Boardroom goodwill toward English Premier League managers during the pandemic appears to have run out. (More Football News)
Only four lost their jobs in the league last season, a small number by modern day standards. Perhaps it was down to a lack of ostensible fan criticism while games were played in empty stadiums. Or maybe the economic implications of firing a manager while club finances were being severely hit by the COVID-19 outbreak.
Those days seem to be long gone.
A spate of sackings 바카라 five in little over a month 바카라 means three teams will be playing their first games under a new coach when the Premier League resumes this weekend after the latest international break.
Steven Gerrard, a great of the league as a player with Liverpool, is back as manager of Aston Villa. Eddie Howe returns after 18 months out of management, having been selected as the man to lead the Saudi-backed era at Newcastle. And then there바카라s Dean Smith, who was fired by Villa only to take a job six days later at last-placed Norwich.
Antonio Conte will be taking charge of only his second Premier League match at Tottenham. Another Italian, Claudio Ranieri, is only four games into his tenure at Watford.
Meanwhile, the manager who has had the most heat on him in recent weeks 바카라 Ole Gunnar Solskjaer 바카라 is still in his job at Manchester United, though a defeat at Watford on Saturday could leave the club바카라s hierarchy with little choice but to act.
Former United and England striker Michael Owen sees a downside in that, though.
바카라Only problem is, all the best ones (managers) are currently in jobs so good luck finding replacements,바카라 Owen wrote on Twitter. 바카라I can see another couple going this side of Christmas too바카라바카라바카라
One thing Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and the five recently hired managers have in common is their teams바카라 defensive records, which are among the worst in the league.
Norwich, Newcastle, Villa and Watford 바카라 in that order 바카라 have conceded the most goals this season, unsurprisingly leaving them in the bottom five in the standings alongside 18th-placed Burnley, whose manager, Sean Dyche, appears in no danger of getting fired given he signed in September a new contract until 2025.
Not that that will stop Howe going on the attack at Newcastle, continuing the philosophy he favored when at Bournemouth and the style of play adopted by Kevin Keegan바카라s so-called 바카라entertainers바카라 at St. James Park in the 1990s.
바카라I바카라d love to emulate some of their incredible attacking football,바카라 Eddie Howe said, words which would have immediately endeared him to Newcastle바카라s fans. 바카라That was a beautiful team to watch. I바카라d love to give the crowd some similarly special memories.
바카라My Bournemouth teams always tried to be on the front foot. And I바카라m not going to come here and be a different manager. It바카라ll take gradual steps but my training will certainly be very different and, ultimately, I want to see the type of football that entertains. I think that바카라s what Newcastle fans want, too.바카라
They바카라ll want winning football, too. After all, Newcastle is the only team without a victory after 11 rounds, leaving it tied with Norwich on five points 바카라 five from safety.
Eddie Howe바카라s first game in charge will be at home to Brentford, while Steven Gerrard also gets to start his tenure with a home match as Brighton visits Villa Park.
His links to Liverpool will forever follow him around and he has been widely tipped as a future manager of the club for whom he played 710 matches. But Gerrard was keen to stress on Thursday, at his presentation as Villa manager, that his focus was purely on his new team.
바카라Everyone knows around the world what Liverpool means to me,바카라 he said, 바카라but the focus and my commitment is very much on Aston Villa. I바카라ve said I바카라m all in, and I promise the supporters that바카라s the case.바카라
Dean Smith struggled to get Villa 바카라 the club he has supported all of his life 바카라 going this season after a reorganization of the team following the sale of its captain and star player, Jack Grealish. That is Gerrard바카라s immediate task.
As for Smith, he finds himself at a club faring even worse than Villa, albeit one coming off its first win of the season just before the international break when Norwich beat Brentford 2-1.
바카라Yes, it hasn바카라t been the greatest of starts, hence why I바카라m sat here,바카라 Smith said this week, fresh off a trip to New York in between switching jobs, 바카라but if you look at the teams who we had to play early on, it was tough.
바카라The win against Brentford was a big thing for the players. It should give them confidence to go on now.바카라
And unlike Eddie Howe, Dean Smith바카라s priority is fixing his new team바카라s defense, starting against Southampton on Saturday.
바카라We want to make defensive organization and structure stronger,바카라 he said. 바카라I think there바카라s enough quality. 바카라 We won바카라t go away from the type of football that the club has been known for, but fans should expect to see an organized, hard-working team who won바카라t leave anything out on the pitch.바카라
