How young managers are leading the way in the Championship

The second tier of English football is awash with bright young coaching talent.

By some distance the most youthful of all four divisions, the average age of a Championship boss is just 41.4 years this season.

Just two over-50s currently have jobs at that level (Chris Wilder and Paul Warne), with owners instead showing greater faith in the next generation.

Full of innovative ideas, tactical flexibility and the hunger to make a name for themselves, eight of the 24 sides are led by coaches who are still in their 30s.

That figure is a complete outlier when you look cross English football (see below), but the wave of opportunities being offered is tremendously exciting…

Let’s take a closer look at this fresh wave of coaching expertise…

Tom Cleverley (Watford, 35)

He may have grown up on a diet of back fours under Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United, but the Championship’s youngest head coach Tom Cleverley, has shown a preference for three-man defences since taking over at Watford.

His 3-4-2-1 shape is consistent, although Cleverley has also dabbled with a 4-1-4-1 on occasion.

Out of possession he keeps his team narrow and does not demand high pressing from his players. The striker will apply some pressure, but the focus is on regaining possession inside a packed middle third.

On the ball Watford play entertaining, pass and move football, with Georgi Chakvetadze the main man, regularly joining in with the front man from a left-sided No.10 role.

At the time of writing, Cleverley remains unbeaten at home, dating all the way back to when he took over in March. He has fostered a great spirit and sense of togetherness at Vicarage Road.

His in-game changes have also caught the eye.

A calm presence on the touchline, Cleverley uses his substitutes to good effect. Watford have been behind for over 36% of the total time played this season – with just three clubs trailing for longer – but thanks to his tactical adjustments and positive style of play the Hornets are very much in the play-off picture.

They can be chaotic to watch and too open at times, but results have been largely excellent.

Working with a limited budget, Cleverley is over-achieving at Vicarage Road.

Danny Rohl (Sheffield Wednesday, 35)

 Sheffield Wednesday supporters are thrilled to have 35-year-old Danny Rohl at the helm.

His high-octane style of play galvanised the players when they looked doomed for relegation last season, and having saved them from the drop, his managerial acumen is very well respected at Hillsborough.

The German had adopted a low possession style of play, with an average share of just 43.9% so far this term. Building a team that’s at its most dangerous on transitions, a lot of his focus is on winning the ball back and springing fast, direct attacks from turnovers.

Willing to press high centrally, and in numbers, only four Championship teams have won possession back inside the final third more than the Owls.

Wherever they regain the ball, Rohl’s Wednesday always have the intention of hurting the opposition as quickly as possible too.

This graphic below highlights the directness and speed of their attacks, which rarely contain prolonged passages of passing sequences.

Tactically he’s versatile, taking a horses-for-courses approach to formations and distribution.

Not set on one shape he has used variations of 3-4-3 in nine matches, and 4-2-3-1 in the other six until this point. Playing with width is also a core trait no matter which formation he opts for.

Depending on the game state he will also switch between encouraging his players to pass short through the thirds, or to go longer with passes from back to front.

His body of work at Sheffield Wednesday is very good.

Johannes Hoff Thorup (Norwich, 35)

Head-hunted from Danish club Nordsjaelland last summer, Thorup was initially viewed as a leftfield piece of recruitment by Norwich City, but the early signs suggest it was a smart piece of business.

The 35-year-old has quickly instilled a very modern style of play.

From a 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3 base, Thorup’s Canaries are exceptionally fluid, with positional rotation across the pitch fast becoming the norm at Carrow Road.

Full backs are regularly inverted into central midfield to form either a 3-2-5 or 2-3-5 pattern of play when Norwich have possession.

Sometimes you will see one full back come infield and the other push on, but depending on available personnel he will also invert both at the same time, simultaneously freeing up central midfielders to advance.

The Norfolk side also use short goal kicks at almost every restart. They are very keen to draw opponents onto them, before bypassing the press.

In fact, no Championship side play as many short goal-kicks.

On the ball Norwich are neat and tidy, averaging 491 short passes per 90 minutes and 56.2% possession.

Thorup wants patient build-up play to be their go-to approach, before feeding balls into the players occupying those five attacking corridors.

 Narcis Pelach (Stoke City, 36)

When Narcis Pelach arrived from Norwich City in mid-September, where he had been a first team coach alongside Johannes Hoff Thorup, the Spaniard immediately revealed his plans for Stoke City.

“I didn’t come here to observe and see and then create a plan in terms of methodology and principles of style of play. The way I want to approach training sessions, how to teach players in meetings, this is something I’ve planned before and wasn’t going to change,” he said.

“I want us to be very organised defensively but also to be aggressive and on the front foot. It's about changing the culture, changing the standards and changing the style at this club."

Until this point that remains a work in progress for him in the Potteries, where results and performances have been a mixed bag.

Shape-wise Pelach has shown adaptability. His first-choice system is a fluid 4-2-3-1, but he has also experimented with a 4-4-2, and a 5-4-1.

Stoke City look fitter and run harder under his charge, and the former first team coach at Huddersfield Town with Carlos Corberan, has also made them far more dynamic on the break.

Only promotion favourites Leeds United and Middlesbrough have had more shots from fast breaks in 2024/25 than the Potters (15).

John Mousinho (Portsmouth, 38)

Fresh out of retirement as a player, John Mousinho has enjoyed an amazing ride in his first managerial role, steering Portsmouth to promotion in his first full season.

Consolidation in the Championship is his next target, but the step up in level for his young squad is proving a real challenge.

Mousinho likes using a 4-2-3-1, switching to a back three just three times since the beginning of the 2023/24 campaign.

At League 1 level his style of play was all about dominating opponents and controlling matches with the ball. His team averaged 58.6% possession in the third tier.

At the outset of the Championship season, he tried to replicate that tactic but up against better quality opponents his side were picked off and punished at times.

So, to his credit Mousinho has flipped around his strategic approach, accepting that his team will often have less of the ball.

Right now, they average just 43.3% of possession, and as seen below, their approach at Fratton Park has undergone a radical change since the early weeks of the season.

 One aspect of their game which has stayed constant is Mousinho’s desire to press with intent. In both divisions they have been hostile and difficult to play against.

Liam Manning (Bristol City, 39)

Learning his trade as an academy coach at Ipswich Town, the talented Manning has since taken up roles with West Ham United under 23s, Lommel, MK Dons and Oxford United, before landing in his current post at Bristol City.

The 39-year-old made a name for himself as a head coach that favoured heavy possession and a high press during successful stints at MK Dons and Oxford, but up against stronger sides with bigger budgets he has adapted his outlook to controlling matches at Ashton Gate.

He now has a more balanced approach that sees the Robins pass neatly without dominating the ball.

Intensity is one of Manning’s core messages, and his side’s out of possession work is outstanding. Well organised and fiercely determined they are terrific at regaining possession.

Like many young head coaches, he is not married to one specific formation either.

Manning loved to play three at the back with MK Dons, and while he will regularly turn to that with his current employers, he has also used 4-2-3-1 and 4-4-2 at various intervals.

This flexibility makes him a difficult manager for opposing clubs to second guess when it comes to planning for matches against them.

Des Buckingham (Oxford United, 39)

Des Buckingham’s coaching journey took him from Oxford to New Zealand, and then via Stoke City to Australia and India, before he returned to his hometown club in November 2023.

Replacing Liam Manning, who left to join Bristol City, he went on to lead the U’s to a sensational promotion. Having started his coaching career at the club as a teenager working in academy football, it was a triumph which meant plenty to the 39-year-old.

Buckingham’s favourite shape is a 4-1-4-1. Within that he likes his players to be press-resistant and have the courage to play through the thirds with confidence. Yet there is also a more pragmatic side to his approach that means he is not afraid to sit deep and play direct football when necessary.

His team had more shots from fast breaks (34) than anyone else in League 1 last season, and after stepping up to the Championship they lead the rankings for the greatest number of long passes.

Buckingham’s assertive game plan in their wonderful 2-0 play-off final victory against Bolton Wanderers drew widespread praise. Focusing heavily on forcing regaining possession that triggered quick transitions, Oxford triumphed with a degree of unexpected comfort beneath the Wembley arch.

Buckingham, like many of his young peers, has shown an aptitude to mix things up. With a CV packed with success stories, he is a smart tactician.

Wayne Rooney (Plymouth Argyle, 39)

England legend Rooney is determined to prove himself a success in management, and he is currently winning plenty of friends down at Plymouth Argyle.

His man-management is regarded as superb among the players, who seem to be enjoying his leadership and brand of expansive, attacking football.

A lot of the day-today coaching is covered by assistants Pete Shuttleworth (who has now left to be replaced by Mike Phelan) and Kevin Nancekivell, but the playing philosophy implemented belongs to Rooney.

In a 4-2-3-1 that sees them squeeze up high when they close opponents down, his Argyle side want to be front-footed and aggressive. Making the second highest number of tackles in the Championship, they work undeniably hard to unsettle their opponents.  

Despite being underdogs in most of their fixtures, Plymouth want to play positively, but at times they have been caught a little too open, facing more shots than anyone else in the division so far this term.

Rooney’s record as a manager with Derby County, DC United and Birmingham City is chequered until this point, but there are no signs of caution setting in. He wants his players to express themselves.

Conclusion

One common thread among all these talented 30-somethings is their desire to be attacking. Each of them has had issues stemming the flow of chances their teams face, but in general they all set out to be positive. Playing at high intensity, rather than sitting back in a low block, is another recurring pattern within this group.

The other standout trait shared among them is tactical pliability. None have had time to become set on one completely fixed way of playing. So, learning on the job, we are seeing them all experiment with different, fresh ideas.