The 15 greatest ever EFL Championship managers have been named and ranked by AI | OneFootball

We asked AI to rank the top 15 greatest ever Championship managers.

The start of the Championship season is now less than a month away, and there will be plenty of new faces in dugouts across the division in the upcoming campaign.

After a busy summer, there will be no fewer than 10 new managers in the Championship next season, with Norwich City, West Bromwich Albion, Watford, Hull City, Southampton, Bristol City, Middlesbrough, Sheffield United, Queens Park Rangers and Leicester City all opting to make a change in recent months.

Of course, football management can be a ruthless business, and it will not be long until the managerial merry-go-round swings into action again once the season gets underway, but the coaches of all 24 second tier clubs will be hoping that a positive campaign is ahead for their side.

As the countdown to the new season continues, we asked ChatGPT to rank the top 15 greatest ever Championship managers.

15 Garry Monk

First up on ChatGPT's list of the top 15 Championship managers of all time is Garry Monk, and it is fair to say that he is something of a surprise choice.

After a spell in charge of Swansea City in the Premier League, Monk's second tier managerial career started well as he guided Leeds United to a seventh-placed finish 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 remained out of the game for three-and-a-half years after his Hillsborough exit before returning to management with League One side Cambridge United in March 2024, but he lasted just under a year at the Cledara Abbey Stadium.

14 Lee Johnson

Former Bristol City and Sunderland manager Lee Johnson is next up on the list, and like Monk, he is perhaps another unexpected inclusion.

Johnson spent almost four years in charge of the Robins in the Championship between 2016 and 2020, but they failed to challenge for the play-offs consistently during that time, with their best season under the 44-year-old coming in the 2018-19 campaign when they finished eighth.

Since leaving Ashton Gate, Johnson has had spells with Sunderland, Hibernian and Fleetwood Town, achieving limited success at all three of those clubs, and he is now the head coach of Belgian side Lommel.

13 Paul Lambert

The most notable period of Paul Lambert's extensive managerial career came with Norwich City, who he led to back-to-back promotions from League One to the Championship between 2009 and 2011.

Lambert failed to reach anywhere near the same heights after leaving Carrow Road during spells with Aston Villa, Blackburn Rovers, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Stoke City, and his last stint managing in the second tier ended in disappointment as his Ipswich Town side were relegated in the 2018-19 season.

The 55-year-old was sacked by the Tractor Boys in February 2021 with the club languishing in mid-table in League One, and over four years on, he is yet to make a return to management.

12 Brendan Rodgers

Brendan Rodgers' first two spells managing in the Championship with Watford and Reading were relatively underwhelming, but his career was transformed after taking over at Swansea City in July 2010.

Rodgers led the Swans to promotion in his first season in charge after a 4-2 win over former club Reading in the play-off final at Wembley, and the Northern Irishman earned plenty of plaudits for the attractive, possession-based style of football his side played.

The 52-year-old's success in South Wales would later earn him the Liverpool job, and he has also gone on to manage Leicester City and Celtic, where he returned for a second stint at the helm two years ago.

Steve Bruce is one of the most successful managers in Championship history having earned four promotions from the division during his career, with two of those coming with Birmingham City and another two coming with Hull City.

The 64-year-old came agonisingly close to adding another promotion to his record as his Aston Villa side were beaten 1-0 by Fulham in the play-off final in the 2017-18 season, and that defeat would mark the start of a difficult period for Bruce.

After mixed spells with Sheffield Wednesday, Newcastle United and West Bromwich Albion, Bruce is now in charge of League One side Blackpool, and he is slowly beginning to rebuild his reputation at Bloomfield Road.

Nigel Adkins made his name in management with Scunthorpe United as he guided the East Yorkshire outfit to promotion to the Championship on two occasions before departing for Southampton in September 2010.

Adkins enjoyed a highly successful spell in charge 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 came to an abrupt end when he was harshly sacked in January 2013.

The 60-year-old has not been able to rediscover his managerial touch since then, and after stints with Reading, Sheffield United, Hull City and Charlton Athletic, he left his last role at League Two side Tranmere Rovers by mutual consent in February.

Carlos Carvalhal was a relative unknown in English football when he took charge of Sheffield Wednesday in June 2015, but he quickly made an impact at Hillsborough.

Carvalhal led the Owls to back-to-back play-off finishes in the Championship in his first two years in charge, but promotion proved to be elusive for the Portuguese tactician, and after a significant decline in form in his third season, he departed in December 2017.

However, the 59-year-old has clearly not let that disappointment affect him too much as he has gone on to manage a number of clubs across Europe in recent years, including Swansea City, Rio Ave, Al Wahda, Celta Vigo, Olympiacos and Braga.

8 Billy Davies

After leading Preston North End to two consecutive play-off finishes in the Championship, Billy Davies departed Deepdale to take over at Derby County in June 2006, and he won promotion to the Premier League with the Rams in his first season at Pride Park.

Davies then crossed the East Midlands divide when he joined Nottingham Forest in January 2009 before being sacked two-and-a-half years later after successive play-off defeats, and while he returned for a second spell at the City Ground in February 2013, he was dismissed just over a year later.

After 11 years out of the game, Davies returned to football when he was appointed as the new technical head coach of Scottish Championship side Greenock Morton earlier this month.

7 Aidy Boothroyd

Aidy Boothroyd enjoyed a highly successful start to life as a Championship manager, first saving Watford from relegation in the 2004-05 season before guiding them to promotion to the Premier League via the play-offs the following year.

After a spell in League One with Colchester United, Boothroyd returned to the second tier when he took over at Coventry City in May 2010, but he was sacked less than 10 months later after a run of just one win in 16 league games.

Boothroyd has had stints in charge of Northampton Town and Jamshedpur since leaving the CBS Arena, as well as managing at various levels of the England youth setup.

6 Gary Rowett

Gary Rowett has achieved plenty of success at Championship level, with his most notable achievement coming in the 2017-18 season when he led Derby County to a sixth-placed finish, while his Millwall side narrowly missed out on a play-off place in the 2022-23 campaign.

It has not all been plain sailing for Rowett in the second tier, and he has suffered his fair share of disappointment, including his ill-fated seven-month spell at Stoke City and overseeing Birmingham City's relegation during his interim stint at St Andrew's @ Knighthead Park in the 2023-24 season.

However, Rowett is a well-respected Championship manager, and he once again demonstrated his pedigree at the level as he guided Oxford United to safety last season, despite working with one of the smallest budgets in the division.