The start of a new Premier League season means one thing.<\/p>\n
Well, that\u2019s not true. It means several things. But among those things is managers being under pressure, sacked and replaced. It is a tale as old as time.<\/p>\n
So we decided to have a little look at the current Sack Race market<\/a> and then predict who the under-pressure managers might be replaced by should such replacements be needed.<\/p>\n It was going to be a top five, but then there were two managers joint fifth so it became a top six. Then we noticed that the three managers joint seventh were at Newcastle, Manchester United and West Ham all of which felt interesting in one way or another, so it became a top nine.<\/p>\n So nine it is. Always the best number for a feature, in our experience.<\/p>\n We\u2019re not saying all, or even most, of these nine managers will fall. But we\u2019d be staggered if at least a few of them aren\u2019t out on their ear by Christmas. And these are their guaranteed (not a guarantee) replacements\u2026<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Newcastle We\u2019ve been slightly thrown by this one. After years of desperate and very childish attempts from us to manifest some kind of Howe Sack narrative from thin air, we\u2019d reluctantly accepted that delivering the longest-awaited silverware and finishing in the top five to bag a return to Champions League football would end any hope of that for at least several months.<\/p>\n And now a Howe Sack narrative appears to have manifested from thin air. We don\u2019t believe it for a second. Surely not.<\/p>\n But football is football and unthinkably harsh and\/or stupid things happen all the time. The sense remains that if Newcastle did move on from Howe it would be from a desire to elevate the brand and the name to the next level, which would mean going down the kind of Elite Serial Winner route that definitely always works and is definitely always a good idea.<\/p>\n It still feels like Mourinho has unfinished business and scores to settle in the Barclays, and probably there will always be unfinished business and scores to settle in the Barclays for Mourinho. Because if he does turn up to finish that business and settle those scores he will inevitably being some new business and scores.<\/p>\n He can\u2019t help himself. And maybe neither can Newcastle.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n West Ham It does seem far easier to envision a scenario where Graham Potter gets himself very quickly in very deep trouble at West Ham. He\u2019s not been there long but has no real credit in the bank, while Howe has absolutely loads of it.<\/p>\n We\u2019ve said before that Potter and West Ham are perhaps the most interesting manager-club storyline of all heading into this season, because it feels like the one with the biggest range of realistic possible outcomes.<\/p>\n Potter sacked by October feels entirely believable. Potter winning three manager of the month awards in a row with West Ham third in the table in October feels entirely believable too.<\/p>\n But if it is indeed the former, where do West Ham turn next? They\u2019ve tried Moyes and a Spanish Moyes and didn\u2019t care for either. They\u2019ve tried a coach\u2019s coach. Again, does feel like the next step could be almost anything from anywhere.<\/p>\n Almost every other name we\u2019ve got on this list for someone else also feels like they could very much also end this season in the London Stadium dugout with all bubbles floating around them.<\/p>\n We\u2019re going with Gareth Southgate, though. A man so indelibly linked with the England job is perfect for a club that still bases around 63 per cent of its identity on \u2018winning the World Cup\u2019 in 1966. The remaining 37 per cent is split between Danny Dyer, the aforementioned bubbles, and disliking Tottenham. Just if you were wondering.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Manchester United
OUT: Eddie Howe
IN: Jose Mourinho<\/p>\n
OUT: Graham Potter
IN: Gareth Southgate<\/p>\n
OUT: Ruben Amorim
IN: Xavi<\/p>\n