Pulis favourite to be first top flight manager axed, although Alan Pardew and Francesco Guidolin also vulnerable
Tony Pulis has been one of the successful managers in the history of the Premier League. Yes, his teams have usually finished in the bottom half of the table, although his ability to keep Stoke City, Crystal Palace and West Brom in the top flight has been remarkable.
Pulis isn’t a quitter by nature, although the Welshman might feel as though his time at The Hawthorns is coming to an end. Indeed, the Premier League Sack Race market has him at 5/4 favourite with bet365, although William Hill go as short as 8/11 that he’s out of a job before his nineteen counterparts.
The problem is there for all to see. Pulis hasn’t been backed by the Baggies in the transfer window. Yes, the Albion manager received five extra players for the squad although there was a lack of “quality midfielder” and it might be that the former Potters boss doesn’t want to continue struggling with a squad of modest quality.
Alan Pardew is another manager whose odds have shortened since the season began and Crystal Palace have been on a downward trajectory throughout 2016, with the Eagles struggling for wins and goals during the calendar year.
The absence of a quality forward has been glaring and the arrival of Christian Benteke looks like a final throw of the dice for Pardew despite his strong affiliation with the club.
William Hill go 7/2 that the Eagles boss gets the chop first, although we prefer the chances of Francesco Guidolin at Swansea, with the Italian having seen his team lose successive matches against Hull and Leicester.
Like several other Premier League clubs, the Swans are under new ownership and we know that buyouts often lead to those in charge wanting to change a football manager for their own guy.
Guidolin was installed in odd circumstances last season after Garry Monk toiled away in the early part of the season, with chairman Huw Jenkins travelling far and wide before deciding on an Italian manager who was a virtual unknown outside of the UK.
At odds of 8/1, he looks vulnerable and the same could be said of Walter Mazzarri who has seen his Watford side take just a point from their opening three matches.
On the flip side, they did land a 1-1 draw at St Mary’s before narrow home defeats against Chelsea and Arsenal, with the Watford owners potentially about to allow their compatriot some more time after encouraging performances.
Claude Puel at Southampton is a 16/1 chance and the Frenchman will surely be given until Christmas to get things right at St Mary’s, while David Moyes is a similar price and has rolled his sleeves up in preparation for a relegation battle at the Stadium of Light.
Those six managers seem the most vulnerable at the moment and we’ll be watching how things unfold at The Hawthorns to see if the bookies are right to stay on the right side of Tony Pulis.
