The number of managerial sackings in the top four tiers of English football reached its highest level in 13 years last season when 47 bosses were dismissed.

That bloated figure includes 20 dismissals alone in the Championship, and with a little over a month of the campaign played some club chiefs already find themselves under severe pressure.

Here, Sports Mole picks out five men who may join Dave Robertson, Paul Dickov and Darren Kelly in being handed their P45 in the coming weeks.

1. Chris Ramsey (Queens Park Rangers)

It has been a slow start to the campaign for QPR, culminating in Friday night's 4-0 thrashing at the hands of West London rivals Fulham at Craven Cottage. Having now gone four league games without a win, as well as being dumped out of the League Cup early on, Ramsey is really starting to look over his shoulders.

Chairman Tony Fernandes surprised many when revealing that he had landed his "dream" managerial candidate earlier this year, only to announce the former coach as the club's new boss. Ramsey was given time to build a squad over the summer, with the likes of Rob Green, Matty Phillips and, in particular, Charlie Austin all staying put. Time is now against Ramsey, though, with nine points already between the Hoops and top spot.

2. Graham Alexander (Fleetwood Town)

No win in five leaves Fleetwood hovering perilously above the drop zone, with only managerless Doncaster Rovers, Oldham Athletic and an out-of-sorts Blackpool currently below them in the League One form table.

Alexander admitted after seeing his side throw away a one-goal lead against Port Vale on the weekend that he was hugely disappointed, but if results do not improve then he could find himself seeking a new club to manage.

3. Mark Yates (Crawley Town)

Following relegation last time out, it was left to Yates to turn around the League Two side's fortunes in order to arrest the slide. The bottom line is the 45-year-old has failed to do that, and now the Red Devils are staring non-league football right in the face if form does not improve.

Only Newport County can hold claim to a worse overall record across the opening nine fixtures, but with the Welsh outfit finally up and running the gap has suddenly closed a little more. Yates insisted after his side's fifth defeat of the season on the weekend that he would do "everything I can" to turn things around, though his fate now lies in the hands of those up above.

4. Gary Bowyer (Blackburn Rovers)

News broke at the back end of last month suggesting that Bowyer had been sent packing following Rovers' slow start to the campaign. At that stage, after defeat away at leaders Brighton & Hove Albion, Blackburn had picked up two points from a possible 12.

Since then, things have only slightly improved, with the Lancashire outfit picking up just the one three-point haul so far. Blackburn have one more game before the next international break - at home to Ipswich Town - and it would not be too farfetched to suggest that Bowyer's future could rest on the result of that one.

5. Dean Saunders (Chesterfield)

Criticised for his side's style of play, the defeat against Burton Albion on Saturday afternoon was enough to leave the Welshman admitting that he would have a few more "sleepless" nights. A somewhat indifferent opening to the season has made way for a poor September, in which the club have taken one point from a possible 12.

League One's bottom two sides - Blackpool and Crewe Alexandra - are next up for the Spireites, which could go one of two ways. Either Saunders gets his side back on track, or a bad return from those two and he may be left seeking a sixth job in four years.