In March, Gary Rowett was appointed manager at Leicester for a short-term, 14-game challenge to secure Championship safety. After 8 games, he has managed 8 points, one win (Bristol City), four draws (Stoke, Middlesbrough, Ipswich, Watford) and two defeats (Norwich, QPR).
The results are not bad considering the opponents played. The worries are that this Leicester team can fall against anyone. They manage good results randomly against top opposition, with the two defeats coming against lower positioned opponents. The players are at a good level individually. However, the team has failed heavily as a collective over the full season.
Looking back at Gary Rowett’s previous manager career.
He had a blistering start as Oxford United head coach. He was appointed on December 20, 2024. He earned 18 points from his eight league games. His initial run included an unbeaten streak of six matches. It featured five wins and three draws. This lifted the club away from the relegation zone. It also earned him the January 2025 EFL Championship Manager of the Month award.
Picking up 11 points in his eight games during his return to Birmingham City as interim manager in the 2023–24 season. Record: 3 wins, 2 draws, and 3 losses in those eight games. This tally is higher than what he has achieved at Leicester so far. But in the end it was not enough to save them.
Gary Rowett’s start at Stoke City in the 2018/19 Championship season was underwhelming, with the team failing to immediately establish themselves as promotion favorites. His first eight games included a mix of league and cup fixtures, marked by high draw numbers and a sluggish start before a briefly improved unbeaten run in late autumn. His tenure started in August 2018 with high expectations following relegation from the Premier League. He was ultimately sacked in January 2019 after less than eight months in charge, leaving the club in 14th place.
Words from the Manager 🗣️
— Leicester City (@LCFC) March 22, 2026
Taking over as Derby County manager on 14 March 2017, stabilizing the side after taking 15 points from their final nine games of the 2016–17 season to secure a ninth-placed finish. He began his tenure with a 1–0 home win against QPR and immediately improved the side’s defensive stability, building a solid foundation to overhaul the squad that summer.
Gary Rowett was appointed manager of Millwall in October 2019. He immediately improved the team’s form, moving them from 17th up to 7th in the Championship table within his first 15 matches. Based on reports regarding his initial impact, Rowett’s first eight games resulted in a significant upturn in performance, highlighted by: First Game: A 2-0 home victory against his former club, Stoke City, on October 26, 2019.
Overall Start: Within his first six matches, he secured three wins (including wins against Leeds United and Charlton Athletic) and generally stabilized the side after a run of poor form under the previous management.
Tactical Shift: Early in his tenure, he was credited with tightening the defence and improving the side’s confidence, taking 10 points from his first five games.
This shows a mix of different outcomes, but still with a better start than his 8 points in 8 games at Leicester. Only one win and a very difficult situation indeed. We have seen improvements in certain areas, but less in other. The team looks far from a unit who are used to winning. They have little or no penetration power in the final third.
Leicester have everything in their own hands. If they manage to win that special game away to Portsmouth, and one of their home games, picking up a draw, they could be safe. Sheffield Wednesday, Oxford and Portsmouth will be behind Leicester in the table. We certainly hope all points needed are picked up before that final game of the season away to Blackburn.
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