It has not even been two weeks since the Premier League season ended and already we have seen the back of three managers.

Gerard Houllier has announced his departure from Aston Villa after Carlo Ancelotti and Avram Grant were removed from the Chelsea and West Ham job respectively.

Technically Grant was sacked during the season but the Hammers were already relegated and their campaign was over by the time he left the dressing room.

This mindset is different to the usual knee jerk reaction we often see from clubs that the minute they see results not going their way they fire the manager and throw someone else in at the deep end. This year it happened with Chris Hughton, Sam Allardyce, Roy Hodgson and Roberto Di Matteo, but their replacements all managed impressive results come the end.

The end of season approach is different. Managers are not under the constant pressure from fans and the media and don’t expect a reaction from the board the day after a disappointing defeat. But at the same time, they can’t exactly enjoy a relaxing holiday after a long hard season without thinking of secret executive meetings about their future going on behind their backs.

In a way, this is an admirable approach from the people who run Premier League clubs. They let their man stay in charge until the end before making an informed decision on the season as a whole. But on the other hand, they let the manager into a false sense of security and leave him spending the summer job hunting.

It is a little bit like last night’s BBC1 show The Apprentice, when Lord Sugar unexpectedly fired Vincent when he thought he had survived that episode after Ellie was fired. Managers survive a season so breathe a sigh of relief, only to be shown the door.

Grant is the epitome of this idea backfiring. He thought he was off in January but David Sullivan, David Gold and Apprentice star Karren Brady let him stay on only to leave under an even darker cloud, maybe she suggested the idea to Lord Sugar.

Chelsea gave Ancelotti until the very last day to meet their tough criteria, but then said goodbye with a phone call in a Goodison Park corridor, hardly respect for the man who won the club’s first league and cup double in his first season.

Houllier is different. He left of his own accord and was thrown into a tough job at Villa Park after Martin O’Neill left. Although health reasons were also part of his decision, he can’t say the warning signs were not there when he was booed by fans and led the biggest team in the Midlands into a relegation fight in March and April.

On the plus side, the man coming in has a whole summer, with a transfer window to match, to build his own team how he wants it, and in theory an entire season for the powers that be to assess the job. Sam Allardyce has already set his stall out as new West Ham boss, but whether he will last a season remains to be seen.