Championship Manager of the Month Shortlist: Fast Starts and Authority
Four managers. One perfect first impression.
The Championship’s first Manager of the Month shortlist of the season has a clear theme: fast starts and instant authority. Nathan Jones (Charlton Athletic), Vitor Matos (Swansea City), Cesar Peixoto (Wolves) and Julien Stephan (QPR) are the contenders for August’s award, with the winner to be announced on Friday, 11 September.
Jones sets the early pace
Nathan Jones has wasted no time reminding the division what his sides can look like when they catch fire. Charlton opened the campaign with three wins from three, a flawless return that sent them straight to the top of the table.
Three games, nine points, and an early marker laid down. Charlton have not just collected results; they’ve dictated tempo, carried themselves like a team intent on staying in the promotion conversation, and turned the opening month into a statement of intent under a manager who thrives on momentum.
Matos makes his mark at Swansea
At Swansea, Vitor Matos has walked into a demanding job and immediately steadied the room. Seven points from his first three matches, and an unbeaten August, have given the club a platform to breathe and believe.
Victories over Stoke City and Derby County underlined that this is no gentle bedding-in period. Those are seasoned Championship opponents, the sort of fixtures that usually expose early teething problems. Instead, Swansea have looked organised, assured and quietly ambitious under their new head coach.
Peixoto drives Wolves’ response
Cesar Peixoto’s task at Wolves is stark: get back to the Premier League, and do it quickly. On the early evidence, his players have heard the message loud and clear.
Seven points from the opening three games of his first season in charge have set the tone for a club determined to respond immediately to relegation. Wolves have moved through August with the urgency of a side that knows there is no time for self-pity. Peixoto has given them a clear direction, and the numbers back it up.
Stephan sparks QPR revival hopes
QPR, under Julien Stephan, have not grabbed quite as many headlines, but their August tells its own story. Unbeaten through the month, they have stitched together the kind of solid run that can quietly transform expectations.
The standout feature has been their form on the road. Away wins at Portsmouth and Blackburn Rovers hint at a resilience that QPR have too often lacked in recent seasons. Stephan’s side have shown they can travel, compete, and win in difficult environments – a vital trait in a league that punishes any weakness.
Four different clubs, four different situations, one shared thread: managers who have hit the ground running. When the first award of the season is handed out on 11 September, it will go to a coach who has already changed the mood around their club. The question now is who can turn a flying start into a full-scale campaign.
