The 50 greatest managers of all time

How it works

The formula is divided into four main strands.

One: Since managers are most superficially measured by what they win, the first is mere trophy count. As such, the specified points are awarded for winning the following competitions:

Two: However, trophies do not tell the full tale. So, in order to balance the findings so they go beyond big clubs and take in pure management, the second strand is based on average league positions.For example, Nottingham Forest’s average league position in the five years before Brian Clough took over was 28th in England (when laying out the divisions as one continuous list). The average during his time at the City Ground, however, was ninth.So, with 30 points for each position, Clough earns an extra 570 for his dramatic improvement of the club.Alternatively, if a manager’s tenure sees his club drop – as in the case of Arsene Wenger with Nancy – points are deducted.A similar system applies to international football, where a tournament victory is considered first place, a semi-final appearance third and non-qualification 20th. So, to illustrate, in the five tournaments before Otto Rehhagel took over Greece, they only qualified for one – giving them an average of 18. Their Euro 2004 victory therefore was a huge bonus.

Three: In order to get a fair reflection as to whether a manager actually used his available resources efficiently, the third strand attempted to offset the above points against the relevant figures. This was done on a season-by-season basis.If a club’s seasonal expenditure (in terms of transfers and wages combined) was 217% of their domestic competition’s average, then the manager’s points for that season were multiplied by 0.783. If it was 350%, they were multiplied by 0.65. If it was 80%, they were multiplied by 1.2… and so forth.The yearly figures were then added together to get a manager’s total.

Four: Bonus points were also awarded for the following significant achievements:

Contents

• Introduction
• Managers 50-41
• Managers 40-31
• Managers 30-21
• Managers 20-11
• Managers 10-1
• How it works
• Numbers breakdown: the best represented countries and decades
• The managers who missed out and why
• The full list