Chris Hughton takes a tumble in Premier League Sack Race

In 2013 a dozen Premier League managers lost their jobs, while a whopping five have departed already this season. Pressure is an inescapable part of the modern game, which affects all managers from the Premier League right down to the non-league regional divisions. Unfortunately for those managing towards the upper spectrum of the English Football League system their future is constantly scrutinised and questioned in the unrelenting glare of the media spotlight.

In the last week Sam Allardyce has dominated the headlines following West Ham’s crushing domestic cup exits to Nottingham Forest and Manchester City, although on Saturday he conjured up a valuable victory at Cardiff to propel his side out of the relegation zone. As is often the case in football the attention has immediately been directed to another boss, which so happens to be Norwich City gaffer Chris Hughton, who is under-fire following a seven game winless run in all competitions.

At the start of the weekend Hughton was as long as 16/1 in the Sack Race but can now be found as low as 4/1 (Bet Victor) in the betting, although Allardyce remains the odds-on favourite for the sack.

The Canaries slumped to a 2-0 defeat at Everton on Saturday, leaving the Norfolk club just two points above the relegation zone in 15th. Their recent poor form will be a major worry, especially considering that their last victory was at the start of December, which is also the last time they scored more than one goal in a game.

At the moment Norwich are enjoying their third consecutive season in the top-flight but, like half the teams in the league, their Premier League status is under threat. The fight for survival is likely to go right down to the wire, with just six points currently separating 10th place Hull from rock-bottom Crystal Palace. At the time of writing the Canaries can be found at 11/4 with most bookmakers to suffer the drop down to the Championship.