We’re seven matches into the new Premier League manager and we’re still waiting for the first sacking.
Not that we get any joy from seeing someone lose their job but, by now, we’ve usually seen a chairman lose patience with a manager after a bad run of results.
It won’t be long.
But who will be the first manager dismissed?
Well, two months ago at the start of the campaign, we used Tiermaker to rank every single Premier League boss from ‘world-class’ to ‘sacked soon.’
And now seems like the perfect time to revisit that and update our rankings.
We’ve kept the same categories but there has been plenty of movement after the first couple of months of the campaign.
Let’s take a look at how things are shaping up:
Sacked soon
- Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
- Slaven Bilic
- Scott Parker
If you look at the ‘Next manager to be sacked’ odds, these three are at the bottom. Scott Parker’s Fulham actually beat Slaven Bilic’s West Brom on Monday to register their first win of the season and lift themselves out of the relegation zone.
As for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, United sit 15th with just two wins from their opening six matches. Two months ago, we placed him in ‘Potential greatness.’ Now, he’s a couple of bad results away from the sack.
Middle of the road
- Chris Wilder
- Sean Dyche
Chris Wilder has dropped from ‘Potential Greatness’ to ‘Middle of the road’ after his Sheffield United side have made a dismal start to the season. They sit 19th with just one point to their name - a draw against Fulham.
Only Sean Dyche’s Burnley are below them in the table having also only picked up a point.
Criminally underrated
- David Moyes
- Steve Bruce
- Graham Potter
- Dean Smith
- Roy Hodgson
All five managers can be pretty pleased with the start their respective sides have made to the season.
Let’s start with David Moyes’ West Ham, who have achieved draws against the likes of Tottenham and Manchester City while running Liverpool close last weekend.
Steve Bruce’s Newcastle may not play the most attractive football but with just two defeats from their opening seven matches, it doesn’t look as though they will be anywhere near a relegation battle this season.
Brighton do play good football and, despite only one win from their first seven games, look to be a fun side to watch this campaign.
Aston Villa won their opening four matches of the season - including a 7-2 thrashing of champions Liverpool - but have lost their last two conceding seven goals. Dean Smith definitely deserves his rise from ‘Sacked Soon’ from two months ago.
So too does Roy Hodgson who has steered his Crystal Palace side to 13th after the first seven matches with three wins under their belt already.
Potential greatness
- Marcelo Bielsa
- Ralph Hassenhuttl
- Frank Lampard
A lot was expected of Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds and the legendary Argentine manager has shown glimpses of his qualities. But his side have also disappointed at times including their 4-1 home defeat to Leicester. That’s why he’s dropped down from the ‘Elite’ category.
However, Ralph Hassenhuttl has jumped from ‘Criminally underrated’ to ‘Potential Greatness’ with Southampton sitting fifth in the table. After losing their opening two matches - including a 5-2 defeat to Tottenham - the Saints have really turned their season around.
Frank Lampard remains in the same category as he did at the start of the season with Chelsea in seventh. The Blues have only lost one match - to Liverpool - but have also only won three times in the league. They showed signs of clicking into gear during their 3-0 victory over Burnley last weekend.
Elite
- Carlo Ancelotti
- Jose Mourinho
- Mikel Arteta
- Brendan Rodgers
- Nuno Espirito Santo
Two months ago, Jose Mourinho could have considered himself fortunate to be named in the ‘Elite’ category. Now, he’s more than worthy of his place with his Spurs side sitting in third and looking pretty good.
Above them are Brendan Rodgers’ Leicester, who are just two points behind leaders Liverpool. Surely there aren’t too many Rodgers critics still out there?
Everton set the early pace in the Premier League as Carlo Ancelotti backed up his reputation with some brilliant results. But two defeats in their previous two matches means the Italian can’t be considered for the world-class category right now.
We’ve bumped Mikel Arteta up from ‘Potential Greatness’ with the Spaniard showing his tactical acumen in the early stages of the season having already landed an FA Cup. Arsenal may only be ninth but they’ve got the best defensive record in the league despite away trips to Manchester City, Liverpool and Manchester United.
We’ve also upgraded Nuno Espirito Santo to ‘Elite’ with his Wolves side in sixth and looking set to challenge for a top-four spot this season.
World Class
- Pep Guardiola
- Jurgen Klopp
The same two gaffers occupy the world-class category despite both experiencing difficult starts to the season. City lost 5-2 at home to Leicester earlier in the season, while Liverpool were thrashed 7-2 by Aston Villa. But come the end of May, we fully expect both managers to be going head-to-head for the Premier League title. They will meet on Sunday as City welcome Liverpool to the Etihad.
Final rankings
So, a few months into the new season and we've had plenty of time to grade how each manager is getting on. It's been a pretty crazy campaign so far with the likes of Leicester, Everton, Southampton and Wolves all occupying a place in the top-six at this early stage.
At the other end of the table, Wilder's Sheffield United and Dyche's Burnley - who were nowhere near a relegation battle last season - are the bottom two clubs. Both managers will be starting to feel the pressure.
Our ranking will no doubt be changing yet again in a few months' time - and we might well have a few new faces in the below graphic too...
