AI has projected the next eight EFL Championship managers will be fired, with some surprises included.
With the second half of the EFL Championship season underway, the table is taking shape, with finishing place targets being established.
Coventry City, Middlesbrough, and Ipswich Town remain the three favourites for automatic promotion, while Oxford United, Norwich City, Portsmouth, and Blackburn Rovers compete at the opposite end of the league.
Sheffield Wednesday’s relegation is nearly certain, with the Owls currently on minus 18 points following their 18-point deduction for going into administration earlier this season.
Seven managers have already been fired, but with the January window in full swing and teams planning their squads for the rest of the season, more dismissals are certain.
Football League World has asked AI chatbot ChatGPT to forecast the next eight Championship managers to be fired from their posts, with some surprising names included.
8Chris Wilder (Sheffield United)
ChatGPT stated that Sheffield United’s uneven results may prompt the board to explore a new voice if they lose momentum.
Sheffield United’s form and performance have improved significantly since Chris Wilder returned to the Bramall Lane dugout.
Ruben Selles’ stay did not go as planned, with the Spaniard leading the Blades for only six games, all of which ended in defeat, leaving them considerably below the pace.
Wilder struggled for results when he returned, but a run of seven victories in 11, with only two defeats, saw them climb back up the table, albeit they are still some way off the top six.
However, results have been erratic, and if Wilder is unable to mount a late push for the play-offs this season, he may lose his job again, with AI putting him as the eighth-most likely boss to be fired next.
7Nathan Jones (Charlton Athletic)
According to ChatGPT, Charlton’s position in terms of safety and ambition may compel action if they continue to slip.
According to most accounts, Nathan Jones has done a fantastic job as Charlton Athletic’s manager so far.
After taking over in February 2024, the former Luton Town, Stoke City, and Southampton manager slipped to League One with the Addicks, and in his first full season in command, he led them to the second tier by defeating Leyton Orient in the play-off final.
Although they are now just above the relegation zone, the Addicks have been a difficult opponent for much of this season and have a good chance of securing their place in the second division provided they remain up.
However, AI has taken into account their league position, and with the majority of the teams around them having recently fired their manager, Jones falls victim to circumstance, with AI putting him as the sixth most likely to be fired next.
6John Mousinho (Portsmouth)
ChatGPT stated: Mid-table, but with teams and expectations that sometimes outpace outcomes; on some sack-race odds lists, Mousinho is ahead of several rivals.
Similar to Charlton, John Mousinho has done a fantastic job guiding Pompey back to the second tier after a 12-year absence following their promotion in 2024, and they have solidified their position in the second tier by comfortably remaining up in their first season back.
However, Portsmouth have failed to improve under Mousinho, and despite having one of the smallest budgets in the division, fans would have hoped to avoid relegation this season, which appears improbable.
Pompey had the eighth-best home record in the division last season, but that has slipped this season, affecting their league position significantly.
Mousinho is ranked sixth by AI as one of the division’s most probable candidates to be fired.
5Tonda Eckert (Southampton)
ChatGPT stated: Now the permanent head coach, Eckert originally delivered results, but current data shows a protracted winless streak and erosion in performance since his interim honeymoon time ended, perhaps placing him under pressure despite board support.
Southampton’s transition to the second tier has been tumultuous, to say the least.
Will Still was initially picked to lead the Saints into this season, but he was fired after only four wins in 16 games, and was replaced by Tonda Eckert, the club’s Under-21 manager, initially on an interim basis.
Eckert’s temporary post quickly became permanent, with six wins in his first seven games, but performances have since deteriorated, and the German is now one of the leading contenders for dismissal in the division.
On paper, Southampton possesses one of the league’s top squads, but neither Still nor Eckert have been able to extract regular positive results from them, with the German regarded as the fifth most likely to be fired next.
4Henrik Pedersen (Sheffield Wednesday)
ChatGPT said: Wednesday are underperforming relative to expectations and recent seasons’ progress, making board strikes conceivable.
Few managers can win one league game in the first half of a season and remain in charge, but Sheffield Wednesday’s Henrik Pedersen is an exception.
Due to the Owls’ spectacular off-field occurrences, expectations were set extremely low this season, and deservedly so, with the club currently sitting last in the Championship table with minus points, with that unlikely to change anytime soon.
Wednesday’s 2-0 away victory against Portsmouth has been the sole bright spot this Championship season, and barring a miracle, they will be playing in the third tier next season.
Pedersen is unlikely to lead them into next season once a new ownership regime is in place, but if results and performances do not improve quickly, he may not even make it through this season, with AI putting him as the fourth-most likely to be fired next.
3Valerien Ismael (Blackburn Rovers)
According to ChatGPT, Blackburn are heavily favored to be sacked, and their uneven performances in comparison to their investment and pedigree have prompted concerns. If the club slides away from playoff contention, pressure will increase.
Blackburn Rovers are once again in the midst of a relegation battle, with head coach Valerien Ismael under increasing criticism following the club’s poor recent play.
Indeed, the Lancashire-based club has been plagued by injuries this season, which have played a significant role in their poor run of results, but fans remain dissatisfied with Ismael.
The Frenchman experienced varied degrees of success at Barnsley, West Brom, and Watford before joining Blackburn, but it appears that his time at Ewood Park may come to an end soon, unless results improve dramatically.
According to AI, Ismael is the third most likely boss to be eliminated in the second tier.
2Chris Davies (Birmingham City)
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 goals for Premier League football are well known, with the club’s ownership spending extensively in the team both on and off the pitch, with their new stadium plans being the most visible example.
The Blues broke the EFL points record to secure promotion to the Championship last season, but after an ordinary first half of the season, manager Chris Davies has been active in the January window, doing everything he can to stay in the St Andrews dugout.
Kai Wagner, a left-back from the MLS’s Philadelphia Union, Jhon Solis from Girona, and August Priske from Swedish side Djurdgarden have all joined, and they don’t appear to be finished.
Davies faces a pile of pressure to maintain a challenge for the top six this season, and the Birmingham board will not hesitate to dismiss him if they believe he is not the right person to lead them to the top flight, as AI ranks him as the second-likeliest to be fired next.
1Marti Cifuentes (Leicester City)
ChatGPT stated that he is currently the favourite in the sack race odds to be the next out, with bookmakers placing him ahead of numerous contemporaries. Leicester’s performance has not met the club’s promotion ambitions, and supporter discontent is mounting.
Leicester City won the Premier League just less than a decade ago, beating the odds in one of sports’ greatest stories.
Fast forward nearly ten years, and the Foxes are slugging it out in the Championship, with a return to the top flight seeming increasingly implausible as the weeks pass.
Former Queens Park Rangers manager Marti Cifuentes was picked to lead the team into this season, but with little transfer funds to spend, his business has been severely hampered, as evidenced on the pitch.
Nonetheless, with players like as Abdul Fatawu, Stephy Mavididi, Jordan James, and Ricardo Pereira on the roster, the perception that the Spaniard has failed to get the most out of his squad remains.
With Premier League football looking increasingly unlikely, a change at the King Power Stadium may be made sooner rather than later, with AI predicting Cifuentes to be the next manager to be fired in the division.
xz
