We all like to think that if we were in charge of our club then things would be different. Draws would be wins, we would make different substitutions and success would be guaranteed. Football Manager helps us to prove this to ourselves.
From the moment a new manager is appointed we expect, in most cases, almost instant results. When these results don't materialise mass panic ensues in the media and the boardroom.
The weekend saw four more managerial casualties with Martin Jol, David Flitcroft, Dave Jones and Owen Coyle all being relieved of their duties.
It is fair to say that all of the above probably deserved to lose their job because of poor performances and disappointing league positions, but this is the mind set of the modern day football fan who has little patience.
More often than not, a fan's/chairman's expectation for their team is higher than what the average neutral would think This makes an already difficult task that much more so. Modern football has little time for slow starters, but it does seem odd that a team who gave Roberto Martinez a whole season which ended in relegation, only gave Coyle until December before pushing him out.
It's worth remembering that Martinez took some of Wigan's best players with him to Everton and Wigan are currently competing in the Europa League while additionally having a hectic Championship schedule to contend with.
Yes, the results haven't been what most Wigan fans would have expected, but with such a small squad compared to the number of games having to be played, it was always going to be difficult for Coyle to compete on all fronts.
The pressure on a manager of a recently relegated Championship club, in this case Coyle, is massive. Dave Whelan has had his say on this stating on Sky Sports News: "Things happen fairly quickly in football and we have lost three home games in a row."
Is losing three games in a row really the time to be sacking managers?
Wigan are only six points off the play-off places with a game in hand and just 13 off second. So, if they won their game-in-hand against struggling Sheffield Wednesday, then went on an even half-decent run of form, they would be back on track.
Instead, Whelan has elected to quickly find a new man, which could well see the whole process start again with a panic appointment being the most likely option.
The case of Jol is a bit different as Fulham are an established Premier League team that realistically should be content with survival considering their ageing squad. Fair enough, they haven't been playing well and perhaps could be doing better. Jol's replacement Rene Meulensteen will only be able to take them so far with their current squad, maybe not much further than Jol.
Investment will be key for the London side and Meulensteen will need the full backing of Shahid Khan, who will need to start investing in some younger talent in January if he wants to stave off relegation.
However, sometimes there are managers who need to be replaced, two such men being Flitcroft and Jones. Only two wins since April merits the sack for any manager and whilst Barnsley were always going to be down at the bottom, their dismal run of form is quite staggering.
The same can be said of Jones at Sheffield Wednesday, with only one win since April securing him a similar fate. No matter what way you look at it, manager's nowadays aren't given the time they need to develop a squad. There is too much emphasis on instant results rather than the proper building of a squad, with too much too soon leading to situations like Leeds, and more recently Portsmouth.
Expectation is the single biggest remover of managers, and though some may need replacing, the vast majority need time. You only have to look as far as Brendan Rogers at Liverpool to prove that.
For all the latest football news and rumours please visit www.ftbpro.com