How long AI thinks all 24 EFL League One managers will last at their current club | OneFootball

ChatGPT reveals how long it thinks each third tier boss will be in the dugout for

Football is an ever-changing business, and that sentiment rings truest in the dugout.

Managerial switches are growing increasingly common, and it's very rare now that a club sticks with their manager through difficult times, given the financial costs of falling short of initial expectations.

We've seen multiple times that sides that have recently fallen into League One can easily become lost in the shuffle after a few years of failing to achieve immediate promotion, and on the flip side, those that fall out of the third tier into the fourth often find it difficult to bounce back.

So, with that being said, and taking into account the managerial merry-go-round that operates in the third tier, here's how long popular AI-based chat service ChatGPT thinks each League One manager will last in their current job.

Johnnie Jackson — Summer 2027

Johnnie Jackson is currently one of the longest-serving managers in League One, having been at the Cherry Reds Record Stadium since 2022. He's overseen near relegations out of the EFL, to play-off success and a third-tier return.

Ideally, AFC Wimbledon will keep him for as long as he's doing well, but ChatGPT feels the 43-year-old will depart the club at the end of his current contract, which he signed back in October, that sees him until the end of next season.

Conor Hourihane - Summer 2027

Barnsley's Conor Hourihane is one of the younger managers in League One, and it's clear how much potential he has as a number one in the dugout.

Like with Jackson, though, AI doesn't feel that Hourihane will continue past the end of his current contract, which expires at the same time as the AFC Wimbledon boss at the end of next season.

Ian Evatt — Summer 2027

Blackpool are currently teetering rather precariously above the bottom four in League One, but it seems like the Tangerines have picked up a little bit of form at just the right time to steer clear of relegation.

Ian Evatt has only been in the Bloomfield Road dugout for six months now, and he signed a contract until the end of the 2027/28 campaign, so sacking him now would cost a fair bit of money at the club.

If the former Blackpool defender can keep the club afloat this season, it'll be a job well done, but AI can't see him being the man behind a play-off push next year, and that will be when he departs.

Steven Schumacher — March 2027

Bolton Wanderers are currently in the driving seat when it comes to a play-off place, and, ultimately, that would have been the bare minimum requirement for Steven Schumacher in his first full season at the Toughsheet Stadium.

AI can see the Trotters struggling to meet expectations next season, though, whether that be in the Championship after a successful promotion year this term, or still in League One.

Either way, Bolton are predicted to give him as long as possible to get things back on track, before the higher-ups at the club look elsewhere for that needed boost at the end of the season.

Graham Alexander — Summer 2028

It's been a real journey for Graham Alexander in charge of Bradford City, and in what is only his second full season at the club, the Bantams are in the mix for a potential successive promotion from League Two to the Championship.

There are expectations at Valley Parade to get Bradford back to the Championship, but it comes as a surprise at how quickly those may be exceeded, and it's all down to the Scotsman in the dugout.

Alexander arguably has the most secure job in the division right now, so ChatGPT believes he will stay until the end of his current contract, which is up in 2028.

Gary Bowyer — January 2027

Good news for Burton Albion fans — AI believes that Gary Bowyer will be able to keep you up once again this season!

Bad news, though, it also believes that next year may see a return to the bottom of the table come the midway point of the campaign, leading to the popular manager being dismissed.

Two years on from his appointment in December 2024, ChatGPT feels that someone will need to come and do what Bowyer did at the Pirelli Stadium during the latter half of the 2024/25 season and help keep the Brewers afloat.

Brian Barry-Murphy — Summer 2026

The likelihood of an immediate return to the Championship for Cardiff City is almost a certainty, barring a monumental collapse.

Therefore, this clearly isn't a sacking prediction, and AI is forecasting what the majority of Cardiff fans would agree to be their worst nightmares: a bigger club coming in and taking Brian Barry-Murphy away from them.

The 47-year-old has been exceptional in his return to first-team management after four years away, playing an attractive style in the Welsh capital with the onus on showcasing young stars for the future.

Ultimately, that would cause others to register their interest, and while he batted away talks linking him to French side Strasbourg this season, AI feels that this interest won't let up, and he will leave in the coming summer.

Grant McCann — May 2026

A bit of a ruthless take from AI coming up here, as they feel that Doncaster Rovers, despite their surge in form over the last couple of weeks, taking them out of the bottom four, will likely part ways with the man behind it all, Grant McCann, come the end of the season

Whether this will happen or not is difficult to see, as McCann oversaw a 16-game spell with just two league wins earlier this season, and has lived to tell the tale.

But stranger things have happened, and Donny may look for a new manager to help establish themselves in the third tier next season.

Matt Taylor — May 2026

Exeter City are currently operating under an interim boss, with Matt Taylor returning to the club back in March on a deal until the end of the season.

The Grecians are in quite severe relegation danger, but a couple of big results against Doncaster Rovers and in the Devon debry away at Plymouth Argyle have given them some hope that they could remain in League One this season.

Despite this, ChatGPT believes that the interim boss won't be with the club past the end of this season.

Liam Manning — Summer 2027

Liam Manning is one of the newer managers in League One, having arrived at Huddersfield Town in January. He had a week and a half of the current winter window, but that's not exactly a long time to bring in a bunch of players who will suit him.

Therefore, that gives the indication that, even if Huddersfield didn't go up this season, Manning is set to stick around for the medium-to-long term.

Regardless of the results by then, ChatGPT predicts that the former Bristol City and Norwich City boss will see out the entirety of his first campaign in charge before moving on.