Paul Heckingbottom has the inglorious record of being the first Championship manager sacked, after just one month of the season, as his Preston North End side managed just one win in the opening seven games. He was dismissed on September 13th, proving that there is enormous pressure on these teams to perform in the second tier of English football.
As Nuno Espirito Santo will well know, with the pressure mounting on his West Ham side despite sitting in the relative comfort of fourth place. A win tonight would keep West Ham in contact with the league leaders Swansea- who currently sit seven points ahead of the Irons – and who, crucially, entertain West Ham on Saturday – a real old fashioned ‘six pointer’.
Sadly, the pressure on these second tier sides is about to account for it’s second victim of the season, according to Staceywest.net who claim :
“Watford are reportedly set to sack head coach Alessio Dionisi after a 5-1 defeat at Cardiff City left them in the Championship relegation zone.”
Watford are reportedly set to sack head coach Alessio Dionisi after a 5-1 defeat at Cardiff City left them in the Championship relegation zone.
Just four months after taking the helm at Vicarage Road, Dionisi’s tenure is likely to be ended abruptly after just twelve games.
If the pressure on West Ham’s manager wasn’t evident before the managerial casualties started to rack up, it will be soon: Imperative that Nuno puts on a convincing show in the next four days with wins – hopefully – against Lincoln tonight and Swansea at the weekend.
That at least would go some way to make his own position more comfortable and fans less agitated as West Ham close the gap on the league leaders once again.
Lose games – or even ‘settle’ for draws and more lost ground over the leaders and there’ll be more than just ‘murmurings’ over the future of the manager with the biggest salary and the best squad in the division.