After 11 games of the 2021-22 English Premier League season, five managers have been relieved of their duties.
That is more than the whole of the 2020-21 season – and the chances are that there will be more to come as clubs cling to the hope of top-flight status.
“Managers getting sacked all over the place,” tweeted former England international Michael Owen. “Only problem is, all the best ones are currently in jobs so good luck finding replacements. I can see another couple going this side of Christmas too……. #SackingSeason”
After two more clubs have pulled the plug, this the highest number of sackings at this stage of a season for 17 years.
The latest two managers to go were Norwich City’s Daniel Farke and Aston Villa’s Dean Smith. The Canaries boss was given the boot despite the side finally registering a first win of the season, evidence perhaps that the change at Carrow Road has been planned.
Farke spoke out via the League Managers Association.
“We leave Norwich with great pride, having worked for this exceptional club for almost four and a half years means a lot to us,” his statement said.
“Our special thanks go to the fans who have always supported the team and us, making the many great moments at Carrow Road unforgettable, two promotions to the Premier League together will connect us forever.
“Working with the players was a great pleasure during all that time, as we had great trust in each other.
“Football is a short-term business and for that we were quite long term in Norwich because it was made possible by Delia Smith, Michael Wynn Jones and Stuart Webber,” said Farke, who had brought Norwich up as champions, of the club’s owners.
“Good bye, Canaries. We’ll see you again.”
A rare feat
Smith, whose sacking came after defeat to Southampton, has already been linked with replacing Farke at Carrow Road. The boyhood Villa fan was thanked by the club, with he also taking them up from the Championship.
“When Dean joined us in October 2018 our team was really struggling in the Championship,” Aston Villa CEO Christian Purslow told the official website. “He immediately transformed the atmosphere and performances and achieved the ultimate success of leading Villa back to the Premier League within the same season – a rare feat.
“He then secured our place in the Premier League after a tough campaign and took us to a cup final at Wembley.
“However, after a good start to last season, this year we have not seen the continuous improvement in results, performances and league position which we have all been looking for. For this reason we have decided to make a change now to allow time for a new head coach to make an impact.”
The fashion
Pulling the trigger has become the fashion this season as clubs hope to keep hold of their English Premier League status and the riches that come with it. Even the biggest clubs are struggling financially after COVID-19 impacted the last couple of seasons.
Fans returning to grounds has changed the atmosphere for coaches compared to the previous situation where games were played behind closed doors, while new owners have also seen a change in the dugout.
Watford, Newcastle United and Spurs all made changes for one reason or another, with Villa and Norwich now following suit.
Watford sacked Xisco Munoz on October 3 even though the team were 14th, with the Spanish coach replaced by Claudio Ranieri, who famously won the English Premier League with Leicester City in 2016. The Hornets sit in 17th and have lost four of their last five league games.
After being taken over by the Suadi Arabia-backed Public Investment Fund, Newcastle United let Steve Bruce go with the manager leaving the winless side by mutual consent. After being linked to some of the biggest names in Europe, they have brought in Eddie Howe, the former Bournemouth boss, to guide them back up the table. They are currently above bottom side Norwich on goal difference.
As for Spurs, they sacked Nuno Espirito Santo just four months into his contract after he lost 3-0 at home to Manchester United to cap a dismal run of five defeats in seven league games. They swiftly secured Antonio Conte, an English Premier League title winner with Chelsea, as their new coach.
The question for Norwich and Villa now is who do they bring in, with former Chelsea boss Frank Lampard and his ex-England teammate Steven Gerrard, who is currently in charge at Glasgow Rangers, both linked with the vacancies. Still, the decision to act has been praised in the media.
“Norwich are more ambitious than Manchester United because at least they’ve been decisive,” said former Norwich City striker Chris Sutton on the BBC.
“Their expectation is to stay in the Premier League but they have made a change, rightly or wrongly, but Manchester United – what is the expectation, are they going to win something with the current manager and this squad? No, everyone can see that.”
It does not always work – the results are mixed – but it buys the board some good will with fans as they at least seen to be doing something, rather than letting the rot sink in.
