Five contenders for Premier League Manager of the Year

With just two games remaining of the Premier League season, a shortlist is being considered for who deserves to be recognised as the Manager of the Year for the 2014-15 campaign.

Jose Mourinho is the obvious frontrunner having guided Chelsea to the league title, but as Tony Pulis proved with Crystal Palace last season, it's not a foregone conclusion that the boss of the champions will pick up the end-of-season accolade.

Below, Sports Mole suggests five managers who could join an illustrious list of winners since the award was introduced in 1994.

© Getty Images

When Chelsea missed out on the Premier League title last season, Jose Mourinho insisted that his team would be better equipped to dethrone Manchester City this year, and true to his word, the Portuguese has put together a near-faultless squad that has been head and shoulders above their rivals since August.

The Blues remained unbeaten until December having recorded 11 wins and three draws and although defeats at Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur followed during the winter months, it was never going to be enough to derail their challenge at the top of the standings.

Chelsea have been helped out by Manchester City, Arsenal and Manchester United failing to maintain the consistency required to mount a title bid but wins over West Bromwich Albion and Sunderland will see Chelsea reach 90 points, which has only been achieved once in the last eight seasons.

Much has been made of Mourinho failing to win a Premier League Manager of the Month award all season, but with Chelsea losing just twice in 36 games, as well as winning the League Cup, it would come as a huge surprise if he isn't crowned as the winner for the third time.

© Getty Images

After Southampton sold a number of their star players during the summer, the club were being tipped for a season of rebuilding under the stewardship of Ronald Koeman and a mid-table finish would have been considered acceptable for the Dutchman in his first season in the Premier League.

However, the former Feyenoord chief has followed up the work of Mauricio Pochettino by forming a team that has held their own against the best that the top flight has to offer and until recently, they were in the running for a Champions League place. That can't be achieved now, but with a Europa League spot still a possibility, Koeman can still cap a excellent year on the South Coast.

The season started with eight wins being recorded from 11 games, and although five matches without success followed, they responded with six victories from eight attempts to inform their rivals that they had no intention of giving up their fight for a first appearance in Europe since 2003.

Even if Southampton do finish seventh, they will be relying on Arsenal beating Aston Villa in the FA Cup final, but regardless of whether European football is achieved or not, they will appeal to plenty of players during the summer and that's down to the style of play adopted by Koeman.

© Getty Images

When Garry Monk replaced Michael Laudrup at the start of 2014, his lack of managerial experience resulted in his appointment being questioned, but the former centre-back has proven that you don't necessarily need to be familiar with the dugout in order to be successful.

The Swans failed to build on starting this season with three successive victories, but they've always occupied a position in mid-table and suggested that they could make the leap up to eighth spot. The sale of Wilfried Bony, though, lowered expectations at the Liberty Stadium and they were considered outsiders for a top-10 place at the end of the campaign.

However, since Bony joined Manchester City, Swansea have registered eight wins from 14 games to not only move within a point of guaranteeing eight place but to also sit just a point behind possible qualification for the Europa League. They still have to face Man City, but just to be in contention is a terrific achievement for Monk.

The 36-year-old has also guided Swansea to their highest points tally in the Premier League, beating the previous record of 47 with two games still remaining. Monk may only be getting credit due to Swansea creeping towards European qualification, but he has been producing the goods all season and deserves to be considered alongside Mourinho and Koeman.

© Getty Images

After taking four points off Arsenal and Manchester United during the first five games of the campaign, it looked unlikely that Leicester City would be at the centre of a relegation scrap for much of the season, but hitting the dizzy heights of scoring five times against Louis van Gaal's side had a detrimental effect on the Foxes.

A run of 13 games without a win followed and Nigel Pearson looked a certainty to be removed from his position at the King Power Stadium. A second dismal run of two points from eight fixtures materialised to leave Leicester seven points from safety and seemingly heading for an immediate return to the Championship.

However, since the start of April, Pearson has performed a miraculous turnaround in the East Midlands. During a seven-game period, Leicester have recorded six wins, with their only defeat coming against champions Chelsea, and with two fixtures remaining, they sit three points above the drop zone with a superior goal difference.

Pearson still needs to get Leicester over the finishing line, but with games against Sunderland and Queens Park Rangers to come, a point against either club would likely be enough to retain their top-flight status. Their results may have come over a short space of time, but it doesn't matter how the points have been gathered. If Pearson can guide Leicester to 40 points and safety, he has achieved something that was deemed unthinkable just a couple of months ago.

© Getty Images

It's been a case of deja vu as far as Crystal Palace are concerned this season. They looked certainties to be fighting for their Premier League lives during the second half of the campaign after Neil Warnock struggled upon his return to Selhurst Park, but the arrival of Alan Pardew has ensured that the Eagles could sit comfortably during the final weeks of the campaign.

Many questioned why Pardew would depart Newcastle United to link up with a club who could drop down to the second tier of English football, but the return to a club where he spent four years as a player has ignited a passion and unity between Pardew and Palace supporters and together, they have pushed the team along to surge clear of the relegation zone.

Four successive defeats have taken away some of the earlier momentum generated by Pardew, but it shouldn't be forgotten that the 53-year-old registered 25 points from his opening 12 games and that has given Palace the foundation to establish themselves as a mid-table club next year.