League One 2022/23: A bet for every new managerial appointment

In our three-part series looking at new permanent appointments within the EFL that have taken place this summer, we now venture into League One.

There have been six new full-time appointments in the third-tier, including Scott Brown at Fleetwood and Michael Duff at Barnsley.

At the time of writing, Derby are the only Football League club without a permanent manager in place. Liam Rosenior is currently in charge of the first team on an interim basis following Wayne Rooney’s departure, and for the moment at least looks like he'll be in charge for the opening day of the season. However, a lot can still change from now until the end of July.

Follow the links to check out the new appointments in the Championship and League Two.

Michael Duff (Barnsley)

Michael Duff made the difficult decision to switch Cheltenham for Barnsley this summer. The talented manager did an incredible job at the Robins and will now be looking to successfully implement his methods at Barnsley, who join his former employers in League One following their relegation. League One can be a difficult division to escape - just ask Ipswich and Portsmouth - with Barnsley around the 4/1 mark to be promoted. Top-6 finish at 7/5 (Paddy Power) is our pick for this one, although if you’re after a long shot you can back Ipswich 1st and Barnsley 2nd at 40/1 (SkyBet).

Wade Elliott (Cheltenham)

Speaking of Cheltenham, they opted for an internal replacement for Michael Duff, selecting first team coach Wade Elliott as their new No.1. The Robins, who under Duff achieved their highest-ever finish last season (15th), aren’t particularly favoured by bookmakers who have them as fifth favourites for relegation. Elliott may be untested but he’s a natural leader who captained every club he played for, knows the squad inside-out, has the backing of fans, and is unlikely to veer too far from Duff’s blueprint. They'll be looking to continue their progress and are 5/2 to create more history by finishing in the top-half.

Scott Brown (Fleetwood)

Fleetwood haven’t been afraid to take a chance on young rookie managers in the past - Joey Barton and Graham Alexander being two successful examples - and they continued down this avenue with the appointment of Celtic legend Scott Brown. A born leader and serial winner, it’s going to be fascinating to see how the Scot adjusts to life in management. He inherits a side that only just stayed up last season and now feature as one of the early betting contenders to go down this term at 13/8. Avoiding the drop will be the initial aim, so a top-half finish (7/2) would represent an extremely impressive opening chapter of his managerial career.

Mark Kennedy (Lincoln)

After parting ways with Michael Appleton, Lincoln needed an injection of energy. Instead of favouring an experienced head, the club took the plunge on Mark Kennedy - on a whopping four-year contract - whose managerial CV revealed just a dozen games during a difficult stint at troubled Macclesfield. The Irishman has, however, built up a reputation as a progressive coach who counts Man City, Ipswich, Wolves, and most recently Birmingham as former clubs. 

Kennedy has said all the right things so far, promising a “really attacking brand of football, an aggressive team, in and out of possession”, with his troops priced at 6/1 to finish in the top-six, which would be some achievement.

Ian Burchnall (Forest Green Rovers)

Forest Green Rovers swim into unknown waters after their historic League Two title win. At the start of the summer they had the wind taken out of their sails when the manager who masterminded their promotion, Rob Edwards, left for Watford. They looked to the non-league spectrum and recruited shrewdly in the forward-thinking Ian Burchnall from Notts County. The 39-year-old has had an interesting and unorthodox coaching journey in Scandinavia's top tiers and employed a stylish brand of football at Notts County, albeit was unable to fire them into the EFL.

There are no ‘to stay up’ odds available yet but given their newbie status and unexpected manager switch - not their fault - Forest Green could represent value at 11/4 to be relegated. 

Ben Garner (Charlton)

Ben Garner has become the latest manager tasked with leading Charlton out of League One. The Addicks went through two managers last season then after a lengthy recruitment process settled on Ben Garner, from Swindon. Known for developing young players, Garner’s attack-minded Swindon were the highest-scorers in League Two last season. Whether he can conjure up a promotion push at Charlton is another story - they finished a sizable 24 points off 6th last season - with his new side 4/1 (SkyBet) to make the play-offs.