sam allardyce

There has been a bit of turmoil at West Brom, as the Premier League side have parted company with manager Roberto Di Matteo. The Italian former Chelsea player, was a all a bit shocked at the news. Di Matteo becomes the Premier League’s fourth boss this year to lose his job, along with Chris Hughton, Roy Hodgson and Sam Allardyce. The board at West Brom had simply had enough by the looks of things, and it’s not too difficult to see why. It had all started so promisingly for the Baggies, including a great draw against Manchester United at Old Trafford. However, with a recent record of 13 defeats in their last 18 games, West Brom rapidly slipped down towards the bottom of the Premier League table. They are now in danger of going back down the Championship, unless someone can step in and strop the rot. The final straw for the West Brom board was a 3-0 defeat against Manchester City. That equated to just one win in their last eight matches, and with the worst defensive record in the league, the time has come for a change. Strangely, Di Matteo wanted to spend in the January transfer window, but the Baggies did not spend when they needed to. Maybe they just didn’t find the right fit, but they needed to bring in a little extra quality to fight off relegation, but Di Matteo was left empty handed after being the man who had gotten the Baggies back into the top flight.

It’s a tough life for managers in the Premier League, and now West Brom will be looking for a new permanent manager. The usual names will crop up, with deposed Newcastle boss Chris Hughton being favourite at the Bookies to take over at the club. There are mixed reports coming from the club though, and anyone who does get appointed will be working under their technical director Dan Ashworth, who seems to be absolved of all blame. Michael Appleton, the first team coach at West Brom has stepped in for the moment, but the club, who have had just four managers in eleven years, seems to be keen to get someone in the hot seat before they square off in a crucial battle against West Ham next weekend. Whoever comes in will definitely have to tighten up the defence, and run a much tighter ship in terms of tactics, as Di Matteo was quite brave with his offensive, open tactics. West Brom have cut their ties with Di Matteo in order to try and stop the bleeding of points at the club. So who will step into the breach?

Chris Hughton is favourite priced at 9/4 with Victor Chandler at the moment to be the man to try and save West Brom’s Premier League status. Temporary caretaker Michael Appleton looks to be in with a fair chance priced at 9/2 with SkyBet (remember Steve Kean at Blackburn!). Big Sam Allardyce, who was booted out of Blackburn when the club was taken over is also priced at 9/2 to be the next West Brom manager at Victor Chandler. Derek McInnes, current St Johnstone boss is well in the hunt at 7/1 with Victor Chandler. Martin Jol, whose name has been linked with just about everyone this season, is priced at 8/1 with Victor Chandler, and Gus Poyet, another former Chelsea man, currently at Brighton could be in with a good chance of a big promotion. Alan Curbishley, who has very good Premier League experience is fluctuating in prices between bookmakers, as short as 10/1 at some, but out at 20/1 with Victor Chandler.

With Manchester City’s Roberto Mancini enjoying a brief flutter at the top of the Premier League (albeit jointly with Arsenal), the odds on him being the next manager to leave his post has lengthened. This is understandable, with things looking just a little bit better than it was when they lost back to back Premier League matches. But with just one defeat in their last eight matches now, City are gathering momentum, and Mancini looks safe, even with all the fuss involving Carlos Tevez. Mancini has drifted right out to 16/1 with SkyBet to be the next manager to leave. So, with Chris Hughton shoved out of the door at Newcastle, and Sam Allardyce being booted out of Blackburn, to many people’s surprise, who will be the third man on the chopping block this season in the Premier League? The market is looking just a little bit different now. West Ham manager Avram Grant is now the man everyone expects will be out of his job next, as the club have given him an ultimatum to win at least one of their next three Premier League matches. Those next three matches are against Blackburn, Fulham and Everton, with the first two of them away from home. It really could be curtains on Grant before the New Year and he makes a sound bet and is favourite in the market at 1/2 with Victor Chandler. But Grant of course, is not the only man under pressure.

Liverpool boss Roy Hodgson saw another uninspired match during the week in the Reds Europa League match. Understandably, he sent out a second string side, but none of the players looked as if they were really pushing hard for a place in the starting eleven. After suffering a 3-1 thrashing at the hands of Newcastle in their last match, Hodgson still has a lot on his plate. Being priced at 5/1 with Paddy Power to be the next man out of a job in the Premier League, it looks as if you have to start asking whether he can fill the potential of the club. It doesn’t appear so, and being twelve points back from the top of the league, there is a big mountain to climb for Hodgson. What may just save him, is a decent run of games against weaker opposition during December, with Fulham, Blackpool and Wolves to come. What of Chelsea’s Carlo Ancelotti? The Blues are certainly not in any kind of title winning form, and have a tough December ahead with matches against Manchester United and Arsenal to come. Could the Italian be out of a job sooner than later? Things certainly are not going his way at the moment, it has to be said, and the team are lacking confidence. Ancelotti is as short as 7/1 at William Hill, but for best value can be taken at 14/1 at Victor Chandler. Could a  crushing defeat against Manchester United on the weekend, see him ejected by Roman Abramovich? The owner reportedly isn’t happy with his clubs performances and the pressure is on the cool Italian. This could be a big defining weekend in the Premier League, for more than one reason.

So, another manager falls by the wayside in the Premier League. After Chris Hughton got the chop from Newcastle, big Sam Allardyce has been given the boot by Blackburn. New owners Venky’s Group have immediately put their stamp on the club, by firing Sam Allardyce, who is a little shocked and surprised by the move. It’s not as if Blackburn have been doing terribly with four wins out of their last seven matches, but it clearly isn’t good enough. That’s the fickle world of Premier League football management again, and while Blackburn were never going to be threatening for a top six finish, they should comfortably be around mid table and are only just three points off seventh place in the league as it stands at the moment. Allardyce was dealt the news after dropping by to see the Chairman. He was not expecting that, but the new owners clearly have a direction which they want to take, and they want Blackburn to be bigger players in the English Premier League than they are at the moment. Everyone seems sorry that Allardyce, one of the great figures of football management has left, but business is business and in has come Scotsman Steve Kean as caretaker boss (stepping up from first team coach). He fills the breach while the owners wait to put a new manager in the hot seat and Kean represents a decent bet at 11/2 with Unibet as next full time boss, as he has a chance to prove himself.

So it is betting time again on a Premier League manager, for who will succeed Allardyce, who really has done nothing wrong, but is merely a consequence of the takeover. Well, perhaps the 7-1 hammering by Manchester United didn’t help, nor the loss against rivals Bolton on the weekend. But don’t forget, even though he prefers straight forward tactics, that Allardyce has been touted as the next potential England manager, but if your face doesn’t fit, then you are out. Will this be the start of a Premier League managerial shuffle? Will Avram Grant be the next to go from bottom side West Ham, leaving the door open for a quick return to a job for Allardyce? Is this a great opportunity for ex Newcastle boss Chris Hughton to step straight back into business. So who may step into the fold to replace Allardyce? You would tend to think that the new owners will have someone in mind if they want the club to go in a certain direction, but the list of prime candidates doesn’t really scream of domestic and European success on the horizon. Apparently they are mainly looking for an English manager to take the club to the top, however, that hasn’t stopped a foreigner topping the list of betting odds.

Martin Jol – 6/1 at Victor Chandler

Has been linked with everyone from Fulham, Liverpool and Newcastle over the past six months, so no surprise to see him top of the list. Still doesn’t make a viable bet though, because why would he leave such a promising Ajax side, who have great potential for another Champions League appearance for a mid table England Premier League side? Money? Is that enough? Unlikely.

Chris Hughton – 20/1 at Unibet

Arguably deserves another chance in England’s top flight after being shown the door by Newcastle. His dismissal was not popular at all, and is generally well liked. Great potential as a future top flight manager, but will the new Blackburn owners be ready to put their trust is a relative novice, or will they look for more experience? He will be a bold choice, but possibly did enough with Newcastle to warrant a job. Would likely take them forward.

Martin O’Neill – 12/1 at Victor Chandler

The man to steady the ship perhaps, as you know what you are going to get from him. Has been around the block and has been relatively successful wherever he goes. O’Neill actually makes the most sense if the club wants to go forward. Did wonders for Villa in making them a hard team to beat, but will he return to management anytime soon? Seems like a good fit, even though he would probably only turn Blackburn into the Aston Villa that we saw last season, as opposed to strong European challengers.

Alan Curbishly – 14/1 at Paddy Power

Well respected and has experience in the Premier League, well liked and could also make a good fit. Hasn’t pushed the envelope in terms of managing a top team in the Premier League, but that’s not what Blackburn are. The new owners need to do this in stages and put faith in someone who is going to stick around, and who they are going to stick with. More likely to return to action than O’Neill really, and could be worth an outside punt.

There are three things certain in life: death, taxes and a Premier League manager being relieved of his duties before the end of the season. There were surprisingly few sackings last season as clubs looked for continuity in the English top flight, although the bookies will be expecting to price up this market several times as the campaign progresses.

It’s no surprise to see Newcastle United manager Chris Hughton feature as favourite (11/2 Ladbrokes) across the board, despite leading the Magpies to the Championship title last season. Indeed, he’s as short as 4/1 with William Hill to win this unwanted race and will come under pressure if the north-east club don’t get off to a fast start.

However, you might think that the board will stick with someone who couldn’t have done any better last term and there are more viable candidates. It will certainly be interesting to see what happens at Manchester City with such high expectations from the club’s owners and Roberto Mancini is as short as 4/1 (Paddy Power) to be axed first. However, you can currently get 7/1 with Ladbrokes if you think the Italian might suffer a similar fate to Mark Hughes last term.

Roberto Martinez struggled to keep Wigan afloat in the Premier League last season and there are many people (myself included) who think that the Spaniard’s tactical approach is not particularly effective when it comes to survival in the top flight. William Hill go 7/1 that he wins this unwanted Sack Race, while Mick McCarthy (14/1 William Hill) is another man likely to be feeling the pressure if Wolves get off to a slow start.

It’s interesting to note that there’s a big disparity between odds when it comes to Owen Coyle. The Scot left Burnley for Bolton last season and the supporters will be expecting him to steer Wanderers towards mid-table and beyond. However, the signing of Martin Petrov might not prevent them from floundering again and totesport’s 22/1 about him being the next Premier League manager out of a job looks like a big price. Ladbrokes go just 10/1 – perhaps they know something!

Alex Ferguson (80/1 totesport) and Arsene Wenger (66/1 Paddy Power) look to be among the untouchables and they will probably choose to stand down at the end of a season rather than halfway through a campaign. Carlo Ancelotti (40/1 totesport) is probably slightly less safe, although the most attractive outsider is Martin O’Neill (16/1 William Hill) who has regularly been linked with a departure from Villa Park. Perhaps the Irishman might feel that he’s taken the club as far as  possible this season, while the potential departures of Luke Young and James Milner could push him over the edge.

Sam Allardyce (16/1 Paddy Power), Steve Bruce (16/1 totesport) and Avram Grant (25/1 William Hill) have managed several clubs between them in the Premier League, although they seem to have the backing of their respective chairmen.

David Sullivan and David Gold have recently bought 50% of West Ham United and the bookmakers are sensing a wind of change at Upton Park. The club are heavily in debt to the tune of over £100 million and, although Sullivan claimed this week that Gianfranco Zola’s position as manager is safe until the end of the season, firms have taken a more cynical view. Paddy Power offer 6/4 that the Italian is the next Premier League manager to leave his post and Sky Bet go even shorter with their quote of 5/4. The former Chelsea striker is a popular figure with Hammers supporters, although it’s possible that the new owners will want to draft in their own candidate.

Indeed, Sky Bet have created a ‘Next West Ham Manager’ market and the strong favourite is Mark Hughes. The UK-based bookmaker offer just 10/11 that the former Manchester City manager is brought in and the Welshman did perform minor miracles at Blackburn Rovers with a shoestring budget. Despite being Zola’s predecessor, Sky Bet have Alan Curbishley next on the list at 7/1, with former Hammer Slaven Bilic also available at these odds and declaring an interesting in English football management.

Meanwhile, Rafael Benitez is unsurprisingly short at 5/2 (Paddy Power) on the ‘Next Manager to Leave’ market, although the Spaniard has been trading at short odds before and lived to tell the tale. It appears that the Liverpool manager had a vote of confidence from co-owner George Gillett this week, who described him as ‘one of the world’s top managers’. It doesn’t appear as though any exit from Anfield is imminent, although this is a bet that might be profitable if no other manager steps down between now and May.

There doesn’t appear to be too many other managers whose positions are in threat at the moment, although Sky Bet don’t think Sam Allardyce is out of the woods despite Blackburn’s recent 2-0 win over Fulham. They offer 5/1 that the former Bolton gaffer is the next to walk, although Paddy Power are happy to lay him at odds of 9/1. His former number two Phil Brown is also required to produce the results that will keep the Tigers in the Premier League or face the sack and Paddy Power go 7/1 about the Hull manager which is the same as Sky Bet.

Meanwhile, Sky Bet have created a number of other manager specials, including Next Liverpool Manager. Unsurprisingly, Kenny Dalglish is 5/2 favourite as he’s the obvious temporary successor to Benitez, although Guus Hiddink (5/2) and Jose Mourinho (3/1) are more viable candidates to assume the Anfield hotseat. Perhaps the Special One is waiting for Sir Alex Ferguson to vacate the Old Trafford manager’s position, with Sky Bet making him 3/1 co-favourite to manage Manchester United next. Martin O’Neill also appears to be in the running.