Division Four Sack Race

The bottom of D4 currently looks like this:

44 points are usually needed to “guarantee” not finishing in the bottom three and getting sacked. (45 points to avoid relegation).

With six games to play, Montpellier should feel reasonably secure, but haven’t won in their last six games and have picked up just three points.

Manager Stuart Monteith has led something of a resurgence in recent seasons as well as providing the club with much needed stability as their longest serving manager.

Zenit are traditionally the club no one wants, even having three managers in one season (S10)! Their D1 heyday under current Torino boss L H’s stewardship are a distant memory, although they had a revival under Mark Stewart who took them back to D2 as recently as S19.

Two successive relegations have seen them playing their first ever season in D4 this time around under another new manager J Walker. A third consecutive drop would be hard to stomach for Zenit fans.

PSV are another club with quite a turnover of managers, and until S18 had never dropped into D5. Padraig Corcoran’s disastrous four seasons in charge saw them fall to the foot of D5. Manager Chris East transformed the club’s performances securing promotion in his first season against the odds. Can they do enough to survive their first season back?

Ajax are staring down the barrel of D5 football next season a third consecutive relegation (and a second in two seasons for current boss Syed Shah), which would be a disaster for the once proud D1 and D2 yo-yo club.

Their first season aside, Ajax have had management stability with just two managers prior to Shah. It’s certainly arguable with hindsight that the club acted hastily in dismissing two long-serving managers, neither of whom wanted to leave.

On the plus side, they’ve had a recent uptick in form, and you would think they have the quality to stay up.

Augsburg came close to promotion last season, so it’s been something of a surprise to see them struggling all season this time. Manager Paddy D jumped ship during the season, and new boss Anmol Satam has struggled to turn things around. They’re unbeaten in the last four, however, so that’s certainly cause for hope.

Former Zenit boss L H’s Torino have a mountain to climb. This is their fourth season in D4 which is already a record for the most seasons outside of D5.

Atalanta finished a creditable 8th under previous boss Feargal Hickey last season after promotion from D5 in S20. They look doomed to return this time, though, and Hickey has moved on to Stuttgart, leaving new gaffer Russell Jordan with a baptism of fire (just two wins in eighteen games).

For my money, Atalanta and Torino will be joined by Zenit in the bottom three, and I think Augsburg may just fail to catch Montpellier for the final relegation spot.