The EFL Championship season is now well begun.
After a hectic summer, the Championship has no fewer than ten new managers this season, with Norwich City, West Bromwich Albion, Watford, Hull City, Southampton, Bristol City, Middlesbrough, Sheffield United, Queens Park Rangers, and Leicester City all choosing to make changes in recent months.
Of course, football management can be a cutthroat business, and as we’ve seen, change is constant.
With managers on our minds, we asked ChatGPT to rank the top 15 greatest ever Championship managers – this may spark controversy!
15Garry Monk
Garry Monk is first in ChatGPT’s list of the greatest 15 Championship managers of all time, and he is a surprising choice.
Monk’s second-tier managerial career began well after a spell in charge of Swansea City in the Premier League, when he led Leeds United to seventh place in the 2016-17 season, but he failed to build on that early promise during subsequent stints with Middlesbrough, Birmingham City, and Sheffield Wednesday.
Monk was out of football for three and a half years after leaving Hillsborough before returning to management with League One club Cambridge United in March 2024, but he lasted just under a year at the Cledara Abbey Stadium.
14Lee Johnson
Former Bristol City and Sunderland manager Lee Johnson is next up on the list, and like Monk, he is maybe another unexpected choice.
Johnson led the Robins in the Championship for nearly four years, from 2016 to 2020, but they failed to consistently challenge for the play-offs, with their best season under the 44-year-old coming in 2018-19, when they finished eighth.
Since leaving Ashton Gate, Johnson has had periods at Sunderland, Hibernian and Fleetwood Town, finding minimal success at all three of those clubs, and he is now the head coach of Belgian side Lommel.
13Paul Lambert
The most notable part of Paul Lambert’s extended management career occurred with Norwich City, where he led the club to back-to-back promotions from League One to the Championship between 2009 and 2011.
Lambert failed to reach the same heights after leaving Carrow Road, managing spells with Aston Villa, Blackburn Rovers, Wolverhampton Wanderers, and Stoke City, and his final stint in the second tier ended in disappointment when his Ipswich Town side was relegated in the 2018-19 season.
The 55-year-old was fired by the Tractor Boys in February 2021, with the club wallowing in mid-table in League One, and over four years later, he has yet to return to management.
12Brendan Rodgers
Brendan Rodgers’ first two Championship managerial stints with Watford and Reading were unimpressive, but when he took over at Swansea City in July 2010, his career changed dramatically.
Rodgers led the Swans to promotion in his debut season in command, defeating previous club Reading 4-2 in the play-off final at Wembley Stadium, and the Northern Irishman was praised for his team’s attractive, possession-based style of play.
The 52-year-old’s success in South Wales led to his appointment as Liverpool manager, and he has also managed Leicester City and Celtic, where he returned for a second term two years ago.
11Steve Bruce
Steve Bruce is one of the most successful managers in Championship history, having gained four promotions from the division throughout his career, two with Birmingham City and the other two with Hull City.
The 64-year-old came agonisingly close to adding another promotion to his record as his Aston Villa team were downed 1-0 by Fulham in the play-off final in the 2017-18 season, and that setback would mark the start of a terrible spell for Bruce.
After stints at Sheffield Wednesday, Newcastle United, and West Bromwich Albion, Bruce is presently in charge of League One club Blackpool, and he is gradually rebuilding his reputation at Bloomfield Road.
10Nigel Adkins
Nigel Adkins earned his reputation in manager with Scunthorpe United, guiding the East Yorkshire club to promotion to the Championship twice before leaving for Southampton in September 2010.
Adkins had a hugely successful period in command at St Mary’s, leading the Saints to back-to-back promotions from League One to the Premier League in his first two seasons, but his time on the South Coast was cut short when he was abruptly fired in January 2013.
Since then, the 60-year-old has been unable to regain his managerial touch, and after stints with Reading, Sheffield United, Hull City, and Charlton Athletic, he quit his most recent post at League Two club Tranmere Rovers by mutual agreement in February.
9Carlos Carvalhal
Carlos Carvalhal was a relative unknown in English football when he took over Sheffield Wednesday in June 2015, but he had an immediate effect at Hillsborough.
Carvalhal guided the Owls to back-to-back Championship play-off finishes in his first two years in command, but promotion eluded the Portuguese mastermind, and following a major drop in form in his third season, he left in December 2017.
However, the 59-year-old has apparently not let that failure deter him, as he has gone on to manage a number of clubs in Europe in recent years, including Swansea City, Rio Ave, Al Wahda, Celta Vigo, Olympiacos, and Braga.
8Billy Davies
Billy Davies left Deepdale in June 2006 to take over at Derby County, where he gained promotion to the Premier League in his first season. He had previously led Preston North End to two successive Championship play-off finishes.
Davies then crossed the East Midlands divide to join Nottingham Forest in January 2009, where he was fired two and a half years later after repeated play-off failures, and while he returned for a second time at the City Ground in February 2013, he was fired just over a year later.
Davies returned to football after an 11-year absence, when he was named the new technical head coach of Scottish Championship club Greenock Morton this month.
7Aidy Boothroyd
Aidy Boothroyd had a highly successful debut as a Championship manager, saving Watford from relegation in 2004-05 and guiding them to promotion to the Premier League via the play-offs the following year.
After a period in League One with Colchester United, Boothroyd returned to the second division when he took over at Coventry City in May 2010, but he was ousted less than 10 months later after a run of just one win in 16 league games.
Since leaving the CBS Arena, Boothroyd has managed Northampton Town and Jamshedpur, as well as various levels of England’s youth setup.
6Gary Rowett
Gary Rowett has had a lot of success at Championship level, with his most famous achievement coming in the 2017-18 season when he led Derby County to sixth place, while his Millwall side just lost out on a play-off spot in 2022-23.
Rowett’s second-tier career has not been without setbacks, including an ill-fated seven-month stay at Stoke City and managing Birmingham City’s relegation during his interim stint at St Andrew’s @ Knighthead Park in the 2023-24 season.
However, Rowett is a well-known Championship manager, and he proven his ability to lead Oxford United to safety last season despite having one of the division’s smallest budgets.
5Mick McCarthy
Mick McCarthy won the Championship title twice throughout his long managerial career, once with Sunderland in 2004-05 and again with Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2008-09.
The 66-year-old then led Ipswich Town to the play-offs in the 2015-16 season, and his Tractor Boys team came close to finishing in the top six on several occasions during his brilliant five-and-a-half year tenure at Portman Road.
McCarthy’s next two tenure as manager in the second division with Cardiff City and Blackpool were far less remarkable, but they did little to harm his reputation.
4Sam Allardyce
Sam Allardyce won his first promotion from the Championship, then known as the First Division, with Bolton Wanderers in the 2000-01 season, marking the beginning of an outstanding career with the Lancashire club.
The 70-year-old returned to second tier management with West Ham United in June 2011, and he lead the Hammers to an instant return to the Premier League via the play-offs in his first season before establishing them back in the top level.
After a long managing career that has also seen him lead the likes of Newcastle United, Blackburn Rovers, Sunderland, Crystal Palace, Everton and the England national side, Allardyce’s last employment came back in 2023 when he had a brief four-game term in command of Leeds United.
3Steve Coppell
Steve Coppell managed a number of clubs during his career, including Crystal Palace, Manchester City, Brentford, and Brighton & Hove Albion, but he is best known for his work at Reading.
Under Coppell’s leadership, the Royals won the Championship title in 2005-06 with an incredible total of 106 points, and while that remains a second-tier record to this day, it is no longer an EFL record after Birmingham City accumulated 111 points on their way to promotion from League One last season.
Coppell had brief and forgettable stints with Bristol City, Kerala Blasters, Jamshedpur, and ATK after departing the Select Car Leasing Stadium, but his tenure in Berkshire cemented his place in history.
2Chris Wilder
During his remarkable first time at Sheffield United, Wilder led the team to League One title in 2016-17 before guiding them to Premier League promotion in 2018-19.
Wilder returned to lead the Blades for a second time in December 2023, and his team appeared to be on track for automatic promotion last season, but a late-season collapse saw them finish third before losing 2-1 to Sunderland in the play-off final at Wembley Stadium in May.
The 57-year-old is currently looking for a new job after leaving Bramall Lane by mutual consent last month, with conflicts with the club’s board over the new data-driven recruitment plan thought to be one of the key reasons for his departure.
1Neil Warnock
In truth, only one guy could be at the top of this list, and ChatGPT has crowned Neil Warnock the greatest Championship manager of all time.
During his managerial career, Warnock achieved an incredible eight promotions, four of which came in the second tier of English football with Notts County, Sheffield United, Queens Park Rangers, and Cardiff City, while also managing Leeds United, Rotherham United, Middlesbrough, and Huddersfield Town.
In addition to his on-field success, his infectious personality made him a firm favourite with fans across the country, and despite previously claiming to have retired on several occasions before returning to the dugout, it appears Warnock’s management days are finally over, with his last job coming with Scottish Premiership side Aberdeen last year.
xz
