The next 8 EFL Championship managers to be sacked have been predicted by AI | OneFootball

AI chatbot ChatGPT has predicted the next 8 Championship managers to be sacked

AI has predicted the next eight EFL Championship managers to be dismissed from their roles, with some surprise mentions.

Having now entered the second half of the EFL Championship season, the table is beginning to take shape, with targets for finishing positions being set.

Coventry City, Middlesbrough, and Ipswich Town remain as the three favourites battling it out for automatic promotion, whilst Oxford United, Norwich City, Portsmouth, and Blackburn Rovers are fighting at the other end of the table.

Sheffield Wednesday's relegation is an almost foregone conclusion, with the Owls still on negative points after their 18-point deduction for entering administration earlier this season.

Seven managers have been dismissed from their roles at the moment, but with the January window well underway and teams preparing their squads for the remainder of the season, more dismissals are soon to be expected.

Football League World has asked AI chatbot ChatGPT to predict the next eight Championship managers to be sacked from their roles, with some surprise names in there.

8 ? ? Chris Wilder (Sheffield United)

ChatGPT said: Sheffield United’s flirtation with inconsistent results could lead the board to consider a fresh voice if they lose momentum.

Since Chris Wilder returned to the Bramall Lane dugout, Sheffield United have seen a big upturn in form and performances.

Ruben Selles' tenure did not go to plan, with the Spaniard lasting just six games in charge, all ending in defeat, leaving the Blades well adrift of the pack ahead of them.

Wilder initially struggled for results upon his return, but a run of seven wins in 11, with only two ending in defeat, saw them shoot back up the table, though they remain some way off the top six.

Results have been inconsistent, however, and if Wilder is unable to mount a late push for the play-offs this campaign, he could be at risk of losing his job once more, with AI ranking him as the eighth-likeliest boss to be sacked next.

ChatGPT said: Charlton’s position relative to safety and ambitions could prompt action if they slide further.

Nathan Jones, by most accounts, has done an excellent job as Charlton Athletic thus far.

Having taken over in February 2024, the former Luton Town, Stoke City, and Southampton boss dropped to League One with the Addicks, and in his first full season in charge, he would guide them to the second tier, beating Leyton Orient in the play-off final.

Although they find themselves just above the relegation zone as things stand, the Addicks have looked like a tricky opponent for much of this campaign, and stand every chance of solidifying themselves in the second tier should they stay up.

However, AI has taken into account their league position, and with most other sides surrounding them having recently sacked their boss, Jones falls victim to circumstance, with AI ranking him as the seventh most likely to be dismissed next.

ChatGPT said: Mid-table but with squads and expectations that at times outstrip results; in some sack-race odds lists, Mousinho features ahead of several rivals.

Similar to Charlton, John Mousinho has done an excellent job guiding Pompey back to the second tier after 12 years away following their promotion in 2024, and further solidifying their place in the second tier by comfortably staying up in their first season back.

However, Portsmouth have failed to kick on under Mousinho, and although they have one of the smallest budgets in the division, fans would have been hoping to evade any relegation battle this season, which looks unlikely.

Pompey had the eighth-best home record in the division last season, and that has taken a hit this campaign, which has massively affected their league position.

AI believes Mousinho is one of the more likely candidates to face the sack in the division, ranking him sixth.

ChatGPT said: Now the permanent head coach, Eckert initially delivered results, but recent analysis shows a protracted winless run and decline in performance since his interim honeymoon period ended — potentially putting him under pressure despite board backing.

Southampton's return to the second tier has been chaotic, to say the least.

Will Still was initially the person chosen to guide the Saints into this season, though he was dismissed after just four wins in 16 outings, and replaced by the clubs Under-21's boss Tonda Eckert, initially on an interim basis.

Eckert's interim role soon became permanent, with six wins in his opening seven games, but results have taken a huge hit as of late, and the German is now one of the prime candidates to face the sack in the division as things stand.

On paper, Southampton have one of the best squads in the league, but neither Still nor Eckert has been able to extract consistent positive results out of them, with the German being ranked as the fifth most likely to be dismissed next.

4 ? ? Henrik Pedersen (Sheffield Wednesday)

ChatGPT said: Another in the top handful of odds for a sacking — Wednesday are underperforming relative to expectation and recent seasons’ progress, making strikes by the board plausible.

Few managers can win one league game in the first half of the season and stay in charge to tell the tale, but Sheffield Wednesday's Henrik Pedersen is an outlier.

Due to the Owls' remarkable off-field events, expectations were set incredibly low this campaign, and rightfully so, with the club sitting plumb last in the Championship table as things stand on negative points, with that looking unlikely to change anytime soon.

Wednesday's 2-0 away win to Portsmouth has been the only bright spark this Championship season, and barring a miracle, they will be playing their football in the third tier next campaign.

Pedersen is unlikely to take them into next season once a new ownership regime is sorted, though if results and performances don't see a slight positive turn sooner rather than later, he may not even see this season out, with AI ranking him to be the fourth-likeliest to be sacked next.

3 ? ? Valerien Ismael (Blackburn Rovers)

ChatGPT said: Strongly placed in sack odds and Blackburn’s inconsistent results relative to investment and pedigree have raised eyebrows. If the club drifts away from playoff contention, pressure will mount

Blackburn Rovers once again find themselves in the midst of a relegation battle, with head coach Valerien Ismael coming under increased scrutiny following the club's horrific run of form.

Indeed, the Lancashire-based outfit has been ravaged by injuries this season, which have played a huge part in their negative run of results, but fans are still discontent with Ismael.

The Frenchman had varying degrees of success at the likes of Barnsley, West Brom, and Watford prior to his stint with Blackburn, though it looks like his tenure at Ewood Park could be coming to an end soon, barring a drastic upturn in results.

AI has Ismael as the third-likeliest boss to face the chopping block in the second tier.

ChatGPT said:​​​​​​​ Second-favourite in the odds markets. Birmingham’s position in mid-table with ambitions to push for promotion could lead to board impatience if results don’t improve.

Birmingham City's ambitions of Premier League football are no secret, with the ownership investing heavily in the club both on and off the pitch, none more evident than their new stadium plans.

The Blues smashed the EFL points record to earn promotion to the Championship last season, though after, at best, an average first half of the campaign, they have been busy in the January window, with boss Chris Davies doing everything he can to remain in the St Andrews dugout.

Left-back Kai Wagner has signed from MLS side Philadelphia Union, Jhon Solis has signed from Spanish side Girona, and August Priske has signed from Swedish side Djurdgarden, and they don't look likely to be finished there.

Davies faces a mountain of pressure to sustain a challenge for the top six this campaign, and the Birmingham board will not hesitate to dismiss him from his post if they deem him not the right person to guide them to the top flight, as AI ranks him the second-likeliest to be dismissed next.

ChatGPT said: Currently favourite in the sack race odds to be next out, with bookies placing him ahead of many peers. Leicester’s form hasn’t matched the club’s promotion expectations, and fan discontent is growing.

Just less than a decade ago, Leicester City crowned themselves as Premier League champions, defying the odds in one of the greatest sporting stories of all time.

Fast forward nearly ten years, and the Foxes find themselves battling it out in the Championship, with promotion back to the top flight growing increasingly unlikely as the weeks pass.

Former Queens Park Rangers boss Marti Cifuentes was the man chosen to guide the club into this campaign, though with no transfer budget to spend, his business has been massively limited, which has been reflected on the pitch.

Still, with the likes of Abdul Fatawu, Stephy Mavididi, Jordan James, and Ricardo Pereira in their ranks, the consensus that the Spaniard has been unable to get the best out of his squad continues to linger.

With the prospect of Premier League football getting further and further away, a change at the King Power may be made sooner rather than later, with AI believing Cifuentes to be the next gaffer to be sacked in the division.