COLCHESTER United manager John Ward is worried that the sackings of Premier League managers Chris Hughton and Sam Allardyce from Newcastle and Blackburn respectively have made the game a laughing stock this week.

The 59-year-old is one of nine Executive Committee members on the League Managers’ Association alongside the likes of Manchester United’s Sir Alex Fergsuon and Everton’s David Moyes.

And he has been left concerned that clubs sitting eighth and tenth in the table respectively.

Indeed, the U’s face a managerless club themselves tomorrow as they travel to a Bristol Rovers side that have just sacked boss Paul Trollope after a poor run of results.

“These are two guys (Hughton and Allardyce) who are seen as successful people by the majority of us, so it kind of defies logic,” said Ward.

“There will be quite a lot of ridicule about the game because of these decisions and that’s what bothers me the most.

“I’ve been removed from jobs in the past and thought: ‘Yeah, I can understand that’, but I certainly can’t see it with Sam Allardyce or Chris Hughton.”

Surveying his own position at the U’s under chairman Robbie Cowling, Ward – whose side sit in the League One play-off places after 19 games – continued: “I speak to Robbie every day and we are certainly talking in the long-term of four or five years rather than four or five matches.

“I’m not a fool though and know I need to get first team results. If that doesn’t happen, I know I’d be under scrutiny.” He added: “I’m Robbie’s third manager in a very short period of time though and I think he would like to stabilise the club.

“That doesn’t make me sit on my laurels, it just makes me think there is something here to work hard for. Hopefully, whenever Robbie and I do part company, we will have left a bit of a legacy for this club.”