With the Premier League entering its 11th week of matches, the sack race is heating up. Let’s examine which managers are on the hot seat.
Since we introduced the sack race a week ago there have been some shifts at the top (or is that bottom?) following last weekend’s games. Aitor Karanka led Middlesbrough to a 2-0 win over Bournemouth and has steered clear of this edition of the sack race. Tony Pulis found himself on the wrong end of an emphatic performance by Manchester City and thus enters the sack race. Manchester United continue their complete debacle under Jose Mourinho. Without further ado, here go the contenders:
Honorable mention: Tony Pulis
The tracksuit-loving, long-ball disciple Tony Pulis is going through a rough patch at West Brom. His no-nonsense, physical style has not yielded much success, with the Baggies currently in 16th place and coming off a 4-0 loss at home to Manchester City. West Brom have only gained three points in their last five matches, and after consecutive losses to Liverpool and Manchester City, Pulis’s seat has gotten a lot warmer. Prior to this season Pulis has proven himself to be a veritable master of the mid-table, finishing 13th and 14th in the last two seasons at West Brom.
After having been named the Premier League Manager of the Year in 2014, Pulis has earned enough credibility as a manager able to buy himself more time and take the Baggies away from the relegation zone. However, based on the latest run of results, he deserves an honorable mention
Third Place: Jose Mourinho
The not-so-Special gets a well-deserved spot on the podium this weekend. Mourinho looks defeated. His demeanor inspires zero confidence, his sideline antics have gone from merely annoying to downright pathetic. Is there anything left in Mourinho’s bag of tricks to motivate his players? A manager who confronts Mark Clattenburg, one of the most respected referees in the Premier League, is a desperate manager on thin ice and running out of ideas. In last week’s edition I mentioned that Manchester United cannot afford a slip up in their next few games. Well, slip up they did, in spite of dominating the game against Burnley. Mourinho’s men followed that home tie by a loss to Fenerbahce in the Europa League. It may be hard to believe, but Manchester United cannot buy a win. I’m using the figurative sense of “buy” in this case, as they have obviously tried to literally buy wins and titles through last summer’s excessive summer spending spree. Also hard to believe is that Mourinho would be one of the bookmaker’s favorites to get canned. The struggle is real, though. At what point do the Glazers and the rest of the board decide that Mourinho is not the man to lead the club out of the darkness and into the light? At this point that decision has to be on the Manchester United board’s radar.
Second Place: Mike Phelan
The Hull manager did nothing to help his case last weekend. Hull lost (again) and have now gone almost two calendar months without earning a single point in the Premier League. Assem Allam, the club owner along with the rest of the board did not deem Phelan qualified for the head coaching job until Phelan was on the job for three months. Perhaps the doubts of the club ownership were always warranted. Or perhaps, every possible candidate stopped showing interest when things turned really sour in and around KCOM Stadium. Who knows. What’s certain is that a manager who struggles earning even a tie in six Premier League games is one of the leading candidates in the sack race. Especially when it becomes apparent that the club settled for him instead of seeking him as their coach and leader of men. In another twist to the Phelan saga, Allam is looking to sell the team. With the new ownership in place we would probably see a new gaffer right away. As a matter of fact, even with the same ownership we could see a new manager very soon. Stay tuned.
First Place: David Moyes
There can be no other leader in the sack race. David Moyes’s Sunderland are officially holding the record for the worst start in Premier League history. Although we were not expecting much from their last game from their last game against Arsenal, the 4-1 loss at home made things even bleaker at the Stadium of Light. Only two points in the last 10 games. A more severe case of a Championship team somehow plying their trade in the Premier League never occurred.
Next: Premier League Week 10 Power Rankings
To make matters worse, Moyes was charged with misconduct following an EFL Cup defeat to Southampton. In other words, Moyes may soon be coaching his last game for Sunderland. Why? Well, another loss before the international break may officially spell the end for Moyes. Next up is Bournemouth on the road. The upside to playing an opponent such as Bournemouth is that a result will save your job. Failure to get a result will prolong the misery and lead to the inevitable firing, or in our case, winning the sack race.