Cardiff City, Aston Villa and Derby County are going into this weekend’s Championship fixtures with new managers.
Neil Warnock during his short spell as manager of Rotherham United
The international break has been a busy time for Cardiff, Aston Villa and Derby – with Neil Warnock moving to the Welsh Capital, Steve Bruce to Villa and the re-appointment of Steve McClaren to Derby.
All three clubs have struggled this season and find themselves near the bottom of the table after a disappointing start. It will no doubt be a hard task for all the new managers, but which one is most likely to succeed at their new club?
Neil Warnock
Following the sacking of Paul Trollope, the appointment of Neil Warnock was announced almost immediately. Cardiff have secured the signing of a manager with plenty of experience in the Championship.
The situation at Cardiff is similar to when Warnock took over at Rotherham last season. Cardiff currently sit 23rd in the table. When the Englishman took over at Rotherham, he led them on an immediate run of six wins and six draws from his first 14 matches. Warnock has seven promotions to his name in more than 30 years managerial experience.
Will Warnock kick start Cardiff’s season in the same way he did at Rotherham?
The signings of Marouan Chamakh, Sol Bamba and Junior Hoilett is early evidence that Warnock is a man who means business. Before the international break, Cardiff looked set to be in a relegation fight. With Warnock as manager, he will no doubt get the players fired up and put the passion back into the side.
A top half finish for the Bluebirds could happen, with promotion more likely to come next season. The Welsh team could be the surprise of the season with Warnock having the most success out of the three managers.
Steve Bruce
Steve Bruce succeeds Roberto Di Matteo role at Villa Park. On paper Bruce looks like the perfect manager to end Villa’s doomed year. Bruce has won more promotions to the Premier League than any other manager – twice with Birmingham 01/02 and 06/07 and twice with Hull 12/13 and 15,16.
Bruce has taken over a Villa side who currently sit 19th. Villa are a team with a lot of problems, something that will be a challenge for Bruce. Since the start of October 2015, Aston Villa have played 47 matches in all competitions. Out of those games, Villa have only managed to win four.
The fact they have not won away for 14 months shows that they are a side who struggle to win. Things should have been different this season, new faces arrived in the summer with the side spending over £50million.
Bruce is fully aware of what he has got himself in for, with his knowledge and understanding in the league, Villa should finish well away from the relegation zone.
Steve McClaren
The most bizarre signing has to be the news that Derby have appointed Steve McClaren as their manager – just 17 months after sacking him. McClaren’s departure was down to the failure of securing promotion and the relationship that soured between him and the board, The Englishman had been talking to Newcastle about becoming their manager.
Derby are currently 20 in the table, one of the reasons the club have struggled is likely down to the chop and change in managers. During McClaren’s time at Derby, the club played some attractive football. McClaren also holds the record of a 52.4% win rate.
Re-hiring McClaren is a gamble for Derby and could either make or break the team. Derby should break clear of the bottom three but may struggle to finish in the top half of the table this season.
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