Ranking the 6 EFL Championship managers most at risk of losing their jobs | OneFootball

FLW look at who in the Championship is under the most pressure in the dugout as we approach the first international break

The Championship has had its first managerial casualty of the campaign, as Paul Heckingbottom was dismissed as Preston North End boss following a 1-0 home defeat to Lincoln City.

And with the international break fast approaching, the Lilywhites may not be the only side searching for a new person in the dugout soon.

There are more optimal times to sack a manager. One of those times comes in international break windows, as there's more time on the training ground to implement a new style and fresh ideas.

This particular window spans two gameweeks, so with sides not playing for three weeks after this weekend's fixtures, could other clubs pull the trigger?

In light of that, and Paul Heckingbottom's dismissal, FLW has looked at the six Championship managers and head coaches whose job is the most in danger.

6 ? ? Chris Davies - Birmingham City

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First and foremost, I'll preface by saying that I'm 99% sure Chris Davies will still be in his post come October. Ultimately, this is a list of the six managers whose jobs are at risk the most, and the other 18 are more secure than his.

Which, to some, is quite insane. Birmingham City have had a really difficult start on paper, facing the likes of Southampton and Wolves at home and travelling to Sheffield United, Wrexham and Norwich City. It doesn't get any easier, either, with Middlesbrough coming to St Andrew's on Saturday.

So to come out of their first seven games with just one defeat, sitting ninth in the actual table and fifth in the xG table is incredibly impressive. They've also won two of their four away games this season, something which they struggled with massively last term, winning five all year.

The way that the Blues boss has been able to be a little more pragmatic when needed has worked. That being said, there'll still be some sections of the footballing world who think Birmingham can do better, given their lofty ambition.

Serious questions were being asked after their 6-1 drubbing against Brentford in the EFL Cup, and while results have improved in the five games since, those could begin to be asked again quickly if they drop off.

5 ? ? Phil Parkinson - Wrexham

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Like with Chris Davies, there's always been that weight of expectation on Phil Parkinson at Wrexham since they became a Championship club. If anything, that weight has been even heavier for the Red Dragons' boss.

Parkinson went into the start of last season as a manager whose PPG in the Championship was under 1.00, struggling with the likes of Hull City, Charlton Athletic and Bolton Wanderers, getting the latter two relegated.

However, despite a slow start, in which Wrexham won two of their opening ten games, he was able to turn things around and oversaw the club's best EFL finish in their history.

But, with the amount of money that Wrexham spend and the ambition of the club under Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac, yet another slow start out of the blocks this year isn't matching those standards.

When adding the 6-0 loss to West Ham United last Friday, and a game against Southampton (who beat them 5-1 last season and look to be making strides), up next, Wrexham could be heading into the international break on the back of consecutive heavy defeats and with one win in eight.

The only thing keeping him further down the list is that both Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac went on record in February stating that this is Parkinson's job "for life." We'll see how much that integrity is tested over the course of the season.

4 ? ? Brian Barry-Murphy - Cardiff City

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It's not been the start to life back in the Championship that many Cardiff City fans were hoping for, with the Bluebirds one of two sides yet to pick up a win through seven league games.

Some Cardiff fans are starting to point the finger at Brian Barry-Murphy for his team selections and the way the club went about their business in the transfer window. Those do seem to be outspoken members of the fanbase, but it's a far cry from the positivity in League One last season.

That being said, there probably aren't many EFL fans who feel that their performances have warranted no wins and just four points so far this year. The Bluebirds currently rank third for expected goals created and have taken the most shots on target per match, per Fotmob. Opta's expected table has them 10th.

Ultimately, Barry-Murphy can't finish the chances off himself, and he's been let down by some poor forward play so far. But perhaps his squad selection is contributing towards that?

That's what some may think, and while Cardiff would be wise not to sack the head coach, it's not like the higher-ups at the Cardiff City Stadium to be patient, despite a winless start.

3 ? ? Alessio Dionisi - Watford

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It's a running gag that Watford are the team that sacks managers under the Pozzo ownership, but you get the feeling that Alessio Dionisi's days may be numbered.

Quite a few fans are feeling sorry for Dionisi. Evidently, the squad hasn't been up to scratch for the really tough schedule to open the new campaign, seen through the fact he had no midfielders on the bench to choose from in their latest defeat against Stoke City.

But according to the underlying numbers, Watford have been the poorest side in the division in the infancy of the campaign, and with their only win since the opening day (a game where Southampton missed a big chance to level things at the end) coming against Preston, it's quite worrying.

A poor result against Bristol City at the weekend could see yet another dugout reign at Vicarage Road coming to an end comically early.

2 ? ? Nicky Hayen - Burnley

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There's an argument to be made that whoever comes out on the losing end of the matchup at Turf Moor between Burnley and Derby County this weekend could see them out of a job over the international break.

And while that may spoil number one, Clarets boss Nicky Hayen needs a positive result at home this weekend. Not only to get his first league win under his belt, and his first win at his new club after 90 minutes, but also to prolong his time in the dugout.

Burnley's relegation hangover hasn't left them yet. They're propping up the Championship after seven games, having conceded the most goals. The 16 they've shipped already equals their tally in the entire 2024/25 campaign — the last time they were at this level.

The Clarets haven't won a league game since February. They haven't won a league game at home since they beat Leeds United back in October! They've got three games to stop that stat from crossing a year, and arguably the easiest game of the three comes this weekend.

If Burnley are still sitting bottom over the international break, the higher-ups at Turf Moor could look for a quick fix already. But there may still be some patience after what's been a very messy summer in terms of a lack of preparation and key players leaving.

1 ? ? John Eustace - Derby County

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And it's that patience which puts Hayen just behind Derby's John Eustace in the current sack race in the Championship.

It's been a very poor start to the campaign for a Rams side who had so much momentum to end last season. And while injuries, personnel changes and Saudi-led investment being pulled at the eleventh hour haven't resulted in a smooth summer, expectations will still have been higher than this.

Derby sit 22nd after seven games with just one win in the bank. Only Preston have lost more than John Eustace's side, and the manner in which the Rams have lost games has been quite concerning.

From failing to register shots on target against both Swansea City and West Ham, despite being at goal down inside six minutes, to being quite harmless against a West Brom side who played the better part of an hour with 10 men, to losing despite being ahead against Charlton and then on Saturday against Birmingham, it's not been good at all.

They're a bottom-three side per the underlying numbers, and if they can't put together a good performance at least against the league's bottom club on Saturday, time may be running out for John Eustace to turn around another slow start.