Aston Villa head coach Dean Smith potentially has three fixtures to save his job, according to Express & Star journalist Luke Hatfield.
Villa are set to do battle with Southampton, Brighton & Hove Albion and Crystal Palace during November, but they go into the trio of encounters having suffered four consecutive defeats.
What's the latest news involving Smith?
Telegraph reporter John Percy has claimed that Smith is facing a fight to cling onto his job after a wretched run of form has seen Villa fall to within three points of the Premier League's relegation zone.
It has been reported that the Villa hierarchy have sounded out Paulo Fonseca and made contact with the Portuguese over potentially replacing Smith in the dugout.
Fonseca is currently out of work, having left Roma at the end of last season, and held talks over the Newcastle United vacancy last month.
But Smith remains confident of being able to turn Villa's fortunes around and, following the 4-1 defeat to West Ham United at the weekend, insisted there is enough quality within his squad to bounce back.
The 50-year-old appears to have the backing of the Villa fans as well, which could play a key role in whether the owners opt to make a change.
What has Luke Hatfield said about Smith's future?
Hatfield believes the next month has the potential to make or break Villa's season and, as a result, could have a huge bearing on whether Smith remains at the helm.
The journalist told GIVEMESPORT: "It's a big month for Dean Smith, for sure.
"They've got three really big fixtures coming up. They've got Southampton, Brighton and Crystal Palace.
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"Brighton, in particular, have had a really good start and Palace have obviously got some really good results but, no disrespect to those opposition, they're teams Villa would have been expecting to beat at the start of the season.
"They're sides that Villa would have felt they are maybe one step ahead of. But, when you look at the table, that's not the case at the moment."
Are Villa likely to get positive results from the next three matches?
Villa certainly have the quality, having spent £93million during the summer transfer window.
With that cash, Smith brought in the likes of Emiliano Buendia, Leon Bailey and Danny Ings.
However, Villa will find it tough to rediscover their best form over the course of the next three matches as Southampton are unbeaten in their last three Premier League fixtures, Brighton have suffered just two top flight defeats all season and Crystal Palace have shown they mean business by beating Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City.