Ranking Bristol City's top 7 best managers based on PPG - Dean Holden = 5th | OneFootball

Liam Manning guided the Robins to 11th in the standings after taking over the first team squad in November.

The 38-year-old replaced Nigel Pearson in the dugout at Ashton Gate, making the switch from Oxford United to take on the role.

The gap to the play-off places proved too big to bridge, ending up at 11 points by the end of the campaign, but there were still plenty of positives to take.

Manning will be hoping he is the man to bring the club forward and potentially compete for promotion to the Premier League.

In the meantime, here we take a look at the seven Bristol City managers with the best points per game record in their history, with figures taken from Transfermarkt (minimum 25 games managed)…

7 Lee Johnson

Lee Johnson managed the Robins from 2016 to 2020, returning to the club where he played from 2006 to 2012.

During his time in charge, the now 42-year-old oversaw 217 games as Bristol City manager.

He guided the club to 18th, 17th, 11th, eighth and 12th place finishes in that period, before departing at the end of the 2019-20 campaign with a record of 1.41 points per game.

6 Brian Tinnion

Brian Tinnion only worked as a manager at one club during his coaching career, which happened to be a stint at Ashton Gate from 2004 to 2005.

Over the course of his 61 games in charge, he oversaw a record of 1.41 points earned per game, with the team finishing seventh in his sole full season with Bristol City.

The now 56-year-old departed early into the 2005-06 campaign after a poor run of form.

5 Dean Holden

Dean Holden oversaw just 41 games in charge during his time with the Robins, taking control of the team after Johnson’s departure in 2020.

He earned a point per game record of 1.44 during his tenure before departing in February 2021 after suffering six defeats in a row.

4 Gary Johnson

Gary Johnson enjoyed a lengthy managerial career, which spanned from 1986 to 2024, most recently spending six years with Torquay United.

During his time with Bristol City, he earned a point per game record of 1.50, having overseen 239 games from 2005 to 2010.

3 John Ward

John Ward managed Bristol City from 1997 to 1998, lasting 61 games in charge.

The now 73-year-old guided the Robins to promotion to what is now called the Championship, earning a second place finish in the third tier in 1998.

He had a record of earning 1.61 points per game before departing in October 1998.

2 Danny Wilson

Danny Wilson took charge at Bristol City in June 2000, with the team sitting in the third tier of English football.

During his four years in the dugout, he oversaw a point per game record of 1.65 from 203 fixtures.

1 Steve Cotterill

Steve Cotterill took charge of the Robins in December 2013 with the team competing in League One.

During his 116 games as manager, he led the team to promotion to the Championship, earning 99 points on their way to the League One title in 2015.

By the time he exited the club in January 2016, he had a record of 1.67 points per game from 116 matches.