Premier League sack race: Ten Hag back in top spot but Hodgson the last to go
It is with heavy heart we must now report it is official that no more Premier League managers will lose their jobs this season. Hurray for continued employment.
1) Erik ten Hag (Manchester United)
The whole ‘let teams have all the shots against us and maybe they will tire themselves out’ tactic finally seemed to yield precisely the results one might expect. It didn’t work for Homer Simpson and it isn’t working for Erik ten Hag, who still nevertheless stumbled grimly through until the bitter end of a season that now looks set to end with Manchester United failing to qualify for Europe unless something hugely unexpected/funny happens in the FA Cup final.
READ: The leading contenders to be next Manchester United manager if they sack Erik ten Hag
2) David Moyes (West Ham)
Definitely leaving in the summer and pretty much definitely being replaced by Julen Lopetegui, with West Ham’s season fully petering out towards the end.
3) Chris Wilder (Sheffield United)
He was always the Blades’ Plan B but there was no Plan C, aside from probably giving Paul Heckingbottom another crack.
4) Vincent Kompany (Burnley)
Burnley blew a surprising late chance to get out of trouble, and we were once again firmly in ‘best man to get us back up’ territory to explain the Clarets’ reticence to part with Kompany. They may well be right there, but there’s also a fair bit of retrofitting going on. Nobody predicted Burnley would go down this meekly despite multiple rivals suffering with points penalties and such.
5) Nuno Espirito Santo (Nottingham Forest)
Did just about done enough to keep Forest up and is thus safe until maybe September.
6) Jurgen Klopp (Liverpool)
A lesser version of the Moyes effect at play here, now the farewell quadruple is a farewell single.
Who will replace Jurgen Klopp as Liverpool manager?
7=) Eddie Howe (Newcastle)
There seemed like a possible chance something might get moving during a difficult winter but Newcastle kept the faith internally and were rewarded.
7=) Mauricio Pochettino (Chelsea)
Ended the season pretty well, and needed to. Not to survive this one – that was pretty clear some time ago – but to give himself a fighting chance of starting the next one, which he will now surely do. Owes Cole Palmer a debt that can frankly never be repaid.
7=) Sean Dyche (Everton)
Survived pretty comfortably in the end, with just glimpses that next season might not even be entirely harrowing. On the field at least. Off it, Everton remain a catastrof*ck of enormous proportions.
7=) Thomas Frank (Brentford)
Almost got dragged into a full relegation scrap but avoided that unpleasantness and now the Bees spend an anxious summer once again hoping nobody makes a move for Frank. Especially as Ivan Toney is pretty much gone already.
7=) Roberto De Zerbi (Brighton)
We keep coming back to this six-wins-in-loads-and-loads-of-games stat, but it remains surprising to see manager and club come to the conclusion that they must part this summer. Some coaches simply don’t like selling all their best players every transfer window being a prerequisite of the job.
7=) Marco Silva (Fulham)
He apparently turned down a big old pile of cash to move to Saudi Arabia and has since signed a new deal. There was a pair of 5-0 wins that made no sense but six games without a win – and exit out of both cups – was all a bit bleak before things settled again.
The victory at Old Trafford was a sweet one, and the dismantling of Tottenham at home perhaps even more so. Both were reminders that Fulham are the best kind of mid-table side: perfectly capable of beating absolutely anyone, but not averse to losing shambolically to, say, Burnley. Fulham were suitably terrible for a few weeks after toying with Spurs, drawing chaotically at Sheffield United and losing to Forest and Newcastle. And then they completed a double over West Ham at London Stadium. Lovely stuff. Hopefully he’s going nowhere because Fulham are our favourite of the mid-table teams.
7=) Gary O’Neil (Wolves)
Happy to report that we were very wrong about O’Neil, who had Wolves firmly ensconced in mid-table while making what seemed at one time a compelling bid for “Actually, He’s The Real Manager Of The Season In My View” garlands.
7=) Rob Edwards (Luton)
Would have been the most Modern Football thing ever.
15=) Andoni Iraola (Bournemouth)
Funny old team, Bournemouth, but ample evidence that Iraola could make them really quite good. They had a run of seven wins in nine games and another of four wins in five. Those were also their only Premier League wins in a season that has featured both a nine-game and seven-game run without a win. But they were very, very safe, and so too surely is Iraola.
15=) Oliver Glasner (Crystal Palace)
Steered Palace comfortably into the 40s, to our delight, and showing plenty to suggest 50 points or more should be well within range next season. Giddy times indeed.
15=) Ange Postecoglou (Tottenham)
Harrowingly Spursy end to the season a stark reminder to us all that they remain resolutely incapable of change, but Postecoglou is going nowhere until they’re 13th after 11 games of next season and they embark sadly on yet another forlorn, doomed 18-month project after a vaguely encouraging caretaker spell from Ryan Mason lifts them back into the top half at least.
15=) Unai Emery (Aston Villa)
Villa are no longer part of the elite but have a manager competing with that elite. There is at least one elite job available this summer. But having felt the strain of replacing a legend when following Arsene Wenger at Arsenal, would he even want another taste of that particular medicine by replacing Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool should the opportunity arise? But has lost at home to Manchester United, which is arguably in and of itself a sackable offence. Did the double over his former club Arsenal, though, which is absolutely delicious.
15=) Mikel Arteta (Arsenal)
Rocketed up the charts after claims from Spain – quickly dismissed – that he was also thinking of walking away.
15=) Pep Guardiola (Manchester City)
How big an offer from Saudi Arabia would it take, do we reckon?
