IAN LADYMAN: Are Premier League clubs really getting a new manager BOUNCE?

The sacking of managers in the Premier League is the order of the day.

10 have already been sent out this season – including two in Southampton – and if we have one more by the end of the campaign it will mark a record in the 32-year history of the competition.

History tells us that it doesn’t always work. In fact, of the 39 redundancies made in Premier League history from March, only seven have actually resulted in an improvement in league standing.

As the Premier League season prepares to restart after the international break and the bottom nine clubs are separated by just four points, which of the trigger-happy nine leaders has made the biggest leap after deciding to blast a manager out the door?

Bournemouth

Having spent very little money since promotion last season, Bournemouth sacked Parker after four games when he began to moan publicly about it. The first club to sack a boss this season seemed to have no succession plan and gave Gary O’Neil the job on an interim basis.

Chelsea’s results did not improve quickly following the appointment of Graham Potter as manager

Seven months later he still has it. The Cherries have had the odd notable result – like their recent home win over Liverpool – but O’Neil hasn’t delivered long-term growth. The club have won just five league games from 23 on their clock.

Chelsea

Chelsea spent £280million on new players in the summer and sacked their manager after just seven games. A step straight out of the Roman Abramovich era, it was actually new owner Todd Boehly’s first major call and was meant to signal a shift in thinking: Ditch the boom-and-bust years and move on to a long-term strategy.

Did it work? Well it depends on who you ask. Some have already seen Graham Potter as a lowly manager with a lowly perspective, while those with brains recognize that the former Brighton manager just needs time to bring about one of the biggest cultural shifts in modern English football history.

Admittedly, Potter’s stats aren’t great, but the Champions League could still help save him.

wolves

When Wolves ditched the boot after eight Premier League games, they were actually reacting to poor form dating back to last season, Wolves having won just one of their last 15 and losing 13 of their previous 22.

So the evidence for a change was conclusive, but whether they have appointed the right man in Julen Lopetegui remains to be seen. Wolves may have moved towards mid-table but they have played two games more than West Ham in 18th place and are just three points clear. They also have a difficult enema. There may still be trouble.

The jury is still out of Julen Lopetegui, but the wolves have snuck up the table under him

AstonVilla

Villa acted decisively when they realized the Steven Gerrard era had flattened and they got two things right away in October. They quickly sacked the former England captain after just 11 games of the season and replaced them with the right man.

Villa has 26 points from 15 games under Unai Emery with an average of 1.7 points per game. That would have seen Villa finish sixth last season, which perhaps bodes well for the 2023-24 campaign under the veteran Spaniard.

southampton

Southampton used to be known for strategic planning, intelligence and foresight. Not now. This season, the south-coast club has gone from one bad decision to the next and are currently heading towards the championship with Ruben Selles as manager.

Selles was an assistant to the two men who were fired at St Mary’s that season and appears to be well acquainted with their bad habits. Southampton have won just two of their seven games in charge.

everton

See what happens when a club hands the reins to an experienced, talented manager? Everton had not won in 10 games under Frank Lampard when he was sacked at the end of January. Everton were lucky when Marcelo Bielsa turned them down as it would have taken the former Leeds boss too long to implement his unique methods.

But when they turned to survival specialist Sean Dyche, they got the impetus they needed. Dyche has strengthened Everton’s defense and three 1-0 home wins and a draw at Chelsea have propelled them up the table.

Everton appear to have turned a page since Sean Dyche was appointed manager

leeds

Leeds gave Marsch around £140million to spend the year he was at Elland Road, but American football was disorganized and chaotic to the end.

However, attempts by Leeds to replace him have been equally so and Spaniard Javi Gracia was only appointed after other candidates turned down the job.

Gracia has Premier League experience from his time at Watford a few years ago but his current club’s position remains precarious.

A 4-2 win at Wolves just before the international break gave them a boost, but three straight home games following Arsenal on Saturday now look crucial.

crystal palace

Palace ditched Roy Hodgson two summers ago because they wanted the club and team to adopt a more progressive, forward-thinking identity. Now, at the first sign of trouble, they’ve sacked his successor, Vieira, and reinstated Hodgson.

Panic? you could say that Hodgson is 75 and has been given the task of keeping Palace up, although they have never really been in danger of going under. Without a win since New Year’s Eve, Palace can’t say their fate isn’t in their own hands.

Of their remaining 10 games, eight are against teammates.

Tottenham

Cristian Stellini will lead Tottenham until the end of the season after Antonio Conte left the club

After once sacking a manager, Jose Mourinho, the week before a Carabao Cup final, Spurs chairman Daniel Levy has now gone a step further and dumped a bloke who has them in Champions League spots.

But that doesn’t mean Levy is wrong. Conte has written the longest resignation letter in football history this season and finally signed it after the recent draw against Southampton with his extraordinary display of narcissism.

So Conte had to leave and the good news for Levy is that his temporary replacement, his assistant Cristian Stellini, is actually doing quite well while the Italian was recently down following gallbladder surgery.

So, for once, there’s hope at Spurs…