What Are The All-Time Top 5 EFL New Manager Bounces?

Out of the many reasons the EFL is loved, arguably the most important one is that each division always seems to be closely contested. For example, with four games to go in the Championship, every team is mathematically able to be either promoted or relegated. Almost every season, the winners and losers are decided by the finest of margins.

It's no surprise then, that clubs often look to eke out every inch of performance, normally with a particular emphasis on short-term success. That is where the 'new manager bounce' comes in. Whether it's a journeyman manager coming to save a side from relegation, or just a mid-table team looking to reignite some energy for the fans, there is a certain beauty to a club being reinvigorated by a new boss.

📈 With four games to play, EVERY club in the Championship could mathematically either go up or go down! 🤯

😍 Surely this is the craziest league in the world?#wba #TheChampionship pic.twitter.com/emW7lJ9IFI

— Albion Analysis (@AlbionAnalysis) April 14, 2025

While it's contentious as to whether this is the right approach in the long-term, there are certainly some great stories that have emerged from new manager bounces. On this list, we've compiled our top five.

5) Keith Curle, Notts County 2011/12

The story of Keith Curle's takeover of Notts County in February 2012 is one of football's great 'nearly' stories.

Curle had spent five years as Assistant Manager to Neil Warnock at both Crystal Palace (2007-2010) and QPR (2010-2012) prior to leaving west London for the oldest professional football club in the world. When Curle arrived, County were languishing in mid-table. He succeeded Martin Allen in February 2012 as a last-ditch effort for County to salvage some success from their season.

He would immediately set League One alight, winning his first four games without conceding a goal, and reigniting hope of a playoff place at Meadow Lane, including an impressive away win at Charlton Athletic where his side scored four first half goals.

His unbeaten run would end when County suffered back-to-back losses to both Sheffield sides - but he finished the season with a record of 9 wins, 3 draws and 3 losses.

County would miss out on playoffs on goal difference to Stevenage, and ultimately be sacked less than a year after his appointment in early 2013. Nonetheless, his immediate impact was one that Warnock, as his former boss, would have been proud of.

4) Kieran McKenna, Ipswich Town 2021/22

If it's possible for a new manager bounce to last three seasons, Kieran McKenna has done exactly that at Ipswich Town. McKenna arrived as a fresh-faced, unproven figure having spent time as an assistant at Manchester United. But since December 2021, McKenna hasn't just given Ipswich a bounce, but has been the figurehead for a revolution.

In the short-term - his first ten league games - Ipswich conceded just one goal and managed 21 points. Portman Road quickly became used to seeing clean sheets and high levels of organisation. All of a sudden, the Tractor Boys went from licking their wounds over their season being 'just another failed promotion push' to being in genuine playoff contention.

They would miss out on the playoffs in 2021/22, but went toe-to-toe with Plymouth the following season for the title. They would finish on 98 points having lost just four games all season in 2022/23.

So they went up. Everyone thought 'well done Ipswich' - but few expected them to pull off back-to-back promotions, becoming just the fifth side to do that and reach the Premier League.

While they look almost certain to go back down this season, McKenna cannot be praised highly enough for the manner with which he has orchestrated one of the EFL's great rebuilds.

3) Neil Warnock, Rotherham United 2015/16

Of course Neil Warnock had to feature on this list at some point. One of English football's great 'firefighters', Warnock's short stint at Rotherham United in February 2016 saw him pull off a great escape.

Rotherham were firmly battling relegation - three points from safety with sixteen games to go, and six of his first eight games were to be against teams in and around the playoff places. It was not only improbable, but almost impossible.

But when they talked Warnock out of retirement and back into the dugout, they presented the then 67-year-old with the prospect of an iconic survival.

The Millers went three games without a win immediately after Warnock's arrival, but this did nothing to take the wind from their sails - as they somehow manged to lose just two games across March and April to then find themselves safe with a game to spare. The most impressive of these results were back-to-back away wins at Sheffield Wednesday and Ipswich, as well as a 4-0 thrashing of MK Dons.

In true Warnock style, he parted ways with Rotherham two weeks after the season's end - going back into retirement. Before coming out of it again months later...

Neil Warnock since his 'last job' back in 2007:

2010/12 - QPR
2012/13 - Leeds United
2014 - Crystal Palace
2015 - Queens Park Rangers (caretaker manager)
2016 - Rotherham United
2016/19 - Cardiff City
2020 - Middlesbrough

😅😅😅 pic.twitter.com/JOLUjNbGFr

— Footy Accumulators (@FootyAccums) June 23, 2020

2) Frank Lampard, Coventry City 2024/25

Frank Lampard’s appointment at Coventry City in November 2024 felt like a strange decision. It came while Wayne Rooney was struggling as boss at Plymouth Argyle, and to critics felt like little more than a ploy to increase eyeballs on the club. Lampard's managerial history didn't cover him in glory, and Coventry were sat 17th in the Championship when he took over from long-time boss Mark Robins.

Yet Lampard wasted no time proving everyone wrong.

He initially won a rather uninspiring three league games of his first nine - but he launched the Sky Blues into life with nine wins from the next ten, equalling a club record and launching Coventry into being genuine contenders.

Under Lampard, the football became more expansive, with Matt Grimes’ arrival anchoring the midfield and providing structure. His side are adaptable, tactically drilled and certainly a force to be reckoned with should they make the playoffs.

As the season enters its business end, Coventry are not only in the play-off hunt, but arguably frontrunners for that sixth spot, with games against both Plymouth and Luton among their remaining four.

Lampard's revival as a managerial prospect has been one of the Championship's biggest stories this season, and if he is to take Coventry to the playoffs, and then somehow to the Premier League, it would surely be one of football's great redemption stories.

1) Michael Carrick, Middlesbrough 2022/23

Michael Carrick's appointment as Middlesbrough manager in October 2022 raised eyebrows across the Championship. He had no senior managerial experience at the time, and questions were immediately raised as to whether he was qualified for the role. Carrick arrived at the Riverside with Boro teetering just above the relegation zone in 21st place.

But anyone questioning his credibility would soon be made to look foolish.

Carrick claimed 22 points from his first ten league games — the best start for a new Middlesbrough boss since Bryan Robson in 1994. He provided a beautiful mix of calm leadership and innovative tactical choices, and his rejuvenated squad lifted Boro not only away from danger but firmly into promotion contention.

He transformed the team’s style of play: controlled possession and vertical attacking transitions became staples of Boro week-in-week-out. Chuba Akpom in particularly was one of Carrick's greatest successes - he finished the season as the Championship's highest goal scorer.

Middlesbrough finished the season in 4th, booking a place in the play-offs just months after flirting with relegation. They ultimately missed out on promotion, but Carrick’s debut campaign was an emphatic statement of intent. It wasn’t just a bounce — it was a rebirth.

Carrick hasn't quite captured the magic of his first season in the two years since, but his side currently sit eighth and firmly in contention for another playoff place.