<img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-2745026 alignleft" src="https://media.freemalaysiatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/718d477b-bob-holmes-columnist-250424-1.webp" alt="bobby" width="300" height="400" />
The EPL, as we call it, has a new name.
But it’s OK, we can still use the same initials: it’s now the English Panic League.
The two managerial sackings this week can only be put down to pure, blind panic.
At both Spurs and Forest, dire results had brought the spectre of relegation closer.
With all that that entails: losses, losses, and catastrophic losses.
The loss of £100m-plus in prize money from broadcasting, much more in gate receipts, sponsorship deals, and season tickets.
The loss of the best players and prospective new ones no longer wanting to join.
The loss of power in the form of a voice at the most influential conclave in club football.
The loss of prestige.
And the danger of falling like a stone, as several relegated clubs have in recent years.
Forest, Leeds, Sunderland, Southampton, Blackburn, Huddersfield, and Bolton have all supped the thin gruel of third-tier football.
And the Miracle Men of Leicester City, the storybook champions of 2016, stand managerless, moneyless, and on the brink of that bitter fate too.
For Spurs, fully paid-up members of the Big Six, reigning Europa League champions and with arguably the best stadium in Europe, such a prospect is unthinkable.
Just as it is for Forest, who narrowly missed Champions League qualification last season and spent £200m on a squad for the Europa League.
The Reds have also announced grandiose plans for expanding the City Ground to a 50,000 capacity.
Relegation was not in the script for either club, and ironically, Europe has offered something of a respite, especially for Spurs.
Coasting to fourth place in the group phase guaranteed them a seeded place in the knockout round of 16.
Forest are also in contention in the Europa League, albeit facing a two-leg playoff with Fenerbahce.
But continental form was not enough to save either manager when the harsh reality of domestic relegation reared its ugly head.
The sacking of Tottenham’s Thomas Frank had been coming.
The fans were screaming for it, and a desperate home defeat to Newcastle was the final straw.
But Forest removing Sean Dyche was much more of a shock.
The arch-pragmatist had only been in the job 114 days and they didn’t even lose his final match.
But a desperate 0-0 draw with doomed Wolves was enough to spring the trigger finger of Greek owner Evangelos Marinakis.
Dyche, who had stabilised the club after the disastrous reign of Ange Postecoglou, made it a hattrick of sackings for the Big Man.
He did enough initially to earn a contract until the end of 2027. So there’s another big payout to him and his two assistants.
But it won’t be anywhere near what Spurs will be shelling out to Thomas Frank and three of his coaching staff, who came with him from Brentford on three-year contracts.
If it seems like madness, it is. Manchester United’s accounts revealed that they had paid £65m in compensation to managers and their staff in recent years.
And that was before they sacked Ruben Amorim.
Jose Mourinho has picked up almost £100m in payouts during his career.
So why do owners keep doing it?
When facing such a dire predicament, the instinct is to do something. In other words, it’s panic.
The logic is that once the incumbent has lost the dressing room, it’s best to get a new voice whom the players will listen to – for a while.
As long as that ‘while’ is enough to stave off imminent danger, it is considered ‘job done’ and the guy may or may not get a longer deal.
Given the gravity of the consequences of relegation from the EPL, it is deemed a risk worth taking, even though it can be costly.
And looking at the consequences of dropping from the EPL, you can almost understand this reaction.
To be fair to both Frank and Dyche, they were dealt bad hands.
To go to Tottenham from Brentford would have seemed a dream move for a previously unsung Danish manager, but he was inheriting a mess.
Harry Kane and Son Heung-Min had gone and the side was ravaged by long-term injuries.
Then Daniel Levy, the chairman who hired him, was ousted.
Spurs may have won the Europa League but missed relegation by one place. That was why Ange Postecoglou was sacked.
A new board, anxious to be liked, listened to the fans and acted.
At Forest, it was even more complicated. And Postecoglou had a hand in this too.
The Aussie’s winless reign had left them in the relegation zone, but Nuno Espiritu Santo had been sacked before that.
At both clubs, the players were asked to change styles, injuries plagued Forest too, and the owners’ patience snapped at both clubs.
Whoever takes over will at least know that it may not be a long-term appointment.
Roberto De Zerbi is the favourite for the Spurs job while Vitor Pereira, who saved Wolves last season, is tipped to be the next in Nottingham.
Neither club is a nailed-on certainty for the drop, but given the improved form of Leeds and West Ham, steering a path to safety will need a careful hand and a lot of luck.
Marinakis is fast closing on Jesus Gil, the infamous Atletico Madrid boss who is credited with 39 sackings in 16 years.
The Greek shipping magnate is closing on that number, but has at least shared his between Forest and Olympiakos.
&nbsp;
The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of FMT.

MatchPoint Times

EPL is now English Panic League

Sackings reveal Spurs’ and Forest’s desperation to stay in the top flight at any cost.

Azam Baki faces fresh protest after latest shareholding controversy

Venezuela’s amnesty bill postponed amid row over application