Premier League / Frank Gregan / 21 August 2008 / Leave a comment

Frank Gregan discusses the different forms of pressure which afflict modern managers.

It used to be considered ridiculous when managers were said to be under pressure with the football season only a couple of months in. But the goalposts have moved since those relaxing days for the incumbents of football's hot-seats, now it is possible to be under pressure before a tackle has been made.

Alan Curbishley's statement last week that "the vultures were circling" prior to the opening game against Wigan expresses the current mood at Upton Park. West Ham finished 10th last season and any improvement on that would be a tremendous achievement. Given their resources, avoiding the post Christmas relegation dogfight would represent a job well done by the Hammers.

Supporters don't see it like that. They don't care how much their club is under resourced, all they want to see is their team winning matches. I had this conversation with a life long West Ham fan in the week and he was adamant that if Curbishley didn't get his troops into the top six by the end of September then he should go. I made a logical argument for the defence backed up by truthful data and he agreed that Curbishley has to date done everything that could be reasonably expected of him even if the style of play is not to the fan's liking.

A new manager will bring fresh hope and with it renewed expectation, even if the expectation level is false. The prevailing wisdom is that the dream has to be kept alive and the moment it is seen to stall, change the manager and start the dream afresh. Crazy, very expensive and a business model that few in commerce would follow.

The pressure Mark Hughes is under is very different, his pressure comes from within and to a certain extent is self inflicted. He would have been wooed to the City of Manchester stadium with promises of milk and honey but it's obvious now that things are not as promised in the brochure. This really should come as no surprise to Mark Hughes given how his predecessor was treated. He has backed himself into a corner with his statement during a players "clear the air" meeting when he emphasised that he and he alone would have sole jurisdiction over the comings and goings at the football club. The first time the owner overrules the manager in relation to a transfer then it will probably be a case of La Gon (Thai for goodbye!) to Mr Hughes.

I suggested him to be the first managerial change at big odds during the close season and he now heads the market at [6.4]. If things don't pick up both on and off the field soon then the [36.0] that has already been matched on the Welshman may prove to have been an unbelievable price.

So here we are, the second game of the season between two managers under pressure. Unbelievable! It's a tough one to call but my preference lies with City at [2.4]. There is no betting on it but the odds of both of these guys still holding post come May next year must be very big.

Tags: alan Curbishley, footbball betting, manchester city, Mark Hughes, Premier league betting, West ham