It's very early to be signing execution warrants but judging by last night's match Alan Pardew could be shown the door by Newcastle sooner rather than later. He's now 5/2 favourite with Ladbrokes to be the first manager to leave this season.
Where oh where has it all gone wrong for Newcastle? Fans had hoped that after last season's poor league campaign they would be able to dust themselves off and try aim for the heights of the 2011/12 season. The last couple of months have been nothing short of a comedy at St James' Park with Joe Kinnear's arrival and all that went with it.
Pardew has pressure coming from all sides now. The moment Kinnear rejoined the club people began to almost assume Pardew would be soon out the door. This was before a ball was even kicked in pre-season. A couple of months later, the only player they have brought in over the summer is Loic Remy on loan, and – judging by last night's display – their defensive frailties are still very much present.
Watch: All the GIFs from Man City v Newcastle
However, is he worth a bet at 5/2? When you consider it, they have decent players but are short of confidence and any sort of period away from the spotlight. And perhaps the whole murmurings of Pardew's demise once Kinnear arrived have greatly exaggerated? Maybe the rumours were nothing more than media speculation?
Look at their next four games: West Ham at home, Fulham at home, Aston Villa away, and Hull City at home. All these games are winnable, and should they take 9-10 points from this run then suddenly all the furore around Pardew will have died down.
Compare this to Sunderland's next four games: Three away matches to Southampton, Crystal Palace and West Brom, and their own home match will be against Arsenal. They easily could find themselves only taking three points from this run, and Di Canio has fallen out with so many players already that it won't take much for the rest of the squad to turn on him. He's 6/1 with Ladbrokes to be the next to leave and this seems much more enticing.
Read: Di Canio fines seven players in nine days.
So while the whole discussion may be about Newcastle at present I'm looking across to their neighbours and putting my money on Di Canio to leave next.
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