The 2015–16 Football League (known as the Sky Bet Football League for sponsorship reasons) was the 117th season of The Football League. It began on 7 August 2015 and concluded on 30 May 2016, with the League Two play-off final at Wembley Stadium. The Football League was contested through three Divisions: the Championship, League One and League Two. The winners of the Championship, Burnley, and runners-up, Middlesbrough, were automatically promoted to the Premier League and on 28 May 2016 were joined by the winners of the Championship play-off, Hull City. The bottom two teams in League Two, Dagenham & Redbridge and York City, were relegated to the National League.
It was the last season that the league would be known simply as The Football League; from the 2016–17 season onwards, it would be known as the English Football League.
Promotion and relegation From the Premier League Relegated to the Championship Hull City Burnley Queens Park Rangers
From the Championship Promoted to the Premier League Bournemouth Watford Norwich City
Relegated to League One Millwall Wigan Athletic Blackpool
From League One Promoted to the Championship Bristol City Milton Keynes Dons Preston North End
Relegated to League Two Notts County Crawley Town Leyton Orient Yeovil Town
From League Two Promoted to League One Burton Albion Shrewsbury Town Bury Southend United
Relegated to the National League Cheltenham Town Tranmere Rovers
From the Conference National Barnet Bristol Rovers
Championship
Table
Play-offs
Results
League One
Table
Play-offs
Results
League Two
Table
Play-offs
Results
Managerial changes
TeamOutgoing managerManner of departureDate of vacancyPosition in table attime of departureIncoming managerDate of appointmentPosition in table attime of appointmentPortsmouth Andy AwfordMutual Consent13 April 20152014–15 season Paul Cook12 May 2015Pre-seasonBlackpool Lee ClarkResigned9 May 2015Pre-season Neil McDonald2 June 2015Chesterfield Paul CookSigned by Portsmouth12 May 2015 Dean Saunders13 May 2015Crawley Town Dean SaundersSigned by Chesterfield13 May 2015 Mark Yates19 May 2015Leyton Orient Fabio LiveraniMutual Consent13 May 2015 Ian Hendon28 May 2015Leeds United Neil RedfearnSacked20 May 2015 Uwe Rosler20 May 2015Stevenage Graham WestleyOut of Contract21 May 2015 Teddy Sheringham21 May 2015Derby County Steve McClarenSacked25 May 2015 Paul Clement1 June 2015Sheffield United Nigel Clough25 May 2015 Nigel Adkins2 June 2015 Plymouth Argyle John SheridanMutual consent28 May 2015 Derek Adams11 June 2015Brentford Mark WarburtonEnd of Contract1 June 2015 Marinus Dijkhuizen1 June 2015Sheffield Wednesday Stuart GraySacked11 June 2015 Carlos Carvalhal30 June 2015Peterborough United Dave Robertson6 September 201520th Graham Westley21 September 2015 18thDoncaster Rovers Paul Dickov8 September 201517th Darren Ferguson 16 October 2015 20thOldham Athletic Darren Kelly12 September 201519th David Dunn7 October 201518thBrentford Marinus Dijkhuizen28 September 201519th Dean Smith30 November 201511thRotherham United Steve Evans28 September 201520th Neil Redfearn 9 October 2015 21st Fleetwood Town Graham Alexander 30 September 2015 20th Steven Pressley 6 October 2015 23rd Newport County Terry Butcher 1 October 2015 24th John Sheridan 2 October 2015 24th Swindon Town Mark Cooper 17 October 2015 20th Martin Ling 3 November 2015 23rd Leeds United Uwe Rosler 19 October 2015 18th Steve Evans 19 October 2015 18th Charlton Athletic Guy Luzon 24 October 2015 22nd Karel Fraeye 26 October 2015 22nd York City Russ Wilcox 26 October 2015 21st Jackie McNamara 4 November 2015 22nd Cambridge United Richard Money 2 November 2015 18th Shaun Derry 12 November 2015 18th Huddersfield Town Chris Powell 4 November 2015 18th David Wagner 5 November 2015 18th Queens Park Rangers Chris Ramsey 4 November 2015 13th Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink 4 December 2015 12th Fulham Kit Symons 8 November 2015 12th Slaviša Jokanović 27 December 2015 18th Blackburn Rovers Gary Bowyer 10 November 2015 16th Paul Lambert 15 November 2015 16th Colchester United Tony Humes Mutual Consent 26 November 2015 19th Kevin Keen 21 December 2015 24th Chesterfield Dean Saunders Sacked 28 November 2015 16th Danny Wilson 24 December 2015 18thWalsall Dean SmithSigned by Brentford30 November 2015 4th Sean O'Driscoll 18 December 2015 3rdYeovil Town Paul SturrockSacked1 December 2015 24th Darren Way31 December 2015 24thBurton Albion Jimmy Floyd HasselbainkSigned by QPR4 December 20151st Nigel Clough7 December 20151stReading Steve ClarkeSacked4 December 2015 9th Brian McDermott17 December 2015 13th Luton Town John Still 17 December 2015 17th Nathan Jones 6 January 2016 15th Dagenham & Redbridge Wayne Burnett 21 December 2015 24th John Still 31 December 2015 23rd Swindon Town Martin Ling Resigned 29 December 2015 16th Luke Williams 21 January 2016 14th Notts County Ricardo MonizSacked 29 December 2015 15th Jamie Fullarton 10 January 2016 18th Oldham Athletic David Dunn 12 January 2016 22nd John Sheridan 13 January 2016 22nd Newport County John Sheridan Signed by Oldham Athletic 13 January 2016 20th Warren Feeney 15 January 2016 20th Charlton Athletic Karel FraeyeSacked 13 January 2016 23rd José Riga 14 January 2016 23rd Bristol City Steve Cotterill 14 January 2016 22nd Lee Johnson 6 February 2016 22nd Leyton Orient Ian Hendon 18 January 2016 11th Kevin Nolan 21 January 2016 11th Scunthorpe United Mark Robins 18 January 2016 16th Nick Daws 22 February 2016 13th Stevenage Teddy Sheringham 1 February 2016 19th Darren Sarll 8 May 2016 2016–17 season Barnsley Lee Johnson Signed by Bristol City 6 February 2016 12th Paul Heckingbottom 15 June 2016 2016–17 season Derby County Paul ClementSacked 6 February 2016 5th Darren Wassall 6 February 2016 5th Rotherham United Neil Redfearn 8 February 2016 22nd Neil Warnock 11 February 2016 22nd Hartlepool United Ronnie Moore Mutual Consent 10 February 2016 22nd Craig Hignett 10 February 2016 22nd Walsall Sean O'DriscollSacked 6 March 2016 4th Jon Whitney 1 June 2016 2016–17 season Nottingham Forest Dougie Freedman 13 March 2016 14th Philippe Montanier 26 June 2016 2016–17 season Bolton Wanderers Neil Lennon Mutual Consent 15 March 2016 24th Phil Parkinson 10 June 2016 2016–17 season Notts County Jamie Fullarton Sacked 19 March 2016 19th Mark Cooper 20 March 2016 19th Scunthorpe United Nick Daws Appointed Assistant Manager 22 March 2016 13th Graham Alexander 22 March 2016 13th Leyton Orient Kevin Nolan Removed From Managerial Role 12 April 2016 11th Andy Hessenthaler 3 June 2016 2016–17 season Peterborough United Graham WestleySacked 23 April 2016 14th Grant McCann 16 May 2016 2016–17 season Crawley Town Mark Yates 25 April 2016 18th Dermot Drummy 27 April 2016 18th Colchester United Kevin Keen Resigned 26 April 2016 23rd John McGreal 4 May 2016 23rd
References