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All four of those clubs changed manager. Sheffield United had no option as Gary Speed took the Wales job but for the other three it was because the season was not going quite so well as expected.
Phil Brown had the most difficult task at Preston. They were already bottom and facing a difficult task. But, nine games in, he's talked a good game but is still looking for his first win with only five points from the 27 available.
Things get worse over at Sheffield United. They were two points clear of relegation when Speed, who had replaced Kevin Blackwell earlier in the season, left but now they are fighting for their lives and are six points from safety.
I don't think anyone could quite get their head around the appointment of Micky Adams and so far he's won four points from a possible 33. He's a Sheffield United supporter so maybe, just maybe, the board thought he could be another Warnock.
Paul Jewell has lost his last two games at Ipswich but his record is much better. Four wins in nine and 14 points from them, but for now, Burnley's Eddie Howe is proving to be the best of the four with 14 points from just seven games.
Howe has moved Burnley ever closer to the play offs; Jewell's early form has lifted Ipswich well clear of any relegation worries, but you wouldn't, right now, put money on either Brown or Adams being Championship managers come August.
Howe was the only winner on Saturday, at Brown's Preston. Adams saw his Sheffield United lose at home to Derby and those results were made worse with Crystal Palace, also under new management recently in promoted Dougie Freedman, winning another point.
Up at the top of the league there is no let up from the top clubs. QPR, Swansea, Cardiff and Norwich all won and they now occupy the top four places. Forest were held at Millwall whilst the only losers in the top six were Leeds, going down 3-0 at Swansea where the ever reliable Phil Dowd was getting his penalty decisions wrong again.
That result, coupled with Leicester being held at home by Coventry, has helped the Clarets. We are still some distance from the top five, but that last play off place is now very much within our grasp if we can make the most of our games in hand.
The weekend results and stats are below with the leading goalscorers, each club's disciplinary record and the midweek fixtures.
The Weekend Results | |
Saturday 26th February | |
Barnsley 0 Norwich 2 | Leicester 1 Coventry 1 |
Bristol City 2 Scunthorpe 0 | Middlesbrough 0 QPR 3 |
Crystal Palace 3 Reading 3 | Millwall 0 Nottingham Forest 0 |
Doncaster 1 Watford 1 | Preston 1 Burnley 2 |
Hull 0 Cardiff 2 | Sheffield United 0 Derby 3 |
Ipswich 0 Portsmouth 2 | Swansea 3 Leeds 0 |
The Weekend Stats | |
Biggest win | QPR 3-0 v Middlesbrough (away) |
Total goals scored | 30 (11 home - 19 away) |
Player scoring most goals | Andrew Crofts (Norwich) |
Highest Attendance | 25,356 - Leicester v Coventry |
Lowest Attendance | 8,954 - Doncaster v Watford |
Total Yellow Cards | 36 |
Total Red Cards | 2 |
Most cards in a game | Swansea v Leeds (6Y) - Phil Dowd |
The leading scorers (league only) | |
17 | Danny Graham (Watford) - includes 1 penalty |
15 | Luciano Becchio (Leeds) Jay Bothroyd (Cardiff) Shane Long (Reading) - includes 5 penalties Scott Sinclair (Swansea) - includes 5 penalties Adel Taarabt (QPR) - includes 6 penalties |
13 | Kris Commons (Derby) - includes 2 penalties Grant Holt (Norwich) Andy King (Leicester) |
12 | Max Gradel (Leeds) - includes 2 penalties Billy Sharp (Doncaster) - includes 4 penalties |
11 | Chris Iwelumo (Burnley) Lewis McGugan (Nottingham Forest) - includes 2 penalties Steve Morison (Millwall) - includes 1 penalty Davide Somma (Leeds) |
10 | Heidar Helguson (QPR) - includes 4 penalties David Nugent (Portsmouth) Brett Pitman (Bristol City) - includes 3 penalties Marvin Sordell (Watford) |
Hat Tricks (league only) | |
11th Sep | 3 - Chris Iwelumo - BURNLEY v Preston |
14th Sep | 3 - James Coppinger - DONCASTER v Norwich |
14th Sep | 3 - James Vaughan - CRYSTAL PALACE v Portsmouth |
28th Sep | 3 - Jon Parkin - Leeds v PRESTON |
30th Oct | 3 - Jonny Howson - Scunthorpe v LEEDS |
13th Nov | 3 - Luciano Becchio - LEEDS v Bristol City |
27th Nov | 3 - Grant Holt - NORWICH v Leeds |
28th Dec | 3 - Wes Hoolahan - NORWICH v Sheffield United |
1st Jan | 3 - Jason Puncheon - MILLWALL v Crystal Palace |
5th Feb | 3 - Matt Fryatt - Scunthorpe v HULL |
15th Feb | 3 - Connor Wickham - Doncaster v IPSWICH |
Disciplinary Record (all domestic games) | |||||
| Club | Y | R | Club | Y | R |
| Barnsley | 51 | 2 | Middlesbrough | 46 | 1 |
| Bristol City | 44 | 2 | Millwall | 53 | 4 |
| Burnley | 61 | 4 | Norwich | 57 | 3 |
| Cardiff | 46 | 1 | Nottingham Forest | 49 | 1 |
| Coventry | 52 | 4 | Portsmouth | 61 | 6 |
| Crystal Palace | 62 | 5 | Preston | 73 | 5 |
| Derby | 58 | 2 | QPR | 56 | 5 |
| Doncaster | 39 | 3 | Reading | 54 | 4 |
| Hull | 62 | 2 | Scunthorpe | 36 | 2 |
| Ipswich | 51 | 4 | Sheffield United | 57 | 8 |
| Leeds | 70 | 3 | Swansea | 54 | 2 |
| Leicester | 38 | 2 | Watford | 37 | 1 |
The Next Fixtures | |
Tuesday 1st March | |
Derby v Doncaster | Portsmouth v Scunthorpe |
Middlesbrough v Nottingham Forest | . |