Who will be the first to go?

There is generally at least one managerial casualty in the opening stages of a new season and there are plenty of contenders in the Premier League in my opinion. Portsmouth, Hull City and Blackburn are the current occupiers of the relegation places but Bolton, West Ham and Wigan aren’t fairing much better and heads may roll before October (or even September) is out. I’ve had a quick run through the most likely candidates for the chop and suggested why they will be the first to be sacked, and why they won’t.

Paul Hart, Portsmouth

Why he will: Pompey are rock bottom of the Premier League without a single point after six games. Hart needs to pick up some points soon or he is very much in danger of losing his job.

Why he won’t: Portsmouth have a new owner who, at the moment, we know very little about. He may give the boss a while to settle, he has a very new team after many of Pompey’s stars were sold over the summer and they may be allowed more time to gel.

Phil Brown, Hull City

Why he will: Hull have been on an absolutely abysmal run that stretches back to around Christmas last season. Brown needs to arrest that slump or risk losing his job. The Hull board have backed him in the transfer market and they will want to see a return for their investment.

Why he won’t: Brown is the man who took the Tigers to the Premier League and then kept them up, which was a major upset to the football betting odds. He is still relatively well liked by the fans and may be allowed time to reverse the situation.

Sam Allardyce, Blackburn Rovers

Why he will: Rovers haven’t started the season particularly brightly and looked out of sorts against Everton at the weekend, they will not be happy with their current league position.

Why he won’t: Allardyce saved the Rovers last season after taking over from Paul Ince. The Lancashire side looked like betting certainties for relegation when Big Sam arrived but he did enough and the board may have enough confidence in him to do the same this season.

Gary Megson, Bolton Wanderers

Why he will: Megson is entering his third season in charge at the Reebok, yet there have been no real signs of improvement. The fans are unhappy after six home games without a win, five of which were lost, and his frankly boring tactics. On top of that he has spent more than any other Bolton manager and after spending nearly £10million on Johan Elmander who has proved a flop the board and fans may have had enough of Megson.

Why he won’t: The Bolton board do seem to like Megson and the media have been uncharacteristically sympathetic towards the Bolton boss. However, managers are judged on results and with Bolton’s tricky next five or six fixtures Megson is my personal tip for the first manager to go.

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