Erik ten Hag won the Premier League sack race by being sacked by Manchester United before the calendar turned to November, but once the head coach falls, watch out to see who will apply. As the relegation picture gets sunnier across the league, the coaches’ seats are starting to heat up, but there is one who doesn’t want to worry in the lower reaches of the table: Ipswich City’s Kieran McKenna.
The Tractor Boys are in 18th place, just two defensive issues later and on a three-game losing streak, but they have been quite competitive despite allowing 20 goals in league games and still not winning. With a squad that had no compatibility at the moment in the Premier League and that then gave Mckenna an intact commitment for the campaign, even assuming that Ipswich comes out unwell, it is most likely that he will be the person in charge.
The same probably won’t be said about other managers on this list, so let’s take a look at who in the Premier League could be involved in terms of age:
Most likely safe: Eddie Howe, Newcastle United
After having possession intact, ambitions were high for Newcastle United, with money splashed and the club qualifying for the Champions League. But then they were disappointed, fell in the team’s level at the end of the season and also failed to finish in the top four for consecutive seasons. After another slow start, the Magpies have already fallen to twelfth place. They are also six points behind Aston Villa’s generation in fourth place, but passing so many teams is easier said than done.
With the injuries and suspensions Newcastle have had to deal with, there is a chance that a Howe exit won’t be made until the end of the season, but a goal consistent with play will be scored despite having strong attackers in Anthony. Gordon and Alexander Isak, one thing wants to change. If it doesn’t happen quickly, Newcastle again looks set to miss Europe, which could boost trade.
Fear increases: Oliver Glasner, Crystal Palace
The negative supervisor had a bigger intact supervisor increase than Oliver Glasner replacing Roy Hodgson at the end of the season, but without Michael Olise and with more Palace game tape available to alternative teams, the targets have run out of juice just as they were discovered. Jean-Phillipe Mateta and Eddie Nketiah have struggled to dominate the series and everything has seemed disjointed. If not for defeating Tottenham to get out of the relegation zone, Glasner could have been at the top of this list, but if he remains outside the bottom 3, he could have enough time to click on the attack.
If a team pounces on Eberechi Eze in January, that could be the final straw that sends Crystal Palace into a relegation spiral from which they will be unable to play any games they emerge from.
We’re effervescent: Gary O’Neil, Wolverhampton Wanderers
Facing the Wolves at the end of the season, Gary O’Neil was quite remarkable in securing a 14th place finish, just three points away from finishing in the lead phase. All that happened a long time ago. Pedro Neto has left for Chelsea, the midfield has disintegrated and the wrong team has allowed more goals than the Wolves’ 25. Not everything goes well as nine matches in the season, the Wolves do not have a single victory and their last two attacks are probably important. Against Crystal Palace and Southampton, losing both could be the final straw due to the loss of farmland to other sides looking to avoid relegation.
The ground is lava: Russell Martin, Southampton
In many ways it is surprising that Russell Martin was not dropped through Southampton and then only gained one point in nine games. The Saints scored a league-low six goals, allowing 19 for the second-worst goal remaining at minus-13 and showing the wrong signs of improvement. No matter what combinations of attackers Southampton target, they don’t seem to look for the line, and scoring is the most important thing to protect themselves from the shed. In a short period of time, five problems can grow to ten, and from there, getting coverage will be highly unlikely.
Dark horse candidate: Ange Postecoglou, Tottenham
Tottenham should not leave Ange Postecoglou. However, they are also in eighth position in the Premier League despite having the third best remaining goal in the league and both defeat teams 4-1 or lose 1-0 without having a middle point. Consistency is what Ange-ball is missing, however, operating on Dominic Solanke’s day without Heung-min Son for one of the crucial seasons will give him supremacy. The defense wants to be better and this team wants to compete for a spot in the Champions League, but there are a few ways to do it.
With nine problems out of nine in Europa League games so far, that is something that is going to plan, but if that snowballs without league games improving, strength could become a difference. Power over him is paramount. How affected will the Spurs be if that consistency is not achieved?
