It was a weekend of managerial upheaval in the Premier League after both Brendan Rodgers and Dick Advocaat left their respective jobs.
Rodgers’ Liverpool side earned a point against their Merseyside rivals Everton on Sunday – a result that leaves the Reds in tenth position in the Premier League. It is rumoured that the decision to sack the Irishman had already been made prior to the game starting, and the club’s owner John W Henry said that ‘it had been a difficult decision, but we believe it provides us with the best opportunity for success on the pitch.’
Elsewhere, Dutchman Advocaat decided to leave his post after Sunderland let a two-goal lead slip against West Ham on Saturday. That result left the Black Cats without a win after eight games of the campaign, and Advocaat said that he had made the decision to leave ‘….as I felt it was important to give everyone time to turn things around.’
Liverpool & Sunderland: Next In Line
Liverpool’s board of directors have already made it plain that they want Champions League football this season, and so their next managerial appointment will reflect such ambition. The early favourites are Jurgen Klopp and Carlo Ancelotti (11/4), with the German as short as 3/10 after it was confirmed that Henry and his colleagues would be seeking talks with the former Borussia Dortmund boss.
The betting market for Sunderland’s new manager is a lot less straightforward, however, with a number of early candidates priced up. ‘Big Sam’ Allardyce (6/5) has been installed as the early bookmakers’ favourite, and his Premier League pedigree would be greatly appreciated by a club battling for their top flight status as early as October. Allardyce turned out for Sunderland during his playing career too, and has plenty of unfinished business after leaving West Ham under a cloud in the summer.
Alternatively, Nigel Pearson (7/1) – who guided Leicester City to Premier League safety last season after winning five of his last seven games in charge, Harry Redknapp (16/1) and of course Rodgers himself (6/1) are all without a club and freely available, whilst talented ‘youngsters’ Sean Dyche (7/2), Patrick Vieira (11/1) and Eddie Howe (16/1) are also in the mix.
Mourinho Meltdown
The departures of Rodgers and Advocaat have led to Jose Mourinho moving into second place in the ‘Next Manager to Leave Post’ market after his Chelsea side suffered another humbling home defeat, this time to a rampant Southampton.
That result leaves the Blues languishing in 16th place in the league – seven points off the Champions League places and a whopping ten from the top spot. As ever, Mourinho was in bullish mood, telling Sky Sports that ‘if the club want to sack me, they have to sack me because I am not running away from my responsibilities, from my team and from my conviction,’ in a passionate seven minute monologue. You can back Roman Abramovich to do just that from as short as 3/1.
Perhaps unsurprisingly it is Steve McClaren who is the favourite in this market however, with his Newcastle side yet to register a Premier League victory in 2015/16 after a 6-1 routing at the hands of Manchester City on Saturday. The artist formerly known as the ‘Wally with the Brolly’ only joined the Magpies in the summer, but for a club not known for their patience in tough times McClaren’s price of 6/4 looks fair value.