The top 8 best EFL League One managers in 2026/27 according to the stats | OneFootball

Football League World looks at who the best managers in League One are based on their overall points per game in their careers

The 2026/27 League One campaign is, on paper, looking to be one of the most competitive third-tier seasons in recent memory.

August will always bring about newfound optimism at the majority of clubs across the EFL, as they get carried away with lofty ambitions of what the season could bring, but in League One, there'll be a lot of teams who genuinely feel they can get promoted.

There are a plethora of former Premier League sides in the division, some of whom have only just been relegated from the top flight in the past two or three years, teams with major financial backing and others who have come off promotion near misses who will want to go again.

So, the difference between securing that top six or top two spot and falling short could be all down to who is in the dugout and whether they have a winning mentality or not.

Per Transfermakt's stats and discounting youth team jobs, here are the top eight third-tier managers ahead of the 2026/27 campaign based on their overall points per game in the dugout.

8 ? ? Grant McCann - 1.5

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Grant McCann kicks off the list with a respectable 1.5 points per game throughout 500+ games in the dugouts of Peterborough United, Hull City and, now, at Doncaster Rovers.

The Northern Irishman has been part of plenty of successful sides in his career, winning titles with the Tigers and Donny, and he'll be tasked with bringing the South Yorkshire outfit closer to a Championship return next season, as he did in East Yorkshire.

Doncaster underperformed their underlying numbers massively last season, finishing 11 points behind their expected points tally. If his players can take their chances at a better rate next year, his career points per game will only improve.

7 ? ? Michael Duff - 1.55

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Michael Duff's first few years in the dugout at Cheltenham Town and Barnsley were wholly successful, being part of league-winning and play-off finalist sides, which ultimately earned him a Championship move to Swansea City.

Ultimately, the move to South Wales was pretty detrimental, and an attempt to revitalise things at Huddersfield Town didn't work out too well either. However, despite what many may feel about Duff's time at the Accu Stadium, he still had a solid record there.

Indeed, the 1.56 ppg he earned at Huddersfield matches his current record at Wycombe Wanderers, where he's being praised for doing a good job in his first half-season at Adams Park.

He evidently still has the skill set to be a top League One manager, and the Chairboys will be hoping that could be enough to see them back in the play-offs next season.

6 ? ? Graham Alexander - 1.56

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Bradford City boss Graham Alexander has definitely returned to his best in the dugout at Valley Parade, following a couple of disappointing jobs at Motherwell in Scotland and then at MK Dons/

The Bantams finally returned to League One under the Scotsman and followed that up with a fourth-placed finish in their first year back, earning 1.67 points per game, and 2.17 in each home game, too.

The two play-off meetings with Bolton Wanderers pushed Bradford ahead of Scunthorpe United in terms of the team he has managed the most, and with the record he has with the Bantams, his impressive career record will only stand to improve, along with the club he manages.

5 ? ? Andy Woodman - 1.62

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According to Transfermarkt's database, Andy Woodman's record only includes his five years at Bromley, rather than his time at Whitehawk. But his record with the Ravens is enough to place him in the top five managers in the division ahead of his first League One campaign.

Bromley have been on a meteoric rise under Woodman, winning the FA Trophy in 2022 and achieving three play-off finishes in the National League over four years. Then, in just their second EFL campaign, he led them to the League Two title last year.

Therefore, it's inevitable that he's got a brilliant record in the dugout. It'll definitely be difficult to maintain his place in the top five this season, with Bromley tipped to struggle this coming season. Nevertheless, many neutrals are keen to see what the Ravens can do in League One next year.

4 ? ? Daniel Stendel - 1.65

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Again, more technicalities arise when observing Daniel Stendel's points per game record.

The returning Barnsley boss is coming off the back of four years as Hannover 96 II's manager, which begs the question whether those years, where he averaged 1.64ppg over 144 games, should count, as they aren't proper first-team games for that club.

However, they do take place in the lower tiers of German football, rather than in any youth leagues, so we'll count it, and even if we didn't, he'd still have a 1.54ppg record through his other jobs, so he'd still be on the list, just a few places down.

The 1.70ppg he collected during his last spell at Oakwell is the second-best of his career, as he led the Tykes to their record points tally and an unbeaten home campaign during the 2018/19 campaign.

Barnsley as a club are a different, less intimidating beast now than they were eight years ago, though, so it'll be intriguing to see if he can maintain his impressive record this time round.

3 ? ? Ian Evatt - 1.68

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Taking the bronze medal in the League One managerial ranks for points per game is Blackpool boss Ian Evatt.

Despite his time at Bolton ending in him being sacked, he always had the Trotters in and around the play-off conversation in the fourth and third tiers during the near-five years he spent at the Toughsheet Stadium.

Before then, Evatt oversaw a title-winning campaign at Barrow, and since joining Blackpool, despite there being a real relegation threat in March, seven wins in their final nine games not only steered the Tangerines away from danger but also boosted his personal record, too.

If he can engineer a promotion push at Bloomfield Road next season, he'll not only be in good standing to keep his top-three place, but possibly push higher, too.

2 ? ? Jimmy McNulty - 1.71

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New Stockport County boss Jimmy McNulty is coming off the back of a hugely successful stint in his first managerial role at Rochdale, taking a club that looked in real danger of fading away into non-league obscurity and dragging them back into the EFL.

He oversaw a fourth-placed finish in his first year in charge at the Crown Oil Arena, and then last season, everyone knows the drama surrounding the National League title race between the Dale and York City.

106 points across an entire campaign, then a successful play-off stint off the back of it will always bolster a points per game record, and McNulty will be hoping he can make that step up to League One and maintain it at Edgeley Park.

1 ? ? Jack Wilshere - 1.78

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Statistically, the best points per game of a League One manager ahead of next season belongs to Luton Town's Jack Willshere.

He may have a slight advantage in that he's only had 45 senior games under his belt at both Norwich City and now at Kenilworth Road, but it indicates how much of a bright future the 34-year-old has in the dugout.

Luton were a difficult side to come into midway through the campaign, as they were still navigating life back in League One following consecutive relegations, but once Wilshere got settled and figured out his best team, the Hatters were one of the best sides in the division.

An 11-game unbeaten run to end the domestic campaign, which included winning the EFL Trophy amongst it, helped bolster the former Arsenal midfielder's record in the dugout, but it wasn't enough for Luton to squeeze into the top six.

The Hatters, therefore, are amongst the favourites once again this summer to win League One next year. If they do, Wilshere will definitely be set to increase what is already a third-tier-best record in the dugout.