Hot Seat Watch for World Football Players, Coaches After Weekend of Dec. 26-29
Our hot seat watch is reduced this time around.
We're able to look only at Premier League individuals—the only major league still in action—rather than also cast our eyes further afield to see which European managers and players continue in a bad moment. As you can therefore imagine, we are entirely Premier League-based for players since they are the ones playing, while European-based coaches were covered in last week's column after they split for a winter break.
In this series, we're identifying which players are perhaps out of form or facing bad publicity for one reason or another, or managers who aren't getting their team playing up to scratch.
Either way, it's a list of names who need things to improve quickly once we hit 2015.
Papiss Cisse, Newcastle United
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Naughty boy, Papiss Cisse.
The Newcastle United forward was clearly seen throwing his elbow into the face of Seamus Coleman at a corner in the game between the Magpies and Everton, but he wasn't spotted by the referee.
He has been charged with violent conduct and faces a three-game suspension, per BBC Sport, but the same link also shows Everton boss Roberto Martinez saying it was "unacceptable" and Cisse should have been sent off (before he went on to score later in the game).
Steve Bruce, Hull City
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Alan Irvine has been sacked and follows Neil Warnock out the managerial door of the Premier League, but a few bosses under pressure still remain in place.
Despite managing to take an all-important win at Sunderland on Boxing Day, one is Hull City's Steve Bruce. Without that victory, his side would have been at the bottom of the table (alongside Leicester City), so it came at a vital moment for the Tigers, who are 17th heading into the new year.
Just three wins all season has the pressure piling on Bruce, and he needs 2015 to be far better.
Roberto Martinez, Everton
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Everton boss Martinez might have been trying to deflect postgame attention onto Cisse with his words, but the fact remains that the Blues have what is currently the joint-worst losing streak in the league to their name.
Three successive losses have Everton in 12th, five points behind the top-half teams and a full dozen behind the top four.
Martinez's job isn't under pressure by any means, but this sort of form after last year's successes isn't what was expected and, similarly to Cisse's actions, isn't really acceptable.
Jonjo Shelvey, Swansea City
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Jonjo Shelvey seems to struggle a bit against former club Liverpool.
Before the game, manager Garry Monk spoke about him needing to "wise up" and stop picking up lazy yellow cards and show the true ability that he has, per BBC Sport.
After the game, Monk said he was impressed with Shelvey's performance but that individual mistakes cost the team dearly. While goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski's was the most glaring, Shelvey lost his man for one goal, scored an own goal after trying to distract Adam Lallana and almost cost another with a no-look back-pass. Swansea lost 4-1.
Nigel Pearson, Leicester City
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Like Bruce, Nigel Pearson picked up one extremely vital win in the two Christmas games, but like Hull, that one win is nowhere near enough for Leicester City.
The Foxes remain bottom of the table after suffering more losses than anyone else this term, 12 from 19 games, and are still three points adrift of the three teams above them in the league. That win came away from home against Hull, making it all the more important.
Pearson remains under pressure, though, and his side faces a resurgent Liverpool next time out.
Paul Lambert, Aston Villa
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Aston Villa managed back-to-back wins in early December, beating Crystal Palace and Leicester City, two of the three sides in the relegation zone. Either side of that, though, is a horror show of a results chart.
Villa have won only those two matches in the last 15, with the last four matches yielding just a single goal scored—and three red cards.
Suspensions at this time of year don't help in the slightest, and Villa have again been dragged toward the mire at the bottom, placed 13th but with less points over that period than every team below them except Palace.
Sylvain Distin, Everton
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Everton's poor form continued in that 3-2 defeat to Newcastle at the weekend, with Martinez forced to make a few changes to his side as injuries struck again at the defence.
Both Antolin Alcaraz and Sylvain Distin came into the side at centre-back. Both performed poorly, especially late on in the match, but Distin just about gets our nod over his team-mate for worst offender.
The Frenchman, previously a regular for Everton, cannot get himself up to speed this term and looks a shadow of his former self. This was a chance to stake a claim for a place and get himself back in the team; instead, he showed why he has been left out.
Winston Reid, West Ham United
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We finish with another defender.
Winston Reid has been hailed for his big performances for West Ham United this season, but his display against Arsenal left a lot to be desired, even without taking into consideration him giving away the penalty—and then bizarrely fuming about the decision—that led to the opening goal.
Linked with a move to the Gunners this January, per John Cross of the Mirror, this wasn't the way to impress the watching Arsene Wenger but a way to find early favour with his soon-to-be team-mates.
Postgame quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.
