More Managers Face Sack, Claims Allardyce - 15/04/2007

Bolton Wanderers manager Sam Allardyce has forecast that there could be mass sackings in the Barclays Premiership next season as a consequence of the new television deal. Chris Coleman's sacking at Fulham took the number of top flight managers dismissed this season to four, but Allardyce fears that a far higher number will be forced out next season as worried club bosses lose patience even quicker because of the money at stake from the new television contract. Allardyce commented, 'The panic and the kneejerk reactions are going to set in even more. At the moment it's managers in the bottom four or five who are under pressure, but that is about to become the bottom eight, nine or ten because of the money at stake.' Of course, there is also a high turnover of managers in the lower divisions and even at non-league football. Expectations at all levels are often disproportionate and unrealistic, leading to a short-term approach that may actually undermine a club's chances of success. In other aspects of business managers are usually given a chance to develop and implement a strategy, although panic sackings can occur in any sector of the economy if a company runs into trouble.