Only one manager has been dismissed in the Championship so far but there are a few others looking nervously up at directors' boxes

The Championship sacking season is nearly upon us and managers up and down the country are starting to look over their shoulder.

Only one boss in the second division has lost his job so far this season: Paul Heckingbottom at Preston North End, where he has been replaced by Deepdale favourite Graham Alexander.

It was a similar start to last term. Ruben Selles had been booted out at Sheffield United on September 14 but then there was only one more - 10 points if you can remember Paulo Pezzolano at Watford - until the start of November. Then there were five more before Christmas.

It was the same kind of script in 2024/25. Ryan Lowe went at Preston almost before a ball was kicked but then only two more before November, when managers fall like leaves from the trees. Seven had gone by the turn of the year.

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It was a little bit earlier in 2023/24. Neil Warnock resigned at Huddersfield Town on September 20 and then there were nine before Christmas. It was even earlier in 2022/23 when seven managers left by the end of September and another six before January. One had gone by this stage of 2021/22 and five followed by early December.

Either way, history suggests that it won't stay on one for long in 2026/27. So where is pressure building?

There is plenty of frustration at Norwich City, where Philippe Clement had been so popular last season as he turned the team around after taking over from Liam Manning in November. They won two of their opening 15 games and 17 of their final 31.

But it looks like he has lost his magic touch so far this time around, with five defeats in a row and eight in the first 11 matches. A big three or four matches coming up away at Charlton, at home to Watford and then on the road at Derby County.

He had been brimming with confidence after a 1-0 loss at Stoke in September, saying: "Stoke survived this one when I think they played must better (in the first three games which they lost). but in this one they get the points, But playing like that every game, they will not get many points. That's the difference from our side."

He added: "It's a crazy game. My team did a lot of things really well but you lose the game and that is always frustrating. I don't think I could ask more about mentality and a will to win. We also had the most possession, the most chances, the best chances but the goalkeeper had an amazing day, a few blocks also, but if my team keeps on playing like that we'll take a lot of points this season."

Clement said after a 1-0 home defeat to Portsmouth on Saturday that he was "really convinced that the quality is in the group to turn it around".

But he is trying to change expectations. The Pink Un's Paddy Davitt explained: "Clement said after the game that, while they set a target of finishing in the top eight at the start of the season, that now feels a million miles away. So when you ask him about the top eight, his response is essentially to forget it at this point.

"The product on the pitch – the shop window – is so far removed from being a top-eight-contending team, let alone one capable of securing automatic promotion, reaching the Premier League and consolidating there."

There is also drama, of course, at Watford.

The Watford Observer reports that two members have resigned from the supporters' board amid protests about owner Gino Pozzo.

Pressure has been growing on head coach Alessio Dionisi, which was relieved a little with a 1-0 win over Nathan Jones' Charlton at Vicarage Road at the weekend. "Today, I drink!" he laughed in his post-match press conference. "I will drink one glass (of red wine) with my family."

It's back-to-back away matches now at Wolves and Norwich and who knows who will be in the dug out at home against Lincoln on November 3.

Heat has cooled a little on Chris Wilder at Sheffield United this week too after a 1-0 win at Bristol City. They had won 3-0 at home against Lincoln too, the other side of a 3-2 mid-week defeat at Portsmouth.

Wilder told The Star: “(The fans) supported us and they’ve backed us. They did so on Wednesday night. They were there until the end.

“They could see our anger and frustration, and we could see their support. It’s been talked about over the last 48 hours at the hotel, among the staff and among the players. I asked this morning how many fans we were bringing down, and it was 1,400, 1,500.

“It’s incredibly difficult at the moment, with the cost of living, as we’ve talked about to do those trips. I should imagine the majority of those 500 were in that 1,300, 1,400 1,500 today. So it was a reward (the win), and hopefully they’ll enjoy their trip back, too.”

He will hope to top up that positivity with back-to-back home matches against Derby and Wrexham.

John Eustace is not keen to blame a long list of injuries for poor results at Derby. Nevertheless, he will be relieved that striker Patrick Agyemang is gradually stepping up his rehabilitation programme. He joined in the warm-up for training yesterday for the first time since rupturing an Achilles against Stoke in April.

Derby now face an away double, heading to Sheff Utd and then Millwall.