The managerial merry-go-round is now in full swing.
And just to give you a taster, the betting markets are incredibly busy.
Before I start with a run-down of exactly where we are, it’s worth saying the prices can change very rapidly because we at Skybet and other firms trade them 24/7.
We take the view that punters and the public know a lot more than we do, therefore things can change very quickly and it makes the market volatile.
But it does give fans something to feed their football fix as the season comes to and end – so here we go!
West Ham have Slaven Bilic as 1/2 favourite to take over from Big Sam, while Marcelo Bielsa of Marseille is second in the market.
It seems increasingly unlikely that John Carver will be handed the Newcastle role full time and we have what looks a very weak favourite to me of Steve McClaren at 1/5. Carver is second favourite at 11/2.
Betting for the next permanent Sunderland manager following the departure of Dick Advocaat has Sam Allardyce as the 13/8 favourite, followed by Paul Clement at 2/1.
Clement, who left his post as assistant at Real Madrid along with boss Carlo Ancelotti, is 1/10 to be the next boss of Derby County (Gary Rowett is second in the betting at 10/1).
If you want a flutter on Sheffield United’s replacement for Nigel Clough, then you can get 1/2 on favourite Nigel Adkins or 3/1 on Phil Parkinson, although Bradford City fans will be desperate to keep him at Valley Parade after another season of exciting exploits.
Quique Flores appears frontrunner for the Watford job and is 1/5 favourite, although you can get 5/1 about Roberto Di Matteo for Vicarage Road if you think he fits the bill.
The biggest certainty of them all, however, seems to be Rafa Benitez for Real Madrid.
He is 1/33 favourite at the moment and it seems sure he’ll be announced by the Spanish giants once the Italian season finishes on Sunday and he’s taken charge of Napoli’s last game.
Two jobs which are not yet vacant are still attracting punters, so we are betting on them.
With people assessing Brendan Rodgers performance at Liverpool, Jurgen Klopp is as short as 6/4 to be the next permanent manager at Anfield.
Benitez and Frank de Boer are next in the market at 6/1.
Then at Manchester City, Ancelotti is quoted at 7/4 to be the next full-time boss, with Alex Sabella and Pep Guardiola at 4/1.
It seems late in the year for the FA Cup final, but I’m looking forward to watching Arsenal take on Aston Villa at Wembley.
I fondly remember the days when I was a kid, and getting up to switch on the TV at 9am for Cup Final It’s a Knockout.
'Arsenal are their own worst enemies'
In those days, you were glued to the TV until 6pm on Cup Final day because, not only did you get all the build-up and teams leaving their hotels and travelling up Wembley Way, but it was the only live football you got to see on the box!
As far as this year’s final is concerned, the holders Arsenal are their own worst enemies.
We saw what they did against Monaco in the Champions League and Reading in the Cup semi-final, when they just thought they had to turn up to win.
If they do that against Villa, then the 5/1 price for the Midlands side to win might seem appealing.
It’s not a game that I’ll be taking much interest in myself from a betting point of view, but I think the best thing that can happen – like in last year’s final – is that the underdogs get an early lead.
That would certainly open it up, but I think the Arsenal players will have learned their lesson.
