The first instinct most football fans have when things start going badly for their team is to blame the manager. If it's not the tactics it's the attitude or the player management. So if a manager is having a brilliant season, does that buy them some extra "credit" for if things go badly further down the line?
This weekend, previous Premier League strugglers Sheffield United, who conceded the most goals in Premier League history last season, outclassed fellow relegated side Luton Town, winning 2 - 0 at Bramall Lane.
Luton's frustrations at a poor start back in the second tier boiled over after seeing a side who finished 12 points below them in the Premier League go second in the Championship.
As Rob Edwards approached the travelling fans in Yorkshire, he was booed, with chants of "Edwards sort it out" coming from the Luton faithful. This comes a year after he revered as the hero who made the Premier League dream come true at Kenilworth Road.
So how do Luton's board strike a balance between respecting a club legend but also ensuring they're competitive in the Championship? Well it's not a question exclusive to Luton.
Clubs such as Watford and Chelsea are notorious for sacking managers. With the high standards at Chelsea this is arguably understandable, but Watford have had Premier League winner Claudio Ranieri and the vastly experienced Roy Hodgson and yet as soon as things took a bad turn they were sent on their way.
Before this weekend's win over Middlesbrough, pressure was building on Watford manager Tom Cleverley despite a largely positive start. Defeats to Norwich and Manchester City are not exactly awful for the sixth-place side in the Championship but such is the pressure at Watford to secure results that this was scrutinised.
One club that proves to be an interesting case study is Southampton, with Russell Martin under pressure by Saints supporters after a dismal start to life back in the Premier League.
Martin started his managerial career at MK Dons, the club in which he retired at, leading them to 19th and 13th in League One respectively. He then replaced Steve Cooper at Swansea who left the club after the play-off final and once again after two seasons, left the Swans to replace Reben Selles (now the manager of League One side Reading) at Southampton after their relegation from the Premier League.
Martin had a mixed start to life at St. Mary’s, gaining ten out of a possible twelve points in their first four Championship matches before going on a four-match losing streak which included a 5-0 away defeat to Sunderland and a 4-1 home defeat to Leicester. That said, Southampton then went on a 23-match unbeaten streak in the league from October to late February, smashing a 103-year-old club record.
This excellent run of form got Southampton comfortably into the play-offs, where they beat Leeds United 1-0 in the final thanks to a Stuart Armstrong goal in the 23rd minute, securing their promotion back to the Premier League at the first time of asking.Â
That positive attitude has somewhat shifted after a dire start to life back in the Premier League for the Saints. Southampton are 19th with just one point from a 1 - 1 draw with fellow promoted side Ipswich Town, and despite a good performance in defeat to Arsenal at the weekend, Russell Martin finds himself under pressure on the South Coast.
The same can be said a few places up the Premier League with Manchester United's Erik Ten Hag. The Dutchman finds himself under immense pressure just a few weeks into his third season at Old Trafford, pushing his trophy record every time he's questioned.
Winning last season's FA Cup title saved Ten Hag's job after United finished eighth in the Premier League with a negative goal difference. An inconsistent run of form this season has led to a fanbase of polar opposite opinions, and that has only added to the hostile nature at Old Trafford currently.
According to GOAL, Ten Hag was reportedly given two games to save his job, against Porto and Villa. Both matches resulted in draws, however, it seems that the only thing keeping the Dutch manager in a job is his trophies, serving as his credit in the bank.
Comparisons have been made between the situation Ten Hag finds himself in with the one Mikel Arteta endured for his first two seasons at Arsenal. It wasn't until the Spaniard's third season that Arsenal secured Champions League football, but the Gunners are very much reaping the reward for trusting Arteta's process.
So where does the line lie? Occasionally sacking a manager can be the genius move that saves a season but the reality is it often makes little difference. With the size of the task at Manchester United, could a new manager really turn their season around in time given they would need to get to know the players and the squad from square one? Or can Ten Hag mimic the success of Arteta at Arsenal?
Allowing managers credit in the bank is a proven success; both Russell Martin in the Championship and Mikel Arteta in the Premier League have proven that. The question really is what constitutes this credit. Is winning a League Cup enough to save a job? Does it have to be a top six finish? It's there for debating, but certainly there are proven examples of sticking with a manager paying off.
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