Hull chief’s 3-game gauntlet makes for Next Boss To Go gold

After the thrilling Xmas-induced managerial merry-go-round slowed to a crawl as the new year broke, leaving John Carver in coaching no man’s land at Newcastle, the re-set market for the next Premier League boss to go should hold plenty of value.

Punters need look no further than Hull’s Steve Bruce at 7/2 though, with the Tigers facing a kill-or-cure top-flight fixture list between now and the end of February.

West Ham, who have only lost to Arsenal at home since the end of August, are up next on the road, followed by the visit of Bruce’s boyhood club Newcastle.

Carver’s crowd were unlucky to leave Chelsea with nothing over the weekend, having dominated the hosts early on before going down to a typical Jose Mourinho 2-0 home victory.

The Geordies will be well up for the Humberside clash, and could benefit from a new manager bounce before then, with Remi Garde now 1/3 to replace Alan Pardew in the St James’ Park hotseat.

Bruce and co’s subsequent trip to Manchester City will likely yield no points, as three meetings between the 54-year-old former centre-half and Manuel Pellegrini have ended with the Chilean’s charges winning by two goals on each occasion.

Two points or fewer from these three fixtures will likely leave Hull bumping along the bottom of the division, and their gaffer facing the sack in his second Premier League season at successive clubs, having got the boot when Sunderland boss in November 2011.

With chief competitors in the market Paul Lambert (4/1), Harry Redknapp (6/1) and Roberto Martinez (8/1) all seemingly more secure in their jobs, judging more or less by the past patience of their respective chairmen, Bruce currently ranks as the odd one out.

Hull take on Lambert’s Aston Villa and Redknapp’s QPR in consecutive KC Stadium clashes after their next three games, but the damage may have already been done.

All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.

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