The Championship’s two most under pressure bosses go head-to-head on Tuesday and both risk being sacked if they don’t secure all three points.
Cardiff City and Derby County lock horns on Tuesday evening in what could be the most pivotal Championship match of the season in terms of managerial sackings.
Paul Trollope’s Bluebirds climbed off the foot of the table with a narrow 2-1 victory at Rotherham United at the weekend. Rickie Lambert scored his first Cardiff goals with a brace to cancel out Izzy Brown’s second half opener.
There was no such change in fortunes the Bluebirds’ Tuesday night opponents, Derby, though.
Nigel Pearson’s miserable return to management continued with strugglers Blackburn taking three points from the iPro Stadium, with two goals in three minutes securing a comeback and a win for Owen Coyle’s men.
The loss sees Derby drop into the relegation zone thanks to Cardiff’s win but they could climb out of the drop-zone with a win on Tuesday night.
It is set to be an intriguing affair next week when the Bluebirds meet the Rams in a bizarre looking relegation battle.
Both sides were tipped for a top-half, if not top six,-finish before the season but even if both team’s points tallies were added together, you still would not have as many points as Birmingham City have in sixth place.
If the pressure of a poor start was not enough, Trollope and Pearson are, perhaps, the two most under pressure managers in the division currently after overseeing unprecedented poor starts to the campaign.
Both managers may have their board’s backing for now but if there is to be a loser on Tuesday night, then the manager who leaves the Cardiff City Stadium empty handed could receive their p45 far sooner than the had previously envisaged..
Football management is the harshest of environments and even more so in the Championship; both managers will know that, but it will certainly make for an entertaining affair for the neutral.
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