Matt Maher: November a nervy time for struggling bosses
For managers the opening few months of a football season can often feel like a game of musical chairs.
Three matches, pause for international break, four matches, pause for international break, another four matches, pause for another international break.
You don’t want to find yourself left without a seat when the music stops. The forthcoming break is the most dangerous of the lot, as it represents the final chance for owners to sit back and take stock before the campaign kicks up a gear. There will be few chances to rest between the end of November and the end of March.
It is why, if you are going to make a change, you would reason to do it now and give any new appointment the chance to get their feet under the table before the real meat of the season begins.
That is one of the reasons Manchester United moved to sack Erik Ten Hag, with his replacement Ruben Amorim able to spend the best part of a fortnight getting a feel for his new club before having to play any games. You suspect it was also a factor in Coventry’s decision to axe Mark Robins, as extraordinary as that call seems.
This is a nervy time for managers whose teams have made underwhelming starts. It really doesn’t take a genius to work out Gary O’Neil will be under huge pressure if Wolves fail to beat Southampton this afternoon.
Defeat for the Saints would heap scrutiny back on their boss, Russell Martin, while there is another meeting of under-fire managers in east London where West Ham take on Everton.
Losing to Nottingham Forest last weekend has thrown Julen Lopetegui back into trouble. It will be small comfort, that should his team fail to beat the Toffees, he almost certainly won’t be the only boss ignoring his phone in the days ahead.
****
It would be fair to say as a player Gabby Agbonlahor was not the most enthusiastic of interviewees.
Yet the former Villa striker is now finding out what all the fuss is about on the other side of the fence. In Brugge working for TalkSport, Agbonlahor was the toast of the press pack after his question to Unai Emery in Tuesday’s pre-match press conference elicited a five-minute response from the Villa boss.
Gabby the newshound? File that under the last thing you ever thought you’d see.