It all feels a little pointless trying to stake a claim for three of the four managers here. They’ve all done well and will no doubt have have bitten the hands of the footballing God’s off that such starts were to be had. But let’s be honest, there’s only one winner here.
Russell Slade
Russell Slade’s Leyton Orient are the only team in the top four divisions to maintain a perfect record. So before we start we may as well just say that, Russell? The gong is yours.
With three of five of his sides victories coming away from home a long with a healthy total of 13 goals home and away, it’s fair to say Orient deserve to be where they are. Top of the table. A 5-1 thrashing away at Carlisle on the opening day of the season certainly set the stall, but it will have been the O’s most recent victory, away at a Colchester that will have pleased Slade the most. John Ward’s resilient side were unbeaten going into that one but were outfought by Orient.
If Slade doesn’t win it this month we’re shutting The72 down. You have our word.
Darren Ferguson
Coming into the season, Peterborough were major candidates for promotion and with the squad they have assembled, it’s not hard to see why. Darren Ferguson’s men have always been known for their entertaining matches. Scoring many, but conceding their fare share too. Worryingly for the rest of the pack, this year seems to be a little different. Having conceded just three goals this season, Ferguson seems to have mightily sured up the Posh defence. The 14 league goals they have scored is an impressive yet unsurprising figure.
Anything but promotion will be a huge disappointment for Peterborough, especially after the start they’ve had.
Kenny Jackett
A 0-0 draw at Preston was a solid yet uninspiring start for Kenny Jacket and his new job at Wolves. But four straight league victories have given fans real faith that a return to The Championship is on the horizon. Jackett will be the first to say that it was the fans’ faith in the team that has severely helped their cause. History tells you that KJ has always boasted strong, resilient sides and this one looks no different. All the goals haven’t flown in from quite as many angles of that of Orient and Peterborough, he will be more than happy to see that Wolves have only conceded the three so far this season.
Like Posh, the start that Jackett and Wolves have had only reaffirms their title as major promotion candidates.
Steven Pressley
Ok, so Coventry haven’t had quite that start that the above three have. But this nomination is here for slightly different reasons. And rightly so. After losing a 3-2 to Crawley on the first day, Steven Pressley’s wafer thin Coventry squad are no unbeaten in four and more importantly, clawing back some of those deducted league points. Of course, the Sky Blues remain rooted to the bottom, for now, but they now just three points from Notts County and just six points away from climbing out of the relegation zone altogether. With a whopping 16 goals in the league and with in-form Callum Wilson at their disposal, Coventry fans now have the luxury of daring to dream about sneaking into the play-offs. But one thing’s for sure, survival is the aim.
