Championship’s August Manager of the Month Nominees

The Championship’s first month has thrown up four very different stories, and they all collide in one shortlist.

Charlton Athletic’s Nathan Jones, Swansea City’s Vitor Matos, Wolves boss Cesar Peixoto and QPR head coach Julien Stephan have been nominated for August’s Championship manager of the month award.

The winner will be announced on Friday, 11 September.

Jones fires Charlton to the summit

Nathan Jones has wasted no time stamping himself on this season.

Charlton opened with three wins from three, a perfect start that sent them straight to the top of the table. No settling-in period, no easing into the campaign – just maximum points and an early marker laid down.

For a club trying to muscle its way into the promotion conversation, that kind of start changes the mood around the place almost overnight.

Matos makes Swansea hard to beat

Down in South Wales, Vitor Matos has begun his reign by tightening everything up.

Swansea went unbeaten through August, collecting seven points from their first three games. Those points included eye-catching victories over Stoke City and Derby County, fixtures that usually test a new coach’s ideas and resolve.

Three games, no defeats, and a fanbase with something to cling to again.

Peixoto steadies Wolves’ Premier League charge

Cesar Peixoto walked into Wolves with one clear brief: get back to the Premier League.

His first steps suggest he understands the assignment. Wolves, in Peixoto’s debut season in charge, also banked seven points from their opening three matches of the campaign.

It’s early, of course, but for a relegated side under pressure to respond, that return keeps the promotion push firmly on track.

Stephan sparks QPR revival on the road

QPR, meanwhile, have found their feet away from home under Julien Stephan.

They came through August unbeaten, with Stephan orchestrating impressive away wins at Portsmouth and Blackburn Rovers. For a club that has flirted with trouble too often in recent years, those results hint at a more stable, more ambitious QPR.

An unbeaten month, two strong away statements, and suddenly the narrative around Loftus Road feels different.

Four managers. One month. Perfect starts, unbeaten runs and early promotion noise.

Only one of them will walk away with the first manager of the month award of the season on 11 September – but all four have already altered the shape of this Championship race.