Still looking for new managers

£185 millon of debts being wiped off in Horwich

I have to admit to being really surprised last week when it looked as though they'd landed Steve Clarke from Reading. It was being reported in Berkshire that the Thai owners were not happy that he was walking out having allowed him to bring in his own backroom team, including ex-Claret Steven Reid, and make significant changes at the training ground.

It looked a done deal with him 1/20 in the betting before the book was closed. The two clubs had agreed a compensation package, but Clarke didn't agree terms with Fulham and about turned and claimed that staying at Reading was very much the best option. But for how long?

Reading chief executive Nigel Howe has now warned Clarke that he must start producing results quickly if he doesn't want to find himself in a difficult scenario and at Reading's home game against Bolton last Saturday he received a very luke warm reception from the fans. I don't think this story is over yet, certainly not as far as Clarke and Reading are concerned.

There's been no more news from Craven Cottage since, not even the return of the Michael Jackson statue. Alan Curbishley, for now, remains in charge, but suddenly another Championship manager has gone odds on for the job, this time Birmingham's Gary Rowett.

Would he be interested? Prior to Clarke, talks with disrespectful Nigel had similarly terminated. Rowett has done a terrific job at St. Andrew's since replacing the far from terrific Lee Clark and I would think supporters would be upset to see him go although there has been a mixed reaction from Fulham fans who probably remain under the misapprehension that they support a big club.

Rowett was at Burton prior to his move to Birmingham and his replacement there was Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink who remains the favourite for QPR. Every man and his dog has been linked with that one. Described recently as a dysfunctional  club, nothing ever seems to change there.

They clearly had the finger on the pulse when they sacked Chris Ramsey, not. They'll have been too busy trying to build a retainer into the season ticket package to be worried about on field matters.

Charlton and Brentford remain with interim managers. Lee Carsley was originally given the job for the remainder of the season at Brentford but it is looking more and more likely, given that he doesn't want the job permanently, that will change soon with Swansea number two Josep Clotet the favourite.

Rotherham's win at Leeds on Saturday might have weakened Steve Evans' position at Elland Road. Successive wins had made it likely that he would be there at least until January but that could change now after a home defeat against the bottom club.

The highlights were good, particularly the altercation between Leon Best, making his Rotherham debut, and Leeds' Gaetano Berardi who had more red on his shirt than a Rotherham home shirt after Best's elbow had made contact with his face.

I thought referee Keith Stroud got it right to send off both players, two of five sent off in the Championship over the weekend. It's taken Stroud's card count to 79 in 19 games which includes 31 cards in his last five games including four reds. It's hard to believe that our game at Blackburn was card free.

Rotherham's win lifted them off the bottom and dumped that team from Horwich back there. What a damn mess they are in. The debts are now over £185 million and last week they revealed that chairman Phil Gartside was seriously ill and Trevor Birch was coming in to replace him.

The only good news down Horwich way is that the debt is all to one man, Eddie Davies. He's said he is no longer able to fund them but it does seem he's prepared to wipe off that debt when the club is sold. That's staggering, I wouldn't be in a position to wipe off that amount without the letter m at the end of it.

Neil Lennon will be watching things very closely I would assume as will anyone with an interest in Burnley Football Club. According to a former manager of both clubs, this is what we can expect in 2025.

Rotherham and Bolton will remain in the bottom three after this weekend's games no matter what but MK Franchise are the ones in there with them right now but are only two points behind Preston who are in 17th place.

At the top it is incredibly tight. We are fifth but would have been joint top if we could have found a winner last Sunday; just two points separating the top two Hull and Brighton from the next three Middlesbrough, Derby and us.

Two of them play each other in three days time, the Hull v Derby game being shown on Sky this Friday before the other three clubs all play on the Saturday.

By that time some of these London clubs might have made an appointment. There again, someone might try and tell me that Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini are honest men.

All the results and stats from last weekend are below with the leading Championship goalscorers, the red and yellow card counts per club, the highest and lowest attendances, the next fixture and the current league table.

CURRENT LEAGUE TABLE