Bill paid off

Silly Billy. Shouldn't have got Derby County promoted beyond their means and ability, should you? If Derby had lost to West Brom in the play-offs last season, Billy Davies would still have been feted for his achievement in getting Derby that far, and would probably be sitting pretty near the top of the Coca-Cola Championship at the moment and being mentioned when jobs with small Barclays Premier League clubs such as Birmingham City and Wigan Athletic come up.

Instead, he's out of work today with Derby bottom of the pile with just six points from fourteen games - though they're only four points from safety.

There's gratitude for you. Given that Derby have a squad of Championship players, they're exactly where they should be in the table. Davies is being punished for failing to over-achieve, for being unable to turn sludge into champagne. And for not spending what little money he had wisely enough.

Then of course there's the whole publicly embarrassing your chairman thing. "It would be nice if I could have five minutes with him (Adam Pearson)," Davies said after Saturday's defeat by Chelsea. "But I can't, he is a very busy man. I haven't spoken to him for two or three weeks." Pearson found the time to chat with Davies this morning, all right.

It's a similar situation up at Liverpool, with Rafael Benitez publicly falling-out with his owners - as if they haven't given him enough money, as if he hasn't signed enough players. Managers have to pick their moments. They can get away with rebuking their bosses when they're doing well - see Jose Mourinho. Not when results take a downturn - see Jose Mourinho.

Right now, Arsene Wenger could burgle Peter Hill-Wood's house and scrape his keys along Danny Fiszman's car and the Arsenal board would laugh it off.

Davies is the fifth top-flight manager of the season to go. Who's next, Gareth Southgate, Sam Allardyce, Benitez, Roy Keane, even?