Neil Humphreys: Who's getting sacked in the morning?
Silva, Emery and Pellegrini all fighting to be fired
History of a bizarre kind was made at the weekend when rival supporters taunted opponents with that eternally popular chant.
You're getting sacked in the morning.
But it was sung at three different grounds, by six different clubs.
First, Tottenham Hotspur's gleeful lot started on West Ham United's Manuel Pellegrini. And the unhappy Hammers joined in.
At Goodison Park, Norwich City piped up to ridicule Everton's Marco Silva and the apoplectic Toffees sang in agreement.
And then the glum Gunners competed with Southampton fans to tell Unai Emery not to make any training plans for the week.
They're all getting sacked in the morning, apparently, but who's going first?
AWRY FOR EMERY
If the measure is how a club has fallen, then Emery has fallen furthest at Arsenal. The Spaniard was hired specifically to end the malaise of Arsene Wenger, only to extend the mediocrity.
Five English Premier League games without a win are an indictment, sure, but the lacklustre nature of the performances is unforgivable.
Arsenal pinched a lucky draw against Southampton, despite finishing with a front four of Mesut Oezil, Nicolas Pepe, Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, which is like making The Beatles play like the Teletubbies.
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• Marco Silva (Everton) : 1/3
• Unai Emery (Arsenal): 5/1
• Manuel Pellegrini (West Ham): 8/1
• Quique Sanchez Flores (Watford): 12/1
• Ralph Hasenhuttl (Southampton): 12/1
• Ole Gunnar Solskjaer (Manchester United): 16/1
But tactical dogma may prove to be Emery's undoing. He famously said his sides play from the back, always in possession, always on the attack. His philosophy was non-negotiable, whatever the personnel.
But the current personnel is a back three that includes David Luiz, who has never allowed match-day responsibilities to disturb match-day snoozes.
The Brazilian's narcolepsy is contagious. Five defenders and two midfielders dozed off for Southampton's opener.
Emery has the best intentions, but the worst defensive employees to execute his plan. Unless he introduces a radically different approach - i.e. stop playing from the back until he has defenders with more mobility than a line of fussball players - Arsenal are going to concede soft goals against soft opposition.
The amiable Emery is going down with a sinking vessel, anchoring himself to a suicidal tactical strategy. Nice guys don't always finish last, but they definitely don't finish in the top four when they've got Luiz playing in a brittle back three.
PELLEGRINI UNDER SCRUTINY
Pellegrini, on the other hand, doesn't concern himself with the "nice guy" cliche. He presents himself as an ageing Chilean assassin coming out of retirement for one more hit.
But nothing is on target. If West Ham stay on their current trajectory, they'll be relegated.
After the Tottenham loss, Roy Keane pointed out that the Hammers were "rubbish, absolute rubbish, an absolute disgrace". Masochistic West Ham supporters thought Keane was being too kind.
Pellegrini's winless run stretches to eight games now, but there are eight million reasons a year not to terminate his contract.
But if he persists with a foolhardy 4-1-4-1 that isolates Sebastien Haller up front and overwhelms anchorman Declan Rice, then West Ham must contemplate the hundreds of millions in lost revenue from eventual relegation.
Felipe Anderson's confidence has deserted him and the Hammers are lumbered with a goalkeeper whose only purpose appears to be comic relief through the festive season.
Normally, the joke goes that a poor performer must have won a competition to play in the EPL. Roberto looks like he lost the competition.
The Spanish goalkeeper is being punished for not being in control of his own limbs. He's already labelled the worst goalkeeper in EPL history, which feels generous.
Pellegrini spent over the odds for eye-catching forwards, presumably at the insistence of West Ham's publicity-obsessed owners, without reinforcing a shambolic defence.
Only his obscene salary may earn him a stay of execution.
NO SALVATION FOR SILVA
But wages won't save Silva at Everton.
Patience has evaporated around Goodison Park. Silva's apparent inability to galvanise a number of starry names, despite spending heavily in the transfer market, may prove his undoing.
Their 18 attempts on goal against Norwich were like a toddler's 18 efforts to beat Daddy in the playground. Feeble.
Everton's attacking core has dissolved, with Theo Walcott and Gylfi Sigurdsson posing no attacking threat.
The last Everton manager to fix that particular problem was David Moyes, which poses an even bigger problem for Silva.
The Portuguese manager finds himself in the same position as Mauricio Pochettino last week. An obvious replacement is waiting in the wings, ready to finish off a dead man walking.
WILL NEIL NAIL IT?
• Who should be fired next: Emery
• Who will be fired next: Silva
• Who will be fired too late: Pellegrini
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