Usually we have to wait until November for fireworks but sparks were flying on Wednesday night as Jose Mourinho and Paul Lambert had an angry confrontation on the Stamford Bridge touchline.
Crystal Palace manager Ian Holloway has already been charge for his behaviour just 90 minutes into his Barclays Premier League return - all in all it's been an emotionally charge start to the campaign.
With tempers sure to be reaching boiling point at the weekend once again, Tradesoccer have given each top flight boss an anger rating.
War of words: Paul Lambert (left) and Jose Mourinho clashed on the Stamford Bridge
Arsene Wenger
For such an apparently mild-mannered man away from the pitch, the Arsenal manager doesn’t half know how to wind up the opposition dug-out. The list of sparring partners over the years is endless. Martin Jol, Martin O’Neill, Alan Pardew, Mark Hughes and of course a certain Sir Alex — Wenger has had more rows than the rest of his colleagues have had Premier League wins. But then he has been at it considerably longer than anyone else.
Angry rating: 8/10
Still going strong: Wenger is consistently involved in confrontations
Paul Lambert
Another man who looks calm on the outside but, according to Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho, contests every decision from the technical area. Lambert has certainly shown he will go out of his way to protect his players and team and is unwilling to let refereeing errors go unnoticed. Has previous with Roberto Mancini last season.
6/10
Feisty: Lambert is very busy on the touchline
Malky Mackay
The Cardiff City boss is new to the Premier League so we’ve yet to see him lose it at the top level but he had a reputation with fellow bosses and officials as one of the more mature managers in the Football League. He did see red in an Old Firm derby as a player thanks to some fisticuffs, so he can blow if necessary.
3/10
Newcomer: Malky Mackay managed for the first time in the Premier League on Saturday
Jose Mourinho
Two games into his return and the Chelsea manager is back to his old tricks – although in his world Wednesday night's spat was all Paul Lambert’s making. Here’s a man who can poke an opposing coach in the eye when it takes his fancy and who has certainly pulled out the pin and hurled a verbal grenade or two into the opposition dug-out over the years. But it’s OK because he’s calmed down in the last 10 years . . .
9/10
Showman: Mourinho has always been a visible presence on the touchline
Ian Holloway
How long did it take? Holloway vowed to do things differently on his return to the Premier League. Yet he is the first manager to face FA charges this season after his comments in the wake of Sunday’s defeat by Spurs. Holloway is also accused of misbehaving in the vicinity of the referees’ room. Oh dear. Has an FA charge sheet almost as long as his arm and little indication he will change.
8/10
Charged: Holloway was fuming after Palace's defeat by Spurs on Sunday
Roberto Martinez
It takes a great deal to wind up the former Wigan boss and this from a manager who may have been justified in believing his previous employers suffered from being a small club in the past. In the dug-out and in his press conferences, Martinez does his best to be reflective and calm. But the pressure has been ratcheted up at Everton and his patience will no doubt be put to the test.
4/10
Cool customer: New Everton boss Roberto Martinez rarely loses his temper
Martin Jol
He’s had his moments over the years – just ask Mr Wenger - but the Fulham boss seems to have calmed down since his took over at Craven Cottage, although there was one tasty exchange of views with Mark Hughes at QPR last season. The big Dutchman can certainly handle himself. Just ask his players. Now they have seen him angry.
6/10
Mellowed: Jol is far calmer now than he was as Tottenham manager
Steve Bruce
Contrast the two managers at Stamford Bridge this week. Paul Lambert gets an earful from Mourinho, Bruce gets a cuddle. Been there, seen it, done it, Bruce knows any temper tantrums are pointless and he tries his best to approach referees and officials through the right channels. Doesn’t mean he can’t lose his temper, feel aggrieved and make his feelings known in private, mind you.
2/10
All smiles: Bruce and Mourinho share a joke at Stamford Bridge on Saturday
Brendan Rodgers
The Liverpool manager never seems to be out of his technical area and while he can occasionally lose his cool if his players fail to meet his high standards of play he has so far, with Swansea and his current club, largely managed to avoid confrontations. In public at least, one of the quieter managers in the Premier League.
2/10
Barking orders: Rodgers (left) alongside Stoke boss Mark Hughes
Manuel Pellegrini
He tends to concentrate on coaching his team during games but he is new to the Premier League and still on the charm offensive so we haven’t see the real Pellegrini yet. But he has a no-nonsense reputation for dealing with his players and directors when he is unhappy, so opposition managers and referees beware.
4/10
Waiting game: We're yet to see Manuel Pellegrini's true colours
David Moyes
Remember the spat with Arsene Wenger and Cesc Fabregas? Moyes is not afraid of speaking out and lashing out. This is a man who took on Sir Alex Ferguson head-to-head and it doesn’t seem to have done him any harm. Prepare to see the eyes popping, the teeth gritted and the arms waving at some stage at Old Trafford this season. It’s in his DNA.
7/10
Master of the art: New Man United boss David Moyes
Alan Pardew
A year ago he was pushing a linesman in the back, Pardew also has history with Arsene Wenger and, in the heat of a Tyne-Wear derby, an undignified falling out with Martin O’Neill. Always sets out with the right intentions to respect referees and opponents but as that shove proved last year, he can blow in the heat of the moment.
6/10
Banished: Pardew is sent to the stands after pushing a linesman against Spurs last August
Chris Hughton
Living proof that nice guys can prosper in the Premier League, the former Newcastle United boss has a reputation for avoiding controversy in every aspect of his management. That doesn’t mean he can’t lose his rag with referees, particularly when decisions go against his team. And there were plenty of those last season.
1/10
Serene: Hughton is arguably the calmest manager in the Premier League
Mauricio Pochettino
Did his threat to quit at the end of last season reveal a steely streak in the Southampton boss? His Espanyol side had one of the worst disciplinary records but that was more down to their style of play than a ruthless approach from Pochettino who, as one of the more chilled managers in the country, rarely loses his rag. That might not stop him losing his rag in Spanish occasionally however.
1/10
No Argie bargy: Pochettino has kept his temper in check since arriving in England
Mark Hughes
Feisty as a player, to say the least, Hughes has taken that attitude into the dug-out and is another Premier League manager with a long charge sheet - and few of his colleagues on his Christmas card list. He has had his moments with former Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini and predecessor at the Britannia Tony Pulis but he has reserved his worst behaviour for Arsene Wenger. Stand by for fireworks when Stoke face Arsenal.
9/10
Previous: Stoke boss Hughes has always been a tough customer
Paolo Di Canio
Just as likely to blow up over a player’s loose laces as he is a contentious penalty decision against his side, the volatile Italian could explode at any minute, over anything. Just ask Swindon Town players and fans. Reasonably well behaved so far at the top level, that could change in an instant. And don’t mention Paul Alcock (the referee he pushed over as a Sheffield Wednesday player), because that wasn’t Di Canio’s fault, honest.
9/10
Maverick: Sunderland's Italian manager Di Canio is passionate on the touchline
Michael Laudrup
Mr Mild-Mannered, touchline bust-ups and Michael Laudrup do not go together. The ice cool Swansea coach is above such behaviour. But don’t be fooled completely by the quiet demeanour, Laudrup is capable of handling himself as his dealings with the Swansea board have shown.
1/10
Great Dane: Laudrup (centre) is a picture of calm in the dugout
Andre Villas-Boas
When he went to Newcastle early in his Chelsea career, AVB and his team of coaches behaved poorly and clearly set out to wind up the opposition bench. And it worked. More mature and laid back now he is in charge at Tottenham, the Mourinho graduate can still blow when decisions go against him but he no longer actively seeks confrontation.
6/10
Maturing: Young Spurs boss Villas-Boas has mellowed
Steve Clarke
Perhaps it is the hard miles he did as an assistant manager to some of the game’s greats that have shaped Clarke’s touchline behaviour. The West Brom boss even avoids being overly critical of referees in his press conferences, relying on the correct procedures to vent his frustrations.
2/10
Learning from the best: Steve Clarke worked under Mourinho
Sam Allardyce
Age may have mellowed Big Sam – and he’d be the first to admit that like Mourinho he has changed over the last decade – but that doesn’t mean he can’t, or won’t lose his rag this season. Tends to savour his anger for officials, he is familiar with the path to the FA’s disciplinary committee, usually for comments made to their faces or the media.
8/10
Taking no prisoners: Allardyce is among the most experienced Premier League bosses
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