Mark Gilbert ATN founder and I spend around 80% of our time talking about each of our businesses, sharing ideas which we have had or swapping stories out our teams, and the other 20% is generally filled with talking about the Premier League. We are both huge fans of football and there is nobody better than Mark that I enjoy talking to about the beautiful game. After a game of squash last week we got to talking about which managers should be looking over their shoulders, as we approach the end of the sack race season, where most managers lose their jobs. The main candidates have already lost their jobs of course, people like Sanchez Flores and Marco Silva, but who looks set to be next out the door?
Eddie Howe
It is likely that owing to the great work which Eddie Howe has done for Bournemouth that he will be given a little extra time to try and turn things round, and in truth he deserves that. Nonetheless had Eddie Howe been at any other club right now, there is little doubt that he would have been out that door. The Cherries have struggled massively with injuries but it i the nature of their performances which will be most worrying for the board. Howe may get another month, but if things continue we can’t see him staying the course.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
No matter how well United perform there is always a feeling that Ole is on borrowed time at United. He started the season with some truly erratic form but a positive Christmas period and some good results against Spurs and Chelsea have helped Man United to climb the table and are certainly looking good for top 4. The Red Devils however have some tricky fixtures coming up and the big question around Solskjaer is whether or not his team have the mentality for the fight. I can see them going on a losing run, and for the United board to pull the trigger so that they can get someone else in until the end of the season, and someone who they want to financially back in the summer.
Dean Smith
Aston Villa looked great when they first came up but they’ve really struggled of late and find themselves in the bottom 3. You hav to wonder where this team would be without Jack Grealish and it is tough to see that Smith has actually done anything to improve him. Smith loves this club and they love him, which is why they may not pull the trigger, having said all that, this team has spent big money and they will want to be safe in the knowledge that they can expect Premier League football next season, the worse that their league position gets, the more likely it is that Villa will swing the axe.
Who do you think is heading out the door next?
