Managers in the Premier League

20. Steve Kean - Blackburn Rovers
40 games. 6 wins. We all knew Kean was never going to make it. While people don't agree with Big Sam's football (and rightly so), the big guy wasn't going to get Blackburn relegated. What were the Venkys thinking getting in this guy? He is certainly not a gaffer...

19. Roberto Martinez - Wigan Athletic
I don't think Bobby's all bad. He has his teams playing football the right way. The free-flowing football that Swansea play started with Martinez a few years ago. Just his only problem is getting results. He scraped survival last season (largely due to playing to Insomnia's strengths). He has a good attitude, but perhaps a bit too naive, especially when he's trying to get Ben Watson to play like Xavi...

18. Brendan Rodgers - Swansea
Don't shoot me. I know Rodgers has done fantastically well for Swansea. He's taken off where Martinez has left off. However, Ian Holloway and Phil Brown were also doing fantastically well at this point in a season...actually better! I'm not knocking Rodgers at all, but he isn't the most experienced of managers and think he could be found out soon.

17. Mick McCarthy - Wolves
He's done well to turn around that tag of 'Worst Premier League Manager Ever' after guiding the Mackems to the quality 15 points six years ago. Thankfully for him, Paul Jewell helped him forget all about that a couple of years later. To be honest, McCarthy's a good manager. He's managed to somewhat solidify Wolves in the Premier League, and believe it or not, he does have World Cup managerial experience under his belt...

16. Alex McLeish - Aston Villa
Three Premier League seasons. Two relegations. One Carling Cup success. One 10-game unbeaten run. McLeish is a weird manager. He also managed to get Rangers into the last 16 of the Champions League. You never know quite what to make of him. He's a decent enough manager, but a very average one I feel. He plays pretty terrible football, and is tactically clueless at times (Heskey in midfield??) Villa could have done better...much better

15. Steve Bruce - Sunderland
I know he's had his bad runs at the Mackems, but he's not THAT bad. He's done well at Birmingham (aside from the relegation), and did a good enough job at Wigan too. He's not a stellar manager, but I always thought of him as quite solid. He still hasn't brought the Mackems down, so he must be doing something right?

14. Owen Coyle - Bolton Wanderers
He did very well at Burnley, even if he did leave them in the lurch. He plays football the right way, along the ground, buying skilful players and such. He even had Bolton fifth this time last season. This season, it's a little different. He's had injuries to his squad, so maybe that's taken its toll a little. I still reckon Coyle is a good manager, even if things aren't going well at the moment. Having said that, I did tip Bolton to struggle this season after they slipped to 14th last season.

13. Tony Pulis - Stoke City
The man who could have stopped Shay Given leaving Newcastle. It's true. Had Pulis' Gillingham beaten Man City in that First Division Play-Off instead of letting a 2 goal lead slip into injury time, who knows where City would be now? I kid of course. Pulis has done excellently at Stoke. He plays to their strengths, even if it is a wretched style of play. He's a solid gaffer.

12. Paul Lambert - Norwich
What he's achieved at Norwich in two years has been fantastic. After his Colchester side dismantled Norwich 7-1, Canaries fans feared the worst. However, they stormed their way to the League One title, and then ANOTHER promotion and now they sit in 10th. He's done amazing. One of the most remarkable jobs in recent Premier League history.

11. Martin Jol - Fulham
I think everybody felt sorry for Jol when he was sacked. After guiding a Spurs side spearheaded by Mido to consecutive 5th place finishes, he was then thrown out the door for a Spaniard who very nearly got them relegated and refused to learn English.

10. Roy Hodgson - West Brom
A very good manager, who just didn't work out at Liverpool. It happens with a lot of managers. Harry Redknapp didn't work out at Southampton, same with Sven at Man City, Alan Pardew at Southampton... Doesn't mean they ain't good managers. Hodgson has great experience, even having a stint with Inter Milan at one stage. Nobody will forget his great escape with Fulham, and then subsequent storm to the Europa League Final. Doing well at West Brom.

9. Neil Warnock - QPR
Surprised to see Warnock so far up this list? I'll be honest...so am I. But big Neil is actually a very good manager, indeed. It's not often I see a relegated team who did well that season, in the same vein as Blackpool last season, but I actually thought that about Sheffield United in 06/07. They were so unlucky to go down that season, as I thought Warnock had formed a good, quality side. Now I know for sure that he's done that at QPR. It's taken them almost 20 years to get back into the top-flight. Up steps Warnock to walk into the job, and achieve it within an instant. They already have 15 points, and are looking good bets to stay up. Expects rants and squabbles, but Warnock is good value for money.

8. Alan Pardew - Newcastle United
Biased? Probably. But Pardew has done amazingly well for Newcastle. Last season, he was doing 'capable' and nothing Hughton couldn't have done. In my opinion, he has now surpassed Hughton (no disrespect, he did a fantastic job as well) and has us in fourth after 13 points, averaging 2 points a game. Brilliantly well, for somebody working with so many constraints, it's ridicioulous. I know he's failed at places like Charlton and Southampton, but let us not forget he took a promoted West Ham to 7th and a last-gasp Stevie G wondergoal from an FA Cup.

7. Kenny Dalglish - Liverpool
What he's done in his career is indisputed. His managerial career in the 90s was nothing short of brilliant. His return isn't far of that. Liverpool went through a painful period of transition following Rafa's exit and Roy's failure. Dalglish is doing a steady job (if only he hadn't blown 2/3rds of that ridicioulous fee on Carroll). One of the more respected managers in the game.

6. Andre-Villas Boas - Chelsea
The prodigy. Younger than Drogba and Lampard. This kid is the next Jose. I'm not so sure, but these are the tags attributed to him. He did extremely well winning the Europa League at his age last season. I don't know too much about him, and the fact that he's 10 points off the title already isn't doing him any favours. However, Chelsea's ineptitude is down to the crazy Russian, after he's chopped and changed the managers so many times since 2007. Once AVB settles, and moulds his own team, he should do well. Let's not forget, Jose did something AVB hasn't - and that's buy his own team in the space of one summer.

5. David Moyes - Everton
The longest-serving current PL manager after Wenger and Fergie, and who'd a thunk it? I remember when Everton scraped 17th seven years ago, and Moyes was bookies' favourite for the chop. I'll bet Kenwright's very relieved he didn't listen to them, as Moyes managed to ship out an unhappy Rooney and get Everton into a Champions League qualification place.

4. Roberto Mancini - Man City
Top of the league. The only thing that might be questioned is why he's not higher? My answer? Well, look at the money at his disposal. He's the luckiest manager that has ever existed in that respect, as nobody has ever had the fortune he's inherited (including Real Madrid). However, he is still a very good manager, with a few Serie As under his belt. He's also done really well at City - adopting a completely opposite philosophy to last season (leading to many goals, tricks and unpredictability...step forward Mario). Just ahead of Moyes I feel, as he has more experience at the big time.

3. Harry Redknapp - Tottenham
Footballer's Del Boy Trotter. With his wheelin' and dealin' Redknapp has managed to go places in his career. You'd swear he was a manager straight out of Fifa though (I'm sure he's made at least 100 transfers in his career, some just for the sake of it!) He managed to get unfancied Portsmouth from Championship fodder to an FA Cup victory, managed to steer West Ham into the UEFA Cup and Tottenham into the Champions League quarter-finals. Some of the players he has managed to sign are Paolo di Canio, Sulley Muntari, Peter Crouch (thrice) and Rafael van der Vaart.

2. Arsene Wenger - Arsenal
Oh come on. No explanations here surely? Just take a look at Arsenal some day and tell me they're not beautiful. I know he hasn't won anything in a while, and maybe he should be criticised for that, but what he's done for the game is absolutely magnificent and will leave behind a legacy at Arsenal that will stick for long after he has gone.

1. Sir Alex Ferguson - Manchester United
He has certainly knocked Liverpool off their perch. I know he's only won two Champions League in two decades, but come on...what a career he's had. Not only the greatest manager now, but possibly the greatest ever? Only Brian Clough and Bill Shankly can rival him, in my opinion.

Whaddya think?

 

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