English Football League 
/ Hannah Duncan / 29 February 2012 / Leave a Comment 
Simon Grayson: out of the Leeds hotseat and into the Huddersfield one within a matter of weeks
"It all goes to show hiring and firing is an inexact science and could be a contributing factor as to why the likes of Chelsea and Arsenal haven’t bitten the bullet just yet with regards to AVB and Arsene Wenger."
Mark Hughes and Simon Grayson are just two of the managers to have accepted new jobs over the last couple of months; Steve Bruce and Mick McCarthy just two of the men who lost theirs. But to what extent does the mid-season managerial change work?
It took nearly two weeks and countless rejections for Wolves to finally replace Mick McCarthy until at least the end of the season. After numerous managers with years of top-flight experience between them ruled themselves out of the running, Steve Morgan and co. decided the man they really wanted all along was Molineux coach of 13 years, Terry Connor.
Former Leeds and Brighton centre-forward Connor took the reins at the Black Country club last week and has already made a positive start to his tenure, as his side battled back from a two-goal deficit to rescue a point at high-flying Newcastle on Saturday. But there's still a long road ahead for Connor's men, as Wolves remain second-favourites at [1.78] for the drop on Betfair.
If Connor can keep Wolves in the Premier League for another season, the decision to oust McCarthy will surely go down as an exceptional move by owner Morgan. But hiring and firing mid-season is always a risky business. It often keeps those baying for blood on the terraces happy, but is it always the right move?
Yorkshire rivals Leeds and Huddersfield both said "You're fired" to their respective managers at the turn of the year. Neither former Leeds boss Grayson nor dismissed Huddersfield manager Lee Clark had been doing badly in their roles. Grayson had seen his side promoted from League One in 2009-10 and had them in and around the Championship play-offs this season and last. While Clark led the Terriers to the League One play-off final last year and looked to have them challenging again this time around - having been on an 11-month Football League record-breaking 43-game unbeaten run, spanning both seasons, in the process.
Grayson, who got one-time Champions League semi-finalists Leeds out of the League One doldrums is now back in the division, having put two fingers up to his former employers by joining the Terriers. Huddersfield are currently third favourites for promotion at [2.7].
Leeds meanwhile have snatched up Neil Warnock - a man who they hope can replicate his promotion success from the Championship with both Sheffield United and QPR. The Elland Road outfit are an outside bet at [3.8] for a top 6 finish this season.
Though let's be honest, however Leeds' season turns out, the Warnock-Ken Bates meeting of minds is a mouth-watering prospect for all in football.
But, as is usually the case, it's been another mixed season for mid-season managerial replacements. Following the dismissal of former Manchester United stalwart Steve Bruce in November, Martin O' Neill has worked wonders at Sunderland.
When he took the reins, the Black Cats were looking increasingly like this season's relegation fodder, yet now just three months on, they've beaten title contenders Manchester City, knocked Arsenal out of the FA Cup and are sitting pretty in ninth position in the Premier League.
At the other end of the spectrum, QPR ditched Neil Warnock during the January transfer window and gave former Wales and Blackburn boss Mark Hughes the task of keeping the R's out of the drop zone. And despite numerous January signings including Bobby Zamora and Nedum Onuoha, Hughes's side only escape the relegation zone on goal difference and are at [1.91] on Betfair for the drop.
It all goes to show hiring and firing is an inexact science and could be a contributing factor as to why the likes of Chelsea and Arsenal haven't bitten the bullet just yet with regards to AVB and Arsene Wenger.
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