The September nominations for the Sky Bet Championship Manager of the Month Award are:
John Eustace (Birmingham City)
Hope has been fleeting at St Andrew’s in recent seasons. Nobody told new boss Eustace, who has quietly instilled organisation and belief. A haul of seven points from three games included a sparkling 3-2 derby win at West Brom.
Paul Heckingbottom (Sheffield United)
Circumstances decreed that all of Sheffield United’s games in September were away from home. No matter. All three were won, without conceding a goal, as Heckingbottom continued to build his side’s momentum towards promotion.
Russell Martin (Swansea City)
Martin believes in patient, possession-based football. So, too, do his players, who rediscovered the impact it can bring with two wins from three games and just one goal conceded as the Swans climbed up the Championship table.
Dean Smith (Norwich City)
Managing players individually is as important as managing a team. Smith has done that superbly with Teemu Pukki and Josh Sargent, who managed five goals and two assists between them as Norwich collected seven points from three games.