Nottingham Forrest were promoted in 2022 so this is how many managers have been fired or replaced 2 months short of 4 years.
This week we saw the sacking of two more football club managers and the only reason is the club has not enough points and where that club sits in the table. Tottenham and Nottingham Forest are currently sitting in 16th and 17th spot which is on the border of the bottom 3 which is the relegation zone. Whether the clubs like it or not these 2 clubs are in a relegation battle and the financial repercussions of going down are huge. Who would have guessed after just 26 matches these two clubs have been sliding getting closer to the trap door.
A recent report suggested the financial implications of a Premiership club being relegated would be around £100 million ($136 million). The television revenue on it's own would see the club revenue drop by up to £75m and this is money you cannot replace. Throw in the sponsorship deals which would be affected and the number quickly rises and for a club like Tottenham the price could be significantly higher by as much as £140m. The corporate hospitality boxes which are a big money spinner would never be able to earn as much if the team was in the Championship. The appeal is not there as there are no big name teams coming to play at the stadium so the wow factor disappears.
Nottingham Forest sacked their 3rd manager of the season and are now on manager number 4 and we have only had 26 matches with 12 still to be played. I am not sure, but this could be a record for the number of managers in one season. Nottingham Forest had high expectations this season after qualifying for Europe last year and this year they find themselves at the wrong end of the table.
Tottenham are a club that makes very little sense as they seem to under perform each season and end up mid table. the facilities of having a new stadium and a massive fan base you would think they would be going all out to at least try and challenge for the Premiership title. Building a new stadium and still in the process of paying this off relegation and seriously reduced revenue would never have been discussed.
The other damaging factor when clubs are relegated is the damage this causes to the playing squad. Contracts do not stay the same and players will be offered less money. Many clubs who have been relegated before have this stipulated in their playing contracts. This is why when clubs are relegated they have safety net which is known as parachute payments which guarantees the club 55% of the total broadcast revenue earned from their last season in the Premiership and is then reduced to 45% and then 20%.
I do not think the likes of Tottenham or Nottingham Forest will be relegated, but there is always that chance this could happen. Nottingham Forest is the surprise for me as last season the side looked so settled and was playing great football. The owner does not play around and makes quick decisions as he needs the results to go their way. For this reason I would give Nottingham Forest a better chance of making it through.
No one banked on Sunderland or Leeds doing as well as they have this season and it looks like Wolves and Burnley are going down so there is one team that needs to join them for the final relegation spot. The fight looks like it will be contested between West Ham (18th), Nottingham Forest (17th), Tottenham (16th) and Leeds (15th). Plenty can happen over the remaining 12 matches and when these teams play each other these games become a 6 point swing. Only 3 points in reality, but winning and stopping your opponent getting those points means lost points for them whilst you bank the winning 3. The match on the 22nd March between Tottenham and Nottingham Forrest could be the biggest game of the season for these 2 clubs.