Pressure Cooker Season Has an Early Kick-Off
Seven days into September and the Premier League's managerial rumour mill is already churning. The first sacking of the campaign might be closer than anyone wants to admit.
It is, of course, far too early for clubs to be seriously weighing up a change at the top. Yet the early-season pressure is already building on a handful of coaches who have stumbled out of the blocks in the new campaign. With so much at stake at both ends of the table, patience is in short supply.
Boards are more trigger-happy than ever when wielding the axe, and we may only be weeks away from the first sacking.
That is the view of David Tully, a football reporter for the last fifteen years who started out as an intern at Snack Media before going freelance. He took up his current role as content writer for the Football News Network at the start of 2023.
In his latest piece, Tully runs through the five Premier League managers currently considered most likely to lose their jobs. The list makes for grim reading for those involved, even this early in the piece.
One or two poor results can quickly turn a season toxic. With the financial gap between the top and bottom of the division wider than ever, paying off a manager is often seen as the cheapest available fix. It rarely is, but the temptation remains.
For City supporters, the managerial merry-go-round tends to be a source of quiet amusement rather than concern. The Blues have had the same man in the dugout for a while now, and there is little sign of that changing. Elsewhere, though, the vultures are already circling.
Which names feature in the top five? The full list is laid out in Tully's piece, with each coach's position assessed. Some will feel hard done by. Others may have seen this coming since pre-season.
Either way, the clock is ticking. The first casualty of the season could arrive before the leaves start turning.