Premier League Sack Race: 5 managers who could be fired before the end of the season
With less than 20 games remaining in the 2019-20 edition of the Premier League, things are getting tense for struggling managers at the top and the bottom of the table. Thus far in the current season, 6 bosses have lost their jobs – ranging from Javi Gracia, whose Watford side were stuck to the bottom of the table, to Mauricio Pochettino, who took Tottenham to the Champions League final just months before he was dismissed.
So will there be more victims of the Premier League’s ruthless sack race before the season is out? With teams desperate to stave off the threat of relegation – or equally desperate to secure a Champions League spot for next season – it’s definitely possible.
Here are 5 Premier League managers who could be fired before the end of the season.
1. David Moyes
It seems almost inconceivable that West Ham could join Watford in firing two different managers during 2019-20, but right now the Hammers are on a terrible run, and that means that David Moyes – who was only appointed at the London Stadium on December 29th – could be out of a job before the season is out.
Usually, clubs who appoint a new boss get at least a temporary boost in form – Nigel Pearson’s arrival at Watford, for instance, saw a tremendous turnaround for them, while Jose Mourinho oversaw 4 wins in 5 matches after arriving at Tottenham – but that simply hasn’t happened in the case of Moyes, who won his first game in charge but has failed to pick up a league win since.
The biggest issue is that West Ham haven’t even had what could be described as tricky matches in the month that Moyes has been in charge. Sure, there are no easy games in the Premier League, but the Hammers have faced none of the ‘Big Six’ since his arrival – and against Leicester this week they were simply diabolical in a 4-1 loss.
More worryingly for Hammers fans, their side are set to face off against Liverpool – twice – and Manchester City within their next 4 fixtures. Lose all 3 of those games and the threat of relegation would become very, very real. That’s something that simply wouldn’t be acceptable to West Ham’s owners – who have spent a lot of money, almost £100m this season alone, on attempting to help their club up the table rather than down.
Unless he can turn their results around quickly, Moyes’s second reign at the London Stadium could be over practically before it’s really begun.