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In the world of modern football, the job of a manager is becoming increasingly comprehensive but a manager's job security is plummeting.
Where once managerial tenures that lasted over five years were the norm, they are today considered an anomaly. Arsene Wenger and Sir Alex Ferguson were famed for their longevity, which lasted more than 20 years but in today's environment, the plaudits for the same go to the likes of Sean Dyche.
Over the years, especially with the advent of rich, foreign/oligarch ownership, turnover in managers increased greatly.
Along the way, it is obvious that a few managers would be unfairly sacked, having fallen prey to insanely high and unachievable expectations of those who don't quite understand the game.
Leeds United, under the ownership of the eccentric Massimo Cellino, have gained a penchant for sacking managers at a rate far higher than even Chelsea. In the Premier League, Sunderland's hiring and sacking of managers was a yearly event as they attempted to stave off relegation.
Over the years, a lot of men have paid for their jobs due to egoistic owners and through, not much fault of their own. In this slideshow, we will look at 5 of the most unfair Premier League manager sackings.
#5 Chris Hughton (Newcastle United)
Presently managing Brighton in the Premier League, Chris Hughton is one of the most likeable men in football.
He is calm, patient, well mannered and refuses to moan about poor refereeing decisions, understanding that they are human. In other words, he is the anti- Mike Ashley.
In 2010, Hughton was the manager of a promising Newcastle United team, which he had rebuilt and won the Championship with after their unthinkable relegation.
Newcastle had an amazing season. They were unbeaten at St. James' park and romped to promotion in record time. In the ensuing summer transfer window, Hughton purchased Hatem Ben Arfa and the late Cheik Tiote, both of whom became fan favourites.
He helped Newcastle start the season in blistering form thrashing Aston Villa, overcoming Arsenal at the Emirates and securing a thumping 5-1 win in the Tyne-Wear derby.
Then, in December, with Newcastle sitting comfortably in 11th place, Hughton was sacked. It was a shocking decision that not many agreed with. Ashley came under scrutiny from team captain Kevin Nolan and club legend Alan Shearer amongst others.
After a few years of struggles, Hughton has established himself at Brighton who he led to a magnificent promotion as well as a tremendous first season in the Premier League, further displaying to Newcastle what they had missed out on.
#4 Avram Grant (Chelsea)
Roman's axe has fallen on many a manager in West London. While Carlo Ancelotti may rightly be aggrieved when after a successful double in the first season, his ultimately trophy-less second season at the Bridge saw him sacked, Avram Grant suffered from the ignominy despite an extremely impressive recovery after Jose Mourinho's sacking.
Like most Chelsea fans, I was rather iffy about Grant's appointment, which seemed to be due to his friendship with the owner. But, its fair to say he proved us wrong. With the club languishing in eighth place, Grant oversaw a tremendous recovery which saw Chelsea go on a run of 16 games unbeaten. In the end, he dragged the race to the Premier League to the final day, before being pipped by Manchester United.
In the Champions League, he went farther than Mourinho ever did at Chelsea. The club played its first ever Champions League final in Moscow and was one heartbreaking penalty miss away from the victory.
Grant had also taken Chelsea to the final of the League Cup, where they fell to an extra time winner from Jonathan Woodgate.
For a man perceived to be "25 years behind the times" and one who was rejected by the fanbase, Grant did a very admirable job in winning over his doubters.
His sacking after the final game of the season may not have been shocking, but it certainly was unfair.
#3 Michael Laudrup (Swansea)
Okay. This might seem a tad surprising but hear me out. The Swans did very well under Brendan Rodgers to reach the promised land i.e. the top division.
Following the Northern Irishman's departure to Liverpool, Swansea hired a big name player, yet established manager as a replacement in the form of Michael Laudrup.
Laudrup, a former Barcelona and Real Madrid player was the first Dane manager in the Premier League and responsible for arguably the best bargain signing the league has seen in Michu.
In his first season in charge, Laudrup led the Swans to Wembley for the League Cup final, defeating reigning champions Chelsea over two legs in the semis.
The finals saw the Welsh side put on a masterclass as they humbled Bradford 5-0 to clinch the crown, Swansea's first and only major English trophy.
While Swansea may have struggled in the next season, their sacking of Laudrup was unjust. The man had guided them to their greatest ever win without abandoning their famed style of play.
He had brought success with style and substance and his sacking saw the beginning of a spiral that ended in Swansea's relegation from the Premier League.
#2 Sam Allardyce (Blackburn Rovers)
The following season was one of consolidation as Allardyce, despite only having a fraction of the money from sales to spend, solidified Blackburn as a mid-table side.
They finished the season in tenth place and also reached the semi-finals of the League Cup. Big Sam made a name for himself at Bolton, building a cult team including the likes of Djorkaeff and Jay Jay Okocha. In signature style, Allardyce took over with Blackburn in 19th place and dragged them to safety as they ended the 2008-09 season in 15th place.
With the club sold to Indian poultry magnates, the Venky family, it seemed as if Allardyce could build on his success.
And then it fell apart. With Blackburn 13th in the league despite the club having spent virtually no money, Big Sam was sacked by the Venky's in December.
His replacement was his own coach, Steve Kean, who would prove to be one of the worst appointments in the Premier League as the Rovers won only five more league games till the end of the season.
Big Sam was performing miracles with a measly budget, as he was afforded no money to spend. Despite this, he was controversially sacked and ever since, Blackburn have been on a downward spiral.
#1 Harry Redknapp (Tottenham Hotspur)
The season of his appointment, he rescued Spurs to eighth place and guided them to the League Cup final, which they lost to Manchester United on penalties.
In the 2009-10 season, Redknapp guided Spurs to fourth place and allowed them to qualify for the Champions League for the first time, in the process winning the Premier League Manager of the Year award.
Harry never fails to remind anyone that he turned around the fortunes of a Spurs side that was rooted to the bottom of the League table with just two points from eight games.
Despite his supposed lack of tactical nous and braggadocios nature, Redknapp did indeed do very well with Tottenham.
After a shocking run to the quarterfinals, including the performance against Inter Milan that announced the arrival of Gareth Bale
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Spurs would go out to Real Madrid and finish fifth in the League. The next season, Spurs bounced back to once again finish 4th but they failed to qualify for the Champions League thanks to Chelsea winning the competition.
This was an unfortunate turn of events and undoubtedly would've upset Daniel Levy in the Tottenham boardroom. But, it should not have undermined the work that Redknapp carried out never mind resulted in his sacking.
