SAM Allardyce weighed up the stresses and strains of Premiership management today and insisted: "We earn every penny we get!"
The Wanderers' boss has looked on with horror and disgust as fellow managers Peter Reid and Graham Taylor have been subjected to intense pressure from critics, the media and fans - with the season less than a fortnight old.
And he accepts that, if results do not improve, he could be next in the firing line.
"Fans demand results and no matter who you are, if you don't get results, they will turn on you," he acknowledged.
"If they don't see results coming, they'll show their displeasure and we have to learn to cope with that as managers. Expectation levels bring pressure and no matter what people say about the money we are paid, we earn every penny we get."
Allardyce, who has the security of a contract for the next seven years, has taken Wanderers to heights they could never have imagined when he succeeded Colin Todd in October 1999 with the club in the bottom half of Division One and operating under tight financial constraints. He has not had to experience the attacks his close pal, Sunderland boss Reid, and Aston Villa chief Taylor have been forced to endure but he is aware that the heat could soon be on - despite the fact that in less than three years he has taken Wanderers to the Premiership and kept them there.
"It will probably be me next," he told Wanderers World, a service on the club's official website. "Fans remember the good times but they have short memories sometimes. Two results can bring pressure ... press articles that are an absolute disgrace that try to throw more pressure on chairmen to sack their managers.
"It is a fickle industry and we don't get paid enough."
Things can change quickly, however. Reid and Taylor slept easier after their teams picked up their first wins of the season on Wednesday and Allardyce knows his situation will ease if Wanderers can open their account at home to Villa on Sunday. But the pressure is on.
"Everybody is already saying we must win," the Wanderers' boss points out, "and it's only the third game!"
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article