Championship sack race: EFL giants are starting to get twitchy after latest surprise developments
Birmingham City boss Chris Davies is the favourite for the next manager to be sacked in the English Football League (EFL).
Football Insider revealed on Saturday that Birmingham are considering the appointment of Michael Carrick to replace the 40-year-old.
But throughout the EFL, gigantic clubs are considering managerial changes after difficult starts to the season.
Ryan Mason remains under huge pressure at West Brom, with his side having lost four of their last five Championship games.
Marti Cifuentes was on the verge of the sack at Leicester City at the start of the month, and the Spaniard is not free of trouble yet.
Chris Davies leads sack race as EFL giants consider changes
There have been several managerial changes already in the Championship so far this season.
Sheffield United sacked Ruben Selles in September to kick off the sacking season, the Blades replacing the Spaniard with former boss Chris Wilder.
Watford followed suit by firing Paulo Pezzolano, with Will Still, Liam Manning, and Alan Sheehan being the other names to have received the boot.
| Championship managers | Sacked from |
| Ruben Selles | Sheffield United |
| Paulo Pezzolano | Watford |
| Will Still | Southampton |
| Liam Manning | Norwich City |
| Alan Sheehan | Swansea City |
Some of the biggest clubs in the EFL have struggled this season, with their owners all keen to strike the right time with their managerial changes.
A change looks very likely at St Andrews’, where Davies has failed to lead his team to victory in any of their previous five fixtures.
Friday’s 1-1 draw with Derby County looked as if it could be the final nail in the coffin, but an announcement is yet to be made.
The odds of Davies’ departure have shortened to 11/8 in recent days, with Englishman closely followed by Mason (2/1), Cifuentes (3/1), and Henrik Pedersen at Sheffield Wednesday (6/1), according to one major bookmaker.
Boxing Day results have thrown managerial futures into doubt
Birmingham’s draw with Derby on Boxing Day was made even more disappointing by the fact that the visitors had been down to 10 men after just 39 minutes.
Davies’ side found the equaliser, but could not capitalise on their momentum to claim a big three points.
Elsewhere in the Championship, under-pressure managers continued to see their sides falter.
Leicester lost 2-1 to Watford at home, with goals from Othmane Maamma and Matthew Pollock piling on the misery for Cifuentes.
And at The Hawthorns, West Brom were defeated by Bristol City after going 2-0 down inside 25 minutes.
As the January transfer window approaches, there is a feeling that clubs will need to make a decision rapidly if they are to back a new manager with winter additions.