WEST BROMWICH, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 03: Alan Pardew manager of West Bromwich Albion during the Premier League match between West Bromwich Albion and Southampton at The Hawthorns on February 3, 2018 in West Bromwich, England. (Photo by Lynne Cameron/Getty Images)
Premier League: The new manager effect is becoming ineffective
The new manager bounce may be dead in the Premier League
The new manager effect is a wonderful thing, results lift, players are revitalised and fans are once again dreaming before next season, everything plummets once again. Usually, the effect lasts around a season but in the case of this season, the effectiveness of it is rapidly deteriorating with Alan Pardew feeling the pressure at West Brom just 52 weeks into his managerial reign and Big Sam also under the pump.
The classic example of the effectiveness of the new manager effect losing its efficacy quicker is when you compare how Gus Poyet was lauded and raved when he saved Sunderland from what looked an inevitable drop and took them to the Carabao Cup final before becoming sacked around a year and 8 months.
Now if you compare that to Craig Shakespeare who went back to the basics at Leicester City before finding out 8 months in that his methods didn’t really stack up and was sacked, the difference is a massive one year reduction in the new manager effect albeit we are comparing managers who led their teams in different years.
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This season it is becoming more apparent than ever that the honeymoon period for new managers is becoming smaller than the previous years. Big Sam who is a renowned manager for saving teams who are in danger of relegation or improving underperforming teams is finding it more difficult than previous years satisfy the fans needs, yes he might be at Everton where the aim is higher than his previous teams in Crystal Palace and Sunderland but the calibre of his players at Everton is also higher.
At first, Big Sam was able to get consecutive wins to appease the fans but in recent weeks, relegation fears are in the minds of Evertonians with a 5-0 thrashing at Arsenal putting the spotlight on Big Sam once again.
A more evident example that the new manager effect is waning is Alan Pardew who has only managed one win in thirteen matches and just one and a half month in his reign at the Baggies there is talk that he might be sacked, with West Brom last in the Premier League, the West Midlands club looks set to bring in another manager to save them from relegation.
Fans of the Premier League must truly wonder if there will an end to this revolving cycle because it is truly getting tiresome but I for one wouldn’t bet on it with Premier League survival such a precious thing with the money at stake.
