Just a handful of games in to the new season and The Championship Sack Race is showing no signs of any mercy with two gaffers already having left their jobs before the manager of the month award for August is announced! Steve Coppell was the first to part company with his club, leaving Bristol City after just one game in charge before Kevin Blackwell became the second managerial casualty of the season, parting company with Sheffield United just two league games in to the new season. Both the Robins and the Blades have since found new managers in the form of Keith Millen and Gary Speed respectively, but even those two cannot be considered safe in their jobs in what is the most cut throat of divisions.

Bookmaker Victor Chandler are offering odds on who will be the third Npower Championship manager to find himself out of work in the 2010/2011 season. Nottingham Forest boss Billy Davies heads the betting after a slow start to the season together with the Scotsman’s outspoken views that his team is still without the required quality he feels would see his side compete for the play-offs, which has resulted in reputed unrest between the manager and the board of directors and that’s enough to see Chandler make Davies 3/1 favourite to be next for the chop.

Gordon Strachan is the 4/1 second favourite behind Davies to be the next to get the boot after his Middlesbrough side have not started the season the way many expected of pre-season title favourites. However, it is difficult to see the normally loyal Boro Chairman, Steve Gibson, wielding the axe less than 12 months after appointing Strachan, especially after splashing the cash in an attempt to make a return to the Premier League at the second time of asking.

Reading’s Brian McDermott and Portsmouth’s Steve Cotterill are both 8/1 chances after both teams remain win-less after three games but it is hard to see either being potted with both being appointed only recently. Darren Ferguson of Preston North End and Bristol Cit’s Keith Millen are two other managers only just finding their feet after recent appointments but still face the raft of the bookies odds and are unconvincingly priced at 9/1 to be the third dismissal in the Championship.

Dave Jones and Neil Warnock are seemingly the safest two managers in the division, outsiders of the pack at 25/1 given their teams good starts to the season and in Jones’ case, a stroke of luck with the recent acquisition of Craig Bellamy, a signing that should only help Cardiff’s quest for promotion. However, in boasting the best squads in the division comes expectation and should either QPR or Cardiff not continue their upward curves, you can be sure that Jones and Warnock will begin to feel the pressure!

Predicting who will be the next Championship manager to leave his post is as tough as predicting the winner of any game in the league but one manager who we at The Sack Race believe could be about to come under scrutiny is Derby County boss Nigel Clough. In charge at Pride Park for over 18 months now, winning just 25 of his 79 games at the helm. Clough must show signs that his side is making progress but that has yet to seen and if results don’t begin to improve, the 14/1 about Clough leaving Derby could look a big price.

Third Championship Manager to leave his club during the 2010/2011 Season
Billy Davies (Nottingham Forest) 3/1
Gordon Strachan (Middlesbrough) 4/1
Steve Cotterill (Portsmouth) 8/1
Brian McDermott (Reading) 8/1
Keith Millen (Bristol City) 9/1
Darren Ferguson (Preston) 9/1
Paulo Sousa (Leicester) 10/1
Malky Mackay (Watford) 12/1
Mark Robins (Barnsley) 14/1
Nigel Adkins (Scunthorpe) 14/1
Nigel Clough (Derby) 14/1
Simon Grayson (Leeds) 16/1
George Burley (Crystal Palace) 16/1
Nigel Pearson (Hull) 16/1
Aidy Bothroyd (Coventry) 18/1
Gary Speed (Sheffield United) 18/1
Kenny Jackett (Millwall) 20/1
Sean O’Driscoll (Doncaster) 20/1
Paul Lambert (Norwich) 20/1
Roy Keane (Ipswich) 20/1
Brian Laws (Burnley) 22/1
Brendan Rodgers (Swansea) 25/1
Neil Warnock (QPR) 25/1
Dave Jones (Cardiff) 25/1
Odds supplied by VictorChandler.com

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