Stam and Warnock in hunt for top award
THEY go head-to-head on Monday night, but will Reading’s Jaap Stam or Cardiff’s Neil Warnock go into the game clutching the Sky Bet manager of the month award for November?
Royals boss Stam has been named on a four-man shortlist after a productive time for Reading – earning some valuable results against some hardy opposition.
The month began with a 4-2 win at a Derby County side which entered the match on a four-game winning streak, and ended with an emphatic 3-0 victory at home against Barnsley.
Between those fixtures were draws with Sheffield Wednesday and Bolton – the latter coming from two goals down to secure a point – and a loss to current league leaders Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Alongside Stam, three other Championship bosses are also in the running after their teams impressed throughout the month.
Aston Villa boss Steve Bruce is one of the names on the shortlist – in part due to four wins in five games, propelling the Midlands club into the play-off spots as we approach the mid-point of the league season.
Nuno Espirito Santo and Wolves had another prolific month, establishing themselves at the summit, with the Royals one of four teams to be beaten by the Molineux outfit as they earned a perfect record throughout November.
And, finally, Warnock earned three wins from four games as Cardiff manager to help cement their current position in the second automatic promotion spot.
The judging panel comprises former Ipswich Town manager George Burley, Sky Sports’ EFL League expert Don Goodman; EFL Marketing Director Drew Barrand, League Managers’ Association Director Olaf Dixon and Sky Bet EFL Trader Mikey Mumford. The winner of the award will be announced by the EFL today.