The Great Manager Race

Now this could come across as a complete waste of time come the end of the season however. What i propose as an experiment. Is that i re-arrange all the premiership managers.

For example. The premiership manager with the lowest CA ability (Gary Megson) will manage the club with the highest reputation (Man Utd).

This will see if the manager really has a big influence in the fortunes of a club over just one season. Will the 'big 4' finally be split up. Or will it be status quo with Man Utd leading the way, whatever the manager.

*Gianfranco Zola does not have a CA set on the 9.0.3. patch. I'm going to give him a CA of 135.

All managers Fan/Board confidence is at 150.

So the manager/club lineup for the 2008/09 season is.

Man Utd - Gary Megson

Chelsea - Joe Kinnear

Liverpool - Tony Adams

Arsenal - Ricky Sbragia

Tottenham - Tony Pulis

Everton - Gianfranco Zola

Man City - Phil Brown

Aston Villa - Gareth Southgate

Newcastle - Tony Mowbray

West Ham - Sam Allardyce

Blackburn - Mark Hughes

Middlesbrough - Roy Hodgson

Bolton - Steve Bruce

Sunderland - Harry Redknapp

Fulham - David Moyes

Wigan - Martin O'Neill

Portsmouth - Guus Hiddink

West Brom - Arsene Wenger

Stoke - Rafa Benitez

Hull - Alex Ferguson

So. Looking at that list this season could be more exciting than i thought.

Please feel free to add comments and some predictions wouldn't go amiss as well.

Thanks for reading

So, this is a bit like in F1, whether it is the driver or the car that makes the difference?

I reckon that the worst teams will do better than usual but the best teams(top 4) will still dominate.

What happens if the managers get sacked?

Yeah. If the managers get sacked then that will be put in the updates (if more people get involved!) and then it will be up to the club to find a new manager and see if the new manager can turn around the poor form that led to the sacking

Yeah. If the managers get sacked then that will be put in the updates (if more people get involved!) and then it will be up to the club to find a new manager and see if the new manager can turn around the poor form that led to the sacking

Give it time and produce good updates and people will appreciate it and will get involved.

Good luck with the experiment and I will follow.

When can we expect the first update?

Thankyou. Um probably the first update will be either later tonight or tomorrow morning. As a rule updates will be made monthly on the ingame calendar

Sounds really interesting mate. Will follow this one..

Just a thought, maybe if you use the 20 Premier League managers we had at the start of the season, see if the ones who were sacked in real life would do better/worse if given a different club?

interesting experiment here. I can see the lower rep clubs doing well but the big four dominating for a few years. I will follow this with interest

Why Redknapp

Why Redknapp

At least you didn't get Southgate Although it is good to have a bit of a legend return

Good idea mate, will be following this

At least you didn't get Southgate Although it is good to have a bit of a legend return

Good idea mate, will be following this

No we got Southgate instead At least he is a bit of a Villa hero \o/

Will follow this one, looking forward to updates

Cool idea actually, I'll be reading the updates with interest!

Sounds a very interesting experiment, and glad to see Mark Hughes back at Blackburn.

I think the top four will still dominate, but it will be tight at the bottom with 8-9 teams battling relegation at the end of the season.

League cup and F A Cup will have a good chance of going to a team outside the top 4.

Interesting idea mate

I, for one, don't think the big 4 will be under big pressure to maintain their status. Relegation could be interesting.

And I also think Chelsea will win the league.

Sounds like an interesting experiment. I think the top 4 teams will still dominate but the other teams with the better managers will do a lot better.

I don't know how the big 4 will do in the Champions League though. I don't think one of them will win it.

Southgate back at Villa lol

Part 1 of the first update.

Ricky Sbragia (Arsenal)

Form: Arsenal made a good start to the 2008/09 campaign under new manager Ricky Sbragia. Fans were questioning Sbragia's appointment when Arsenal lost 1-0 to FC Twente in their first competitive game of the season. However Sbragia got things back on track with a 3-2 win over Sunderland and a 1-1 draw with West Ham. Arsenal bounced back to thrash Twente 4-1 in the return leg to send them into the Champions League group stage. Arsenal find themselves in 4th place in the Premiership, the position they were expected to come. Sbragia can pride himself on the fact that Arsenal are top of the away league table.

News: Arsenal first choice goalkeeper Manuel Almunia has suffered a broken finger and will be out for 5 weeks. He will miss vital games including the League Cup 3rd round tie against Manchester United and the Arsenal v Everton Premiership game at Goodison Park

Transfers: No players were bought or sold during the transfer window although young midfielder Henri Lansbury was loaned out to Bournemouth

Gareth Southgate (Aston Villa)

Form: Gareth Southgate got his new club, Aston Villa off to flying start in both competitions they participated in in August. Villa's campaign started before any other club with a EURO Vase tie against Rosenborg in which the Villains impressively won 6-1 on aggregate. FC Haka were slaughtered as Aston Villa stopped for no-one in their 7-1 aggregate victory in the EURO Cup qualifying round sending Aston Villa into the EURO Cup knockout rounds. On domestic turf Aston Villa are unbeaten with two wins and 1 draw leaving Southgate's warriors in 5th place.

News: Gabriel Agbonlahor celebrated his first England call up with a goal in Englands 2-0 victory over the Czech Republic

Transfers: Aston Villa loaned Juventus right back Jonathan Zebina until the end of the season and also paid 2.5m for the services of Benoit Cheyrou from Marseille for a season-long loan.

Mark Hughes (Blackburn)

Form: Since returning to Ewood Park Mark Hughes has done an outstanding job taking Rovers to 6th in the table despite playing two of the 'big four' in their first 3 games of the season. Beating Stoke 3-0 on the opening day of the season before two consecutive 0-0 draws with Chelsea and Liverpool. One problem for Mark Hughes is that Blackburn are being branded a one man team after Roque Santa Cruz scoring 6 goals this season with no other player contributing anywhere near the level of performance that Santa Cruz is showcasing every week.

News: Speaking at a recent press conference Mark Hughes believes that Blackburn have an outside chance of lifting this seasons League Cup

Transfers: Blackburn made no transfers however sold former Gillingham keeper Jason Brown to Wigan for 1m. A number of youngsters including Tony Kane and Josh O'Keefe went out on loan to lower league clubs.

Steve Bruce (Bolton)

Form: Steve Bruce's opening month at Bolton has been rather hit & miss. Bolton lost 2-1 to Newcastle in a tight affair with many Bolton fans praising Bruce's tactical qualities. They followed this up with an impressive 2-0 win over Hull. However Bolton fans were enraged with Everton thrashed them 5-1 at Goodison Park. Bruce had played youngsters such as Nathan Woolfe and the Bolton fans clearly wanted Bruce to play the strongest side available.

News: Bolton manager Steve Bruce has come out and told the media he believes that Jussi Jaaskelainen would make a top quality scout. Jaaskelainen was less impressed. He responded by sayng he just wants to concentrate on playing.

Transfers: Bolton loaned young full back Miguel Torres from Real Madrid for a loan fee of 400k. The Spaniard can play on either side of defence. Chris Basham, Zoltan Harsanyi & James Sinclair were sent out on loan.

Joe Kinnear (Chelsea)

Form: Joe Kinnear's Chelsea has had a terrible start as manager of the Blues as Chelsea finds themselves in 15th place in the league without a win. A 1-1 draw with Liverpool and a 0-0 draw with Blackburn added to a 1-0 loss to Portsmouth have made the Irishman unpopular at Stamford Bridge

News: New signing Mike Pollitt could be important to Chelsea's revival as first choice keeper Petr Cech is out with a broken hand. Cech will miss the vital home game against Man City.

Transfers: Kinnear bought ageing Wigan keeper Mike Pollitt to provide much needed cover for Petr Cech and the Irishman sold Michael Ballack to Bayern Munich for a fee of 4.8m. Youngsters Fabio Ferreira and Carl Magnay were sent out on loan.

Gianfranco Zola (Everton)

Form: The Italian has had an exceptional start to his Everton tenure bringing to Toffee's to 3rd in the Premiership with 3 games played. The most impressive victory to date was the 5-1 thrashing of Bolton. However some fans are worried that Everton could be relying to much on the goals from loanee Jo. Jo has scored 5 Premiership goals and he is running away with the English golden boot.

News: Gianfranco Zola has confused some Everton fans after saying that he is 'disappointed with how things a going' despite the fact that Everton are 3rd in the division.

Transfers: With Everton on a tight budget the transfer window was never going to be exciting for Everton fans and the main talking point was versatile defender Phil Jagielka, who was sold to moneybags Man City for 6.75m. Elsewhere Lukas Jutkiewicz was loaned to Northampton.

David Moyes (Fulham)

Form: Moyes' men haven't had a great start to their season but given Fulham's resources Moyes has done a decent job in trying to avoid being the whipping boys. Fulham are currently 18th in the Premier League. The fixture list seemed to have been kind to Fulham however they only picked up 1 points with the most disappointing result a 3-0 loss to Alex Ferguson's Hull.

News: Moyes had angered a number of Fulham fans in the off-season by saying in a recent press conference 'If have no confidence in my players'. Mark Schwarzer was understandably furious and recent reports are linking him with a move away from Craven Cottage in January.

Transfers: No players were bought and only 1 sold in quiet transfer window at Craven Cottage. Keeper David Stockdale was sold to Burnley for 475k.

Alex Ferguson (Hull)

Form: Ferguson has done an outstanding job at Hull. The Tigers were expcted to finish 20th this season however SAF has hauled them to a very respectable 10th place. Hull's 3-0 win over Fulham has got to be the main highlight for Hull fans

News: In an unbelievable chain of event Sir Alex Ferguson has walked out of 3 of his 4 press conferences this season. All three times it has been the same comment. Hull are favourites to get relegated. Ferguson clearly hates this tag and every time it is mentioned he 'blows his top'

Transfers: In a quiet month at the KC Stadium Ferguson managed to sign defensive midfielder Gary Mason from St Mirren for 65k. Luis Prieto was also loaned in from Valladolid for a loan fee of 220k. Elsewhere John Welsh was sent on loan to League 2 club Rotherham

Tony Adams (Liverpool)

Form: Tony Adams is leading the sack race table at this early stage with Liverpool finding themselves in 17th in the league table, without a win. Adams' men drew 1-1 with Chelsea and then 0-0 with Blackburn before a 3-0 thrashing by Man City. In the Champions League Liverpool breezed past Wisla 4-0 on aggregate.

News: Strong centre-back Martin Skrtel has suffered a groin strain and will be unavailable for Liverpool's weekend game against Tottenham.

Transfers: Only 1 player left Anfield in the transfer window and that was young striker Krisztien Nemeth who joined Championship strugglers Charlton on loan.

Phil Brown (Man City)

Form: Wow. Man City's stunning form has seen them top the league, and they haven't even conceded a goal yet in the league. No team has played more games than City so far this season and they're unbeaten in all competitions. 3-0 wins against Middlesbrough and Liverpool but City top and they consolidated that with a 1-0 away victory against Stoke. In the EURO Cup Man City slaughtered Milano Kumanovo in the 1st Qualifying round and then Hajduk Split in the 2nd Qualifying round which sets them up with a 1st knockout round tie with Dinamo Zagreb.

News: Man City will be without Shay Given for the next 3 league games after he was sent off for violent conduct against Liverpool. However Joe Hart looks more than capable between the sticks.

Transfers: In an extremely busy month at Eastlands, Man City managed to spend a whopping 87m on players. Their highest transfer was that of Vagner Love who signed for 17m. Darijo Srna also was bought for a mere 16.5m. Angelo Palombo was next with his 14.75m transfer from Sampdoria. Phil Brown also bought Chinedu Obasi, Antonio Valencia, Luisao & Goran Pandev. Nobody was sold.

Gary Megson (Man United)

Form: Megson had a poor month in charge of United. A 1-0 loss in the Community Shield to Portsmouth didn't help things and then a 0-0 draw with West Ham raised a few eyebrows. A 3-1 win over Newcastle put things back on track but a 2-1 loss to Zenit in the EURO Super Cup took them off track again.

News: Pacey left back Patrice Evra will be out of action for a month after suffering a broken jaw. Backup left back Fabio was sent out on loan to Southampton so John O'Shea is likely to fill in.

Transfers: Fabio was loaned to Southampton whilst Richard Eckersley was loaned to Bournemouth.

Very good report

Really interesting to see Megson and Kinnear ruining their teams

KUTGW

Edit - How could I forget, GO SOUTHGATE

bet rednapp is doing crap

I'm sort of surprised by Phil Brown... Not by Man City being at the top of the league, with their transfer budget even if you employed a sack of spuds to manage them they'd probably be top of the league with decent signings.

I'm actually surprised by how amazing Phil Brown did in the transfer market!

IMO he signed FM09 best striker (Love), best fullback (Srna), one of the best DMC (Palombo), and two really good attacking wingers (Valencia & Pandev)... Possibly the best transfer dealings I've seen by an AI manager in FM09

I love that Chelsea's only purchase was Mike Pollitt, irl that would be a shameful piece of business.

Glad Southgate hasn't got Villa relegated yet despite being very poor in the transfer window himself.

Phil Brown ftw

Brilliant update this, interesting how things are turning out for the 'Sky 4' .

As a Man Utd fan I am more than disappointed with the management of Gary Megson. If that kind of form continues then he will be sacked pretty soon and a decent manager will be appointed. Interesting that even with a different manager, we did not sign anyone. I would imagine this could be something to do with the AI being very aware of the debt repayments and trying not to plunge the club into more debt. Any way, I am now officially starting the Get Megson Out Campaign!

Part 2

Roy Hodgson (Middlesbrough)

Form: Hodgson will be hoping that he can turn around Boro's fortunes otherwise he could be in for a short stint at the Riverside. Middlesbrough are currently bottom of the Premierhip although a 3-2 loss to Spurs showed than can score goals. A 3-0 loss to highflyers Man City and a 2-0 loss to West Brom have shown a poor but not disastrous start. However a loss to Northampton in the League Cup has caused many to question Hodgson.

News: Roy Hodgson has baffled a number of journalists in his first press conference as Middlesbrough boss. He failed to give an answer for 5 of the 8 questions.

Transfers: Young Nathan Porritt was loaned out to Charlton.

Tony Mowbray (Newcastle)

Form: Mowbray has a so-so start to Newcastle management with the Toon 14th in the Premiership however they did have to play 2 of the so called 'big four'. A 3-1 loss to Man Utd and a 2-0 loss to Arsenal put Newcastle on the back foot but a hard fought 2-1 win over Bolton has got them back into contention

News: Mowbray has incensed some fans after Newcastle's shock 1-0 loss to Coventry in the League Cup. Mowbray said he was 'left in jubilant spirits' after Newcastle's defeat.

Transfers: Mowbray bought centre-back Phil Jagielka from Everton for 6.75m

Guus Hiddink (Portsmouth)

Form: The Russian motivator has taken Pompey to a very respectable 7th in the Premier League. Pompey won the first trophy up for grabs this season with a 1-0 victory over Man Utd in the Community Shield. Hiddink followed that up with a 1-0 win over former club Chelsea. Then came two draws with Everton & Fulham.

News: Young loanee Jermaine Pennant looks to be going back to Liverpool after his loan spell. Speaking at a recent press conference Guus Hiddink said he would not be looking to make the deal for Pennant permanent

Transfers: Hiddink made Theofanis Gekas' loan deal permanent. He signed the Greek for 2m

Rafa Benitez (Stoke)

Form: It seems that even Rafa Benitez can't control the newly promoted teams fall. Stoke are 19th in the Premiership without a point and were also knocked out by Swansea in the League Cup.

News: Danny Pugh is no longer willing to play for Stoke! Following Rafa Benitez saying that he was looking to replace Pugh the winger said he no longer wanted to play under Benitez's guide.

Transfers: Nobody was bought or sold. Nobody was even loaned out as Stoke retained their entire batch of players.

Harry Redknapp (Sunderland)

Form: Redkanpp has been a good start to his reign at Sunderland. The Black Cats were one of the favourites to go down although the former Pompey manger has got them up to 12th. However just one 1-0 victory over Wigan has questioned the teams passion for the games. Especially after a 2-0 loss to Aston Villa. Despite the negatives Sunderland played very well in their 3-2 loss to Arsenal and they also easily beat Walsall 4-0 in the League Cup

News: Harry Redknapp had made it clear he was on the verge of signing Barry Robson however some Sunderland fans are bemused that Redknapp, renowned for his wheeler-dealing did not even make a bid for the Scottish midfielder.

Transfers: Redknapp loaned in holding midfielder Emerson and pacey striker Javier Saviola. A signing that got Sunderland fans drooling. Kevin Thomson was also acquired for 4.4m from Rangers.

Tony Pulis (Tottenham)

Form: Tottenham have made a very good start to the season with Pulis in charge. Spurs are currently sitting pretty in 2nd place in the league. Just above their fierce North London rivals Arsenal. A good 2-0 win over Wigan was followed by a 3-2 victory over Middlesbrough and then a 2-0 win over Pulis' former club Stoke. The Spurs fans are singing Pulis' name at White Hart Lane this season.

News: Following Jermain Defoe's sending off against Middlesbrough Tony Pulis has said that he is definitely going to make changes to his team following the red card.

Transfers: Not exactly what Tottenham fans were looking for a Pulis failed to make any acquisitions to his squad and only two youngsters were sent out on loan Jacques Maghoma (Rochdale) & Kieran McKenna (Leyton Orient).

Arsene Wenger (West Brom)

Form: Wenger has turned newly promoted WBA from relegation candidates to a team fighting for a EURO Cup place. With an impressive 2-0 win over Middlesbrough and a good 2-0 win over QPR in the League Cup. However Wenger's men were beaten 3-0 by Wigan.

News: Wenger recently stormed out of a press conference after a comment was made stating that West Brom will face an uphill struggle to stay in the Premiership. Wenger lost his cool and walked out on the press conference.

Transfers: Surely the coup of the season for West Brom as Wenger used his influence to sign Boca Juniors striker Martin Palermo for 2m. The big name signing has caused a flurry of activity in the West Brom shop with the letter 'P' running out for replica shirts.

Sam Allardyce (West Ham)

Form: Hardly the start Allardyce was looking for as the Hammers languish in 16th place in the Premier League. However West Ham have definitely had the hardest start with games against Arsenal, Man Utd & Villa. Allardyce's men managed to hold on to draws against Arsenal & United but succumbed to a 1-0 defeat against Aston Villa.

News: Sam Allardyce has announced a fierce rivalry with Gary Megson after stating he does not believe Megson is a good enough manager to take Man Utd to the top.

Transfers: Allardyce made an astute signing in the purchase of much wanted midfielder Barry Robson from Celtic for a fee of 2.3m.

Martin O'Neill (Wigan)

Form: Martin O'Neill has got relegation favourites Wigan up into 11th place in the Premier League. Despite a plague of injuries West Brom managed to thrash Wenger's West Brom 3-0 at the Hawthorns however many were disappointed when Colchester knocked Wigan out of the League Cup with a 2-0 win.

News: Influential midfielder Michael Brown will be out for a further 2 weeks after pulling his hamstring in the cup match against Colchester. He will miss games against West Ham & Newcaslte

Transfers: O'Neill made a media whirlwind as he bought player after players for bargain prices. First up was Newcastle's Alan Smith who was bought for 4.3m. Next up was Jason Brown from Blackburn for 1m and Dario Silva for 1.7m. The business was rounded off with a loan deal for Dortmund's Jakub Blaszczykowski in loan deal worth 1.7m. Mike Pollitt was sold to Chelsea!

Again very good report but where are Fergie's Hull

KUTGW

All of the managers status is stable at the moment.

For me personally i think that because Wenger bought Palermo i think that shows that managers reputation really does make a difference. I've been quite doubtful before that it does but the game has seemingly proved me wrong

lol balls i forgot Hull. Hold on

Alex Ferguson and Hull have now been edited in the first part

well rednapp doing ok

If you're lucky you might get the next report later.

And in that next report there's a bit of a surprise for any Liverpool & Bolton fans.

Bruce's plan to relegate bolton is going well i see. KUTGW gunner

ahhh. if only you knew conners. thanks for posting

Update 2 (31/10/08(Sorry it's so long, i got carried away))

Ricky Sbragia (Arsenal)

League: Ricky Sbragia and Arsenal are now top of the Premier League and are gunning for success on all levels this season. Arsenal have lost just two games (both 2-0 against Hull and Bolton) and are heavy favourites for the title. Despite a shaky start Emmanuel Adebayor has repaid Sbragia's trust in him by scoring 5 goals. Sbragia's selection policy will soon be tested as Gael Clichy will be out for 1 month with a sprained ankle.

Cups: Arsenal won their League Cup 3rd round game on penalties against Gary Megson's Man United. They will play Liverpool in round 4.

Europe: With European season in full flow now Arsenal find themselves top of their group in the Champions League but the group is tight and Sbragia knows he needs to play his best team week in week out to progress.

Gareth Southgate (Aston Villa)

League: With the season in full swing now, Southgate's men are sitting pretty in 8th place with a recent impressive run of form that was cut short by a 3-1 loss to Man Utd. However injuries have rocked the Villa squad and Gabriel Agbonlahor is out until Christmas with a broken ankle and more seriously we will not see Nicky Shorey again this season as he suffered a broken fibula and is not expcted back until late May. Luke Young has been training hard to play at left back to fill in for Shorey.

Cups: Aston Villa are into the 4th round of the League Cup after scraping past managerless Sheffield Utd 1-0. A goal in extra time from Luke Young was enough for the Villains and they will play Bolton in the 4th round.

Europe: After beating Wisla 5-2 on aggregate in the 1st knockout round Aston Villa were handed a tough group and with one matchday played find themselves bottom of the group thanks to a 1-0 loss to Wolfsburg. Next up in the EURO Cup for Villa is an easy tie against AC Milan!

Mark Hughes (Blackburn)

League: As the league evens it's self out after a hectic first section of games Mark Hughes' Rovers are hovering just above the relegation zone in 17th place. The main problem for Mark Hughes men is seemingly determination. Looking at the results if Blackburn concede then it's probably they will concede again. The main problem for Mark Hughes is that Roque Santa Cruz is out until Christmas with a torn calf muscle and Rovers have suffered because of the injury. A recent 5-1 loss to West Ham compounded the fans misery.

Cups: After a convincing 5-0 win against Bradford in the 2nd round Blackburn were knocked out in the 3rd round by an impressive Sunderland side.

Steve Bruce (Bolton)

League: Steve Bruce's Bolton side are currently overachievers of the season with the Trotters 6th in the Premiership and Steve Bruce has become a hit with the fans at the Reebok. Bolton's best result by far has been the 2-0 win against Arsenal and also a hard-earned 1-1 draw with Man United. However on the negative Bolton's recent form has been poor and they are slipping away from the teams ahead and falling into the clutches of 7th, 8th & 9th. Bolton are top of the home league table. A fantastic achievement for Bruce.

Cups: After a 2-0 win against Huddersfield in the 2nd round, Bruce followed that up with another 2-0 win over Burnley in the 4th round. Bolton will play Aston Villa in the 5th round.

Joe Kinnear (Chelsea)

League: After a woeful start Chelsea have been unstoppable of late and have hauled they way up to 3rd in the table. Kinnear's Blues have the highest goal difference in the league and that could prove important. Chelsea have a game in hand against Man City which would take Chelsea top if they win. The season highlight was a terrific October in which they won all of they games but at least 2 clear goals.

Cups: Chelsea have a high chance of doing something in the League Cup this season. After beating Portsmouth 2-1 in Round 3 Chelsea's reward is a home tie against Blackpool.

Europe: Chelsea have been in fine form in the Champions League, winning all of their group games to date. Although the group is weak Chelsea have still had to do a professional job, which they've done.

Gianfranco Zola (Everton)

League: An impressive campaign for the Italian's Toffee's who are currently sitting in 7th place but it's only a matter of time before they take 6th place away from the sliding Bolton. Everton had a good October and only missed out on being unbeaten by being beaten by Chelsea. Jo has been superb for Everton and is more than a deputy for Yakubu, who is currently out injured. However a number of draws from winning positions is starting to concern fans.

Cups: Everton beat Northampton 1-0 in the League Cup 3rd round which sets up a tie against Preston in the 4th round.

Europe: After beating Vitoria Setubal of Portugal in the 1st Knockout round 5-0 on aggregate Everton find themselves 2nd in Group A with just one matchday played. Everton can be confident of progressing through a weak group.

David Moyes (Fulham)

League: Moyes has got Fulham into a good position of 13th place and Fulham are 7 points clear of relegation. Fulham's record against the top teams this season has been creditable. For instance the 1-0 win over Man United however finishing over the poorer teams seems to be a problem, a 1-1 draw with Wigan summed this up. Overall a very good start for Moyes and they can be confident of avoiding relegation. Elsewhere John Pantsil has been dropped following poor form.

Cups: Fulham were knocked out in the League Cup 2nd round. They were beaten 2-1 by Burnley.

Alex Ferguson (Hull)

League: Alex Ferguson has turned Hull from being relegation favourites to a good Premiership team. The Tigers are currently 15th in the Premiership with Kevin Kilbane having a very good season. However with Kilbane out for 2 weeks we will now see how Hull cope with their best player out. A very good 3-1 win over Aston Villa has been the highlight.

Cups: Hull are marching on through into the League Cup 4th round after wins against Port Vale (2-1) and Reading (1-0). Hull will play West Brom in Round 4.

Tony Adams (Liverpool)

League: This could be my last update on Tony Adams with his Liverpool side in the relegation zone in 18th place. The Reds have just one win from ten games and are two points from safety. Adams needs to start to get his team to play otherwise he will lose his job and Liverpool's illustrious history will be thrown down the toilet. One problem seems to be that Ryan Babel has made the most appearances for Liverpool this season despite having a woeful average rating. Torres has had a good season but needs to find a strike partner.

Cups: Maybe the cups are what is saving Tony Adams job with a decent job in the League Cup. They beat Man City 3-1 in Round 3 and will face Arsenal at the Emirates in round 4.

Europe: Liverpool are currently second in the weakest of the 8 groups. An impressive 3-0 win over Panathinaikos set them on their way. However they need to defend their second place from improving Panathinaikos. Werder Bremen are running away with the group.

Phil Brown (Man City)

League: The Citizen's impressive start has got better and better and find themselves in 2nd place. If they avoid defeat in their game in hand against Chelsea they will overtake Arsenal and lead the Premiership. Vagner Love has had an exceptional season with 10 goals in all competitions. The one disappointment is that new signing Chinedu Obasi has had a poor season so far although first team opportunities have been hard to come by for the Nigerian. Goran Pandev has the highest average rating of anyone in the Premiership.

Cups: Man City beat Southampton 2-0 in the 2nd round of the League Cup by were knocked out by Liverpool in round 3.

Europe: Man City steamrollered past Dinamo Zagreb in the EURO Cup 1st Knockout round winning 6-1 on aggregate however in the EURO Cup group stage Man City are 4th after a 2-1 loss to Marseille on matchday 1.

Gary Megson (Man United)

League: After a shaky start to the season Man Utd have hauled themselves up to 4th in the Premiership. With just two losses in the league all season Man Utd are in pole position for launching a Christmas attack on the 3 teams above them. Cristiano Ronaldo has had a fantastic season even by his standards. Whilst to counter this Zoran Tosic has had an awful season with the lowest average rating in the whole of the Premiership.

Cups: Man United lost out to bitter rivals Arsenal on penalties in the League Cup 3rd round.

Europe: Manchester United are top of their Champions League Group F and it would be a travesty if their failed to progress from such a good position.

Roy Hodgson (Middlesbrough)

League: Roy Hodgsons men have been very disappointing in the league this season and find themselves in 19th place. To add to their woes statistically they have the worst defence in the league, letting in an undefendable 19 goals from 10 games. The main problem has been the lack of a quality goalkeeper with Ross Turnball between the sticks. If Hodgson doesn't buy a keeper in January then Boro are as good as down.

Cups: Middlesbrough lost on penalties in an enthralling 2-2 draw with Northampton.

Tony Mowbray (Newcastle)

League: After a poor start Tony Mowbray has got his Newcastle side into a respectable position in 10th place. One of the highlights being a superb 2-0 victory over high-flyers Man City. Michael Owen has been in insane form with 7 goals in 9 games this season. However Owen is their only consistent scorer as Oba Martins has only scored 2 in the whole season and if Owen gets injured then Mowbray could have a big job on his hands. However this seasons league is incredibly tight and a win could take Newcastle up to 4th but a loss down to 14th.

Cups: Newcastle were disappointing in their 1-0 loss to Coventry in the 3rd round of the League Cup.

Guus Hiddink (Portsmouth)

League: Portsmouth find themselves way off target as they sit in 16th place in the league. Whilst Pompey have scored in every single home game this season their away form has been diabolical which is something Guus needs to address sooner rather than later. Portsmouth's defence has generally been good with Sylvain Distin, Glen Johnson and Nadir Belhadj having good average ratings.

Cups: Portsmouth were knocked out by Chelsea in the 3rd round of the League Cup. The scoreline of 2-1 reflected the game well.

Europe: Portsmouth strode into the EURO Cup group stages with a convincing 4-1 victory of Standard Liege on aggregate. Portsmouth were handed an incredibly tough group but are currently top of that group after a 2-1 victory over group whipping boys AA Gent.

Rafa Benitez (Stoke)

League: Stoke's abysmal start to the season gets worse and worse. Currently bottom of the Premiership Benitez's men are 4 points from safety and they have only scored 4 all season, picking up the lowest goal difference along the way. Only one striker has scored this season (Mamady Sidibe) and Stoke are relying way to much on Matt Etherington. Should he leave in January, Stoke may as well give up.

Cups: Stoke were beaten 3-2 by Swansea in the League Cup 2nd round.

Harry Redknapp (Sunderland)

League: Harry Redknapp's season in charge of Sunderland gets better and better and better. Currently in 9th place in the league Harry's Black Cats are one of the surprises of the season. Djibril Cisse has been in good form and Redknapp is said to have been delighted over how recent things a going. The Black Cats have 9 lives. (and 9th place).

Cups: Sunderland beat Walsall 4-0 in the second round of the League Cup and then earned a hard fought 1-0 victory over Blackburn in round 3. For the 4th round of the League Cup Sunderland will take on Birmingham at the Stadium of Light.

Tony Pulis (Tottenham)

League: Spurs are going a very good job this season and are currently in 5th place but have not lost ground at all with fierce rivals, and league leaders Arsenal. Robbie Keane has been on fire and Pulis seems to be the only manager who can get Didier Zokora working. The midfielder has had an excellent season.

Cups: Tottenham were knocked out of the League Cup 3rd round by Derby County.

Europe: Spurs progressed into the EURO Cup group stage with ease after a 6-2 aggregate victory of Dutch side NAC Breda. With 1 matchday played Tottenham are bottom of Group H after a 2-0 loss to Rennes. Although many are expecting Spurs to progress as they are in the easiest group of the lot.

Arsene Wenger (West Brom)

League: West Brom's season has been a good one on their return to the top flight. Under Wenger's guidance WBA are certainly the team to watch out for and that was proved recently when West Brom hit Tottenham for four in a 4-0 victory. The signing of Martin Palermo was astute and he is the teams main goalscorer with 5 goals.

Cups: West Brom progressed to the 4th round after a 2-0 win over QPR (round 2) and a 3-1 victory of Colchester (round 3). Wenger recently said in a press conference he believes that West Bromwich Albion can go the whole way this season.

Sam Allardyce (West Ham)

League: It looks to be a promising first season for Sam Allardyce at West Ham. The Hammers are currently 11th and look like a decent outside bet for a European spot for next season. Allardyce has got West Ham playing well and most importantly scoring goals. This is backed up by West Ham's recent 5-1 mauling of Blackburn Rovers. Dean Ashton has had a very good season with an average rating of 7.43.

Cups: West Ham beat Oldham 3-0 in the League Cup round 2 before squeezing past Leeds on penalties in round 3. In round 4 West Ham will be up against Tottenham beaters Derby. The game will be at Pride Park.

Martin O'Neill (Wigan)

League: Martin O'Neill has done an outstanding job so far as manager of Wigan. For a team widely tipped for the drop the Latics are currently in 14th place in the Premier League. Wigan look a team capable of holding onto leads when the opposition are pressing heavily like the tight 1-0 win over Hull. Wigan can also score a few though and eyebrows were raised when Wigan beat West Ham 4-0 early in October.

Cups: Wigan were beaten 2-0 by Colchester in the League Cup round 2.

Current Managers Status

Steve Bruce – Bolton – Very Secure

Harry Redknapp – Sunderland – Very Secure

Arsene Wenger – West Brom – Secure

Alex Ferguson – Hull – Secure

David Moyes – Fulham – Secure

Phil Brown – Man City – Stable

Gary Megson – Man Utd – Stable

Tony Mowbray – Newcastle – Stable

Rafa Benitez – Stoke – Stable

Tony Pulis – Tottenham – Stable

Ricky Sbragia – Arsenal – Stable

Gareth Southgate – Aston Villa – Stable

Joe Kinnear – Chelsea – Stable

Gianfranco Zola – Everton – Stable

Sam Allardyce – West Ham – Stable

Martin O'Neill – Wigan – Stable

Guus Hiddink – Pompey – Stable

Roy Hodgson – Middlesbrough – Very Insecure

Mark Hughes – Blackburn – Very Insecure

Tony Adams – Liverpool – Precarious.

It's all hotting up now. Expect sackings in the next update I would conceive.

ahhh. if only you knew conners. thanks for posting

i hoped that would mean they were bottom

Come on wigan

Can't help but laugh at Tony Adams and Liverpool

Great update KUTGW