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Santa's sack race

Marco Silva, Rafa Benitez and Chris Hughton must sort it out over Christmas as fans are starting to turn on struggling Premier League bosses

Fans are quickly falling out of love with Watford, Newcastle and Brighton gaffers after string of poor results - while Premier League's new managers are flying in popularity stakes

MARCO Silva, Rafa Benitez and Chris Hughton need to turn things around quickly over the festive period as fans at all three of their clubs are losing patience with their struggling managers, an exclusive SunSport poll can reveal.

All three bosses are caught in a seemingly inescapable slump and the number of supporters who are satisfied with the job they are doing is plummeting by the game.

 Fans' approval ratings table shows biggest risers and fallers over last month
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Fans' approval ratings table shows biggest risers and fallers over last month

Watford boss Silva seemed to be able to do no wrong at the start of the season but the Hornets have not won in five league matches, losing four of them.

Following Saturday's disastrous 4-1 home defeat to newly-promoted Huddersfield, his approval rating has slipped from 89 per cent in November to a mere 11 per cent now.

Next up is a massive game away to Brighton, where Chris Hughton has also seen his backing from fans slide by 31 per cent from a solid 100 per cent in October and November to 69 per cent now.

Silva must surely get something from that match to avoid serious questions being asked by the board.

 SunSport's exclusive poll shows percentage of fans who are satisfied with the job their manager is doing
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SunSport's exclusive poll shows percentage of fans who are satisfied with the job their manager is doing
 Marco Silva and Sean Dyche are having mixed fortunes at the moment
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Marco Silva and Sean Dyche are having mixed fortunes at the momentCredit: Reuters

Hughton will also be looking to stop a run which has seen the Seagulls score just once in their last six games.

Watford still sit ninth in the table but with the likes of Palace, Everton and West Ham finding form, it may not be long until they find themselves drawn into a relegation battle.


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Rafa Benitez is another manager whose stock has dropped dramatically according to our Voice of the Fans satisfaction tracker.

He was riding high last month with 97 per cent of Toon followers believing he is doing a very good or excellent job.

 Rafa Benitez will be desperate to bolster Newcastle's squad in January... if he gets the chance
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Rafa Benitez will be desperate to bolster Newcastle's squad in January... if he gets the chanceCredit: EPA

But after a run of eight defeats in nine games, culminating in Saturday's 1-0 defeat at Arsenal, his approval rating is down to an alarming 35 per cent.

Next up is a trip to resurgent West Ham, where David Moyes is enjoying a massive surge of support following his controversial appointment at the start of November.

Just four per cent of fans were happy with him after he was named as Slaven Bilic's replacement, compared to a resounding 88 per cent who are behind him now following great results against Stoke and Chelsea and strong performances against Arsenal and in the narrow defeat to Man City.

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 David Moyes has silenced his doubters and won over West Ham faithful with impressive recent performances
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David Moyes has silenced his doubters and won over West Ham faithful with impressive recent performancesCredit: Getty - Contributor

Moyes' fellow new boy Roy Hodgson is also seeing his popularity rise.

Only one in five Palace fans were happy with the job Hodgson was doing at the start of last month, as Palace sat rooted to the bottom of the table.

But after an unbeaten run of seven games which has seen them climb out of the drop zone and into 14th place, an unbeatable 100 per cent of the Selhurst Park faithful are now behind the former England manager.

 Palace manager Roy Hodgson is universally popular at Selhurst Park after seven games unbeaten
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Palace manager Roy Hodgson is universally popular at Selhurst Park after seven games unbeatenCredit: Rex Features

Jurgen Klopp has always been popular in the red half of Merseyside, but following Sunday's 4-0 battering of Bournemouth, his satisfaction rating rose 23 points to 71 per cent compared to last month.

Other managers who won't be looking over their shoulders over Christmas include Everton saviour Sam Allardyce and Huddersfield chief David Wagner, both have approval ratings of 92  per cent, while Manchester City's God-like leader Pep Guardiola is on 98 per cent.

Sean Dyche at Burnley is also flying, with 90 per cent of Turf Moor regulars firmly behind their gaffer.

 Mark Hughes is seriously under pressure at Stoke with Potters old boy Tony Pulis reportedly ready to take over
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Mark Hughes is seriously under pressure at Stoke with Potters old boy Tony Pulis reportedly ready to take overCredit: Getty Images - Getty

At the other end of the table things continue to look bleak for Stoke's Mark Hughes, who has had a satisfaction rating of absolute zero from his own fans since September.

Swansea's Paul Clement is another who is pleasing no one with his performances, and last night's 3-1 defeat to Everton will have done nothing to help his cause.

So as the big day approaches, it's fair to say all they'll want for Christmas is three points.

Whether they get it is another matter.

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