Mo Diame and Christian Atsu goals for Newcastle at Wigan send Magpies top
Derby win for seventh successive game with late Tom Ince goal at QPR
Nottingham Forest and Preston North End draw 1-1
Reaction as Birmingham sack Gary Rowett and appoint Gianfranco Zola as replacement
Image source, ReutersAs well as the three games we're covering in the Championship tonight, there's also eight games in the Premier League to sink your teeth into.
Leaders Chelsea could have a six-point lead by the end of the evening if they win at Sunderland while Liverpool will go level with second-placed Arsenal with a victory at Middlesbrough.
You can follow all the action here.
Image source, Rex FeaturesThere were nine Championship matches last night plus a few FA Cup second round replays just to spice things up.
Brighton went back to the top of the Championship with a 3-2 win at Blackburn, including a goal from former Rover Shane Duffy.
Meanwhile, seventh-tier Stourbridge took the FA Cup headlines as they upset League One Northampton Town.
Wigan Athletic v Newcastle United (19:45 GMT)
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Wigan Athletic v Newcastle United (19:45 GMT)
Aside from managerial changes - our main focus this evening will be on Newcastle's trip to Wigan as Rafael Benitez's men look to return to the top of the Championship.
Brighton have twice knocked them off the summit in the last week having played a day earlier, but on Saturday Newcastle responded with an emphatic 4-0 win against Birmingham.
More of the same tonight? Could well be if Dwight Gayle still has his scoring boots on.
Image source, Rex FeaturesQPR v Derby (19:45 GMT)
QPR boss Ian Holloway makes one change to the team which lost 1-0 to Rotherham on Saturday. James Perch returns from suspension to take the place of Sandro in midfield.
Derby make one alteration to the team which hammered rivals Nottingham Forest 3-0 on Sunday. Forward Andreas Weimann comes in for Johnny Russell.
QPR starting XI: Smithies; Onuoha, Hall, Lynch; Perch, Cousins, Luongo, Bidwell; Chery; Washington, Ngbakoto.
Derby starting XI: Carson, Baird, Keogh, Pearce, Olsson; Johnson, Butterfield, Hughes, Ince, Weimann, Bent.
Nottingham Forest v Preston (19:45 GMT)
Nottingham Forest have made three changes to the team that fell to a disappointing 3-0 defeat at rivals Derby on Sunday. David Vaughan returns to the side in midfield, while striker Nicklas Bendtner retains his place despite his own goal at Pride Park.
Preston boss Simon Grayson makes just one change after his team's 3-2 win over Lancashire rivals Blackburn at the weekend. Forward Alan Browne comes in for Jordan Hugill, who drops to the bench.
Nottingham Forest starting XI: Stojkovic, Pereira, Mills (c), Perquis, Worrall, Lichaj, Lam, Vaughan, Cash, Osborn, Bendtner.
Preston starting XI: Maxwell, Baptiste, Clarke, Wright, Cunningham, Vermijl, Pearson, Johnson, Browne, Robinson and Makienok
Wigan Athletic v Newcastle United (19:45 GMT)
Wigan make just the one change from their 1-0 defeat at Aston Villa on Saturday. Will Grigg steps in to the starting line-up in place of Reece Burke.
Newcastle name an unchanged starting line-up from the one which beat Birmingham City 4-0 on Saturday, which included a Dwight Gayle hat-trick.
Wigan starting XI: Jaaskelainen, Garbutt, Warnock, Buxton, Morgan, Power, MacDonald, Perkins, Jacobs, Wildschut, Grigg.
Newcastle starting XI: Darlow, Anita, Lascelles, Clark, Dummett, Ritchie, Shelvey, Hayden, Gouffran, Diame, Gayle.
Image source, Rex FeaturesSo just as we turn our attention to tonight's games Birmingham confirm the appointment of Gianfranco Zola.
The Italian has not managed in England since leaving Watford in December 2013.
You can follow the developing story here.
Image source, Rex FeaturesAside from the fallout of Gary Rowett's departure from Birmingham, we've also got three matches to bring you this evening.
Here's what's coming up (all 19:45 GMT kick-offs):
....As the phone lines are cleared on BBC WM's football phone-in, we'll leave the matter of Gary Rowett and his departure from Birmingham to one side for now.
Should cabbie Amir's alleged earlier fare of Gianfranco Zola (see 18:42) be confirmed as the new man in charge at St Andrew's, we'll of course bring you the news right here.
But now, on to tonight's three Championship matches....
Martin O'Connor
former Birmingham captain on BBC WM 95.6
"Whoever comes in, they've got to steady the ship and the squad in the meantime.
"There's still several games to play before the transfer window opens, so there's an existing squad of players there that need reassuring first.
"Be it Zola or someone else, the first thing they have to do is pick up a stunned dressing room."
Well, aside from the clear early favourite Gianfranco Zola, who else might be in the frame to succeed Gary Rowett?
Nigel Pearson: The ex-Leicester boss was dismissed by Derby in October after being suspended by the club the previous month following a fall out with owner Mel Morris. Interviewed for the Aston Villa job before his appointment at the iPro Stadium, Pearson has a Championship promotion on his CV and he may be an appealing option
Sam Allardyce: It would be a surprise to see the former England manager return to work so quickly after he left the national job after just 67 days in charge. There could still be unresolved issues to his departure which could block any move for him.
Image source, ReutersJurgen Klinsmann: The former Tottenham striker has managerial experience at international level, having been in charge of the United States for almost five years and Germany prior to that. Might be a bit of a long shot but his is certainly the kind of high profile name Birmingham's owners are looking to appoint.
Ryan Giggs: Birmingham would struggle to make an appointment more high profile. The former Manchester United winger, the most decorated footballer in English history, has been out of the sport since leaving Old Trafford in the summer and was linked with jobs at Wigan and Swansea.
Image source, Getty ImagesWell, Gary Rowett may have left Birmingham's men's side today, but there has been a new arrival in charge of their Women's Super League side...
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All the early signs seem to be pointing towards Gianfranco Zola, but Birmingham fans on Twitter already seemingly divided at the prospect of him coming to their club...
(BBC Sport App users may need to select ‘View more’ to see posts in full)
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Here's a selection of what Twitter made of Gary Rowett's sacking earlier.
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Birmingham City 2-1 Ipswich
Image source, Rex FeaturesGary Rowett leaves Birmingham City after guiding them to a 2-1 home victory against Ipswich Town on Tuesday.
The victory took Blues up to seventh and just outside the play-off places on goal difference.
Clayton Donaldson's penalty and Michael Morrison's header were enough to secure the points despite Adam Webster netting for the visitors.
Image source, .
Image source, Rex FeaturesThe first caller on BBC WM's football phone-in tonight, a taxi driver called Amir, claims he picked up Gianfranco Zola at Birmingham International Airport earlier today and then dropped him and two of his associates off in Shirley.
When Amir asked why Gianfranco was in Birmingham, he replied: "just business."
I thought Zola might be more of an Uber man myself.....
Martin O'Connor
former Birmingham captain on BBC WM 95.6
"I'd like to say I'm surprised at Gary's departure, but nothing surprises me in football any more.
"His departure comes out of the blue, but then you hear stories about his potential replacement already being lined-up and that makes you feel very uneasy.
"The Asian markets as they are, a name like Zola probably has a lot better ring to it than Rowett."
Richard Wilford
BBC WM
Image source, Getty ImagesGary Rowett's departure from Birmingham City, with little by way of official explanation, feels like another one of the symptoms of the modern game.
In just over two years, Rowett took an inexpensively assembled squad to two top-half finishes in the Championship, and had them on the verge of the play-offs with the potential of money to spend in January.
Blues' new Chinese owners, Trillion Trophy Asia, had previously appeared to be targeting stability and continuity. This decision suggests a greater degree of urgency, and, with it, a greater degree of risk.