Championship Manager of the Month Contenders: Jones, Matos, Peixoto, Stephan

The Championship has barely cleared its throat, but the first line in the managerial honours list is about to be written.

Charlton Athletic’s Nathan Jones, Swansea City’s Vitor Matos, Wolves boss Cesar Peixoto and QPR head coach Julien Stephan have all been shortlisted for August’s Championship manager of the month award, after opening the campaign with statement starts.

Nathan Jones - Charlton Athletic

Jones has set the early pace. Charlton sit top of the table after three wins from three, a perfect launch that has immediately underlined their promotion ambitions. Three games, three victories, and a clear message to the rest of the division.

Vitor Matos - Swansea City

In South Wales, Matos has wasted no time stamping his authority on Swansea. They emerged from August unbeaten, collecting seven points from their first three fixtures. That run included impressive victories over Stoke City and Derby County, results that hinted at a side quickly buying into a new way of working.

Cesar Peixoto - Wolves

Peixoto has matched that tally. In his first season in charge of Wolves, he has guided the club to seven points from their opening three games as they chase an instant return to the Premier League. Early days, but the numbers already back up the sense of momentum at Molineux.

Julien Stephan - QPR

QPR complete the quartet after a quietly assured start under Stephan. Rangers went through August without defeat, with the Frenchman masterminding eye-catching away wins at Portsmouth and Blackburn Rovers that have sharpened belief around Loftus Road.

Only one of them will collect the season’s first managerial award when the winner is announced on Friday, 11 September. For the others, the real question is whether this opening surge becomes a season-long charge.