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With West Brom sacking Tony Pulis on Monday morning, it would appear that the ancient and mystical curse of the Premier League Asia Trophy has claimed yet another victim. The curse came to light in the wake of Craig Shakespeare's dismissal by Leicester City in mid-October, just eight games after the Foxes finished as runners-up out in Hong Kong. The preseason tournament was first staged in 2003 since when a steady succession of the Premier League coaches involved have ended up losing their jobs shortly thereafter. Frank De Boer was relieved of his duties at Crystal Palace just 62 days after finishing third at the 2017 tournament, while Roberto Martinez (Everton), Paolo Di Canio (Sunderland) and Andre Villas-Boas (Chelsea and Tottenham) have all suffered similar fates in recent years. West Brom finished fourth in Hong Kong back in July, with Pulis biting the seemingly inevitable bullet just three months on following Saturday's 4-0 home defeat to Chelsea -- which, arguably, may have also had some bearing on the matter. Three of the four managers involved in the 2017 Premier League Asia Trophy have now lost their jobs, leaving Liverpool's Jurgen Klopp as the only surviving incumbent coach. Question is, should he be starting to get worried? After all, the curse waits for no man.
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