Eddie Howe odds plummet in sack race after back-to-back 2-0 defeats

Is anybody going to get sacked at all this season? The pressure has eased on many but Vincent Kompany and Eddie Howe are vulnerable.

1) Paul Heckingbottom (Sheffield United)
Finally won their first Premier League game of the season v Wolves but there is still a sense that the Blades could press the Chris Wilder alarm if upcoming games against fellow relegation strugglers Bournemouth and Burnley end in defeat.

2) Erik ten Hag (Manchester United)
Defensive disasterclasses in defeats to Manchester City, Newcastle United and FC Copenhagen keep threatening to spell the end of Erik ten Hag, but then you look at the Premier League table and they are sixth – one place behind a probable Champions League place.

READ: The leading contenders to be next Manchester United manager if they sack Erik ten Hag

3) Vincent Kompany (Burnley)
We all expected better than this, but at the third international break of the season Burnley are bottom, having only beaten Luton Town this season. It was thought that the biggest problem the Clarets would face is Kompany leaving them for a bigger/better job; instead, it might be that their biggest problem is who replaces him. Will they go first? Once one manager at the bottom gets the sack, they all might follow.

4) Andoni Iraola (Bournemouth)
A second win over the season (against Newcastle, which is impressive) has eased the pressure on Iraola, whose team is now as close to Fulham in 16th as Luton in 18th.

5) Steve Cooper (Nottingham Forest)
Forest rightly stuck with him through the sticky moments last season and it all worked out fine in the end. Makes him slightly harder to sack if things go wrong this season but far from invincible. Even after a morale-boosting win at Chelsea. He probably wishes the club had not bought him a whole new team. Again. That comes with pressure. So does squandering a two-goal lead at home to Luton. Don’t do that. Very silly.

6) Eddie Howe (Newcastle)
Rightly or wrongly, Howe could quickly come under pressure if there is even the slightest hint that he is not the man to lead Newcastle through stage two of their quest for world domination no matter how impressively and swiftly he boxed off stage one. Newcastle have got so many big decisions right since getting all the money, but you still think at some stage there’s going to be a desire to get a Big Name Manager in charge. Like Jose Mourinho.

Losing back-to-back games v Borussia Dortmund and Bournemouth leaves them staring at Champions League exit and seventh place; Howe’s odds have crashed in accordingly.

7) Mauricio Pochettino (Chelsea)
The pressure feels off after a week which has seen them beat Tottenham (even though it happened to them) and draw 4-4 with Manchester City in a remarkable game that suggested the Blues are on their way back.

8=) David Moyes (West Ham)
Losing to Everton was a low but three wins from four games in all competitions – including a come-from-behinder v Nottingham Forest – eases the pressure on the Hammers boss somewhat.

8=) Rob Edwards (Luton)
Surely not. Would be the most Modern Football thing ever.

8=) 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. But this season is a helluva struggle without the Boy Mitrovic.

11=) Gary O’Neil (Wolves)
Happy to report that we were very wrong about O’Neil, who has Wolves firmly ensconced in mid-table along with…

11=) Roy Hodgson (Crystal Palace)
We move distinctly here into the realm of managers currently considered broadly safe. The only way Crystal Palace would ever sack Roy Hodgson is to replace him with Roy Hodgson.

13) Sean Dyche (Everton)
Now managing a very Dychian (and that’s a compliment) Everton team who have quietly won three of their last four games.

14=) Unai Emery (Aston Villa)
Definitely won’t be the first manager out. Will be very near the top of the betting in any Big Seven job that comes up. Apart from Arsenal. But that won’t come up anyway, so don’t worry about it.

14=) Roberto De Zerbi (Brighton)
Definitely won’t be the first manager out. Will be very near the top of the betting in any Big Seven job that comes up. Especially Arsenal. But that won’t come up anyway, so don’t worry about it.

14=) Ange Postecoglou (Tottenham)
Spurs are Spurs and therefore nothing can ever be ruled out, and we’re still absolutely certain there are going to be bad days alongside the good given the nature of their squad and Postecoglou’s all-out tactics. But the feelgood vibe around Spurs is huge and undeniable right now; while we can totally see it all unravelling (again, Spurs are Spurs) we absolutely cannot see that happening fast enough for Postecoglou to be gone before some of these other lads. Has already won more NLD points at the Emirates than Mourinho, Nuno and Conte combined as well as collecting a richly deserved win over Liverpool. Ahem.

14=) Jurgen Klopp (Liverpool)
There were several moments last season when it appeared far from certain Klopp would still be Liverpool manager this season. Liverpool will have to be better than they were for huge swathes of last season if further ‘Is Klopp’s Liverpool Empire Crumbling?’ beard-stroking ruminations are to be avoided. And they are being much better than they were for huge swathes of last season. Klopp’s going nowhere. But he does probably need to stop asking for replays, because it makes him sound a bit mad.

14=) Thomas Frank (Brentford)
Far more likely to be poached by a rival than sacked which would already mean he was at worst the next but one manager to leave.

14=) Mikel Arteta (Arsenal)
Lost for the first time this season in the Premier League against Newcastle and dealt with it extremely calmly. But very much in the title race.

14=) Pep Guardiola (Manchester City)
How big an offer from Saudi Arabia would it take, do we reckon?