Every Championship manager change this season - including Cardiff City and Derby County as Portsmouth buck the trend

Pompey's loyalty to John Mousinho could be key in securing another season in the Championship.

The Blues have stood by the man who took the club back to the Championship following a 12-year absence. Some experienced managers tried like Kenny Jackett, while Danny Cowley had a go at it, too.

But it was 38-year-old Mousinho in his first job in management who guided the club back to the second tier by winning the League One title last term.

This season is a different task as Mousinho is up against clubs who have larger budgets entirely than Pompey - but so far he’s got the team on course for survival. Just over a quarter of the season remains and right now, the Blues have a seven-point lead over third-from-bottom Derby County. Teams below the Fratton Park outfit, such as Cardiff, Stoke and Hull, have a game in hand but it's better to have points on the board, as we all know!

The last seven days have been huge as Pompey claimed a win over relegation rivals Cardiff City before they followed that up with a win away at Oxford United. Up next for Mousinho & Co is a game against 13th-placed QPR, who stuck by Marti Cifuentes and are now reaping the rewards.

The board’s decision to hand Mousinho and the sporting director Richard Hughes new contracts last Septeberm could now end up being a masterstroke. Mousinho is now under contract at Fratton Park until the end of the 2027/28 season which shows that the club have complete faith in him.

His new contract came when Pompey had played their first six games without a win, though there were draws against Leeds United and Middlesbrough, while Luton Town were being spoken about as promotion contenders at the time.

The Blues have rode it out with Mousinho and now, as we reach the business end of the campaign, the club is in a good position with a settled manager and playing squad.

Only three clubs in the bottom half of the table still have the same manager who started the season with them. There has been no talk about a club showing any interest in Mousinho but should he deliver Championship football for next season then there could be a list of clubs queuing up for his services. Here, we take a look at all the changes that every club has made this season.

Preston North End - Ryan Lowe

North End opened up the season with a 2-0 defeat to Sheffield United at Deepdale. Manager Ryan Lowe decided after one game that he could no longer take them forward and offered his resignation to the board. It was reluctantly accepted and he was replaced by Paul Heckingbottom.

Pompey’s position in the table at the time of his departure: 11th

Stoke City - Steven Schumacher

Only appointed as manager of the Potters in December 2023. He lasted only nine months in the job and was sacked after just two wins in five, leaving them in 13th. He was replaced by Narcis Pelach, a coach at Norwich City.

Pompey’s position in the table at the time of his departure: 23rd

Cardiff City - Erol Bulut

Cardiff picked up just one point from their first six league games scoring just one goal which made for their worst start to a season in 94 years. Replaced by Omer Riza who was first appointed on an interim basis and then until the end of the season.

Pompey’s position in the table at the time of his departure: 11th

Coventry City - Mark Robins

Before his sacking, he was the EFL's long-serving boss, having managed them since March 2017. He had taken them to a Championship play-off final and an FA Cup semi-final. He was replaced by Chelsea legend Frank Lampard.

Pompey’s position in the table at the time of his departure: 24th

Hull City - Tim Walter

Hull narrowly missed out on the play-offs after finishing seventh under Liam Rosenior. Acun Ilicali decided to make a change with German boss Walter appointed. He was sacked after a nine game winless run and replaced by Ruben Selles.

Pompey’s position in the table at the time of his departure: 24th

Millwall - Neil Harris

A bit of a strange one. The Lions were 11th when it was announced Harris would be leaving. They hadn't won in four games but they were performing above expectations after avoiding the drop. He was afforded two more matches however before his departure. Alex Neil was appointed as Harris' replacement.

Pompey’s position in the table at the time of his departure: 23rd

Oxford United - Des Buckingham leaves

Led the U's to promotion via the play-offs, beating Bolton Wanderers. It was decided just before Christmas with the club just outside the relegation zone by a point that he would leave. Oxford replaced him with Gary Rowett.

Pompey’s position in the table at the time of his departure: 23rd

West Brom - Carlos Corberan

A job offer from Valencia came in and the Spaniard took it. He was replaced by Tony Mowbray. The Baggies are challenging for promotion.

Pompey’s position in the table at the time of his departure: 20th

Stoke City - Narcis Pelach

Pelach was Stoke's second manager of the season after replacing Steven Schumacher but he lasted only 19 games in the job. Stoke ended up replacing him with Mark Robins who had left Coventry City only a few months ago. Pelach has landed on his feet as he is now a first-team coach at West Ham.

Pompey’s position in the table at the time of his departure: 21st

Plymouth Argyle - Wayne Rooney

The Manchester United legend was looking to bounce back following his sacking at Birmingham City earlier in 2024. The 39-year-old though was unable to make a success of it at Home Park overseeing just four league wins. Plymouth replaced Rooney with Miron Muslic and he has so far masterminded FA Cup wins over Brentford and Liverpool.

Pompey’s position in the table at the time of his departure: 23rd

Luton Town - Rob Edwards

A run of four straight defeats brought an end to Edwards' time at Kenilworth Road. He had guided the club to promotion via the play-offs in 2023 but a poor first half of the campaign saw them go from being spoken about as contenders for the title to a team battling to avoid the drop. Luton appointed Wycombe Wanderers boss Matt Bloomfield as his replacement but it has so far not worked out for him.

Pompey’s position in the table at the time of his departure: 23rd

Derby County - Paul Warne

Paul Warne was relieved of his duties after a seven-match losing run which saw them drop down to 22nd in the league. They replaced him with John Eustace who lost 4-0 to QPR in his first game in charge of the Rams last Friday.

Pompey’s position in the table at the time of his departure: 20th

Blackburn Rovers - John Eustace

The Lancashire club are in the top-half of the table but were left rocked by John Eustace's decision to leave them whilst they were challenging for the play-offs to go to Derby who are trying to avoid being relegated. David Lowe is currently the caretaker manager and he has wins over West Brom and Plymouth Argyle.

Pompey’s position in the table at the time of his departure: 18th

Swansea City - Luke Williams

The latest managerial casualty. A run of seven defeats in Swansea's last nine matches has them in 17th. It was decided that Williams would leave his role on Monday, February 17. Alan Sheehan has taken over again for a second time on an interim basis as they find a permanent successor.

Pompey’s position in the table at the time of his departure: 18th