The Sack Race » the sack race

The Sacking Season Begins

jkitson — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 08:52:58 +0000

Statistics from the League Managers Association (LMA) have revealed that on average a quarter of all professional managers lose their jobs between October and February. Furthermore, figures show that between October 2010 and February 2011 25 clubs sacked their respective managers, with October pinpointed as the month of doom. It is thought that the reason behind this is because it gives an indicator of how a team is performing as we approach the quarter-season mark, therefore making it an extremely nervy time for those in the job.

So far this season there have been five football managers who have either been pushed or shoved. At the end of August Peter Jackson became the first manager to leave his post in the 2011/12 season when he left Bradford City. Plymouth Argyle removed Peter Reid on September 18^th and five days later Sean O’Driscoll was replaced by Dean Saunders at Doncaster Rovers. This month there has already been two casualties with Steve McClaren resigning as manager of Nottingham Forest last Sunday and Keith Millen departing Bristol City just a day later.

Recent figures by the LMA have revealed that Premier League and Football League clubs spent almost £100m changing managers last season, with the majority of costs due to compensation, legal fees and double contracts. This is a staggering amount of money that club’s are willing to pay to change managers and explicitly highlights what is wrong with the modern game. Media scrutiny and the advent of social networking sites such as Twitter have heaped a huge amount of pressure on today’s managers. In a society characterised by instant gratification managers are expected to deliver results on tap with a few negative results often resulting in rash decisions from club chairman and owners. But, as is so often mentioned, football is a results driven business and ultimately fingers point towards the manager when a team is stuttering.

There has, perhaps surprisingly given the cutthroat nature of the Premier League, not been a single managerial change in England’s tip flight so far this season. At present the Next Premier League Manager To Be Sacked betting market indicates that it is Blackburn Rovers boss Steve Kean who is in the most trouble with short odds of 4/7 to depart first. Also in the running are the likes of Steve Bruce (Sunderland), Owen Coyle (Bolton) with even Arsenal’s Arsene Wenger under heavy scrutiny early on. One thing is for certain, The Sack Race is now fully underway so we can expect more drama to follow after the international break.

Current Active Betting Markets

Community Shield Win Leaves United and Ferguson In Great Shape Ahead Of Premier League Defence

sraymond — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 09:03:18 +0000

Mancini will be hoping City can challenge United this season

The scoreline at Wembley may have been close as Man united over came Man City 3-2 to win the Community Shield but in truth it was something of a demoralising day for the blue half of Manchester, they were comprehensively outplayed by their more illustrious neighbours as united produced a performance to delight Sir Alex Ferguson. Prior to the match both Managers were quick to play down the importance of the Community Shield on the upcoming season but Ferguson could not hide his delight as Nani rounded Joe Hart in injury time to secure the win having seen his team come from two down at half time.

It is true to say that the Community Shield is no more than a pre-season curtain raiser but it is worth noting that the last four winners of the Shield have gone onto win the Premier League and based on their performance on Sunday, United look the team to beat once again. Ferguson has spent big money in the Summer bringing in the likes of Ashley Young, Phil Jones and David De Gea but the most impressive performances came from Tom Cleverley and Danny Welbeck who have returned to Old Trafford after a season out on loan. Ferguson may well have pulled off another masterstroke with the two young players who impressed in the Premier League last campaign, they could prove to be the best additions to the United squad this season following one or two high profile retirements recently.

Time and time again Ferguson has proven the master at building success at Old Trafford and he will be confident they can claim their 20th title this season, they were too good last year and with doubts surrounding their major rivals United have to be the team to beat once again. Paddy Power have been quick to react to the Community Shield win and have shortened the Champions who and are now priced at 7/4 to win the league while City are available at 7/2 with Paddy Power to win the title. In contrast to Ferguson, Roberto Mancini will be slightly worried after their Wembley defeat as he looks to improve on their third place finish, they do have Sergio Aguero to come in to the team but they looked way off the pace compared to their city rivals and will need to improve and quickly if they are to challenge.

There is no doubt that so far Roberto Mancini has done a great jog at City, he has spent the money wisely while managing to gel the team together but he now looks to be facing up to his toughest task since joining the blue half of Manchester. He will need to balance out their new Champions League commitments with the owners desire to challenge United for the title and while their squad is a strong as any they will need to learn quickly at the highest level if they are to upset the Manchester apple cart.

Man United Betting Markets 2011/12 with Paddy Power

7/4 – United to win the Premier League
10/11 – United to win no trophies
12/1 – United to win the Premier League FA cup Double
14/1 – United to win the Premier League League Cup Double
300/1 – United to win the Premier League, Fa Cup, League Cup and Champions League

All Markets supplied by Paddy Power.com

Argentina and Sergio Batista Part Company After Poor Copa America Campaign

sraymond — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 10:22:45 +0000

Any major tournament tends to bring with it a number of casualties and the 2011 Copa America has proven no different after it was announced that Sergio Batista had left his job as head coach of Argentina. Batista has payed the price for the poor performance of the team through the competition, they were knocked out on penalties in the last eight by eventual winners Uruguay. The high expectations placed on the team were simply not met and Batista has paid the ultimate price, the Argentinian FA have however been quick to say he has not been sacked rather that his contract has been ‘rescinded’.

Batista had only been in the role since taking over Diego Maradona last year but already they are now left searching for a Manager who is capable of getting the best out of a very strong squad. One of the main negatives surrounding the performances of Argentina at the Copa America was the below par form of Lionel Messi, the Barcelona player has proven himself as the best player in the world over the past few years but he just failed to sparkle and the blame for for that has been placed on the lap of Sergio Batista.

Attention of course now turns to any potential successor to Batisita and while there are no clear favourites at this stage there is no doubt that Diego Maradona will be a name mentioned. The great man was of course in charge of the team up until the World Cup this year and most were disappointed to see him leave the job after the team played some nice football in South Africa. Maradona can of course do no wrong in his native country but he left the job last time with a bitter taste in his mouth after following out with plennty of important people and ther have to be some doubts as to whether or not he will return to the hot seat. The key for Argentina will be to start preparing for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil which is now only three days away, there is no doubt they have all the talent needed to win a World Cup and with it being relatively close to home they will be desperate to make the most of a golden generation of players.

Alex McLeish 13/8 Not To Last The Season At Aston Villa After Birmingham Switch

sraymond — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 10:45:37 +0000

The most controversial managerial switch of the Summer involved Alex McLeish leaving his job at Birmingham only to hot foot it across the city to join rivals Aston Villa to the dismay of both sets of fans. It has to be said that the initial hysteria from Villa fans about the appointment of McLeish has slightly died down but he more than any other Manager in the Premier League knows that a quick start to the new season is absolutely essential for his long term employment opportunities. McLeish went from hero to zero at Birmingham with the ecstasy of their Carling Cup win at Wembley followed by a dip in form which eventually saw them relegated back to the Championship in May.

Villa made it clear they wanted Alex Mcleish and he was quick to jump at the chance to stay in the Premier League despite the fact it meant he would be heading to Birmingham’s biggest rivals. It’s clear there is not a massive amount of money on offer for McLeish at Villa but the expectation for a top eight place is still there and the notoriously demanding Villa fans will put even more pressure on Mcleish if the team struggle in the early part of the campaign. It has already been a tough summer for McLeish having lost his two best players in Ashley Young and Stewart Downing and Paddy Power have taken note of that and make him as short as 13/8 not to last to the end of his first season at Villa Park.

Many would consider a top half finish something of a success for McLeish and Aston Villa this season but that is unlikely to be enough for Villa fans who started to get twitchy when Martin O’Neill led them to successive sixth place finishes a few years back. McLeish does have a goalscorer in his squad in Darren Bent but with Young and Downing departing he will hope there is still enough creativity at the club. A good cup run will help McLeish to settle in and the team can be backed to win any trophy this season, Paddy Power are offering a short looking 12/1 about Villa winning some silverware this season with punters in affect backing the Villains to win either the FA or League Cup. All eyes will be on Villa Park this season as we get ready to view a soap opera that could be one of the most intriguing sub-plots of the new Premier League season, the bookmakers are not convinced he will be a success and it remains to be seen whether they will be proved right.

Alex McLeish Aston Villa Betting Specials with Paddy Power

4/9 – McLeish to still be in charge on final day of 2011/12 Premier League season
13/8 – McLeish not to be in charge of Villa on final day of 2011/12 Premier League season
12/1 – Aston Villa to win any trophy during the 2011/12 season
8/1 – McLeish to be the first Premier League Manager sacked after the start of the new season
10/1 – Villa to score 38 or less Premier League goals during the 2011/12 season

All markets supplied by Paddy Power.com

Chris Hughton Facing Uphill Struggle At Birmingham Following Premier League Relegation

sraymond — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 08:28:15 +0000

It was only a matter of months ago that Birmingham were enjoying one of their best moments in their history when Alex McLeish led the club to Carling Cup success at Wembley Stadium. Since then it has all gone wrong for the Blues with relegation from the top flight followed by the departure of the Manager, the owner being arrested for money laundering and a host of the clubs best players running for the exit. Chris Hughton has been appointed as the man to steady the ship at St Andrews with promotion back to the Premier League expected for a club of their size, it will not be easy though as he looks to rebuild a squad severely depleted and capable of challenging.

We have already seen Seb Larsson and Craig Gardner head to Sunderland, Roger Johnson move down the road to wolves and a number of other players like Scott Dann, Ben Foster, Cameron Jerome and Liam Ridgewell all expected to follow quickly before the transfer window slams shut. This highlights the task facing Hughton with the new season on the horizon and with next to no money to bring new players in, he will have to use his knowledge to bring in some nice free transfers and loan signings if he is to repeat the trick he pulled off at Newcastle by leading them to promotion. Hughton was in a very similar position at St James Park when he was in charge of Newcastle and that will be of comfort to Birmingham fans who are looking to bounce straight back to the Premier League.

On the face of it Birmingham are arguably the biggest club in the Championship but with big spending teams like Leicester fighting it out with the likes of West Ham and Notts Forest among others it looks a hot Championship this season with only three teams able to go up. Birmingham do have European football to look forward to following their Carling Cup success but it could prove to be a hindrance for Hughton with the squad already starting to look thin and he will be worried it will have an adverse affect on their promotion push. At the moment Birmingham are being rated as a 3/1 chance with Paddy Power to gain promotion while they are available at a short looking 11/1 with the same firm to win the Championship this season. Hughton is a good appointment for Birmingham, he has proven his teams perform well under pressure and that shoudl be taken into account but it maybe that he finds the task at St Andrews his toughest yet over the next few weeks and months.

Dalglish Under Pressure To Deliver Trophies As Spending At Liverpool Continues

sraymond — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 10:14:45 +0000

Kenny Dalglish seems to have brought the good times back to Liverpool since taking charge of the squad back in January but he knows more than anyone that he will be expected to improve the fortunes of the team this season. Dalglish took charge of the club for the second time at the start of the year after the disastrous reign of Roy Hodgson was finally brought to an end by the owners. The fortunes of the team immediately improved as Dalglish installed confidence into the team with a sixth place finish considered something of a success, he has followed that with a number of big name buys over the Summer and a good start to the new campaign is now of critical importance.

Already over the summer we have seen Kenny Dalglish and Damien Commoli bringing in Jordan Henderson, Charlie Adam and Stewart Downing for big money and that big spending could see another one or two heading to Anfield before the end of the transfer window. They all look to be good signings with the squad looking pretty strong but Dalglish will know that he will need to deliver the results this season with Champions League qualification the minimum requirement. Liverpool are without European football this season but SkyBet believe they will bounce back and they are offering Evens that Liverpool will finish in the top four for the 2011/12 season.

Champions League qualification would be considered a successful season for Liverpool but Dalglish will of course want to add a trophy or two to the cabinet at the first opportunity. Without European football, Liverpool are expected to put more focus on the League and FA Cups this season and SkyBet.com are offering 7/2 about the Reds winning either the FA Cup or the League Cup during the upcoming campaign. That could prove decent value if the new signings settle in well while it is also important to remember that the likes of Steven Gerrard and Andy Carroll should be back to full fitness and ready to hit the ground running after struggling for fitness over the past few months. It looks set to be a fascinating season at Anfield and in the Premier League in general as the likes of Liverpool and Spurs look to fight back against the top four from last season.

Liverpool Special Bets 2011/12 Season with Skybet

2/7 – No Trophies
Evens – Top Four Finish
7/2 – FA Cup or League Cup
5/2 – Win Any Major Trophy
66/1 – FA Cup and League Cup
80/1 – Premier League and FA Cup
80/1 – Premier League and League Cup
400/1 – Premier League, FA Cup and League Cup

All markets supplied by SkyBet.com

Terry Butcher A Short Price In Tight Looking Next SPL Manger To Leave Betting

sraymond — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 08:36:03 +0000

It barely seems five minutes since the end of last season but already we are gearing up for a new campaign north of the border with the 2011/12 SPL season about to get underway. All the SPL Managers have been busy getting their squads ready for the big kick-off and they will know that a decent start will be vital if they are to have a successful season in the top flight. At the moment there is a three-way tie at the head of the betting from Paddy Power as punters look to get involved with the Next SPL Manager To Leave Their Post Market, perhaps the biggest name under threat is Inverness Caledonian Thistle boss Terry Butcher who looks to be facing an uphill struggle at the Caledonian Stadium.

Inverness had a fairly decent season last year under Butcher as they maintained their top flight status with a mid-table position, he will find it tough to improve on that this season though and that is reflected in his price of 9/2 with Paddy Power to be the first Manager of the season to get the high jump. There are two other Managers currently also available at 9/2 as the bookmakers struggle to pick a favourite at this stage of the season, Danny Lennon of St Mirren and Kenny Shiels of Kilmarnock also know that a good start to the season is essential to their future job prospects according to Paddy Power.

The main story in the SPL will of course be the battle between Rangers and Celtic and we have a new ingredient this season as Ally McCoist takes sole charge of his first campaign with Rangers, he has been a successful Assistant to Walter Smith over the past few years but following the retirement of Smith he now takes the hot seat on his own. It will be an interesting time at Ibrox with McCoist under pressure to continue the good form of the team over the past few years, Paddy Power rate McCoist as a 14/1 shot to be the first SPL Manager to leave his post this season and that may attract a little bit of money over the next few days. McCoist is a legend at Ibrox and he is likely to be given plenty of time to build a new squad at the club if he struggles over the first half of the season, the blue half of Glasgow have won the League for the past three years and McCoist will be desperate to make that four in-a-row this year.

First SPL Manager To Leave Their Post During The 2011/12 Season

9/2 – Terry Butcher
9/2 – Kenny Shiels
9/2 – Danny Lennon
5/1 – Derek McInnes
8/1 – Jim Jefferies
9/1 – Stuart McCall
9/1 – Peter Houston
10/1 – Jim McIntyre
14/1 – Ally McCoist
14/1 – Craig Brown
20/1 – Neil Lennon

All Markets including supplied by Paddy Power.com (Not including Colin Calderwood)

Andre Villas-Boas Even Money To Win a Major Trophy In His First Season At Chelsea

sraymond — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 08:46:41 +0000

Chelsea have taken something of a leap of faith in appointing 33 year-old Andre Villas-Boas as their new Manager and the former Porto Boss will know that he will need to hit the ground running at Stamford Bridge this season. The Blues were quick to dispense with Carlo Ancelotti after he failed to lift a trophy last season and that was despite the fact he had led the team to the Premier League and FA cup Double just 12 months previously. Villas-Boas is coming off a fantastic season at Porto where he led the team to a magnificent four trophies, this included an unbeaten season at home in the domestic league, it will be a struggle to match those feats in England but he will need to start well if he is to get the board on side.

There will be plenty of attention on Andre Villas-Boas when he takes his Chelsea team to stoke on the opening day of the season for what promises to be a tough debut in England, the bookmakers are predicting he will do well though with Paddy Power rating him as an Even Money shot to win a Major Trophy in his first season in England. The main aim for Chelsea as always will be to put together a good run in the Champions League and it will be interesting to see how they fare with a Manger in charge who has little experience in Europe’s biggest competition. Roman Abramovich has craved Champions League success for years now and while they have come incredibly close they are yet to lift the big one, Andre Villas-Boas will know that if he can lead the Blues to Champions League success he will have met expectations.

It will be a massive task for Villas-Boas to lead Chelsea to Champions League glory but Paddy Power are clearly keen to stay on the right side of Chelsea, the Irish bookmaker make the Blues a 2/1 shot to lift the Champions League trophy at some point during the tenure of Andre Villas-Boas. It will be interesting to see how Villas-Boas manages to take charge of a team full of star names while under so much pressure to start well, much will be expected of the squad this season how handles the likes of Fernando Torres, Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba could be crucial to their chances. Torres in particular is an important player for Chelsea this season, he was bought for a massive fee of £50million in January but only succeeded in carrying on his poor form from Liverpool through the season half of the campaign.

Andre Villas-Boas Chelsea Manager Betting Specials with Paddy Power

Evens – Villas-Boas to win a Major trophy in his first season
2/1 – Chelsea to win the Champions League during the tenure of Villas-Boas
1/7 – Villas-Boas to be in charge of Chelsea at the end of the 2011/12 season
4/1 – Villas-Boas not to be in charge of Chelsea at the end of 2011/12 season

All markets supplied by Paddy Power.com

Phil Parkinson Sacked As Manager Of Charlton Atheltic

sraymond — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 14:13:43 +0000

Another day brings another management casualty at the moment and the latest Manager picking up his P45 is Phil Parkinson who has been sacked as Manager of Charlton Athletic after a poor run of results. Following the recent takeover of the club it appears that Parkinson has been shown the door with the team currently in the League one play-off places, the final nail in the coffin was the 4-2 defeat at home to Swindon on Monday night and it was a reuslt greeted by a chorus of boos at the final whistle. It was a limp display by Charlton and included with a poor run over Christmas and New Year has seen Parkinson leave the club along with his backroom staff.

Most clubs would be satisfied a place in the play-offs turning into the New Year but Charlton have clearly set a goal of promotion or bust and the owners seem to be acting now to avoid the club slipping any further down the table. At the moment Brighton appear to be well clear at the top of the table meaning only one more automatic spot is on offer and Charlton believe they should be the ones to take advantage. At this stage though there is any number of teams in competition for promotion with just six points covering Southampton in 2nd and Colchester all the way down in 11. Charlton will be aiming to appoint a new Manager with that in mind over the coming weeks as they look to get back to the Championship, a run of two or three wins for any team in the top half will see them emerge as genuine promotion candidates over the second half of the season.

Parkinson had been in charge of Charlton since November 2008 but has failed to take them back to promotion and at this early stage the Sack Race understands that Dennis Wise is one name being linked to the vacancy at the Valley. The Wise link comes with Tony Jiminez who he worked with at Newcastle and is now a director on the board at Charlton, Wise has been out of the game for some time but he is a big name and would be able to attract a good standard of player to the club. If Wise is appointed to the hotseat at the Valley then he will be made aware that promotion is the minimum standard for the Addicks this season and he would need to hit the ground running as he looks to turn around the alarming dip in form that Charlton have suffered over the past month.

Next Charlton Athletic Manager Odds with VC Bet – 05/01/2011

Dennis Wise – 2/7
Gus Poyet – 5/1
Steve Clarke – 11/1
Kevin Blackwell – 12/1
Chris Hughton – 12/1
Eddie Howe – 12/1
Paul Tisdale – 12/1
Paulo Sousa – 12/1
Kevin Blackwell – 12/1
Keith Peacock – 12/1
Paulo Di Canio – 14/1
Gareth Southgate – 14/1
Alan Curbishley – 16/1
Brian Laws – 16/1
Phil Brown – 16/1
Darren Ferguson – 16/1
Andy Scott – 20/1
Gary Megson – 20/1
Mark McGhee – 20/1

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All markets supplied by Victor Chandler

Darren Ferguson leaves Preston North End

rsmith — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 17:22:02 +0000

Preston North End have parted company with manager Darren Ferguson twelve months to the day that they sacked his predecessor, Alan Irvine. Ferguson leaves PNE at the foot of the Championship, five points from safety turning in to the new year after the club suffered its 13th defeat of the season at home to Middlesbrough.

Ferguson, who was sacked by Peterborough United in November of last year arrived at Preston in January and guided the Deepdale club to safety. However, a dismal season thus far has seen the Lilywhites back in a relegation battle and Chairman Maurice Lindsay together with the club’s owner, Sir Trevor Hemmings, obviously see the club’s battle for survival in the hands of another manager after Darren, the son of Machester United boss, Sir Alex Ferguson, has managed just 13 victories in his 49 games at the helm.

The early rumour about the person expected to replace Ferguson Jr is Paul Jewell, who has a close relationship with Chairman Lindsay following his time at Wigan Athletic. After being out of work for two years, Jewell is believed to be ready to return the management and a job in the Championship is sure to appeal. Another name favoured by Preston fans is that of Michael Appleton, a first team coach at West Brom and former Preston player but whether a first time appointment would be favoured by the board in the current circumstances remains to be seen.

Next Preston North End Manager Odds with VC Bet – 04/01/2011

Paul Jewell – 9/4
Billy Davies – 7/2
Phil Brown – 7/2
Paul Hart – 15/2
David Unsworth – 10/1
Gordon Strachan – 11/1
Tony Adams – 12/1
Sammy McIlroy – 12/1
Andy Scott – 14/1
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Betting Market supplied by Victor Chandler