Three Championship managers in danger of losing their jobs

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With two managers already shown the door in October, managers at Fulham, Ipswich Town and Nottingham Forest could be the next to feel the pressure.

Cardiff’s former Manager Paul Trollope

October appears to be the month of the sacking so far for managers in the Championship, with Roberto di Matteo and Paul Trollope both having been axed from Aston Villa and Cardiff City respectively. Indications suggest that Nigel Pearson will also soon be officially removed as Derby County boss, after he had been suspended by the club for their recent match with Cardiff. Which other managers in the league should be worried about being shown the door from their respective clubs?

Slavisa Jokanovic

Fulham manager Slavisa Jokanovic

How the fortunes of the Serb have changed since the opening night of the Championship season. They kicked their league campaign off with an encouraging 1-0 win over Newcastle, but since then have steadily declined to 12th place.

The Whites look well off the pace at the moment – and although the league position in itself is not unduly worrying at this early stage in the season, perhaps the Fulham board will be considering replacing Jokanovic based on their dismal recent form. Without a win since August, the Londoners have not even managed a goal per game on average so far this year. The low point of their season so far was a 4-0 drubbing suffered at home to Bristol City.

The fact that the Fulham side are undoubtedly more of a force than when Jokanovic took over in December of 2015 should buy the head coach some time, but on the basis of the football that Fulham have played so far this season, the team will have to improve dramatically to reach the top 6 target that the manager set for his players at the start of the season.

Danger of sack rating – 6/10

Mick McCarthy

Ipswich Town manager Mick McCarthy

These are testing times for Ipswich Town, and manager McCarthy could come under increasing pressure if the Tractor Boys fail to pick up points from their next few games. Town are hovering just 5 points above the relegation spots, and like Fulham have moved steadily downwards in the league since the opening couple of weekends.

Ipswich have finished in and around the play-off spots in each of the last 3 seasons, but this season their squad seems down on quality having sold their star striker Daryll Murphy to Newcastle. Grant Ward, brought in from Tottenham as his replacement, has made a bright start with four league goals so far – but three of those were scored on the opening day win against Barnsley. Ipswich boast an even lower goals to game ratio than fellow strugglers Fulham, just 0.73 on average.

The message from the Ipswich fans is clear: 16th placed position in the league simply won’t do. Mick McCarthy must hope that results begin to pick up, or else his time at the club may come to a close. The straight talking boss has admitted his own dissatisfaction with results, and has demanded more from his squad. There are still plenty of games remaining this term, and if Ipswich can build some momentum then they can still pull off a successful season. But it would appear that they will continue to struggle unless they can create more as an attacking unit.

Danger of sack rating – 7/10

Phillipe Montanier

Nottingham Forest manager Phillipe Montanier

Too early for a manager appointed in the summer to be sacked? Well, ask Roberto di Matteo. Montanier made a bright start to this season, and Forest fans have been treated to plenty of goals in their games, especially those at the City Ground.

But Forest are now without a win since August, a similar predicament to that of Fulham, and the restlessness is growing amongst the supporters. Fans also seem to be frustrated at the late summer sale of rising star Oliver Burke to RB Leipzig. Montanier has claimed that his players are tired and need a rest in the wake of their recent poor form, but his team have played with no real consistency so far this campaign.

Nottingham Forest have under-achieved in the Championship for too long, and Montanier lacks the Championship pedigree of Jokanovic or McCarthy, and so cannot guarantee an improvement. Forest cannot allow the losing habit to kick in, and club officials looking on could be tempted to replace Montanier to appease fans’ concerns. There are a number of high calibre options that they could choose from.

Danger of sack rating – 6/10

Who will be next to lose their job as manager of a Championship club, and how soon will it happen? In such a competitive league, one result can be the difference between a coach’s relative security and his departure. If certain managers in the league continue to underperform, expect more outgoings this month.