wall with the Royals having taken a measly 9 points from their opening 16 games and are currently languishing in 19^th place, seven points adrift of safety. They are on a downward spiral having lost their last their past five premier league matches including six-pointers against fellow relegation-threatened Southampton and Sunderland.

McDermott will really need to shore up his defence and start grinding out results if Reading are to stay up. Reading have one of the poorest defensive records in the league having recorded the lowest number of clean sheets and have conceded 31 goals, second only to Southampton who have conceded 32.

Reading can have a successful season if they can keep the same belief, attitude and character shown against the likes of Manchester United. Ideally, McDermott would need to bolster his defensive ranks in January and instill the dying confidence in his squad. Home fixtures against Swansea and West Ham during the end of December may well determine the outcome of McDermott’s reign.

3) Paul Lambert

LONDON, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 01: Aston Villa manager Paul Lambert reacts during the Barclays Premier League match between Queens Park Rangers and Aston Villa at Loftus Road on December 1, 2012 in London, England.

Paul Lambert’s success at Norwich City, where he achieved back-to-back promotions from League 1 to the Premier League, earned him the chance to takeover at Aston Villa following Alex Mcleish’s controversial one-year reign. However, things have not been easy sailing for Lambert and he has had to endure a difficult start to his tenure as Aston Villa manager. Aston Villa are currently in a transitional period following managerial changes and sales of key players in recent season. Also, club captain Stiliyan Petrov is currently unable to play football following his battle with Leukaemia. These reasons may have led Lambert to place more emphasis on youth this season.

Having spent a little more than £20 million in the summer, Villa fans would not expect their club to be sitting one place above the relegation zone, avoiding the dreaded relegation zone on goal difference. Lambert traditionally employs attacking intent in his play but he has been criticized for the lack of goals scored by the Villans this season, in fact Aston Villa have scored the lowest amount of goals in the top flight.

One reason for the lack of goals could be the omission of Villa’s record signing Darren Bent. Lambert has preferred to deploy his £7 million signing Christian Benteke in a lone forward role, who has scored 6 goals in all competitions this season. There has been intense speculation on a possible rife between Lambert and Bent but Lambert has insisted he has “no problems whatsoever” with Bent.

With Aston Villa slowly gaining momentum and their next three fixtures include Liverpool, Chelsea and Spurs, Lambert will need to ensure the momentum continues otherwise Lambert may very well be the next manager to face the exit.

4) Alan Pardew

LONDON, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 10: Manager of Newcastle United Alan Pardew reacts during the Barclays Premier League match between Fulham and Newcastle United at Craven Cottage on December 10, 2012 in London, England.

Alan Pardew’s appointment at Newcastle was met with a roar of disapproval from the Geordies since he was appointed in place of the outgoing Chris Hughton, the man who led them to promotion from the Championship and who was having a decent spell in the Premier League. Pardew knew the enormity of the task ahead and had also insisted he would need to win over the fans. In his first full season in charge, Pardew impressed with his tactics and players bought in and finished a hugely impressive fifth in the league, narrowly missing out on the Champions League places.

The Magpies have under-performed this season, having won a paltry 4 games and at 14^th position, are closer to the relegation zone than the European places. They had a solid start to the season but have tailed off since the start of November, having collected an abysmal 4 points out of a possible 21, and not even having to face any of the top six teams during that run. A forgotten man this season is Papiss Cisse, who scored 13 goals in 14 games for the Toon in the second half of last season but has incredibly scored just twice this season.

With the sacking of the successful Chris Hughton, and Newcastle’s board having proven that they have less patience in sacking a manager than other Premier League clubs, Alan Pardew must know that he needs to turn things around pretty quickly. Newcastle’s fixtures make for a grim reading in December with the club facing the likes of Arsenal, Man City and Man United. Pardew has recently stated that a win against Man City could kick-start their season, and he may need that win otherwise it shall be back to the drawing board for the Newcastle manager.

5) Arsene Wenger

BRADFORD, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 11: Arsene Wenger the Arsenal manager looks on during the Capital One Cup quarter final match between Bradford City and Arsenal at the Coral Windows Stadium, Valley Parade on December 11, 2012 in Bradford, England.

One cannot associate Arsenal without their manager Arsene Wenger who has been at the helm since September 1996. However, Arsenal have recently made their worst start to a Premier League season under Wenger and the Arsenal Supporter’s Trust (AST) has not-so-surprisingly called into question the clubs policy and has asked for a ‘shake-up’.

The Gunners downward trend is highlighted by the fact that their focus in recent years has turned from winning the Premier League title to achieving a Champions League berth. They are currently 2 points adrift of the Champions League spots and even though they are 15 points behind league leader Manchester United, Wenger still feels Arsenal have a shot at Premier League glory.

It may not be so much as the results this season which has prompted the AST to speak out and demand changes, but the fact that key players and club captains are consistently being sold on a regular basis and the £70 million transfer kitty being left untouched because Wenger insists on spending on the youth and nurturing them into world-class talent. Most importantly, Arsenal still haven’t won a major trophy in more than 7 years, a fact constantly haunting the Gunners.

Wenger may not be asked to step down before the end of the season, but stranger things have happened in football. It may also come as no surprise that Wenger departed at the end of the season by mutual consent if Arsenal fail to finish in the top 4.