The international break has given the four Championship clubs time to search for a new manager following the departures of Rob Edwards, Liam Manning, Will Still and Alan Sheenan, but who will end up where?
The international break is a typical time for managerial changes, and this time four clubs in the Championship made the change at once, albeit for slightly different reasons. After Rob Edwards left for Wolves, Middlesbrough were left with no choice but to make reinforcements, while Southampton, Swansea and Norwich all sacked their managers due to poor performance.
Will Still, Alan Sheenan and Liam Manning have all been given their marching orders recently, with Edwards making the jump to the Premier League. This means coaches who have left the job, including Gary O’Neill, Michael Carrick, Russell Martin, Steven Gerrard and Still, have all been linked to the vacancy in the Championship.
With only nine days left until games resume next weekend, four clubs are competing to recruit talent. But who ends up where? And what do fans actually want?
Mirror Football spoke to fans and experts from each club to find out more about the situation and ponder what might happen next.
read more: Graeme Souness gives verdict on Wayne Rooney, admits muting some punditsread more: Manchester United transfer talks ‘in full swing’ after dispute between £70m star and manager explodes
middlesbrough
Chris Cassidy of Boropolis Podcast
What is the situation?
“There’s been a lot of butting heads between Wolves fans and Boro fans when it comes to Edwards. I think from Boro’s point of view a lot of the anger comes from the fact that they brought Edwards in from a position where he probably wouldn’t have been at the top of many shortlists in the summer because of what happened at Luton.”
“But when it comes to the start of the season, you can’t say he didn’t do a good job. He united the fan base. He was more resolute defensively. He left us in a good position.”
What are the biggest issues that need fixing?
“In the end, we were doing well. Until Saturday’s game when Edwards didn’t win, we had only won two of the last eight games, so we weren’t as good as we were at the beginning of the season. Chance creation and goals have been our problem lately. It wasn’t pretty to watch. But we piled up the points. At his best, Michael Carrick’s football was some of the best I’ve ever seen from Middlesbrough. It was a night, a night, and a day between that and Edwards’ best.
“Edwards often opted for a back five, which created an issue with chance creation, but the team is built around that system. That means we won’t be playing wingers. Some natural speed and width will be a welcome addition in January.”
Who will be the next manager?
“Gary O’Neill tops the bookmakers’ odds, but Boro fans are generally reluctant because he appeared on a podcast after retiring and admitted he was deliberately booked to take time off through suspension in the season they were relegated from the Premier League.”
“Steven Gerrard was favored because Steve Gibson has a history of appointing big players. He is also English and unemployed and we don’t usually appoint managers who are already in the job.”
“Carlos Corberan is still at Valencia, but he is my choice. It will be difficult if he is not sacked soon. There are also rumors of Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, but we don’t need to change too much. We just need someone to steady the ship. I don’t want them to choose an unproven manager, because it will only confuse the situation a little.”
norwich city
Daniel Brigham, contributor to the podcast On The Ball
What is the situation?
“We were great going forward under manager Johannes Hof-Sollup last season, but it was a bit of a nightmare after that. It was a bit of a shock when he was sacked, but we all expected Jack Wilshere to take over as interim manager permanently. Still, when the club poached Liam Manning from Bristol City, the fan base was delighted as he had performed well elsewhere.”
“The hope was that he would make a real progress from his previous manager and ensure his defense while maintaining possession football. But it was a complete disaster. It’s hard to point out what went right. We’ve spent £50m over the last two summers, so the expectation was a top-six finish.”
“Manning’s tenure lasted just 17 games, making it the shortest tenure of a permanent manager in our history. And his record of two wins in 15 league games is the worst in the club’s history. And we became the first second division team in English league history to lose the first seven games of a season.”
What are the biggest issues that need fixing?
“Fans want athletic director Ben Knapper, not Manning. He came in saying he was bringing players together for possession-based football, but the fallout for Manning was bigger than fans expected. It was a massive handbrake turn. That meant Manning didn’t have a team that fit him. The reinforcements haven’t been successful.
“The biggest mistake is in midfield. We have three unique midfielders, but we sold our most creative midfielder (Marcellino Nunez) to rivals Ipswich. We have one of the best strikers in the division in Josh Sargent and we haven’t been able to use him.”
Who will be the next manager?
“We’re in the strange position of re-interviewing Gary O’Neal, who turned down Manning, and Will Still, who we interviewed the previous summer but turned down Thorpe. We’re 23rd in the league, so that would be a big red flag for any manager.”
“John Dahl Tomasson has just suffered a disaster in Sweden, but was very good at Blackburn until he was unsupported in the transfer market and had a heartbreaking ending. I think he is the best fit for our team and is the most similar to former Danish manager Thorpe. His Blackburn team beat us at Carrow Road two years in a row.”
“We have a rumored relationship with former player Russell Martin. We gave Manning and his staff four-year contracts, so we probably can’t afford another manager, so we’re very much after the unemployed manager. The list of candidates is a little worrying because they’re all managers with very different styles. This suggests Knapper doesn’t know what he wants.”
Swansea City
Tom Coleman, Wales Online Reporter
What is the situation?
“There was a lot of optimism this summer as it was the highest amount spent on transfers since the club was relegated from the Premier League. Combine that with the hype of having Snoop Dogg and Luka Modric on board as investors, and Alan Sheenan could be relegated. There was a real hope that they might finish in the top six after breaking away from the Reds, but that didn’t materialize.
“Before Saturday’s 4-1 win over Ipswich there were hopes that Seanan would get time to turn things around, but the way we lost and the reaction from the fans changed that.”
What are the biggest issues that need fixing?
“The lack of creativity in midfield is the biggest problem, but one thing to hold on to is Zan Vipotnik, who is a very good goalscorer. My personal view is that if you have a player who is that good when he’s not shooting that much, if you can find someone or a system to serve him, there’s a good chance he can flourish.”
Who will be the next manager?
“My understanding is that Hammarby’s Kim Helberg was very close to the job before Seanan was appointed permanently, thanks to his performance in the second interim period. Swansea have a very data-driven approach and believe that Helberg is the right fit. “People I’ve talked to have compared his style to Roberto De Zerbi and Graham Potter when he was at Swansea. He’s more possession-oriented, but not as possession-oriented as, say, Russell Martin. “He likes to dominate the middle of the park.
“Helberg has been around the Swedish leagues and has a bright future as a manager. Several people I have spoken to are convinced he will one day manage in the Premier League. Other Championship clubs are also eyeing him and we are in talks with a Welsh club on Thursday, but there is no guarantee he will land at Swansea.”
southampton
Joe White, Saints fan
What is the situation?
“There has been a long period of utter turmoil at St Mary’s, even before last season’s embarrassing relegation campaign. Fans have blamed owners Sport Republic, who have overseen a dramatic decline since taking over in January 2022. Saints finished bottom of the Premier League last season and are still paying the price for poor leadership and reinforcements from the top.”
“Given his success in France and Belgium, Will Still arrived with plenty of good intentions, but he couldn’t get any form out of his players and there was consensus among fans that he needed to go. Saints looked clueless about their approach on the pitch and Still was struggling with confused thinking, a situation made worse by the haphazard additions of the summer.”
What are the biggest issues that need fixing?
“Sport Republic have a target on their backs and protests will continue among the fans at the matches, who were trying to appease them by bringing back Oriol Romeu. Most believe the club is corrupt from the top down and needs radical reform, but it is highly unlikely that will happen anytime soon.
“In the short term, Southampton needs a manager who has a clear playing style and knows how to communicate it to his players. Despite the turnover, the team still has a lot of talent and is much stronger than the league standings indicate. Interim manager Tonda Eckert has won back-to-back games and has shown that what is most lacking is confidence.”
Who will be the next manager?
“Former Portsmouth player Gary O’Neill is out of the question. Regardless of what the bookmakers say, neither Russell Martin nor Ralph Hasenhüttl are likely to return and Saints should not fall into the trap of appointing a caretaker manager permanently again after what happened with Ruben Seles.”
“The club appear to be in no hurry after Eckert’s successful start and need to make sure they make their next appointment. Sporting director Johannes Spors has made blunder after blunder. He is said to be keen on appointing a German manager, but given Boro’s possession-based style, Michael Carrick might be the right fit.”
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive Mirror Football content every day. Community members also receive special offers, promotions, and advertisements from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check it out whenever you like. If you are interested, please read our privacy notice.
Sky Sports Premier League and EFL package discounts
£49
£35
sky
Get the deal here
Sky has reduced the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle ahead of the 2025/26 season, saving members £336 on their bill and offering more than 1,400 live matches from Premier League, EFL and more.
Sky will broadcast at least 215 live Premier League matches next season, with an increase of up to 100 more.
