Championship Manager of the Month Shortlist for August

The Championship’s first managerial honours race of the season has taken shape, with four coaches rewarded for fast starts and sharp resets.

Shortlisted for August’s Championship Manager of the Month award: Nathan Jones, Vitor Matos, Cesar Peixoto, Julien Stephan.

Nathan Jones - Charlton Athletic

Jones has set the early standard. Charlton opened the campaign with three wins from three, a perfect return that propelled them straight to the top of the table and underlined their promotion credentials before the autumn fixtures even arrive.

Vitor Matos - Swansea City

In South Wales, Matos has wasted no time stamping his ideas on Swansea. His side went unbeaten through August, collecting seven points from their first three matches. Crucially, that run included statement victories over Stoke City and Derby County, results that hinted at a team quickly buying into a new regime.

Cesar Peixoto - Wolves

Peixoto has done something similar at Wolves. In his first season in charge and under the weight of expectation as the club chases an immediate return to the Premier League, he has matched Swansea’s haul with seven points from three games. It’s an assured start in a division that rarely grants anyone an easy re-entry.

Julien Stephan - QPR

QPR complete the quartet after a quietly impressive opening month. Under Stephan, Rangers navigated August without defeat, stitching together an unbeaten run that featured eye-catching away wins at Portsmouth and Blackburn Rovers. Those results have shifted the mood around Loftus Road and given their season an early backbone.

Only one of these strong starts will be officially recognised when the winner of the season’s first managerial award is announced on Friday, 11 September. The others will have to make their argument on the pitch in the weeks to come.