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Premier League’s managerial gates gushing open

By on October 6, 2015

With news that Sunderland manager Dick Advocaat and Liverpool gaffer Brendan Rodgers have both been sacked over the weekend, the managerial floodgates are clearly opening fast in the Premier League. Richard Lewis reviews the latest managerial ins and outs:

Sunderland were always playing the Devil’s Advocaat!

It’s another groundhog day at the Stadium of Light, as, much like The Martian conjures deja vu of Interstellar, Sunderland have continued the cycle of sacking their manager after a poor start to the season, having a new manager keep them up, only to start the next campaign poorly again. Thus, the club have been marooned at the wrong end of the league table, much Matt Damon in The Martian, with the rescue mission a repetitive sequence.

Dick Advocaat has become the latest incumbent of the hot seat to suffer the same old fate. If you were to play Devil’s Advocaat with the whole situation on Wearside, it is arguable that the club, in dire need of stability, were always in for it when hiring the sixty-eight-year-old last season given he wished to retire over the summer. While Advocaat somehow manage to keep the North East club in the Premier League last season, all the while and showcasing passion and emotion in equal measure with his tears at the Emirates (it indeed has been eventful times for all Dutch managers at the ground lately), his fortunes quickly reversed over the summer.

Since the current Hull City boss Steve Bruce was sacked in November 2011, Martin O’Neill, Paolo di Canio, Gus Poyet and Advocaat have all managed Sunderland for brief spells. Subsequently, many have pointed blame in the direction of club chairman Ellis Short. The American businessman has been criticized by the home fans in recent times, following empty promises of a £50 million transfer kitty to improve the ageing squad over the summer.

Indeed, those reported promises most likely convinced Advocaat out of retirement. And now, retirement may be back on the cards for the departing Dutchman, his body language following Sunderland’s 2-2 draw with West Ham United over the weekend certainly suggesting so.

Sam Allardyce and heavy-handed Nigel Pearson are the current names linked with the vacant position at Sunderland. Sean Dyche is reportedly in the picture as well, but he would have to be convinced to leave Championship high-flyers Burnley. Sunderland’s hierarchy have the two weeks of the international break to sort out the mess yet again created by their latest short term answer to continuous struggles.

The Draw that broke the camel’s back!

Advocaat’s exit from Sunderland was the straw that broke the camel’s back and the managerial departure floodgates opened on Sunday, with Brendan Rodgers gushing out following Liverpool’s 1-1 draw with Everton at Goodison Park. The Northern Irishman leaves Anfield after three-and-a-half years in charge of the historic Reds.

Rodgers is the first Liverpool manager since the 1950s to fail win a trophy in his first three full seasons in charge, since arriving from Swansea in June 2012. The Reds have won only four of their eleven games in all competitions this season, though there were already existing tensions after failing to live up to the heights of their 2013/2014 campaign last season. A 6-1 mauling at the hands of the mighty Stoke City on the last day of the season compounded Rodgers’ woes.

Liverpool spent about £80 million over the summer to bring in the likes of Christian Benteke, Danny Ings, Roberto Firmino, Nathaniel Clyne and Joe Gomez, but still haven’t been able to replace the potency of Luis Suarez up front.

Rodgers’ successor will attempt to get best out of these recruits to secure any success with a team currently tenth in the Premier League. Ex-Borussia Dortmund boss Jurgen Klopp is surely the Liverpool’s first choice replacement, although former Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti and Ajax boss Frank de Boer also linked with the vacancy.

Eight games in to the 2015/2016 campaign, the axe has fallen twice already — now Steve McClaren, Tim Sherwood and most surprisingly Jose Mourinho may need to watch their backs!

About Richard Lewis

Richard Lewis can relate almost anything to football and quite often does! You may have seen Richard's previous ideas and work in the BBC Match of the Day Magazine, from 2011 to present. He is a Manchester United and England fan, but has gone to see Leyton Orient play with his O's season ticket in the 2013/14 campaign. Aside from football, Richard has written articles on Doctor Who and studies English Language and Linguistics at the University of Westminster. Aspiring sports journalist.