Championship Dugout Race: Four Managers Shine Early
The Championship season is barely out of the blocks, but the battle in the technical area is already taking shape. Nathan Jones, Vitor Matos, Cesar Peixoto and Julien Stephan have all been shortlisted for August’s Manager of the Month award after sharp, assured starts with their clubs.
Jones fires Charlton to the summit
Nathan Jones has wasted no time at Charlton Athletic. Three games, three wins, and a place at the top of the table by the end of August.
Charlton’s perfect opening has set an early standard. Under Jones, they have hit the ground running, banking maximum points and momentum in a division where both can vanish in a week. It is the kind of start that turns heads in the boardroom and the dressing room alike.
Matos makes instant impact at Swansea
Over in south Wales, Vitor Matos has begun to put his stamp on Swansea City. His side emerged from August unbeaten, collecting seven points from their first three matches.
Crucially, those points came with statement victories. Wins over Stoke City and Derby County signalled that Swansea under Matos will not ease their way into the campaign. They have stepped straight into the contest, organised and confident, and the early reward is a place on the shortlist.
Peixoto steadies Wolves’ promotion push
Cesar Peixoto faces one of the division’s biggest tasks: dragging Wolves straight back to the Premier League. His response in his first season in charge has been calm and effective.
Wolves matched Swansea’s return of seven points from their opening three fixtures, a solid launch for a club under pressure to bounce back at the first attempt. Peixoto’s start has not solved the whole promotion puzzle, but it has laid down a clear platform for the months ahead.
Stephan lifts QPR with unbeaten run
Julien Stephan has injected fresh belief into QPR. His side went through August without defeat, an encouraging shift in mood and results.
The standout moments came away from home. Victories at Portsmouth and Blackburn Rovers underlined QPR’s resilience on the road and hinted at a team beginning to trust its structure and its manager. Unbeaten, organised, and quietly climbing: it is exactly the kind of opening spell that earns recognition.
One of Jones, Matos, Peixoto or Stephan will walk away with the first Championship manager’s prize of the season when the winner is announced on Friday, 11 September. The award will go to just one of them — but their starts suggest all four intend to be part of the promotion conversation for a long while yet.
