Poll: Who Is The Best Manager In The Premier League Right Now?

By The Gaffer on December 23, 2008 (3 years ago)

Based on current form, who would you say is the best football manager in the Premier League right now? Consider what players he has at his disposal and what he’s getting out of them. Vote now.

17 Responses

  1. gnnnnn
    gnnnnn
    December 23, 2008 at 11:59 am | | Reply


    where the f**k arsen wenger is??????

  2. Raatzie
    Raatzie
    December 23, 2008 at 12:48 pm | | Reply


    Brown 1, O'Neill 2, Hodgson and Megson in a race for third.

  3. p@
    p@
    December 23, 2008 at 4:04 pm | | Reply


    someone needs to fix this poll and put Wenger in there…….. ass

  4. The Gaffer
    The Gaffer
    December 23, 2008 at 4:22 pm | | Reply


    Based on the form in the past six games, Arsenal finish eleventh out of the 20 teams in the Premier League. Plus they lost to Burnley in the Carling Cup and Porto in the Champions League. So, tell me why Wenger deserves to be in this list.

    Cheers,
    The Gaffer

  5. Burt Reynolds
    Burt Reynolds
    December 23, 2008 at 9:02 pm | | Reply


    Gaffer, the poll also says in the Premier League, not Champions League or Carling Cup.. but I think anybody who chooses Wenger is mad. Anyways, with that in mind Villa has only looked shabby in Europe, so I would say O'Neill for building that squad and little by little turning them into a team to challenge the big four. Megson deserves a lot of credit too. Not to long ago I thought they were going to be relegated for sure, and many media folks were targetting him to be sacked long before the likes of Ince. He's turned it around though, and Bolton's gave a few clubs good thrashings. Good on Bolton for sticking with him. Hodgson and Brown are also very noteworthy for their way beyond expectation performance. Sbragia… no way. Waaaay tooooo early to say.

  6. jm
    jm
    December 23, 2008 at 11:02 pm | | Reply


    I'm not sure I'd pick Wenger either, but I'm not sure how to evaluate a manager based on the current form of his squad. Instead, perhaps one can talk about the season. Otherwise we can talk about individual tactical decisions, and such, but current form fluctuates way too much based on factors beyond the managers control.

    Generally, managers should be evaluated over the span of several seasons, that way one can evaluate the long term effectiveness of their roster construction and tactic selection within that roster. Within this model, I think the question of the best manager in the league is between Wenger and Ferguson. I can be swayed either way based on one's selection criteria.

    Of course, we cannot do that all the time, as managers get fired too quickly. In that case, we have to settle for as long of a time period as possible. Unfortunately, Premier League clubs (like most professional leagues) tend to drop and pick managers based on small samples, leading to a lack of consistency within the club. This means that roster construction styles and tactics shift far too often. Managers like Wenger and Ferguson are partly (obviously they have tenure because of their success as well) successful because they have been able to construct their clubs with a single plan over long periods of time.

    So I would refocus my attention. I couldn't care less about the Burnley loss (or especially the Porto loss in an essentially meaningless game) as indications of Wenger's quality as a manager this season. I do think, however, that he should not be in consideration for manager of the year thus far. The reasons are not individual results, or even the recent run of games, so much as the roster construction decisions he has made – and the effect it has had on Arsenal's season. In particular, his decision/failure to replace Flamini has been costly, as has the lack of depth (now further exacerbated by the devastating Fabregas injury). This Arsenal side has shown that it can play just as well as last season's side, but its inconsistency is due in large part to a couple of curious decisions by Wenger, and he deserves criticism for that.

    Note, however, that I still think he is a candidate for best manager in the league. There is an ambiguity in the phrasing “best football manager in the league right now” between a stable talent for managing and the manager who has performed best during some run of games. As to the latter, I think we need to look at the decisions over the whole season thus far, and on those grounds, Wenger's exclusion is reasonable. Were the question the former, then it would not be and so perhaps this is the reason for the disagreement.

  7. Sandinista
    Sandinista
    December 24, 2008 at 12:03 am | | Reply


    Uh….you lot are daft. Wenger should be sacked, not included on this list. That said, it's a bloody travesty that Redknapp isn't included. He's done more than anyone this season, whether you like the man or not he deserves his props.

  8. Scott
    Scott
    December 24, 2008 at 2:02 am | | Reply


    Write-in vote for Moyes. Everton's done quite well to be where they are with all of their injuries. They started off poorly, but after the transfers like Fellaini became acclimated they've played much better. They'll probably need another striker in January with Yakubu out, but I think they're in decent shape to stay close to the top all season, and I think a lot of the credit has to go to Moyes.

  9. williamhill
    williamhill
    December 24, 2008 at 4:59 am | | Reply


    even if wenger is in the list, statistically hes quite poor right now. and i agree with sandinista, wheres redknapp?

  10. Mark U
    Mark U
    December 24, 2008 at 10:39 am | | Reply


    On the criteria of what players he has at his disposal and what he is getting out of them I can't see a better manager than Phil Brown .
    Ian Ashbee , Andy Dawson and Bo Myhill played for Hull City in League 2 . Nicky Barmby was discarded by Leeds about 5 years ago . Geovanni got about 4 games for Manchester City last season . Who had ever heard of Kamil Zayate before Brown signed him ?
    Phil Brown isn't a manager , he's a miracle worker .

  11. ls7
    ls7
    December 24, 2008 at 12:17 pm | | Reply


    I was torn between voting for Phil Brown and Roy Hodgson. Hodgson has quietly gone about his business and turned Fulham around from the shambolic state they were in when he took over. He has them playing well again this season (currently sitting 8th) and they might even manage to win a game away from Craven Cottage this season. :)

    As for Brown, one has to wonder one much of the success that Bolton enjoyed was due to his influence as Allardyce's assistant. He has done a magnificent job with Hull. They should be able to avoid the drop this year considering they are already at 27 points but he has not let them become complacent. I think they will end up finishing in the Top 10 ala Wigan a couple of seasons ago.

    I ended up voting for Hodgson just because he has not gotten much press but both are good picks in my mind.

  12. Brad
    Brad
    April 26, 2009 at 5:49 am | | Reply


    David Moyes deserves a lot of credit for what he has achieved and with the amount of money at his disposal. His Team has been plagued with injuries and he has still managed to get them to the FA Cup final. This is the reason that he has to be the best manager in the Premier League or at least considered as a candidate.

  13. mahatma ghandi
    mahatma ghandi
    October 20, 2009 at 2:43 pm | | Reply


    looks like whoever made this pole is rather stupid. its missed out the BEST managers like Harry Redknap, Arsene wenger, David Moyes but they stick on phil brown and rafa benitez. god its a joke!!!!

  14. Andrew Agutu
    Andrew Agutu
    October 27, 2009 at 6:16 am | | Reply


    where the hell is wenger he is the best

  15. chellah
    chellah
    February 27, 2010 at 4:11 am | | Reply


    first of all why are they only 7 Managers there?.. am a Chelsea fan, but out of respect i don’t think wenger should be left out. he has contributed so much in permier league.

  16. Clearly
    Clearly
    September 21, 2010 at 5:04 pm | | Reply


    Sir Alex Ferguson, no doubt, no one aside, no one above. And it will never be.

  17. Nima
    Nima
    September 28, 2010 at 3:30 pm | | Reply


    Avram Grant is the best.
    nima_kabir@hotmail.com

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