Managers of the mid season

Huw Davies, Sam Parry and Matt Watts select a three-strong managerial shortlist for each league in the EFL — but you decide the winner. Vote now!

Huw Davies

The 2024/25 Football League campaign is exactly 38.1% complete, so what better time to review the season so far? (Don’t answer that.) Specifically we’re interested in which managers are exceeding expectations with their team, whether that’s in radically defying relegation predictions, turning bottom-half nothingness into top-half somethingness, or crafting a promotion campaign from materials made for play-offs.

Three of us — Huw Davies, Matt Watts and Sam Parry — have each made a pitch for one manager in every division to be named Best In Class, with one pick so self-evidently correct that he’s got a promotion already. We’ve attempted to take a classic ‘elevator pitch’ approach, making our case as concisely as possible. The elevator may have got stuck between floors once or twice.

But we’re all friends here, and that’s why we’re letting you pick the winner after reading our nominations, because democracy is a beautiful thing when it works. No voter suppression here – you can step into the booth whenever you’re ready. Now, to the hustings, and where better place to start than League Two? (Don’t answer that.)

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LEAGUE TWO

Mat Sadler (Walsall)

Huw Davies

There were signs last season that Sadler was quietly putting together something decent at Walsall. Only signs, though, and only ‘decent’. Ali summarised it well in the NTT20 1-24s podcast, giving the most positive prediction possible for a 14th-place finish:

“I like the general trajectory of the club… They have a dozen players between 20 and 25 years old who could potentially kick on — but that is all with development. IF they all kick on together, I can see this going much better than we’re predicting. But it’s only cautious optimism at this point, and I want to see a Walsall side under Mat Sadler that I really believe in over a consistent period of time.”

And here they are: 2nd in the table, 1st on PPG, and 1st on merit if you trust in expected points tables. More like unexpected points, am I right?

It was unexpected. We knew this season’s heavyweights. Walsall were on the undercard. So, how does Sadler have them punching above their weight?

Tactically, Walsall’s out-of-possession structure is excellent and their direct football efficient, using 35-year-old Jamille Matt to best effect with goalscoring loanee Nathan Lowe profiting from his unselfish play. For Sadler, possession is just a passing fancy – his team had a mere 24% in beating Notts County on Tuesday – because only three teams in League Two have less of it and yet Walsall are posting the most goals, xG and big chances.

Equally important is Sadler’s connection with players. He’s one of only five thirtysomethings managing in Leagues One and Two, and it’s interesting to contrast his approach with this week’s declaration of intent from 62-year-old Steve Evans to be “more assertive” and “more of a disciplinarian”. Lowe, 19, told NTT20 that Sadler “gives us belief” and “won’t scream and shout at you if you’ve lost” – that empathetic approach is clearly working. 

Walsall for promotion? We’re cautiously optimistic.

David Artell (Grimsby)

Sam Parry

One team in League Two is delivering quite unlike any other. Sitting just inside the play-offs, with a record of 9 wins, 1 draw and 8 losses providing spectacular contrast, are Grimsby Town, last season’s 21st-placed team.

Artell’s is a team of quirks. Grimsby have trailed more than they have led. Only the bottom three have conceded more goals (28). And yet, only the top 2 have won more games.

After a bumpy start last season, where Artell imposed his philosophy before unimposing it, the manager has made good use of the transfer window to reimpose his desire for young, technical players. Forget the economics for a second, it’s the economy of the signings—fitting Artell’s wont—which is so impressive.

It makes business sense and, so far, it makes football sense too. George McEachran from Swindon provides the snap, hassle and quality they need in central midfield. Jason Dadi Svanthorsson — one of Gab Sutton’s 5 favourite transfers of the summer window — is acclimatising after moving from Iceland. Jordan Davies (CM) and Jordan Wright (GK) are only 25 and have made big contributions at either end of the pitch. It feels like a club with direction, and at least some of it upward.

Grimsby now have the tools to bring the heat, plus the rafters which allow the ceiling to be raised. Most impressively, they’ve taken the second-most points away from home, even if it’s been a bit more smashy-and-grabby and a bit less controlled.

Now, after their first home win since September, the question becomes: what next? The xG data shows a side overperforming in terms of goals for and against. But as team after team has proven, you can make a push towards the top 7 without the data on your side. That’s what Artell has achieved to compelling effect. When you have a manager who’s done it before, maybe Grimsby really can keep up their expectation-defying assault.

Scott Lindsey (MK Dons)

Matt Watts

Despite doing some particularly eye-catching business in the summer, MK Dons started the season slowly. In fact, they were 20th after six league games. Had the new ownership rocked the boat? Did all of those shiny new signings need time to bed in? Was there still a hangover after THAT record-breaking play-off semi-final defeat?

Either way, when Mike Williamson upped and left for Carlisle, there was only one man to replace him — the man who inflicted THAT record-breaking semi-final defeat. Enter Scott Lindsey.

Since Lindsey arrived at Stadium MK on 25th September, no team in League Two has a better points-per-game record than MK Dons. They’re also currently on a six-match winning streak in the fourth tier and they’ve scored three goals in five of those games. Unlike during his time at Crawley, Lindsey has a squad full of players who have previously excelled at the level. Crucially, he also has a squad full of players who suit his preferred style of play. Nevertheless, none of the above guarantees the turnaround in fortunes that Lindsey has overseen.

Having given their title rivals a head-start, MK have top spot in their sights. They’re now just five points behind the leaders, Port Vale, with a game in hand. Given the strength of their squad and their upturn in form since Scott Lindsey’s arrival, it isn’t a particularly bold statement to suggest that, if you finish above MK Dons, you’ll be playing League One football next season.

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YOU DECIDE…

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LEAGUE ONE

Matt Bloomfield (Wycombe)

Matt Watts

After a strong finish to last season, Wycombe lost their first two league games of the new campaign 3-2 to Wrexham and Birmingham, but here’s the rub — they haven’t lost in the third tier since.

“Lots of draws?” I hear you ask. No, not really. Matt Bloomfield’s side have won 12 and drawn three of their last 15 league games. That period without defeat also included an eight-game winning run; a new club record for consecutive victories in the EFL.

“Lots of 1-0 wins?” I hear you ask. No, not really. Wycombe have scored two goals nine times and three goals four times in the league so far this season — not to mention their 5-0 victory away from home against Stockport.

As things stand, the Chairboys are two points clear at the top of League One with a game in hand over 2nd-placed Wrexham. They’re also ahead of the likes of Birmingham (who spent just shy of £40m in the summer), Huddersfield and Rotherham; all of whom came down from the Championship last season.

Bloomfield may have been a disciple of Gareth Ainsworth, but he has built this team in his own image. His squad is made up of senior pros, free transfers, loanees, academy graduates and players plucked from obscurity. Take Richard Kone, for example. The Chairboys’ top scorer, who previously featured at the Homeless World Cup, was signed from the mighty Athletic Newham in January.

There are some big fish in League One this season but, if you love an underdog, then you should be rooting for Wycombe Wanderers.

Ruben Selles (Reading)

Huw Davies

The Dai Yongge situation may be the Football League’s biggest ownership problem. It’s a competitive field. Fortunately, Reading have a manager who hasn’t just handled it with the right balance of dignity and indignation, and hasn’t just improved young and inexperienced players, but has taken those young and inexperienced players into the top six. Ruben Selles arrived from Saints to work miracles. 

His Turin Shroud is the Madejski, where Selles’ side have won 7 of 8, conceding only 4 goals, and just dismissed Cambridge 3-0 in Reading’s first home league fixture since October 26th. They’re prolific both home and away: helped by Lewis Wing pings, obscuring a relative dearth of big chances, Reading have a top-five goal return.

That’s especially useful because they’ve conceded the most away goals in League One, albeit from the mother of all tour schedules – after this weekend’s match at Wycombe, they’ll have travelled to every other team in the top eight except Huddersfield (and Peterborough, Exeter, Rotherham and Stevenage are hardly the easiest of hosts, either). Reading’s next away opponent after Wycombe? Top-ten Lincoln. Good grief. That, and only 6 of the Royals’ 27 players being over the age of 22, makes their travel sickness more forgivable. 

This does mean they’ve hosted only one of the other 10 best teams. However, their hard-earned win over Huddersfield, the way they’ve dispatched nearly every other visitor to the Mad Stad, and their dozen home wins under Selles last season, all suggest they could stick around in the top six… as long as Selles sticks around at Reading. But he’s a man in demand, with finite patience, and the road to Hull is paved with good intentions.

Nigel Clough (Mansfield)

Sam Parry

This is no time for soundbites — I feel the hand of history on Clough’s shoulder. Mansfield last survived in the third tier in 1976-77, making this campaign one for the record books.

In 10th place they sit, and it’s very Clough-like for the Stags to wear a 36-year-old journeyman as a talisman. Summer signing Lee Gregory’s seven goals in 11 league starts have sharpened their attack. Complimented by fellow summer recruit Will Evans (five goals), the striking options are plenty sharp for League One.

Long-term Cloughites like Stephen Quinn and Louis Reed are still going strong, while new signing Keanu Baccus is finding his feet. The squad, though nearly halfway to their bus pass, feels like a classic ‘Clough side’, valuing personalities that embody his management and the club itself. Clough said:

"It’s a working-class area, and they need to see, first and foremost, their team working hard for them."

And work hard they did, taking 18 points from 21 in September and October before drawing with title favourites Birmingham. Since then, freakish goals, absentees, and some poor performances have seen a run of four defeats. Stags now sit six points off the relegation zone with two games in hand and six off the play-offs with a game in hand.

Generations of fans have never seen Mansfield thrive at this level. They are seeing that now. Add another big run, and Clough leading Mansfield into the second tier for only the second time feels like a daydream that feasibly could come true.

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YOU DECIDE…

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CHAMPIONSHIP

Tom Cleverley (Watford)

Sam Parry

And they say romance is dead. Ali and George had them propping up the table in their 1-24s, and if you honed in on their defensive numbers you can see why. But forget the fact their goal is living a charmed life, forget that they basically won’t ever win possession in the final third, and forget they hand out shooting opportunities like flyers at Edinburgh Fringe… because Watford can attack.

As a team, they have the second-highest number of take-ons, the second-highest carries into the penalty box, and the 4th best xG (and yes, the 4th worst xGA). They get (and give up) the ball in dangerous areas of the pitch. It’s never dull, and given Cleverley’s time at the club follows tawdry new beginning after tawdry new beginning, it must feel fresh and exciting for fans — a lot of that comes down to individual quality.

You can’t help but notice Giorgi Chakvetadze for his energy, his final ball and that unquantifiable x-factor. He’s a difference-maker. Ryan Porteous has really stepped up of late at CB. Rocco Vata looks a bit of a superstar but can’t keep fit (which feels very Watford). And they’ve finally landed on a striker in Vakoun Bayo (yes, he scored more than half his season’s tally in a single game against Sheffield Wednesday). As the name suggests, Cleverley has them set up in a 3-4-3 that can damage any team.

I really believe they can make a fist of it with this year with their unrobust, over-romantic, Vindaloo of an approach: we’re-gunna-score-more-goals-than-you! And they have, against good opposition too: 6 of their 9 league wins have come against sides in the top half. It cannot go underappreciated how good a job Cleverley has done to make Watford one part fluent, two parts potent, three parts chaos, and four parts bright, yellow sunshine.

Regis Le Bris (Sunderland)

Matt Watts

Did anyone (apart from Gab Sutton, perhaps) expect Regis Le Bris’ Sunderland to be the early pace-setters in the Championship? After all, the Black Cats won three and drew four of their final 17 league games last season. Mick Beale came and went, then Mike Dodds stood in and stood in some more. Le Bris, an unknown quantity in English football who had just been relegated from Ligue 1 with Lorient, arrived more than four months after Beale’s departure.

During the summer, the Mackems also sold their talisman, Jack Clarke, to Ipswich Town for an initial £15m. They didn’t spend a great deal, either, but they did make some shrewd acquisitions. The likes of Chris Mepham and Alan Browne have added some much-needed experience, while Wilson Isidor has provided them with the firepower that they craved.

There’s no dressing it up: after winning nine of their first 12 league games, Sunderland have dropped off a bit. The odd poor performance, coupled with some untimely injuries and suspensions, has seen the Mackems draw five and lose one of their last six games, but they’re still keeping pace with Sheffield United, Burnley and Leeds, all while having the lowest average age in the Championship. In Chris Rigg and Jobe Bellingham, Sunderland have two of the brightest prospects in Europe. In Tom Watson, they appear to have a home-grown Jack Clarke regen.

Before a ball was kicked, if you had told Sunderland fans that they would be 4th after 18 games, three points off the automatic promotion places, I think they would have bitten your hand off.

Neil Harris (Millwall)

Huw Davies

Neil, I owe you an apology. I wasn’t familiar with your game.

When Millwall rehired Harris in February, I felt his teams were just broadly functional (until they stopped functioning). This season’s Lions are different. Yes, the dead-ball threat remains: centre-backs Jake Cooper and Japhet Tanganga have each scored twice and the team’s set-piece xG is comically high, being 50% greater than anyone else’s. But they’re also doing this:

That’s a great counter, right there. Fast yet fluid, like water running downstream. The first goal in their 3-0 win over Sheffield Wednesday also came from an excellent back-to-front passing move: direct and purposeful, but constructed from short passes. Harris still isn’t fussed about possession – they’re alone in averaging less than 40%, making it all the more impressive that they’ve allowed the Championship’s fourth-fewest shots on target and fourth-lowest xG per shot – but his new Millwall look less stodgy when they do have it.

The Lions are less reliant than before on intangibles and tight margins. In fact, Macaulay Langstaff, Tom Bradshaw, Femi Azeez, George Honeyman and George Saville have collectively turned 10.2 non-penalty xG into just 3 goals. How often do you see Millwall at this end of an expected goals difference table? 

P.S. Check out Argyle (credit: fbref.com)

So, things could be even better. Millwall, 10th following back-to-back-to-back draws, would be good value for a top-six place right now, having been tipped for relegation. As I said: sorry, Neil.

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YOU DECIDE…

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Thanks for reading. You decide the winners, so now go decide!