Sir
Alex Ferguson is the best manager in the Premier League era - and Arsene
Wenger has beaten Jose Mourinho to second place, according to a new
Sky
Sports study.
Former Manchester United boss Ferguson – who won 13 Premier League titles –
comfortably saw off his rivals to top our rankings table, while Wenger’s
consistency at Arsenal edged him ahead of Chelsea’s Mourinho.
Further down the list, Manchester City title-winners Roberto Mancini and
Manuel Pellegrini completed the top five, while Roy Evans is the top-ranked
English boss in 10th.
To compile the table, we awarded managers points on the following criteria:
– Points-per-game
– Titles won
– Top-four finishes
– Longevity
The manager’s points-per-game record was multiplied by 10, while 50 points
were awarded for each title win, 15 for a top-four finish and five for every
100 Premier League games managed.
For every relegation suffered, the manager lost 30 points – meaning Harry
Redknapp, despite leading Tottenham to two top-four finishes, misses out.
The table only includes managers who have managed at least 50 Premier League
games, too, so there is no place for Louis van Gaal or Guus Hiddink.
However, the rankings do not take into account a manager’s success in the
transfer market, development of young players, or triumphs in cup
competitions.
The top 10
With 13 Premier League titles to his name, Sir Alex Ferguson is a clear
victor in the rankings table. Indeed, that tally of title wins is unmatched
in the history of English football. Such was Manchester United’s excellence
under the Scot in the Premier League, they only finished outside of the top
two three times in 21 seasons.
The worst it got was third place in 2001/02, 2003/04 and 2004/05. Three
titles in a row between 1998/99 and 2000/01 was another first for a manager
in England’s top flight and Ferguson repeated the feat between 2006/07 and
2008/09.
Ferguson retired in 2013 – after steering United to the championship once
more – with a 2.16 points-per-game record, an astounding achievement from
810 Premier League games.
Next up is Arsene Wenger, who has won three Premier League titles during his
19 seasons in north London. That’s the same number as third-placed Jose
Mourinho, however it is the Gunners’ consistency under the Frenchman which
helps him into second spot.
Arsenal have never finished outside of the top four under Wenger. While
their much-publicised wait for a league title since their last triumph in
2003/04 has irritated fans and been used as ammunition by critics, Wenger
has consistently kept Arsenal among the top places over 714 games.
In contrast, Mourinho, who is yet to hit the 200-game mark in the Premier
League, has a phenomenal strike rate, with three title wins in five
completed seasons at Chelsea. Mourinho – who won back-to-back Premier League
trophies in his first two seasons at Stamford Bridge – boasts the best
points-per-game score of any manager in the table and, like Wenger, has
never finished outside of the top four.
After winning the 2014/15 crown, Mourinho could propel himself even further
up these rankings in the coming years should he sustain Chelsea’s success.
Manchester City’s title-winning managers Roberto Mancini and Manuel
Pellegrini take fourth and fifth place respectively. Mancini – who led the
club to their first league triumph in 44 years in 2012 – leads his Chilean
successor by a mere eight ranking points, with his three fourth-place
finishes trumping Pellegrini’s superior 2.17 points-per-game tally. However,
the 2013/14 Premier League-winning manager is plotting another title-chasing
season with City in 2015/16...
Kenny Dalglish led Blackburn Rovers to the Premier League title in 1994/95,
following two top-four finishes, and steered Newcastle to a runners-up spot
in 1996/97 after taking over from Kevin Keegan in the January of that
season. A second spell as Liverpool boss proved less fruitful in the league
but, after taking charge of 238 Premier League matches, Dalglish’s record
remains impressive.
Despite managing just 76 Premier League games, Carlo Ancelotti made his mark
in the division, winning the 2009/10 title with Chelsea with a thumping 8-0
win over Wigan to finish one point clear of Ferguson’s United. A remarkable
late-season rally in the following campaign almost propelled Chelsea to
back-to-back titles, but instead they finished runners-up in Ancelotti’s
second term, with the Italian sacked just hours after a final day defeat at
Everton.
The first manager in the rankings not to have won a Premier League title is
Rafael Benitez. The Spaniard managed Liverpool for six years from June 2004,
with his best league campaign with the Reds coming in 2008/09, when
Liverpool finished second, four points behind Manchester United. Benitez
returned to England’s top flight with Chelsea in November 2012 and steered
the club to a third-place finish – the fifth top-four placing of his Premier
League career.
Gerard Houllier was Benitez’s predecessor at Anfield and follows the
Spaniard in our rankings. While the Frenchman enjoyed plenty of cup success
with Liverpool, Houllier also racked up four top-four finishes during his
tenure, including a second place in 2001/02. Houllier also had a season with
Aston Villa in 2010/11 and has managed 249 Premier League games.
Roy Evans, the first Englishman on the list, completes the top 10 – and a
three-man succession of Liverpool managers in our rankings, having preceded
and then worked jointly with Houllier at Anfield. After taking over from
Graeme Souness midway through the 1993/94 season and finishing eighth, Evans
led Liverpool to four straight top-four finishes.
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