Chris Wilder is back at Bramall Lane for a third spell in charge after Sheffield United sacked Ruben Selles just three months into his reign.
Selles was appointed in June after United’s Championship play-off final defeat, replacing Wilder in the process. But after five straight losses, with only a single goal scored and the Blades rooted to the bottom of the table, owner Prince Abdullah acted.
Selles’ dismissal is the first managerial casualty of the Championship season and has set the tone for what promises to be a turbulent autumn in the dugout.
Wilder, who has signed a three-year deal, will take charge of the Blades’ Saturday clash with Charlton. His return comes barely 90 days after being moved aside.
The new season is only weeks old, yet the Championship sack race is already taking shape. Following Selles’ departure, UK betting sites have adjusted their odds, and several high-profile managers are beginning to feel the heat.
No room for error
Wilder knows the pressure will be on him from minute one back at Bramall Lane. The Championship’s unforgiving nature continues to claim victims early in the season.
Unlike the Premier League, where financial cushions can buy patience, second-tier clubs operate under different pressures. Promotion represents life-changing revenue, while relegation to League One can prove financially catastrophic.
Sheffield United’s dramatic reversal on Wilder demonstrates how quickly panic can set in when results don’t materialise. Other clubs will be watching nervously, knowing that early-season struggles can quickly spiral into crisis situations.
Attention now turns to who might be the next sacking in the Championship betting markets, with England’s second-tier long regarded as one of Europe’s most unforgiving leagues for managers.
Who’s next?
Phil Parkinson has emerged as the surprise betting favourite to be the next Championship manager to lose his job, priced at 3/1 despite his remarkable success story in north Wales.
The former Bradford City boss has overseen three successive promotions, taking Wrexham from non-league football to the Championship in unprecedented fashion.
However, expectations soared following a £33 million summer transfer window that saw 13 new players arrive at the Racecourse Ground.
Wrexham’s 3-1 home defeat to QPR leaves them 21st in the table with only four points from their opening five matches. They now sit precariously close to the relegation zone, with bookmakers pricing them at 7/1 to go straight back down.
The Hollywood-backed club’s ambitious owners clearly invested heavily with promotion in mind, making Parkinson’s current predicament all the more precarious. In the Championship, previous success counts for little when results turn sour quickly.
Next Wrexham Manager Odds
Former Sheffield Wednesday manager Danny Rohl leads the betting to replace Parkinson should Wrexham make a change, priced at 3/1. The German’s availability stems from his dramatic departure from Hillsborough in July, just 12 days before the season started.
Despite guiding Wednesday to a respectable 12th-place finish last season amid severe financial turmoil, Rohl’s relationship with owner Dejphon Chansiri deteriorated beyond repair.
His assessment of the situation revealed the extent of the club’s problems: “We couldn’t pay salaries and wages, the communication was not what I expected. I tried to speak with the club, but when there wasn’t dialogue I had to take a decision.”
That decision has left Rohl available for other opportunities, with Leicester City having shown interest before talks broke down. A promotion-chasing project at Wrexham could appeal to the ambitious German coach.
Former Wolves manager Gary O’Neil sits second in the betting at 4/1, having been dismissed by the Premier League club in December with Wolves 19th and four points from safety. His mixed record at Bournemouth and subsequent struggles at Molineux haven’t deterred the bookies from making him a leading candidate.
Sean Dyche, available at 5/1, represents experience and Championship pedigree following his dismissal as Everton boss in January. His success with Burnley demonstrates his ability to work effectively in England’s second tier but he could hold out for a top-flight job in the Prem.
Intriguingly, recently sacked Sheffield United boss Selles features at 7/1, though his brief and unsuccessful spell at Bramall Lane is unlikely to excite Wrexham supporters.
Who could be Wrexham’s Next Manager?
- Gary O’Neil – 4/1
- Sean Dyche – 5/1
- Ruben Selles – 7/1
- Phil Jones – 15/2
- Steven Gerrard – 9/1
- Ruud van Nistelrooy – 11/1
- Gareth Southgate – 11/1
- Ole Gunnar Solskjaer – 14/1
- Tony Mowbray – 14/1
- José Mourinho – 16/1
Wilder’s bizarre return has already provided the first twist of the season and reopened the debate about how clubs handle pressure in one of the toughest leagues in football.
Parkinson is now the manager most under immediate threat, with Röhl waiting in the wings for a quick return. But with so many clubs starting slowly, the sack race is unlikely to stop at just one or two casualties.
The only certainty is that in a Championship defined by chaos, no manager can feel secure.
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