The finest football managers in the country will discover who has been named the LMA Manager of the Year award on Tuesday night, with their achievements being recognised after a remarkable season.
A Season of Firsts
It was a year of many firsts, with several managers making their own history. Mikel Arteta led Arsenal to his first league title as a manager and their first Premier League triumph since the Invincibles in 2004. Unai Emery continues to perform wonders at Aston Villa, claiming his fifth Europa League trophy, which secured Villa's first European title since 1982. Andoni Iraola's departure from Bournemouth had already been announced, but he leaves after three years having guided the Cherries into Europe for the first time.
Regis Le Bris made a mockery of any relegation predictions by leading Sunderland, who only gained promotion via the play-offs, into European competition through a seventh-place finish upon their return to the top flight.
Promotion Heroes
Further down the pyramid, several promotion winners have been recognised. Frank Lampard has arguably performed the best work of his career by leading Coventry City back to the Premier League. Michael Skubala has excelled at Lincoln City, with the Imps easing to League One glory with over 100 points, finishing a staggering 26 points ahead of third place. Meanwhile, Bromley boss Andy Woodman secured his second promotion in three years, steering the club into the third tier for the first time in their history.
Candidate Profiles
Mikel Arteta (Arsenal)
The Gunners boss was under immense pressure to deliver, having been backed in the transfer market once again after a third successive second-place finish last season. Arsenal quickly established themselves as title favourites until a wobble in March left many questioning Arteta. However, he produced the necessary response, a credit to his character, as Arsenal won their final five games to become champions. A Champions League victory could still be achieved.
Unai Emery (Aston Villa)
The Villa boss continues to keep his team in illustrious company and now has a trophy to accompany his league exploits. Their win over Freiburg in the Europa League final secured Champions League football, but they had already achieved that through a fourth-place finish. Emery has found new ways to compete with the Premier League's elite, with Villa establishing themselves as regulars in the top-five mix.
Andoni Iraola (Bournemouth)
He has impressed more with each passing year and bowed out by going on an 18-match unbeaten run to send Bournemouth into Europe for the first time. Iraola has looked destined for a top job, and those opportunities may soon come his way following his work at the Cherries. His style of play has added to his appeal as he continued to thrive despite losing his best players almost yearly.
Regis Le Bris (Sunderland)
Any team that gets promoted via the play-offs is likely to face the toughest task in surviving. Le Bris went hard in the transfer market, which proved beneficial, with Granit Xhaka among the signings of the season. Sunderland were flying high early on and, despite a dip in form, recovered to secure European football. The Black Cats also did the double over Newcastle, which will have gone down well with their fans.
Frank Lampard (Coventry City)
After play-off heartache last year, Coventry could not have responded more impressively. Lampard hardly missed a beat, with his side out of the blocks at speed, scoring goals and entertaining in the first half of the season. Ultimately, no team in the Football League scored more than Coventry. It is the first promotion of Lampard's career and has the Chelsea legend being linked with bigger jobs in the Premier League as he proves his managerial doubters wrong.
Michael Skubala (Lincoln City)
A brief caretaker at Leeds, Skubala pulled off one of the most impressive seasons in the whole of the Football League. Lincoln, up against Cardiff in League One, proved that their inferior budget was no hindrance as they soared towards promotion and secured the title in the process. They lost just five games all year, and their passage into the Championship had, for a long time, been a case of when, rather than if.
Andy Woodman (Bromley)
Bromley have spent 132 of their 134 years in existence playing non-league football, but they are now in the third tier for the first time. They became just the third club this century to go an entire season unbeaten at home in the fourth tier, following Cardiff City in 2000-01 and Shrewsbury Town in 2010-11, though both finished as runners-up in those respective seasons. Woodman has been key to their success and has taken the club to new heights.
