Seven Championship clubs will be starting this season with a new man in charge. Stuart Watson takes a look at the managerial merry-go-round.
SACKING STATS
Only seven Championship clubs went the whole season with the same manager last season (Birmingham, Blackburn, Bristol City, Coventry, Millwall, Preston and Sheffield United).
In total, 20 managers (not including interim/caretakers) left their posts during the campaign – 15 were sacked (more than the previous three seasons), one resigned and four were poached.
Three clubs sacked two managers in the season: Wigan, Watford (quelle surprise) and Huddersfield.
WHERE MCKENNA SITS
Kieran McKenna, appointed on December 16, 2021, has been in charge of Ipswich for 79 games.
Already, that puts him 26th out of 92 in the longest-serving managers across English football’s top four divisions and fifth among next season’s 24 Championship clubs.
Second-tier rivals with longer serving bosses are Coventry (Mark Robins, 317 games), Millwall (Gary Rowett, 185 games), Bristol City (Nigel Pearson, 115 games) and Steven Schumacher (Plymouth, 84 games).
THE NEW BOSSES
Seven Championship clubs will be going into the 2023/24 with new managers, including three teams down from the Premier League.
Leeds United had three managers last season in Jesse Marsch, Javier Garcia and Sam Allardyce. Following a lengthy search, they appointed DANIEL FARKE on Tuesday.
Farke, 46, twice led Norwich City to Championship promotion during his four years at Carrow Road. He spent last season with Bundesliga side Borussia Monchengladbach but was sacked after they finished 10th. The German is reunited with his former Norwich coaches Eddie Riemer, Christopher John and Chris Domogalla at Elland Road.
He said: “I feel humble at this time. I know the responsibility to fulfil all the expectations and I want to repay the trust shown.
“The most important thing is to create a togetherness and unity within this club again.”
Southampton also had three managers last season in Ralph Hassenhuttl, Nathan Jones and Ruben Selles. On June 21, they finally agreed a compensation fee to take RUSSELL MARTIN from Swansea City. The 37-year-old, who spent eight years at Norwich as a player, will look to implement his passing principles at St Mary’s.
“Thinking about the playing squad that is already here, the facilities, all of the club's history and traditions, it felt like too good an opportunity to turn down,” he said.
Swansea have replaced Martin with MICHAEL DUFF, the 45-year-old having just guided Barnsley to a fourth-place finish in League One.
“Is there money available? Yeah, but we don't throw it away like confetti because it's burning a hole in your pocket,” said Duff.
“At Cheltenham Town I spent £5,000 in four years. At Barnsley we sold £5m worth of players last year and spent £100,000 and we still had success. So you don't have to always spend money.”
Leicester City sacked Brendan Rodgers back in April and went down under Dean Smith. He was replaced by ENZO MARESCA on June 16.
The 43-year-old Spandiard briefly managed Parma in 2021 and spent last season assisting Pep Guardiola at treble winners Manchester City.
“The most beautiful thing for the players is the ball,” he said. “Our idea is to have the ball as much as we can.
“You want to know if we are going to play the same way (as Guardiola’s Man City)? It’s that idea, but that requires time. Hopefully we can achieve it as soon as possible.”
Sheffield Wednesday surprisingly parted ways with Darren Moore after winning the League One play-offs. Owner Dejphon Chansiri claims it was down to Moore asking for a significant pay rise.
On Tuesday, the Owls appointed XISCO MUNOZ. The 42-year-old Spandiard led Watford to the Premier League in 2021 before being sacked the following season. He has since managed Spanish side Huesca and Cypriot club Anorthosis Famagusta.
Chansiri said: “Some say I choose the cheap option. It's not about money. I choose who is the best. He is ambitious, hungry and plays attacking football.”
Serial sackers Watford appointed VALERIEN ISMAEL on May 10. The 47-year-old Frenchman has previously been in charge of Barnsley and West Brom in the Championship.
Cardiff turned to EROL BULUT on June 3. The 48-year-old has previously been in charge of several Turkish clubs, including Fenerbache.
LONGEST-SERVING CHAMPIONSHIP MANAGERS
317 games: Mark Robins (Coventry)
185: Gary Rowett (Millwall)
115 games: Nigel Pearson (Bristol City)
84: Steven Schumacher (Plymouth)
79: KIERAN MCKENNA (Ipswich)
76: Ryan Lowe (Preston)
55: Jon Dahl Tomasson (Blackburn)
50: John Eustance (Birmingham)
45: Tony Mowbray (Sunderland)
43: Alex Neil (Stoke)
37: Matt Taylor (Rotherham)
33: Michael Carrick (Middlesbrough), Carlos Corberan (West Brom)
29: Liam Rosenior (Hull)
21: David Wagner (Norwich)
16: Neil Warnock (Huddersfield)
13: Gareth Ainsworth (QPR)
0: Erol Bulut (Cardiff), Daniel Farke (Leeds), Enzo Maresca (Leicester), Xiszco Munoz (Sheff Weds), Russell Martin (Southampton), Michael Duff (Swansea), Valerien Ismael (Watford).
'WE WON’T CHANGE’
Back in December 2021, Ipswich Town chief executive Mark Ashton sacked Paul Cook after he’d had just nine months in charge.
His replacement, McKenna, recently signed a new four-year deal at Portman Road.
“Look at how many clubs in the Championship and Premier League changed their manager last year. I’ve never seen anything like it – some changed twice in a month!” said Ashton.
“We will have a bad run at some point. The law of averages says that will happen. But we won’t change. We’ll stick to the plan, we’ll adapt the plan, but we’ll stay on the tracks.
“I genuinely believe that stability, that planning, that ownership which gives you the calmness to get on with your job, will be a key differentiator for us.”
CHAMPIONSHIP MANAGERS 2022/23
BLACKPOOL: Michael Appleton (sacked, Jan 18), Mick McCarthy (resigned, Apr 8), Stephen Dobbie (interim), Neil Critchley.
BURNLEY: Vincent Kompany.
CARDIFF: Steve Morison (sacked, Sept 18), Mark Hudson (sacked, Jan 14), Sabri Lamouchi (contract ended, May 22).
COVENTRY: Mark Robins.
HUDDERSFIELD: Carlos Corberan (resigned, July 7), Danny Schofield (sacked, Sept 14), Paul Harsley and Narcís Pèlach (interim), Mark Fotheringham (sacked, Feb 8), Narcís Pèlach (interim), Neil Warnock.
HULL CITY: Shota Arveladze (sacked, Sept 30), Andy Dawson (interim), Liam Rosenior.
LUTON: Nathan Jones (left for Southampton, Nov 10), Rob Edwards.
MIDDLSEBROUGH: Chris Wilder (sacked, Oct 3), Michael Carrick.
MILLWALL: Gary Rowett.
NORWICH: Dean Smith (sacked, Dec 27), David Wagner.
PRESTON: Ryan Lowe.
QPR: Michael Beale (left for Rangers, Nov 27), Neil Critchley (sacked, Feb 19), Gareth Ainsworth.
READING: Paul Ince (sacked, Apr 11), Noel Hunt (interim).
ROTHERHAM: Paul Warne (left for Derby, Sept 21), Matt Taylor.
SHEFFIELD UNITED: Paul Heckingbottom.
STOKE: Michael O’Neill (sacked, Aug 25), Alex Neil.
SUNDERLAND: Alex Neil (left for Stoke, Aug 27), Tony Mowbray.
SWANSEA: Russell Martin.
WATFORD: Rob Edwards (sacked, Sept 26), Slaven Bilic (sacked, Mar 7), Chris Wilder.
WEST BROM: Steve Bruce (sacked, Oct 10), Richard Beale (interim), Carlos Corberan.
WIGAN: Leam Richardson (sacked, Nov 10), Kolo Toure (sacked, Jan 26), Shaun Maloney.
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