Bright future or time to panic? Grading every new Championship manager based on their first five games

We are now five games into the new Championship season and it is shaping up to be one of the most intriguing campaigns in recent years.

This season, there are seven new permanent managers taking their turn in the hardest league in England with some showing positive signs going forward, with others struggling to make an impact on their new club.

In modern football, loyalty has been repeatedly overruled by a need for immediacy. Will some clubs be thinking about changing their new manager with just five games completed? Here we rank each new Championship manager in the 18/19 season on their success so far.

Frank Lampard (Derby County)

Results: WLLWW (nine points)
Position: 6th

Highlight? A last-minute winner in Frank Lampard’s first match in charge away at Reading is a good shout, with promising playmaker Tom Lawrence scoring a fantastic header to give the Rams the perfect start to life under Super Frank.

Lowlight? A humbling 4-1 home defeat to Leeds United showed there is plenty of work still to be done at Pride Park if they are going to compete alongside some of the division’s best sides this season. A 2-1 defeat away to Millwall didn’t win any plaudits either.

Grade: B- – A solid start for Lamps as Derby currently occupy the last playoff position. Some decent performances and a few moments to forget. So far, fairly good for the former Chelsea man.

Gary Rowett (Stoke City)

Results: LDDLW (five points)
Position: 17th

Highlight? After five attempts, Stoke finally secured their first victory under the leadership of Rowett as they condemned Hull City to a 2-0 defeat and ensured they were not in the relegation zone as this delightful article was written. Nice dodge there, Stoke.

Lowlight? Clearly, their league position demonstrates just how appalling their form under Rowett has been. A tasty 3-0 home defeat to Wigan Athletic cemented fears polluting the atmosphere around the club and suggest a return to the Premier League may not be as instant as a Nescafe Clasico coffee.

Grade: E – This would have been a big fat F until managed to get their first three points under their belts. Rowett has developed a reputation as a talented manager – especially at this level – and you would think that despite the poor start he has the ability and the squad to turn this season around. Expect a mid-table/slight play-off charge over the coming months, but how many better chances to manage at Premier League level will Rowett get if this season does not go to plan?

Graham Potter (Swansea City)

Results: WWDDL (eight points)
Position: 10th

Highlight? A late turnaround on the opening day of the season saw Swansea nab three points, beating Sheffield United at Brammel Lane 2-1.

Lowlight? But ‘Siriusly’, their first loss of the season at home to Bristol City wasn’t what Potter had in mind.

Grade: C – It’s always tough adapting to life outside the Premier League following relegation. Add to that a new manager, a much-changed squad and the challenge of overturning seasons of pragmatic football under the likes of Carlos Carvalhal and Paul Clement, and Potter deserves credit for the work he has done so far in attempting to resurrect the days of possession-based football at the Liberty Stadium.

Marcelo Bielsa (Leeds United)

Results: WWWDW (thirteen points)
Position: 1st

Highlight? Where do we start? The experienced Argentine coach was expected to do well at Leeds, but not this early on. The football has been fantastic to watch and with four wins out of five matches, the Yorkshire club are sitting pretty at the top of the Championship, yet to taste defeat in the league under Bielsa.

Lowlight? The only ‘real’ negative for Leeds is that they couldn’t get five wins out of five after drawing away at Swansea City. Hardly a negative at all but so far there aren’t many results Leeds fans can really complain about, which is a welcome change for those who have had to withstand the last decade.

Grade: A+ – An almost perfect start, top of the league, playing fantastic football and showing no signs of slowing down. Perhaps expect a wobble at some point due to the energy expended by Bielsa teams and the relentless nature of the Championship fixture list, but Leeds are surely favourites to achieve – at the very least – a top-six finish this season.

Paul Hurst (Ipswich Town)

Results: DLDLL (two points)
Position: 24th

Highlight? A last-minute equaliser from Tayo Edun on the opening day of the season secured a point at home against newly promoted Blackburn Rovers. The Tractor Boys are unbeaten at home after nabbing a 1-1 draw with promotion hopefuls Aston Villa despite playing the majority of the match with just ten men. Otherwise, it has all been pretty dreadful down at Portman Road.

Lowlight? Losing three games out of five, including defeats to Rotherham United (1-0), Derby County (2-0) and Sheffield Wednesday (2-1), confirmed Ipswich are dire at getting any results away from home. A Carabao Cup loss to Exter City wasn’t great either, and they currently sit bottom of the Championship.

Grade: F – They are bottom of the league without a win. It doesn’t really get too much worse. The only way is up, right? Unless they go down of course…

Steve McClaren (Queens Park Rangers)

Results: LLLLW (three points)
Position: 22nd

Highlight? QPR FINALLY got their season up and running with a 1-0 home victory against visitors Wigan Athletic, thanks to a goal from Brighton & Hove Albion loanee Tomer Hemed.

Lowlight? Obviously, losing four out of four opening games isn’t the most ideal of situations. However, the 7-1 capitulation to recently relegated West Bromwich Albion was beyond atrocious. McClaren described the match as ‘unacceptable’. The prize for the most obvious statement award goes to…

Grade: F – The ‘Wolly with the brolly’ will be hoping that his first win will turn the tide at Loftus Road but it has been a very poor start overall from the London side.

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