Ranking our Managers (in your lifetime)

[AndABusShelter]

Following on from the discussion about goalkeepers, was wandering who this community thinks have been our best and worst managers, purely based on what they did for us and nothing else. I'll rank the ones I've seen in my lifetime:

1. Jewell- From what was a big mess when he first took over to building a squad which stormed all the way from Division 2 to the Premier League in just 3 seasons, then 10th in the Prem and a Cup Final. Very obvious.

2. Martinez- Plenty of rough moments but despite having so much less of a budget than his predeccesors, managed to keep us in the Premier League for an extended period of time while playing good football. Second half of the 11-12 season was our best Prem run. Won the FA Cup.

3. Richardson- Miracle survival under impossible conditions then won promotion and the title at the first attempt. Final 2 months were brutal after the con-men owners pulled the plug

4. Cook- Like Martinez, very infuriating at times but lots of great moments. Cruising through League 1 with a great squad, that legendary FA Cup run, Championship stability and built a fantastic team before admin hit us.

5. Caldwell- Rebuilt our team with great exciting characters in L1 and got us promoted at the first attempt. Absolutely lost the plot and broke up the team once we went up.

6. Bruce- Did great for us for a year when he had Palacios, had no Plan B after he left and his final few months were brutal. Walked out on us twice. Mixed feelings.

7. Rosler- First year fantastic, with Martinez's team, wonderful FA Cup run. 2nd year an absolute disaster, ripped up a great team and replaced it with a bloated mess of chancers.

8. Hutchings- Disastrous and out of his depth, how he had a squad that good in 19th is a mystery. Still somehow far from the worst.

9. Joyce- Didn't improve us and played the worst football ever committed on the English game.

10. Sheridan- Urgh

11. Toure- Only above the bottom 2 because he didn't get long and he gave Hughes his debut. Tactically inept beyond words.

12. Mackay- Scumbag, boring football. Relegated us under a cloud of bad PR. Awful prick.

13. Coyle- Started the series of disastrous ill-fitting parachute signings that wrecked us, had at bare minimum then 2nd best team in the Championship sitting in 14th. Putrid.

(Not sure where I'd put Maloney yet, probably just above Rosler for stabilising us but that's it)

 

[Jonnysking]

Here is the full list of our managers since we entered the Football League. We've had some good managers over the years, with plenty not so good ones mixed in.

Shaun Maloney	28 Jan, 2023	Present
Kolo Toure	29 Nov, 2022	26 Jan, 2023
Leam Richardson	13 Nov, 2020	10 Nov, 2022
John Sheridan	11 Sep, 2020	12 Nov, 2020
Leam Richardson	04 Aug, 2020	10 Sep, 2020
Paul Cook	31 May, 2017	29 Jul, 2020
Graham Barrow	13 Mar, 2017	31 May, 2017
Warren Joyce	03 Nov, 2016	13 Mar, 2017
Graham Barrow	28 Oct, 2016	03 Nov, 2016
Gary Caldwell	07 Apr, 2015	28 Oct, 2016
Malky Mackay	19 Nov, 2014	06 Apr, 2015
Uwe Rosler	07 Dec, 2013	19 Nov, 2014
Sandy Stewart	02 Dec, 2013	07 Dec, 2013
Graham Barrow	02 Dec, 2013	07 Dec, 2013
Owen Coyle	14 Jun, 2013	02 Dec, 2013
Roberto Martinez	15 Jun, 2009	05 Jun, 2013
Steve Bruce	26 Nov, 2007	03 Jun, 2009
Frank Barlow	05 Nov, 2007	26 Nov, 2007
Chris Hutchings	14 May, 2007	05 Nov, 2007
Paul Jewell	12 Jun, 2001	14 May, 2007
Steve Bruce	04 Apr, 2001	29 May, 2001
Colin Greenall	27 Feb, 2001	04 Apr, 2001
Bruce Rioch	26 Jun, 2000	27 Feb, 2001
John Benson	21 May, 1999	26 Jun, 2000
Ray Mathias	04 Aug, 1998	21 May, 1999
John Deehan	02 Aug, 1995	01 Jun, 1998
Alex Cribley	01 Aug, 1995	31 Jul, 1995
Graham Barrow	01 Aug, 1994	09 Oct, 1995
Dave Philpotts	01 Aug, 1993	31 Jul, 1993
Kenny Swain	28 May, 1993	02 Sep, 1994
Bryan Hamilton	15 Mar, 1989	06 Jul, 1989
Ray Mathias	01 Jun, 1986	15 Mar, 1989
Bryan Hamilton	01 Mar, 1985	03 Jun, 1986
Bobby Charlton	04 Apr, 1983	31 Jul, 1983
Harry McNally	22 Mar, 1983	01 Mar, 1985
Larry Lloyd	01 Mar, 1981	04 Apr, 1983
Ian McNeill	01 May, 1976	28 Feb, 1981

 

[ZAKKY]

For me

1 Paul Jewell
2 Steve Bruce
3 Roberto Martinez
4 Ian McNeill
5 Paul Cook

Honoury mention to Graham Barrow who has had the job 4 times

 

[Stetic]

Ray Mathias worked a miracle in his first spell having to build a new squad yet still had us at the top end of the table and reached the FA cup quarter final. Treated poorly by the club

 

[Whelans broken leg]

Steve Bruce best premier league team
Paul jewel attacking football. Joy to watch
Ian ,McNeil. Club legend. With out him would never have happened
Ray Mathias. Very unlucky played the game how it should be.

Harry Mcnally brought some great young players

 

[moonay]

Funny isn't it ... how quickly people forget stuff, or maybe simply choose not to remember it.

Maloney getting slagged off for not being able to motivate a team with little to play for, and yet Steve Bruce's efforts are conveniently excused ... a clear cut case of double standards.

Oh, and of course the answer is Roberto ... just for that 3 month period when we were Brazil.

 

[jeffs right]

Jewell
Bruce
Milne
McNeil
Hamilton
Mathias
Brown
Richardson
Lloyd
Martinez

 

[jocklatic]

Funny isn't it ... how quickly people forget stuff, or maybe simply choose not to remember it.

Maloney getting slagged off for not being able to motivate a team with little to play for, and yet Steve Bruce's efforts are conveniently excused ... a clear cut case of double standards.

Oh, and of course the answer is Roberto ... just for that 3 month period when we were Brazil.

Funny isn't it ....how quickly you like to slag fellow posters off for not being the same mind set / opinion as you be that on this thread, matchday thread or a thread containing criticism of the club....

 

[moonay]

Funny isn't it ....how quickly you like to slag fellow posters off for not being the same mind set / opinion as you be that on this thread, matchday thread or a thread containing criticism of the club....

"Slag off fellow posters?" You sure? I may disagree with their opinions, but isn't that kind of the point of this board?

The other day, I had a little pop at JR, but that was only cos of his the incessant nature of his posts making everything into an opportunity to slag off Maloney.

In this instance, I'm making a reasonable comparison between two managers who both managed two teams on the beach, yet one seems to find forgiveness more forthcoming.

 

[jocklatic]

"Slag off fellow posters?" You sure? I may disagree with their opinions, but isn't that kind of the point of this board?

The other day, I had a little pop at JR, but that was only cos of his the incessant nature of his posts making everything into an opportunity to slag off Maloney.

In this instance, I'm making a reasonable comparison between two managers who both managed two teams on the beach, yet one seems to find forgiveness more forthcoming.

Oh OK maybe not 'slag off' ...but def have a pop at posters who criticise the club.
In your instance making the comparison between SM / SB.....
My take on it is ....SB had got us to safety & the on the beach mentality wasn't as mind numbingly boring as the current dirge on offer from SM considering players may well be playing for a contract. Surely your not gonna give us a positive spin on today's borefest.....cue your positive post

 

[moonay]

Oh OK maybe not 'slag off' ...but def have a pop at posters who criticise the club.
In your instance making the comparison between SM / SB.....
My take on it is ....SB had got us to safety & the on the beach mentality wasn't as mind numbingly boring as the current dirge on offer from SM considering players may well be playing for a contract. Surely your not gonna give us a positive spin on today's borefest.....cue your positive post

It's not just a case of criticising the club ... it's about justification and context. Similarly with the SC (and you yourself I think now understand that situation much better).

Not sure if you bought Mudhutter today, but Martin Tarbuck's opening article summarised it brilliantly. Criticism can be fair, but it can also be wildly misplaced also.

 

[jocklatic]

It's not just a case of criticising the club ... it's about justification and context. Similarly with the SC (and you yourself I think now understand that situation much better).

Not sure if you bought Mudhutter today, but Martin Tarbuck's opening article summarised it brilliantly. Criticism can be fair, but it can also be wildly misplaced also.

Got delivered this morning but not read it yet....could have taken it to the game as I'd have had plenty of time to read it

 

[runcornfan1978]

In my time:
1 Jewell
2 Mathias
3 Martinez
4 McNally
5 Bruce

 

[AbramLatic1]

1) Jewell, 2) Martinez, 3) Mathias, 4) Bruce, 5) McNally, 6) Richardson, 7) Lloyd

 

[Jonnysking]

Jewell
Bruce
Milne
McNeil
Hamilton
Mathias
Brown
Richardson
Lloyd
Martinez

What? No Maloney on your list, I'm gobsmacked Jeff.

 

[removed at members request]

Funny isn't it ... how quickly people forget stuff, or maybe simply choose not to remember it.

Maloney getting slagged off for not being able to motivate a team with little to play for, and yet Steve Bruce's efforts are conveniently excused ... a clear cut case of double standards.

Oh, and of course the answer is Roberto ... just for that 3 month period when we were Brazil.

The expectations/hope of the majority of supporters in 2008-09 was to stay up in the toughest league in the world. Maloney can say it all he wants, but that wasn’t the expectation/hope of the majority of supporters in League One this season. Maybe for you and a few others, but not the majority with this squad being a top six one on paper in August.

That’s before we mention that Steve Bruce had his best player and one of his most important players both sold under his nose in the midst of a European push. Shaun Maloney has been lucky enough to keep his best players in January. Had Hughes and Tickle been sold, I suspect significantly more sympathy would be afforded to the manager.

 

[moonay]

The expectations/hope of the majority of supporters in 2008-09 was to stay up in the toughest league in the world. Maloney can say it all he wants, but that wasn’t the expectation/hope of the majority of supporters in League One this season. Maybe for you and a few others, but not the majority with this squad being a top six one on paper in August.

That’s before we mention that Steve Bruce had his best player and one of his most important players both sold under his nose in the midst of a European push. Shaun Maloney has been lucky enough to keep his best players in January. Had Hughes and Tickle been sold, I suspect significantly more sympathy would be afforded to the manager.

There's delusion, then there's this.

We got rid of anyone we could in the summer, the only ones staying being those who we couldn't flog, or those earning tuppence ... and yet somehow, we were a top 6 squad at the start of the season ?! ... but enough, I've discussed this to death with KDZ and agreed to disagree.

I have to smile when you excuse Bruce cos he lost Palacios, but somehow don't afford the same leniency to Maloney who lost Keane, Whatmough, Naylor, etc.

Qué Sera Sera.

Edit - the bold bit ... for clarity.

 

[Jonnysking]

Had Hughes and Tickle been sold, I suspect significantly more sympathy would be afforded to the manager.

No sympathy whatsoever would have been afforded to him from me, as he would have still continued to play the most boring football ever to have been played by a Wigan Athletic side.
All the bad managers of the past may have had poorer records overall, or arguably had better players, but even at their worst, Toure, Malky and Joyce included, they did try to attack, and tried to win games.
I can't even remember being as bored at football matches under Martinez, and he seemed to be the one who invented this boring shite that we play at the moment.
Yesterdays formation of 3-7-0 was pathetic. We packed the mid field, yet still got over run by relegation fodder.
Fair play to PV for at least trying, and without Tickles double save and the two sitters from headers in the 2nd half it could have been even more embarrassing than that it was.

 

[moonay]

What? No Maloney on your list, I'm gobsmacked Jeff.

I'm surprised he's (presumably reluctantly) put Martinez on.

 

[St. Column Major]

"Slag off fellow posters?" You sure? I may disagree with their opinions, but isn't that kind of the point of this board?

The other day, I had a little pop at JR, but that was only cos of his the incessant nature of his posts making everything into an opportunity to slag off Maloney.

In this instance, I'm making a reasonable comparison between two managers who both managed two teams on the beach, yet one seems to find forgiveness more forthcoming.

You had a right strop with me last week because I made a comment that you didn't like, by all means have a pop about football or any of our opinions about the club, but all you was bothered about was spelling and commas, you do it regularly when your 'opinions' are questioned.