The 15 current longest serving managers in the EFL | OneFootball

Football League World takes a look at who has been in their current managerial post for the longest time

Now more than ever, it's rare to see a manager stay in the same job for multiple years, as reactionary decisions in a results-based sport often see the finger of blame pointed at the dugout.

This summer, plenty of long-standing managers have departed the EFL. Simon Weaver is no longer part of the list, after Harrogate Town fell into the National League. His 18th season in charge will be spent in the fifth tier.

Even in the Premier League, the likes of Pep Guardiola and Marco Silva have both departed their respective clubs — but this list won't take into account the top flight.

These managers have managed to buck the trend and stay in their posts for at least a couple of years within the ever-changing landscape of the EFL.

As of mid-June, here are the 15 longest-serving current bosses in the EFL.

15 ? ? Nathan Jones — Charlton Athletic (February 4, 2024)

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We kick off the list with one of just three Championship managers, as Charlton Athletic boss Nathan Jones squeezes into the top 15 after managerial movement and relegations out of the football league this summer.

The passionate Welshman has been at the Valley since February 2024, taking over the club towards the tail end of what turned out to be a very disappointing campaign, as the Addicks finished 16th in League One.

But his two full seasons since have been wholly successful, guiding Charlton back to the Championship through the play-offs and leading them to a 19th-placed finish in their return.

The Addicks are set to play consecutive second-tier seasons for the first time in a decade, and Nathan Jones has been the mastermind behind it.

14 ? ? Danny Cowley - Colchester United (January 4, 2024)

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Danny Cowley made a return to a League Two dugout for the first time since winning the division with Lincoln City back in January 2024, when he took charge of Colchester United, who were just five points above the fourth-tier relegation zone.

His first half-season was a real slog, as the U's only just secured their survival on the final day of the campaign, and the two years since have seen him oversee a side closer to the top seven than the bottom two.

Colchester are still hoping that the former Imps boss can work some of the magic seen at Sincil Bank a few years ago, having not threatened promotion since the pandemic. They ideally need new ownership for that to happen, but recent news suggests that Robbie Cowling is staying put for now.

13 ? ? David Artell - Grimsby Town (November 27, 2023)

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David Artell, like Danny Cowley, was brought into a struggling Grimsby Town side at the wrong end of the League Two table, led them to safety late on in the season, and has since steered them up into the play-off hunt.

Artell has overseen that push into the top seven, though, unlike Cowley, but his Mariners side would fall to Salford City in the play-off semi-finals this past season.

The Grimsby boss has received a lot of plaudits over the past 12 months. His side topped the expected table in League Two in 2025/26, but brilliant cup runs, including knocking Manchester United out of the EFL Cup, meant that league results would falter at times.

He was almost poached by Stockport County this past summer, but the higher-ups at Blundell Park will be pleased that he'll be entering his third full year with them instead.

12 ? ? Graham Alexander - Bradford City (November 6, 2023)

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The play-off semi-final bouts against Bolton Wanderers this past season took Bradford City ahead of Fleetwood Town in terms of games managed for a single team by Graham Alexander. The Scotsman has been integral to the rise of the Bantams over the last two seasons.

After just missing out on the play-offs in League Two in his first half-season in charge, Bradford would secure automatic promotion to the third tier in the most dramatic of circumstances on the final day of the 2024/25 campaign.

Their brilliant form at Valley Parade under Alexander would continue this past season, helping the newly-promoted side finish fourth in League One — their highest league finish since being relegated out of the second tier in 2003/04.

There's plenty of excitement to see what Bradford can do in their second season back in the third tier, and whether the beloved manager can oversee yet another promotion in West Yorkshire.

11 ? ? Micky Mellon - Oldham Athletic (October 13, 2023)

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Micky Mellon had a tough task when he arrived at Oldham Athletic in October 2023. The Latics had just recorded their lowest finish in their history in their first season out of the Football League since 1906/07, placing 12th in the National League.

David Unsworth won just one of his opening nine games in charge, so to guide that side to a respectable 10th place in his first part-year, and then back to the EFL the year after via the play-offs was a brilliant achievement.

Odlham's first season back in League Two under Mellon was hugely encouraging, too, as they were the second-best defensive side in the fourth tier and, if not for a patchy run of form to end the campaign, they could've made a late run into the play-offs.

The Latics are definitely a team to look out for in League Two next year, as the Scotsman aims for a second promotion in three full years at Boundary Park.

10 ? ? Grant McCann — Doncaster Rovers (May 12, 2023)

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Grant McCann kicks off the section of the list where managers have had three full seasons at the helm, after he was hired in the wake of the 2022/23 campaign, marking his second spell in the dugout at the Eco Power Stadium.

Doncaster Rovers had just finished 18th in their first season back in League Two — quite the difference from the League One play-off position he had Donny finishing in when he departed for Hull City in 2019.

But the Northern Irishman immediately improved the club, finishing fifth in his first year back at the helm and then winning League Two the following year after falling short in the play-offs.

According to the underlying numbers, McCann should have coached Doncaster to a ninth-placed finish in their League One return, but poor finishing and even worse defending at times meant they had to settle for 14th, which is still a brilliant return for a newly promoted side, and one that gives optimism ahead of his fourth year in charge.

9 ? ? John Mousinho - Portsmouth (January 20, 2023)

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John Mousinho's first dugout role in his career is still going strong, as he's been the man behind Portsmouth's growth over the past three and a half seasons.

The 40-year-old put an end to Pompey's 14-year exile from the Championship by winning League One in his first full season in charge, and has since guided the club away from relegation in both of their campaigns back in the second tier.

Portsmouth's loyalty to Mousinho was reaffirmed when they afforded him time to turn a disastrous start around a couple of years ago, where they won just one of their opening 15 league outings, and he's repaid them with stability.

Now, it's time for Pompey to back Mousinho to take the club further, which many critics believe could happen.

8 ? ? Lee Bell - Crewe Alexandra (November 4, 2022)

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Lee Bell's relationship with Crewe Alexandra has spanned the majority of his life, having come through the Crewe academy to make close to 150 appearances over two spells at Gresty Road.

Therefore, it's no surprise to see that his first and only role thus far in management has been with the Alex and that it's close to spanning four years.

Crewe have started to plateau in League Two, though, following their defeat in the play-off final against Crawley Town in 2024, registering 13th and 11th-placed finishes in the two years that have followed.

With a fifth straight fourth-tier campaign on the horizon, there may be some difficult conversations being had surrounding Bell's future if he can't replicate anything close to what he did three seasons ago.

7 ? ? Johnnie Jackson - AFC Wimbledon (May 16, 2022)

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AFC Wimbledon have been on a rollercoaster ride under Johnnie Jackson in the four years he's been in charge at Plough Lane.

The former Charlton midfielder and manager took charge of the Dons following their relegation to League Two, and almost oversaw a fall out of the football league in his first year in charge, finishing 21st, five points above the drop, with just one win in their final 19 games.

After a more stable campaign the following year, Jackson would lead AFC Wimbledon back to the third tier in the 2024/25 term and then keep them there in their first season back, despite many critics tipping them for immediate relegation.

As a fan-owned club, the odds are always against AFC Wimbledon in the third tier, but Johnnie Jackson has shown that he's the right man to lead them in League One.

6 ? ? Richie Wellens - Leyton Orient (March 9, 2022)

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Everyone knew the qualities that Richie Wellens had as a manager in League Two when he arrived at Leyton Orient in 2022, and transforming an O's side who finished 13th into fourth-tier title winners in his first full season in charge was no real surprise.

His League One potential has more than definitely been realised at Brisbane Road, though, leading the club to two top-half finishes, the latter of which saw him take the club to within 90 minutes of the Championship via the play-off final.

This past season has been a massive write-off for both Orient and Wellens — a waste of time, by his own admission — but the club stuck by him despite bad results, and you feel that only a top club coming in for him is what separates the two sides from parting ways anytime soon.