Newcastle

As sure as night follows day, the survival chances of any football manager are about as precarious as Jordan, sorry, Katie Price’s latest husband, but factor in the millions of pounds washing around in the English top flight these days, well you get the drift.

Chris Hughton, ‘Big’ Sam Allardyce and Roy Hodgson have all been handed their P45s – with Alan Pardew, Steve Kean and ‘King’ Kenny Dalglish profiting from their downfalls – but they will not be the last this season – fact!

So who will be the next boss heading off to Dubai to lick his wounds? Well, I reckon it’s between Carlo Ancelotti and Roberto Martinez, with Mick McCarthy, Mark Hughes and Avram Grant also candidates for their own private ’squeaky bum’ time.

Carlo Ancelotti

Chelsea head honcho Roman Abramovich did not become one of the wealthiest men in the galaxy by being a charity case and even though the Italian scooped the double last season, he is still in deep trouble.

Captain John Terry has now come out and said results – one win in nine league games – are not good enough and it’s never a good sign when the former England captain goes on record like that.

Quite how Ancelotti has managed to hang on and not pay the price is a mystery – maybe it’s a question of brinkmanship to see who blinks first?

Anyway, Chelsea (3/10 – match betting) should win their next game which is against Blackburn (8/1) at Stamford Bridge, but will it buy him much more time?

Roberto Martinez

Wigan supremo Dave Whelan went on record last season when he appointed Martinez to assure the Spaniard he would not be sacked if he took Latics back into the Championship. And he didn’t have to pack the likeable 37-year-old back off to Catalonia following a 16th-placed finish.

This term Wigan got off to a terrible start by shipping 10 goals in their first two games which included a 4-0 defeat by new boys Blackpool on the opening day.

Latics started 2011 in the bottom three and while Whelan would not want to dispense with Martinez, is he really going to stomach more of the same between now and May?

Wigan (7/5 – match betting) face a six-pointer against Fulham (9/5) at the DW Stadium this weekend.

McCarthy, Hughes and Grant

These three must all fear being turned away at the gates of the training ground on a daily basis, but they probably don’t have much to fear.

McCarthy is not exactly everyone’s cup of tea (ask Roy Keane) but keeping Wolves up last season must count for something following promotion the season before?

Hughes is in the early stages of his job at Craven Cottage but they should have enough to stay up and continue rebuilding in the summer under ‘Sparky’.

And Grant would surely have gone before now – even given his Carling Cup run – if the Hammers could afford to pay off the remaining three-and-a-half years of the four-year deal he was handed a matter of months ago?

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Leicester City

The Foxes have struggled in the Championship this season and have failed to live up to their billing from before the campaign.

Leicester came close to winning promotion to the Premier League last season but were beaten by Cardiff City 4-3 in a thrilling Championship play-off semi-final.

The East Midlands club currently sit at the foot of the table with just five points from nine games.

Sousa took over the manager’s job in July after Nigel Pearson moved to Hull City (12/1 to win promotion) in the summer.

The sacking comes as a surprise after Leicester City owner Milan  Mandaric called for calm and support for the Portuguese manager.

However, a club statement said: “The decision has been taken as a result of the club’s poor run of results this season.

“The club would like to state that Paulo Sousa is a first-class individual, but that this decision has been taken in the best interests of the club and our ambitions to move up the Championship.

“The search for a new manager begins immediately and the club anticipates a quick appointment,” he added.

Former Foxes boss Martin O’Neill is believed to have held talks with the club and would be a popular appointment amongst supporters.

Ex-England manager Sven Goran Eriksson has also been linked with the Championship side as he looks to get back into management in England.

Sousa has admitted that he was surprised to be sacked so early into a new season.

He said: “To be sacked after being told that there was a long-term strategy at the club and after only nine games in charge is something that I find very surprising.”

Leicester have been on the end of some heavy defeats this season including a 6-1 thrashing by Portsmouth at Fratton Park.

Goalkeeping coach Mike Stowell and coach Chris Powell have been put in charge of the club until a new manager has been appointed.

Leicester have two home fixtures coming up including a showdown with Hull City and Pearson at the Walkers Stadium.

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