Mikel Arteta’s title win at Arsenal and the promotion of Coventry manager Frank Lampard and Bromley’s Andy Woodman have put them in the running for LMA Manager of the Year.
Unai Emery continues his impressive performances for Aston Villa (Image: Marcel Bonte/Socrates)
The country’s best bosses will be recognized for their efforts by announcing on Tuesday night who has been named the LMA Manager of the Year.
This year was a year of firsts in many ways, with several coaches making history for themselves. Mikel Arteta led Arsenal to their first league title as manager and their first Premier League title since the Invincibles in 2004.
Unai Emery continued his incredible performances for Aston Villa as he won his fifth Europa League title, giving Villa their first European title since 1982. Andoni Iraola’s departure from Bournemouth was previously announced, three years after leading the Cherries to Europe for the first time.
Regis Le Bris has scoffed at hints of relegation to help Sunderland, who were promoted via the play-offs, return to the top flight and reach Europe in seventh place.
Further down the pyramid, numerous promotion winners are recognized. Frank Lampard has done perhaps the best job of his career in getting Coventry back into the Premier League.
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Michael Skbala was excellent against Lincoln, as the Imps secured League One glory with over 100 points, finishing an impressive 26 points clear of third place. Meanwhile, Bromley manager Adam Woodman guided the club into the Third Division for the first time, securing promotion for the second time in three years.
Mikel Arteta
The Gunners manager was under great pressure to deliver results, as he was backed by the market once again after finishing second in three consecutive games last time out. Arsenal quickly established themselves as title contenders but wobbled in March, leaving Arteta with many questions.
He showed the necessary reaction and it is to his credit that he reacted in a way that saw Arsenal win their final five games to become champions. Winning the Champions League is still within reach.
Mikel Arteta leads Arsenal to the title
Unai Emery
The Villa manager continued to shine with his side, winning trophies in addition to his league achievements. They won against Freiburg in the Europa League final to qualify for the Champions League, but they had already achieved that by finishing fourth. Emery has found new ways for Villa to become regulars in the top five and compete with the Premier League’s elite.
Andoni Iraola
He has impressed over the years, leading Bournemouth to Europe for the first time with an 18-game unbeaten run. Iraola looks destined for the top job and that opportunity could come soon after his stint with the Cherries. Despite losing his best players every year, his playing style has continued to improve, making him even more appealing.
Regis Le Bris
Teams promoted through the playoffs are likely to have the most difficult challenge to survive. Le Brice fought hard in the transfer market and having Granit Xhaka among his signings this season has proven to be to his benefit.
Sunderland continued to perform well from the start, and despite a dip in form, they recovered to regain stability in European football. The Black Cats also scored a double against Newcastle, which was sure to be well-received by the fans.
frank lampard
After last year’s play-off heartbreak, Coventry could not have responded more impressively. Lampard rarely missed a beat as his team sped out of the blocks, scored goals and entertained the first half of the season.
After all, no team in the Football League scored more goals than Coventry. This is the first promotion of Lampard’s career and proving his doubters wrong could lead to the Chelsea legend being linked with a bigger job in the Premier League.
Frank Lampard returns Coventry City to the Premier League (Image: Dan Mullan, Getty Images)
michael skvara
Skbala had one of the most impressive seasons in the entire Football League during his short spell at Leeds. Facing Cardiff in League One, Lincoln proved that a subpar budget was no barrier to their meteoric rise to promotion and winning the title in the process. They lost just five games all year, and for a long time it was a question of when, not if, they would make it to the championship.
andy woodman
Bromley have spent 132 of their 134 years playing non-league football, but are now in the third tier for the first time. They became the third club this century to go unbeaten all season in the fourth tier at home. Cardiff City achieved this in 2000-01 and Shrewsbury Town in 2010-11, but they finished runners-up in both seasons. Woodman was key to their success and took the club to new heights.
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