Ranking Bristol Rovers' top 7 best managers based on PPG - Ian Holloway = 3rd | OneFootball

Bristol Rovers are a team who have been flirting around the third and fourth tier of English football for a number of years now.

In that time, they have had many managers, and current manager Matt Taylor will be hopeful that he can help them return to Championship football for the first time since 1993.

But, who has been successful for the Gas, and what has led them to this glory? At FLW, we decided to take a look at the top seven managers in the history of the club based on PPG, with all data pulled from Transfermarkt.

7 Ian Atkins: 1.25 PPG

Having joined in 2004 following his expulsion from Oxford United, Ian Atkins could not have got off to a much better start. Six wins from his first eight games had Atkins flying.

Despite this, the Birmingham-born manager's time in Bristol will be remembered for his side's tag as an almost team.

A semi-final defeat in the EFL Trophy and 21 draws across the 2004-05 league campaign meant that his side just missed out on the play-offs.

The following year, Atkins would last just nine games as he was sacked after a 4-0 defeat away to Chester City. This left him with 80 points from his 64 matches in charge.

6 Joey Barton: 1.31 PPG

A manager/player who is synonymous with his off-the-pitch incidents as much as his on-field ones is Joey Barton. His time at Bristol Rovers was a reasonably successful one despite being a controversial character.

Securing promotion back to League One with a famous 7-0 win which helped swing a five-goal deficit their way is a moment that will forever go down in EFL history.

However, with the south-west club only finishing 17th in the 2022-23 campaign and a poor start to the following year, Barton was sacked after accruing 188 points in his 143 games in charge.

5 John Ward: 1.34 PPG

John Ward has achieved the rare feat of managing both Bristol clubs. Having had an initial three-year spell at the Gas from 1993-1996, Ward would return in 2012 as he looked to push Rovers back towards League One.

Unfortunately, this never came to fruition. A 14th placed finish in his first year in charge would be followed by relegation to the National League, leaving Ward's legacy tainted.

During his 18 months at the club, he would earn an average of 1.34 points per game.

4 Paul Trollope: 1.36 PPG

A man who is more known for his coaching duties next to the likes of Chris Hughton and Rob Edwards, Paul Trollope initially spent five years as manager of Rovers following his retirement from football.

A 3-1 win against Shrewsbury Town in the League Two play-off final saw the Swindon-born manager earn his side a place in League One in just his second season in charge.

An FA Cup quarter-final and three secure seasons in League One display a very successful period for Trollope. He was eventually sacked in 2010, securing a PPG of 1.36 across 274 fixtures.

3 Ian Holloway: 1.39 PPG

Ian Holloway has managed a number of football league clubs, but it was at Bristol Rovers where he made his name.

Having made over 400 appearances for the club, he balanced the majority of his time at the Memorial Stadium as player-manager. However, Holloway was never able to get his local side promoted as, despite being in and around the play-offs frequently, they would always just miss out.

In January 2001, Holloway was sacked as Rovers manager as his side were relegated from League One. This would leave him with a respectable 232 points from 167 games in charge.

2 Darrell Clarke: 1.51 PPG

In 2014, following the sacking of John Ward, Darrell Clarke was the man entrusted with returning Bristol Rovers to the Football League.

After a shaky opening couple of games, his first season was a resounding success as he secured Rovers' return with a penalty shoot-out win over Grimsby Town.

That was followed up by another promotion in 2015-16 as they came third in League Two. Two decent years in League One followed as they finished 10th and 13th before a poor start to the 2018-19 campaign saw him sacked.

Overall, his time at Rovers was enjoyable, earning two promotions and securing an exceptional 369 points from 244 matches.

1 Graham Coughlan: 1.68 PPG

Top of the list is Graham Coughlan, who, in just 56 games at the club, made a big impact.

Having secured safety in the previous campaign, the 2019-20 season looked promising and it certainly started that way. An entertaining team to watch, Coughlan's side were looking to be in the hunt for a play-off place come the end of the season.

Four wins in a row in November and December had the Gas sitting in fourth place, when, incredibly, Coughlan accepted an offer from League Two's Mansfield Town to become their manager.