Sam Allardyce, a former Newcastle manager, could lose his job at West Ham this summer. Alan Pardew, a former West Ham manager, is expected to be sacked by Newcastle.
Yes, it’s all part of the managerial merry-go-round and, lest we are tempted to wag an admonitory finger at panicking chairmen, let it be borne in mind that both of these potential summer changes would be substantially fan-driven.
If they duly take place, the longest-serving manager in the Premier League will be Brendan Rogers, whom Liverpool appointed 23 months ago. Apart, of course, from Arsene Wenger, should he finally sign the renewed contract which Arsenal have had on the table for a few months.
A large number of Arsenal supporters have been less than anxious that he should put pen to paper. Yet the benefits of stability are increasingly defined in the light of Manchester United’s quick and ruthless disposal of David Moyes: after the same manager had served them for nearly 27 years, a slump in results saw his successor last just 10 months.
Arsenal, having unceremoniously beaten Pardew’s Newcastle last night, look sure to participate (qualifying round permitting) in a 17th consecutive Champions League, all under Wenger.
If they do so as FA Cup holders, it will be an even greater testament to the Alsatian’s staying power.
I write all this on the assumption he will finally seize that contract and that the delay is more in the nature of a question for his players to answer than a sign that a fresh challenge awaits.
Arsene Wenger's best Arsenal XI
We shall discover soon enough, perhaps at Wembley in the Cup Final aftermath. But Arsenal without Wenger would be a strange beast — as unpredictable as United without Ferguson — and those who have yearned for a change may be seeing the virtue of patience.
