The 2023/24 season is nearly a third completed and there are managers feeling the heat around their positions.
Manchester United's difficult start across all competitions means Erik ten Hag has found himself under pressure for the first time since taking the job in July 2022.
Meanwhile, strugglers such as Sheffield United may be wondering whether head coaches with more immediate Premier League experience will be needed if they are to survive in the top flight, while Sean Dyche's position at Everton all of a sudden feels locked in, particularly in light of the club's points deduction.
It means the first managerial casualty of 2023/24 may not be far away in England's top flight. But which club will be the first to take drastic action to change their fortunes?
The Sporting News looks at the latest picture on which Premier League manager could be the first to go.
MORE: Premier League fixtures: Complete schedule, dates, times
Next Premier League manager to leave odds
The favourite to become the first Premier League manager to leave his job this season is Paul Heckingbottom. Sheffield United suffered a 3-1 home defeat on November 25 to Bournemouth, and the reaction from the fans during the game made it perfectly clear how they feel about their team's performances at the moment.
Erik ten Hag isn't far behind and a defeat to Everton on November 26 could see the United manager back at the top of this particular table. The 4-3 defeat to Copenhagen left their Champions League challenge hanging by a thread, their Carabao Cup defence is over, they sit eight points behind Premier League leaders Manchester City and they must likely beat Galatasaray and Bayern Munich to keep their Champions League campaign alive into 2024. A narrow win over Luton Town on November 11 eased a little of the pressure.
Vincent Kompany is also under scrutiny. Burnley looked destined for a 1-0 win over West Ham on November 25 only for a late collapse to see them lose 2-1.
Odds as of November 25, 2023
| Manager | Club | Paddy Power (UK) |
|---|---|---|
| Paul Heckingbottom | Sheff. United | 6/4 |
| Erik ten Hag | Man United | 2/1 |
| Vincent Kompany | Burnley | 4/1 |
| Eddie Howe | Newcastle | 7/1 |
| Andoni Iraola | Bournemouth | 9/1 |
| Steve Cooper | Nott. Forest | 16/1 |
First manager sacked in each Premier League season
The first manager sacked in Premier League history was Ian Porterfield of Chelsea, who lasted 29 matches before being axed in mid-February in 1993.
The fastest manager ever sacked in the Premier League was Kenny Dalglish, who was ousted at Newcastle United after just two matches into the 1998/99 season. Peter Reid, Bobby Robson, Frank de Boer, Javi Gracia and Scott Parker were all given the boot after just four matches.
The first managers to go usually find themselves without a job at some time in the autumn or early winter. However, there was a notable outlier in 1999/2000: it took until March 21, 29 matchdays into the season, for the first manager to leave his role — that was Danny Wilson of Sheffield Wednesday.
Tottenham are the club that appears on this list the most, having been the first to part ways with their manager in four seasons. Newcastle appear three times, as do Chelsea and Sunderland.
Parker's exit in 2022/23 came extremely early: on average, the first Premier League manager is sacked after 10.8 games.
| Season | Manager | Club | Date | Premier League matches played |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992/93 | Ian Porterfield | Chelsea | Feb. 15, 1993 | 29 |
| 1993/94 | Peter Reid | Man City | Aug. 25, 1993 | 4 |
| 1994/95 | Osvaldo Ardiles* | Tottenham | Nov. 1, 1994 | 12 |
| 1995/96 | Roy McFarland | Bolton | Jan. 3, 1996 | 22 |
| 1996/97 | Howard Wilkinson | Leeds United | Sept. 9, 1996 | 5 |
| 1997/98 | David Pleat | Sheffield Wed | Nov. 3, 1997 | 13 |
| 1998/99 | Kenny Dalglish | Newcastle | Aug. 27, 1998 | 2 |
| 1999/00 | Danny Wilson | Sheffield Wed | Mar. 21, 2000 | 29 |
| 2000/01 | Gianluca Vialli | Chelsea | Sept. 12, 2000 | 5 |
| 2001/02 | Peter Taylor | Leicester City | Sept. 30, 2001 | 8 |
| 2002/03 | Peter Reid | Sunderland | Oct. 7, 2002 | 9 |
| 2003/04 | Glenn Hoddle | Tottenham | Sept. 22, 2003 | 6 |
| 2004/05 | Bobby Robson | Newcastle | Aug. 30, 2004 | 4 |
| 2005/06 | Alain Perrin | Portsmouth | Nov. 24, 2005 | 13 |
| 2006/07 | Iain Dowie | Charlton Athletic | Nov. 13, 2006 | 12 |
| 2007/08 | Martin Jol | Tottenham | Oct. 25, 2007 | 10 |
| 2008/09 | Juande Ramos | Tottenham | Oct. 25, 2008 | 8 |
| 2009/10 | Paul Hart | Portsmouth | Nov. 24, 2009 | 13 |
| 2010/11 | Chris Hughton | Newcastle | Dec. 6, 2010 | 16 |
| 2011/12 | Steve Bruce | Sunderland | Nov. 30, 2011 | 13 |
| 2012/13 | Roberto Di Matteo | Chelsea | Nov. 21, 2012 | 12 |
| 2013/14 | Paolo Di Canio | Sunderland | Sept. 23, 2013 | 5 |
| 2014/15 | Neil Warnock | Crystal Palace | Dec. 27, 2014 | 18 |
| 2015/16 | Brendan Rodgers | Liverpool | Oct. 4, 2015 | 8 |
| 2016/17 | Francesco Guidolin | Swansea City | Oct. 3, 2016 | 7 |
| 2017/18 | Frank De Boer | Crystal Palace | Sept. 11, 2017 | 4 |
| 2018/19 | Slavisa Jokanovic | Fulham | Nov. 14, 2018 | 12 |
| 2019/20 | Javi Gracia | Watford | Sept. 7, 2019 | 4 |
| 2020/21 | Slaven Bilic | West Brom | Dec. 16, 2020 | 13 |
| 2021/22 | Xisco Munoz | Watford | Oct. 3, 2021 | 7 |
| 2022/23 | Scott Parker | Bournemouth | Aug. 30, 2022 | 4 |
*In 1994/95, West Ham manager Billy Bonds resigned before the official start of the season
Betting on first manager sacked or next manager
When betting on the first manager sacked in a Premier League season, it's important to pay close attention to the title of the bet.
Sometimes, managers can depart of their own accord, or by "mutual consent", leading to some questions around what constitutes being "sacked".
Officially, the bet is often titled "Next Premier League Manager to Leave their Club", which eliminates much of the confusion around what constitutes being fired, released, let go, or departing by mutual consent. For example, Pep Guardiola is highly unlikely to be sacked by Man City any time soon, but bookmakers think it's conceivable he could leave amid the investigation into the club's finances.
Additionally, when placing bets involving "Next Manager" for a club, the word "Permanent" is often included, meaning interim managers are not given consideration for a winning bet. Thus, if a manager is given an "interim" tag as a replacement, the bet remains open until the "interim" tag is removed or a new permanent boss is hired from elsewhere.
Premier League 2023/24 TV channels, live streams
MORE: Watch every Premier League match in Canada on Fubo
| Region | TV | Streaming |
| Australia | — | Optus Sport |
| Canada | — | |
| Hong Kong | — | Now TV |
| India | Star Sports | Disney+, Hotstar, JioTV |
| Malaysia | Astro SuperSport | Astro Go |
| New Zealand | Sky Sport | Sky Sport Now, Sky Go |
| Singapore | StarHub | StarHub TV+ |
| UK | Sky Sports, TNT Sports | NOW TV, Sky Go, Amazon Prime |
| USA | USA Network, Telemundo, Universo | Fubo, Peacock |
UK: Matches are carried across Sky Sports and TNT Sports streaming and TV platforms, with select matches on Amazon Prime.
USA: Select matches are televised on USA Network (English) and Telemundo or Universo (Spanish), and all three channels can be streamed on Fubo. The rest of the matches are streamed on NBC platform Peacock for subscribers.
Canada: Every Premier League game this season is live streaming exclusively via Fubo in Canada.
Australia: Fans in Australia can stream every match live and on demand on Optus Sport.