Great Britain has produced some fantastic football managers over the years. Some managers have transformed teams, propelling them up the football pyramid and become European Champions, while others have won the World Cup, and a select few have won many Premier League and top-flight crowns.
Choosing the greatest British manager is a difficult undertaking, but GIVEMESPORT has attempted it. Here is our list of the 10 greatest British managers in football history, based on the rating considerations outlined below:
Ranking Factors
Achievements: What did they win, and what were the circumstances?
Longevity – How long did they stay at the top of the beautiful game?
Legacy – How did they influence the long-term direction of football?
10Don Revie
Notable Teams Managed: Leeds, England
Don Revie truly altered Leeds in the 1960s and 1970s.
After three years in command, Revie was promoted from the second division, and he went on to win two first division titles at Elland Road. Leeds won two titles in 1969 and 1974, earning Don Revie a statue outside the stadium. He is regarded as one of England’s finest managers.
His Leeds team played aggressive football and were extremely difficult to beat. His defensive and muscular styles were incredibly effective, and Revie was undoubtedly helped by the calibre of players who emerged from the club’s academy at the time. Norman Hunter, Jack Charlton, and Eddie Grey all rose up through the ranks, helping Leeds to become one of the top teams in the league.
Revie then spent three years in charge of England, winning the British Home Championship in 1975, before departing to pursue a position in the Middle East.
Don Revie’s Career Statistics
Years Active
1961-1985
Achievements
Inter Cities Fairs Cup: 1968, 1971; First Division title: 1969 and 1974; FA Cup: 1972; League Cup: 1968
9Bill Nicholson
Notable Teams Managed: Tottenham
Bill Nicholson, arguably Tottenham’s finest manager, was pure Tottenham.
Nicholson spent 36 years with the club, both as a player and as a manager, and was in charge during Spurs’ most successful era, when they won numerous domestic and European titles. Nicholson, who managed teams that included the great Jimmy Greaves, played attacking football and was a tactical innovator, standing head and shoulders above many other managers of his time.
He even has a street named after him in North London, demonstrating the impact he had on the club, where he remains the most recent Tottenham manager to win a league trophy.
Bill Nicholson’s Career Statistics
Years Active
1958-1974
Achievements
European Cup Winners’ Cup: 1963; UEFA Cup 1972; First Division title: 1961; FA Cup: 1961, 1962, and 1967; League Cup: 1971, 1973
8Sir Bobby Robson
Notable Teams Managed: Ipswich, England, Barcelona, Newcastle
Bobby Robson is unquestionably one of Britain’s best managers, because to his amazing durability and ability to adapt to the ever-changing game.
Robson spent 36 years in management, working in Canada, England, Portugal, Spain, and Holland. The English manager is regarded for being one of the first British managers to have an international influence. He is also regarded as Ipswich’s finest ever manager, having won the Tractor Boys’ only piece of European silverware in a career that included four league titles, the UEFA Cup, the FA Cup and several other domestic cups.
Robson, who was knighted for his contributions to the game, was a true pioneer and renowned football manager.
Sir Bobby Robson’s Career Statistics
Years Active
1968-2004
Achievements
UEFA Cup: 1981, FA Cup: 1978. Eredivisie: 1991, 1992; Primeira División: 1995 and 1996; Copa del Rey: 1997; European Cup Winners Cup: 1997
7Jock Stein
Notable Teams Managed: Celtic, Leeds, Scotland
Jock Stein, the first British manager to win the European Cup, will be remembered forever.
Stein achieved the most unexpected feat in 1967, when he led a Celtic team made of mostly of Glasgow players to European success, defeating Inter Milan in Lisbon. Stein won the Scottish Cup with Dunfermline before moving to Celtic Park, where he won an incredible nine Scottish League titles in a row.
With a victory rate of 63% in over 1000 games, Stein is widely regarded as one of the best Scottish managers of all time. He went on to have spells with Leeds and Scotland, where he was manager at the time of death.
Jock Stein’s Career Statistics
Years Active
1960-1985
Achievements
Scottish Cup: 1961; European Cup: 1967; Scottish First Division: 1966, 1967, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1977; Scottish Cup: 1965, 1967, 1969, 1971, 1972, 1974, 1975, 1977; Scottish League Cup: 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1975.
6Sir Alf Ramsey
Notable Teams Managed: Ipswich, England, Birmingham
Sir Alf Ramsey, the man who won England’s World Cup, has a unique perspective.
The feat, which had not been accomplished before or since England’s victory in 1966, was momentous and will not be forgotten. In addition to his international accomplishments, Alf Ramsey was a success at the club level, leading Ipswich from the old Third Division South to the First Division in their inaugural season in 1962.
Ramsey, a legend at both Ipswich and England, has earned enormous respect in the game. He has now had a road named after him in Ipswich and a statue built outside Wembley Stadium, demonstrating his influence on the beautiful game.
Sir Alf Ramsey’s Career Statistics
Years Active
1955-1978
Achievements
First Division Championship: 1962; World Cup: 1966
5Brian Clough
Notable Teams Managed: Derby, Leeds, Nottingham Forest
Brian Clough, an incredible manager, accomplished some astounding things during his career, first with Derby, who he led from the Second Division to the First Division, and then with Nottingham Forest, whom he guided to two European Cups.
His management style was unconventional; he had a poor term with Brighton and was fired after only 44 days in command of Leeds, but his tenure in the East Midlands was legendary. Despite not having the resources of other clubs, Clough was able to challenge and achieve incredible feats while playing an attacking and forward-thinking style of football. Nobody expected Clough to reproduce his accomplishments at Derby, but he did so a few years later at Nottingham Forest.
Brian Clough is a football icon who will never be replaced.
Brian Clough’s Career Statistics
Years Active
1965-1993
Achievements
First Division Championship: 1972, 1978; European Cup: 1979, 1980; League Cup: 1978, 1979, 1989, 1990.
4Sir Matt Busby
Notable Clubs Managed: Man United, Scotland
After assembling an outstanding group known as the ‘Busby Babes’, Manchester United was rocked by the Munich air disaster in 1958. Following a catastrophic tragedy in which the majority of the squad was killed and Busby himself almost died, the Scottish manager was faced with restoring the squad to their former heights.
He did it exceptionally well. Busby was able to put United back on track by assembling a team around the amazing combination of Bobby Charlton, Denis Law, and George Best, and the club went on to win countless titles. Perhaps his greatest achievement as a manager was winning the 1968 European Cup, becoming United the first English team to do it.
Busby laid the groundwork for the club we know today, fostering a ‘never say die spirit’ that Sir Alex Ferguson clearly inherited years later. Given the conditions, there is no doubt that Sir Matt Busby is one of the greatest coaches of all time.
Sir Matt Busby’s Career Statistics
Years Active
1945-1971
Achievements
European Cup: 1968; First Division titles: 1952, 1956, 1957, 1965, 1967; FA Cup: 1948 and 1963.
3Bill Shankly
Notable Teams Managed: Grimsby, Huddersfield, Liverpool
Bill Shankly, one of Liverpool’s best managers and a man who loved the club, was magnificent.
Shankly, famous for proclaiming ‘there are only two teams in Merseyside: Liverpool and Liverpool reserves’, has earned himself a statue outside Anfield as well as the ‘Shankly Gates’. Shankly produced two successful sides at the club and won everything. His impact on Liverpool was immense, and his heart, drive, and passion are still felt at the club today.
Bill Shankly became a God-like figure at Anfield because of his achievements and character, qualities that few managers have possessed at any club. His contributions during a 15-year period from 1959 to 1974 are still felt today, and the club would not be where it is today without him.
Bill Shankly’s Career Statistics
Years Active
1949-1974
Achievements
UEFA Cup: 1973; First Division titles: 1964, 1966, 1973; FA Cup: 1965 and 1974;
2Bob Paisley
Notable Clubs Managed: Liverpool
Bob Paisley, Bill Shankly’s successor, may have surpassed his legacy.
Continuing from the foundations laid, Paisley was able to refine the style of play and go on to win more awards. Paisley led Liverpool to their first European Cup in 1977, followed by two more in 1978 and 1981, ensuring the club’s position as one of the greatest in the world for several years.
Paisley was considered as a quiet genius and a brilliant tactician who could bring out the best in his players. Winning six league championships in seven years is an astonishing feat that indicates how dominating the Reds became under him. Paisley is unquestionably one of the greatest of all time, with only Carlo Ancelotti having more European trophies and Sir Alex Ferguson having more English Premier League crowns.
Bob Paisley’s Career Statistics
Years Active
1974-1983
Achievements
European Cup: 1977, 1978, 1981; UEFA Cup: 1976; First Division title: 1976, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1982, 1983; League Cup: 1981, 1982, 1983.
1Sir Alex Ferguson
Notable Teams Managed: Aberdeen, Scotland, Man United
Sir Alex Ferguson is the greatest British manager of all time.
Ferguson went on to become the Premier League’s best manager after first breaking the ‘Old Firm’ domination at Aberdeen and defeating Real Madrid in the European Cup Winners’ Cup in 1983. Few could have foreseen his domination after being appointed by United in 1986 and having a poor start in life.
When it clicked for Ferguson at Manchester United, the results were phenomenal. There will never be another era quite like it, with the club winning 13 Premier League crowns, five FA Cups, and two Champions League triumphs, among several other accolades. The Scot spent 26 years at Old Trafford, adapting and performing throughout. His fiery personality meant he was not to be trifled with, and his accomplishments speak for themselves.
Sir Alex Ferguson’s Career Statistics
Years Active
1974-2013
Achievements
Champions League: 1999 and 2008; European Cup Winners’ Cup: 1991; Premier League: 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2013; FA Cup: 1990, 1994, 1996, 1999, 2004; League Cup: 1992, 2006, 2009, 2010
