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NIGEL ADKINS (Southampton)
Odds: 3/1
What's gone wrong? Three Premier League games, three Premier League defeats - including a virtual no-show against Wigan and two spirited but ultimately fruitless clashes against the best two teams in the country. "They can take a lot of heart from those performances," is the stock line from pundits but nobody survived relegation because they racked up 40 hearts.
Why he will be sacked: Chairman Nicola Cortese has form. He sacked Alan Pardew by the end of August two years ago in what seemed a ridiculous decision until Adkins led Saints to the first of two successive promotions. Southampton have invested serious money - a massive £12m on Gaston Ramirez - and serious money brings serious pressure. Is Adkins up to the job? There were certainly questions asked in the media on Monday after his substitutions against Manchester United. They face Arsenal next and zero points from four games looks pretty rotten whatever the fixture list.
Why he won't be sacked: Because surely two successive promotions have earned him some patience? And playing last season's top three in your first four games of the season is pretty damned unlucky. He has fixtures against Aston Villa, Everton and Fulham before the next international break and that should offer some respite.
MARK HUGHES (QPR)
Odds: 4/1
What's gone wrong? Nine goals conceded in three games including an absolute shellacking at Loftus Road by Swansea despite significant money being spent this summer.
Why he will be sacked: QPR have allowed Hughes to spend something in the region of £27m in 2012 and that's on transfer fees alone. Add significant wages for free transfers Robert Green, Jose Bosingwa, Julio Cesar and Andrew Johnson and you get an idea of the significant investment from owner Tony Fernandes. He sacked Neil Warnock when he feared expensive relegation was a possibility and you suspect he wouldn't hesitate to repeat that trick now he's shelled out a not-very-small fortune.
Why he won't be sacked: New players traditionally take time to gel and Hughes' scattergun approach to strengthening his squad this summer has left them with a whole team of strangers. A sensible chairman would give them months rather than weeks to settle. Anyone know if Fernandes is a sensible chairman?
ANDRE VILLAS-BOAS (Tottenham)
Odds: 5/1
What's gone wrong? One defeat snatched from the jaws of a draw and two draws snatched from the jaws of unconvincing victory have left Tottenham fans booing the perceived negativity of Villas-Boas' tactics.
Why he will be sacked: He was ousted by Chelsea because he lost the dressing room (he should have tried re-tracing his steps) and there will already be established players at Tottenham - Michael Dawson, Tom Huddlestone - who are unhappy under AVB. Add dissent from the fans and pressure from a popular media still outraged at Harry Redknapp's sacking, and his position could quite quickly become untenable. Like Brendan Rodgers, he has a long-term vision but he somehow has to produce performances and results in the short term. It's a conundrum.
Why he won't be sacked: Daniel Levy might well be the most stubborn man in football and, having stuck his neck out and sacked Redknapp to bring in a younger, more forward-thinking manager, he's unlikely to pull his neck back in again and admit he was wrong. AVB will surely be given the time he was never afforded at Chelsea - if only in a bid to make Chelsea look stupid for sacking him.
BRENDAN RODGERS (Liverpool)
Odds: 5/1
What's gone wrong? An embarrassing defeat to West Brom and a toothless display against Arsenal sandwiched an encouraging performance against the champions, but Liverpool are still to score from open play. The squad looks thin and - knee-jerk alert - Rodgers' £10m signing of Fabio Borini looks like expensive folly.
Why he will be sacked: Three Premier League games in and a section of the Liverpool support is already getting very antsy indeed. When this happened with Roy Hodgson, he lasted only marginally longer than the Christmas turkey. Rodgers can talk about needing time to realise his vision, but - like AVB - he somehow needs to find a way to win games now. Or it's only a matter of time before John W Henry's 'open letters' are met with open rebellion.
Why he won't be sacked: That word 'vision'. The club has committed to looking beyond the next 12 months and building a self-sustainable club with a particular brand of football while keeping within a mid-table budget. Rodgers is their man and early signs suggest they will back their man with actions as well as words. Plus, if they can't spend a measly £2m more for Clint Dempsey, they probably can't afford to sack him anyway.
SAM ALLARDYCE (West Ham)
Odds: 6/1
What's gone wrong? Not a whole lot apart from a schooling at the hands of Swansea at the Liberty Stadium. Sam Allardyce would be nowhere near this list if points were the only currency in football as six from three games is a fine haul.
Why he will be sacked: Fans will only tolerate his 'style' of football as long as it's successful, so Allardyce is only ever one run of terrible results away from fans agitating for his removal. Think of it as Tony Pulis on fast-forward, because Hammers' fans have a far greater sense of entitlement about how they should play football.
Why he won't be sacked: West Ham have backed their man with significant reinforcements this summer - including the high-profile loan signing of Andy Carroll, who is exactly the player Allardyce would have created if he had access to some kind of genetic engineering machine. The squad is geared entirely towards Allardyce's tried-and-trusted methods of staying in the Premier League and that suggests a) it will work and b) the club are committed to the Allardyce Way in the medium term. It's next season when he really needs to start worrying.
Coming next: Tony Pulis (10/1), Chris Hughton (14/1), Roberto Di Matteo (16/1), Paul Lambert (16/1)
Sarah Winterburn
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