Arsene Wenger: Although the Frenchman has not lifted a trophy in over 6 years with Arsenal, he will still always be remembered as one of the greatest managers of all time. Arriving in England as a relatively unknown manager, he managed to knock Premier League heavyweights Manchester United off of their perch in only his second season in charge to secure a remarkable Premier League and FA Cup double. Wenger is usually a cool composed character and this was evident in many of his great sides performances as they would bide their time with accurate crisp passes before going in for the kill. Much of his success was based on a tight defence which would leave his lightning quick attackers to pounce on any loose balls, allowing them to counter attack and score a picture perfect goal. His biggest achievement undoubtedly came in the 2003/04 season where he guided Arsenal to Premier League glory for the third time without losing a single game, a feat that will surely never be repeated. During this time they had a team which most clubs around the world let alone the Premier League were scared of and they ultimately set the benchmark. Not only did his sides style of play excite the Arsenal fans but it also excited neutrals across the globe and even today Arsenal are known to be one of the most watched teams around the world because of their fluid one touch style of football. He has also presented English football with some of it's greatest players such as Patrick Vieira, Robert Pires and Thierry Henry etc. bringing them to the club when nobody else would give them the time of day - an insight into his ability to be able to see something which other managers wouldn't.
Rinus Michels: A great believer in letting players express their imagination on the field, Michels is the man responsible for the world famous 'total football.' Nicknamed 'The General' for his serious nature he turned an Ajax side which was fighting relegation into a team competing amongst Europe's elite in order to bring home the European Cup. After a highly successful first 6 year spell at Ajax he moved to Spanish side FC Barcelona. In the same year that he led the Catalan club to a Spanish league title - 1974 - he also had the job of managing the Netherlands in the 1974 World Cup. It was with the Netherlands that he made his definitive managerial statement. He had a vision in which he wanted 'creative players with destructive powers' to grace the pitch and to create 'art' in a winning manner. Their could only be one man that shared the same feeling and had the ability to bring this vision to life, one of the finest footballers of all time, Johan Cruyff. Cruyff was the heart of that particular Netherlands side and the pair formed an unbelievable partnership which craved beautiful football. With the famous 'total football' finally being played, Michels' Netherlands team, led by Cruyff, swept aside Argentina (4-0), East Germany (2-0) and even the holders Brazil (2-1) before remarkably losing 2-1 to West Germany in that year's World Cup final. Although Michels Netherlands side of 1974 will go down as one of the greatest ever, they will also be remembered as one of the greatest sides never to have won a FIFA World Cup. Amongst Michels managerial honours are six Eridivisie titles, one La Liga title, one European Cup, one UEFA European Football Championship (Netherlands), one Copa del Rey, one DFB Kopal and one KNVB Cup.
Sir Alf Ramsey: After earning the title 'Sir' following his remarkable achievement of guiding the English national side to their only ever World Cup triumph in 1966, Sir Alf Ramsey became one of footballs most respected and looked up to managers. Although I agree that this is his finest honour, I also believe that it covers up a lot of his astounding work whilst at Ipswich Town of whom he managed prior to England between 1955 and 1963. In his first season in charge of the Tractor Boys who sat uncomfortably in England's Division three, Ramsey's men scored an overwhelming 106 goals in 46 games but they only managed a 3rd place finish. The following season though he earned them promotion to the second Division where they stayed for three years before being promoted again to the top tier of English football. In their debut season in the top flight, virtually everybody tipped them to go straight back down, what chance did a club that had been playing third division football just five years ago have in the top flight? However with this being said, in what I see as perhaps the most astonishing achievement ever in football, Ramsey's side stunned the nation and were crowned English League Champions in that very same season; 1962-63. After eight transformational years at Portman Road, Ramsey waved farewell to his beloved Ipswich to take up the vacant England manager's job. Sir Alf knew straight away that he had a team of world class players at his disposal and this was the reason that he was so sure of being the man to bring the World Cup back to it's rightful home. He did of course go on to win the World Cup against the nations bitter rivals West Germany in 1966 at London's Wembley stadium. It is an inspirational career as it is one that saw a single man rise up from the third division of English football all the way up to World Cup glory.
Jose Mourinho: Any man that has the confidence to come out and brand himself 'the special one' has to be special, surely? This is certainly the case when discussing the highly entertaining, controversial and charismatic Jose Mourinho. Jose was mentored by Sir Bobby Robson at FC Barcelona which ultimately put him in good stead for the rest of his managerial career. Robson must have liked what he saw in the young Mr Mourinho to as he tried desperately on numerous occasions to recruit him as his assistant whilst managing Newcastle United. Mourinho really hit the ground running when he took over as FC Porto manager in 2002. In his time in Lisbon he won 2 Primeira Liga titles, one Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira, one Taça de Portugal, one UEFA Cup and one UEFA Champions League, disposing of Manchester United on his way to getting it. Following his glittering success in Portugal, Mourinho knew it was time for him to prove himself to his audience by managing a club in footballs best league - the Premier League. In 2004 he signed a contract with the men with the money; Chelsea. Here he would turn an almost 'nearly team' into world beaters. After securing 2 Carling Cups, 1 FA Cup and 2 Premier League Titles in West London after just three years, following a public feud with club owner Roman Abramovich, Mourinho and Chelsea went their separate ways much to the disappointment of the Chelsea fans. After taking a one year break from football, he soon found himself amidst one of the games oldest and respected leagues, Serie A, this time managing Inter Milan. Upon winning his first Serie A title in 2009, Mourinho somehow managed to produce a treble winning side for the 2010 season, after an emotional farewell and leaving the Milan club on the highest of all high's, he moved to Spain to take charge of the world famous Real Madrid. Mourinho is still yet to secure a La Liga title as a Madridista, however this is largely due to FC Barcelona's sheer brilliance. He still managed to bring home a Copa del Rey title though and with players such as Mesut Ozil, Xabi Alonso, Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo nestling underneath his 'special' wing, the image of Mourinho lifting a La Liga title is not far away.
Sir Matt Busby: If the great Bill Shankly is giving you the title of 'greatest football manager ever' then you can't be half bad can you? Sir Matt Busby is an icon in the managerial world. Throughout his career he has picked up many awards, played fantastic entertaining football and presented us with some of football's finest i.e. George Best. His whole managerial club career was spent at Old Trafford - an example of the mans loyalty and love for one club. His teams ultimately repaid his loyalty to him by winning trophies in the form of two FA Cup's, five English league titles and one European Cup. Busby's side of the 50's were dubbed 'The Busby Babes' due to the amount of young players playing within it. Amongst them were the likes of Duncan Edwards and Bobby Charlton. Away from all of the silverware and the engaging style of football that was played though for me lies Busby's greatest achievement as a manager; the Munich air disaster. As a manager it is your responsibility to make sure that your players are first and foremost performing well, getting along with each other, that your fans are enjoying what they are seeing, that your players respect your fans and that in essence all is well on all fronts regarding the football club as it is yours to take care of. After a disaster such as 'Munich '58' your club is ultimately broken. What you have built over a number of years has been taken away from you within a blink of an eye and the main organs within your club have sadly been shut down. However the determination, the love and the desire to proceed in making Manchester United Football Club a dominating force in football and the refusal to lay down and die is what makes Sir Matt Busby one of the most unique and one of the greatest managers of all time. Evidence of this is that even though the club had tragically lost 7 of their players, he still somehow managed to guide his now even younger, more inexperienced and less talented Manchester United side to the FA Cup Final in the very same season.
Bob Paisley: In order to be the only manager in the history of the game to have won three European Cups you would have to be quite some manager. That's exactly what Bob Paisley was. After his playing career with Liverpool he became a self taught physiotherapist and stayed with the club - in total he would spend almost half a century with Liverpool as either a player, physio, coach or manager. During Bill Shankly's 15 year reign at Anfield Paisley was a coach. He, Joe Fagan Reuben Bennett and Shankly forged a tight relationship which saw Liverpool be transformed into one of Europe's top sides. It is thought that Paisley learned a lot off of Shankly and after the man himself opted to retire in 1974, Paisley made the step up from coach to manager. Although in his first season Liverpool only finished second, the Kop were not to worry. Paisley holds one of the best year to championship records in the world having won at least one trophy in 8 out of his nine seasons in charge. All in all he won three European Cups, one UEFA Cup, one European Super Cup, three League Cups and a staggering six League titles. Paisley's Liverpool sides were always a force to be reckoned with and were ones that were odds on to win the match regardless of who their opponents were. Paisley's achievements would have done mentor Bill Shankly very proud and even though the Kop were not entirely happy with his initial appointment, many see him as an influential character within the clubs history and certainly one that instigated the clubs dominance in the latter part of the 20th century. Although the FA Cup eluded Paisley it will not alter the fact that he was quite simply an amazing manager with an even better trophy record and is without doubt an all time great.
Herbert Chapman: In my opinion this man is one of, if not, the most underrated football manager of all time. During his career as a gaffer he revolutionised the game in so many different ways. Chapman was the first man to take his teams to play abroad in order to implement a more continental, then unseen side of the game into their style of play. He believed in strong physical fitness and invented a host of different activities for his players to do in training that are still used today. He was also the first manager to encourage his players to discuss the game with each other, holding team meetings every week and encouraged them to also socialise with one another in extra curricular activities such as golf to enhance their relationship off of and on the field. The white football and numbered shirts are also things which are a result of his revolutionary mind. On the pitch Chapman's teams played some attractive football and at Arsenal he implemented his winning 'WM' formation which consisted of 3 defenders, 2 defensive midfielders, 2 attacking midfielders, 2 wingers and a centre forward. At Huddersfield Town he secured one FA Cup (1923) and two league titles in 1924 and 1925 before he moved to Arsenal. In his time with the North London club, after vowing to build a team which would win a major trophy after 5 years of him signing with them, he did just that as they lifted the FA Cup in 1930. The following season they secured a league title and repeated this achievement in the 1932-33 season. Chapman unfortunately died in 1934 whilst still managing Arsenal and his death was a huge loss to the footballing world, especially as he was relatively young - dying aged 55. His legacy lived on through the club though as the team that he had created went on to be the main side of the 1930's, winning a further two league titles in 1934 and 1935. Chapman's incredible vision, never ending love for the game and success has led him to be remembered as one of the greatest football managers of all time, and rightly so to.
Brian Clough: Although he was one of England's most outspoken managers who simply said it how it was, there can be no hiding from the fact that Mr. Brian Clough was a master of his profession. 'Cloughie' took over at Derby County in 1967 - a club that had been in England's second division for ten years prior to his arrival, however by 1969 they had been promoted. Following a fourth placed finish in Derby's first season in the top flight, Clough built on the teams success and ultimately ended up seeing his boys crowned champions of England in 1971 after jostling with Liverpool, Manchester City and Leeds United for top spot. This was Derby County's first ever First Division title in their then 88 year history. Although Clough left in typically controversial fashion, a statue of him and Peter Taylor (his right hand man) was unveiled at Pride Park and the Derby fans still love him to this day. Him and Taylor ventured to the South Coast to manage Brighton & Hove Albion and then back up North where he took charge of Leeds United and publicly feuded with the then England manager and former Leeds boss Don Revie. Clough's spells at both Brighton and Leeds are seen as two low points in his career which mounted to no success. In 1975 Clough took over at Nottingham Forest; a team sitting in 13th position of division two. In Clough's first full season in charge of Forest (1976-77) they gained promotion to Division one. This was to be the start of a rapid uphill turn around for the club. In their first season in Division one they won the League Cup and were astonishingly crowned champions, finishing way ahead of their closest rivals Liverpool. In their second season they again won the League Cup but this time swapped positions with Liverpool, finishing second in the league. Despite the heartache of playing second fiddle to Liverpool that season though, Clough's men brought back the European Cup to Nottingham and then done the same thing a year later. During his 18 year reign as Forest manager Clough also won a European Super Cup and a further two League cups. To give you an idea of just how great Brian Clough really was, numerous statues of him can be found around the country in Middlesbrough as well as at Pride Park and in the city of Nottingham where the fans paid for the statue to be erected. His death brought together both Derby County and Nottingham Forest fans to mourn his loss at Pride Park, the two sets of fans are usually the fiercest of rivals. He is also believed to be the greatest English manager never to have managed England.
Bill Shankly: Quite simply one of the most charismatic men to ever walk the earth. How this man never received the honour of being awarded a knighthood is beyond belief. His unique approach to the game whereby he would leave his players walking away from his motivational speeches feeling larger than life led Liverpool to be one of the greatest clubs of the 20th century. His hunger and passion for the game was complimented by his working class background, something that drove him to put everything he had into the game, his players and their fans. He was a strong believer that his players owed his fans everything and that the fans owed his players nothing. He believed that anybody that didn't give 110% was 'a bloody menace' and would often cringe at the thought of the Anfield faithful leaving a match unsatisfied. When Shankly took over at Liverpool in 1959 they were rotting in the second tier of English football, Shankly himself described Anfield as being 'the biggest toilet in Merseyside' when he first arrived and one that was home to a lacklustre underachieving squad. He envisaged Anfield as being a fortress though and wanted it to be somewhere that the opposition would feel intimidated, which is why he put up the 'This is Anfield' sign in the tunnel. Shankly quickly released 24 players immediately after taking over and started to construct a team which would soon see his club reach the first division in 1962. He introduced genius training methods and presented his players with a new improved diet plan. Two years after gaining promotion Shankly's men, to the delight of the Kop, were crowned champions of England. During the 70's Shankly began to revamp the side that proved to be so successful in the 60's by introducing future Liverpool heroes Kevin Keegan, Steve Heighway, Emlyn Hughes, John Toshack and Ray Clemence to the team, all of whom are now considered to be club legends. This new look side won the league title in the 1972-73 campaign and won the clubs first European trophy before Shankly bowed out in style as in his last game he saw his team cruise to a 3-0 victory against Newcastle United to clinch the FA Cup at Wembley. Bill Shankly undoubtedly provided England with some of the greatest sides that the English game has ever seen. Above this though I believe what really makes him one of the greatest managers of all time is his outstanding passion for the game, the hard work he put into it, his overwhelming desire to achieve, his ability to make any player truly believe that they could take on the world and of course the way in which he underlined to each and every one of his players how important football is to us, the real fans.
Sir Alex Ferguson: We all know Sir Alex Ferguson for his legendary achievements with his current club Manchester United. However, what many people seem to sometimes overlook is his remarkable stint at Scottish club Aberdeen. It was at Pittodrie that Fergie made a real name for himself. It was 1978 when he took charge of the team and at this time he was not much older than some of his players which resulted in them having a lack of respect for him. Fergie's raging temper quickly put an end to that though and by 1980 his Aberdeen side had become the first club in fifteen years to win the Scottish Championship other than Celtic or Rangers. Arguably his most noted achievement whilst managing the Dons came in the 1982-83 season as they became only the third Scottish team to win a European trophy by lifting the UEFA European Cup Winners Cup, disposing of European giants Bayern Munich and Real Madrid (in the final) along the way. It was after this that Ferguson felt that he had 'done something worthwhile in his life'. After a further three successful years at Pittodrie, Ferguson turned down job offers from Arsenal, Tottenham and Rangers to replace Ron Atkinson as manager of Manchester United in 1986. In his first season at Old Trafford Ferguson had inherited a group of players that were ultimately taking in too much alcohol and did not possess the levels of fitness that they should have had. Despite this though 'Furious Fergie' turned his players bad habits around and salvaged a respectable 11th place finish considering that they were lying in 21st position when he took over. Fergie brought in players such as Steve Bruce, Viv Anderson, Mark Hughes, Gary Pallister and Paul Ince which saw them bring home the European Cup Winners Cup, beating Barcelona in 1991. By 1993 Fergie had brought to Old Trafford the one thing that had eluded the club since the departure of the great Sir Matt Busby - a league title. Signings such as Peter Schmeichel and Eric Cantona along with the breakthrough of a youthful speedy winger in the form of Ryan Giggs, aided United's title triumph immensely. To date I believe his greatest ever achievement was when he saw his United side collect a hat trick of major trophies in one season 'the treble'. In the 1998-99 season he witnessed his team bulldoze all that came before them as they won the Premier League title, the FA Cup and Ferguson's first ever UEFA Champions League on a dramatic night in Barcelona's Nou Camp. Fergie's illustrious career is a fairytale story that has encountered an enormous amount of hard work, fuming temper tantrums, exquisite players, and a colossal amount of success. Sir Alex has now been at Manchester United for a longer time than the great Sir Matt Busby, something that many thought could never be done, especially in modern day football (25 years). When discussing the greatest managers of all time I'm sure Sir Alex Ferguson is, and always will be a name that automatically comes up. In total he has won one Scottish first division (St. Mirren), four Scottish Cups (Aberdeen), one Scottish League Cup (Aberdeen), one UEFA European Cup Winners Cup (Aberdeen), one UEFA Super Cup (Aberdeen) and four Scottish League Titles (Aberdeen). With Manchester United he has lifted a staggering five FA Cups, four League Cups, one UEFA Cup Winners Cup, one UEFA Super Cup, ten Community Shields, two UEFA Champions League's and twelve Premier League trophies as well as an Intercontinental cup and a FIFA Club World Cup. His record speaks for itself, and his career isn't even over yet.
Charlie Shanks
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