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Every England Manager Ranked Worst To Best
Blogs

Every England Manager Ranked Worst To Best

Every England Manager Ranked Worst To Best

Having come close to glory with two narrow losses in major championship finals under Gareth Southgate, England are on the brink of a new era following the appointment of Thomas Tuchel.

The appointment of the UEFA Champions League winning manager turned heads and suggested that the Three Lions believe his ability to guide teams through tournaments is what has been missing.

England have underperformed since winning the World Cup in 1966, not winning a single honour since that famous day.

In this piece we take a look at every permanent England manager in history and rank them from worst to best.

15. Sam Allardyce (2016)

Sam Allardyce takes the spot of the worst permanent England manager, having taken charge of just one game before leaving his position by mutual consent in September 2016.

Allardyce would leave the job just 67 days after being appointed by the FA due to his role in the 2016 English football corruption scandal.

Big Sam’s sole match in charge of the Three Lions was a 1-0 win against Slovakia, thanks to a stoppage time goal from Adam Lallana.

14. Steve McClaren (2006-2007)

Steve McClaren was given the opportunity to manage the England national team, having guided Middlesbrough to the UEFA Cup final in 2006.

Despite having a squad that had the likes of Wayne Rooney, Frank Lampard David Beckham and Steven Gerrard, McClaren failed to qualify for Euro 2008 - the first time England had failed to qualify for the tournament since Euro 1984.

McClaren was ultimately sacked by the FA with a record of nine wins, four draws and five losses from 18 matches.

13. Don Revie (1974-1977)

Having built a resume that consisted of two league titles, an FA Cup and a League Cup with Leeds United, Don Revie was viewed as the ideal candidate to replace the great Alf Ramsey in 1974.

However, Revie’s tenure with England proved that club success does not always translate to international football. Revie lasted three years in the role before leaving to manage the United Arab Emirates.

The Leeds United legend failed to qualify for the Euro 1976 and played a major role in England’s failure to qualify for the 1978 World Cup.

12. Kevin Keegan (1999-2000)

Kevin Keegan’s reign as England manager was also a short one, lasting just 18 games before resigning after a loss to Germany in England’s first 2002 World Cup qualifier.

Keegan would manage to qualify for a major tournament during his tenure, defeating Scotland in a Euro 2000 play-off, before being knocked out of the competition in the group stage.

Keegan would leave the Three Lions with the lowest win percentage of any permanent manager with 38.9%.

11. Graham Taylor (1990-1993)

The appointment of Graham Taylor in 1990 was met with criticism from the media due to Taylor’s failure to win a major trophy and the ‘outdated’ tactics he used with Aston Villa.

Despite the critics, England would lose just one of Taylor’s opening 23 matches in charge of the nation.

However, things would go south for the former Aston Villa manager, who managed to qualify for Euro 1992 in a less than convincing fashion.

Elimination from the competition in the group stage and failure to qualify for the 1994 World Cup led to Taylor’s resignation. Taylor would take charge of England 38 times winning 18, drawing 13 and losing seven times - a win percentage of 47.4%.

10. Fabio Capello (2008-2012)

Fabio Capello’s appointment in 2008 was seen as a step in the right direction. A world-class manager, who was coming off the back of a La Liga title with Real Madrid was a different approach and more ambitious choice from the FA.

With seven league titles and a UEFA Champions League under his belt, the appointment of Capello came with expectations of bringing the Three Lions back to past glory.

Despite a dominant 2010 World Cup qualifying campaign and a ‘Golden Generation’ of a squad, Capello’s side failed to go further than the Round of 16 stage of the tournament.

The Three Lions were ultimately dumped out of the competition 4-1 by Germany. Capello would resign in 2012 due to the FA’s decision to strip John Terry of captaincy due to his role in a tabloid scandal.

Capello currently holds the highest winning percentage of any permanent England manger, who has managed more than two games (66.7%).

9. Roy Hodgson (2012-2016)

England wasn’t Roy Hodgson’s first international management gig having taken charge of Switzerland, United Arab Emirates and Finland previously.

Hodgson would qualify for three major tournaments during his tenure with the Three Lions but failed to progress further than the quarter-final stage.

Hodgson’s reign will best be remembered for the round of 16 loss to Iceland at Euro 2016.

8. Glenn Hoddle (1996-1999)

Glenn Hoddle brought an attacking, free flowing style of play to the Three Lions, following his appointment in 1996.

Hoddle would guide England to qualification for the 1998 World Cup, losing to Argentina on penalties in the round of 16.

Unfortunately for Hoddle his spell with England lasted just three years, having been relived from his duties due to comments he made suggesting that disabled people were being punished for sins in a former life.

Hoddle departed with a record of 17 wins, six draws and five losses from 28 matches - a win percentage of 60.7%.

7. Ron Greenwood (1977-1982)

Following the departure of Don Revie, Ron Greenwood was given the opportunity to take charge of England on a caretaker basis.

Having attempted to get England’s 1978 World Cup qualifying campaign back on track, the Three Lions failed to make the tournament.

Despite failing to qualify for the tournament, Greenwood would be given the job permanently. He managed to secure qualification for Euro 1980 and the 1982 World Cup - their World Cup in twelve years.

Greenwood retired from management after the World Cup, having been knocked out in the second group stage.

Greenwood would break barriers during his tenure as his choice to call-up Viv Anderson in 1978 was the first time a black player was selected to represent England.

6. Sven-Goran Eriksson (2001-2006)

Sven-Goran Eriksson was the first foreign manager of England, being appointed by the FA following a stellar career with Lazio which consisted of eight trophies - including a Serie A title, UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup and UEFA Super Cup.

Eriksson was able to reach the quarter-final stage of every tournament they participated in, losing on penalties at Euro 2024 and the 2006 World Cup.

Eriksson improved England’s FIFA World Rankings place from 17th to 4th by the 2006 World Cup. He also achieved the highest point percentage in major tournament matches by an England manager.

5. Walter Winterbottom (1946-1962)

Walter Winterbottom was the first manager of the England national team having taken the role in 1946.

Winterbottom guided England to four successive World Cups, reaching the quarter-final on two occasions.

Despite not winning any major tournaments, Winterbottom’s impact goes further than just what happened on the pitch.

He was a key contributor in allowing the manager to have full control over squad selection rather than the FA and made the association aware of the upcoming dominance from teams in South America.

4. Terry Venables (1994-1996)

Taking charge of the Three Lions in 1994, Terry Venables came closer than anyone on the list so far to making a major tournament final.

Venables would guide his side to the semi-final of Euro 1996, exiting the competition in heart-breaking fashion as England would lose on penalties to Germany.

Venables’ style of attacking football lit up the competition with Paul Gascoigne being a standout performer during the tournament.

He would eventually step down from his position, following Euro 1996 having felt a lack of backing from the FA regarding ongoing legal disputes during his tenure.

3. Bobby Robson (1982-1990)

Bobby Robson makes the top three of this list thanks to his efforts in bringing England back into contention for mahout tournaments.

Having not qualified for Euro 1984, England would secure entry to the next three successive competitions, being knocked out in the quarter-final of the 1986 World Cup and the group stage of Euro 1988.

However it was the 1990 World Cup which Robson is fondly remembered for. Robson would lead England to the semi-final of the competition - only the second coach to achieve this milestone. England would eventually lose to eventual winners West Germany on penalties.

Robson’s tenure would last eight years, although he had attempted to resign from the role on multiple occasions over the years.

He would ultimately depart in 1990 accepting an offer to become the manager of PSV Eindhoven.

2. Gareth Southgate (2016-2024)

Gareth Southgate was appointed caretaker manager of the Three Lions following the departure of Sam Allardyce.

With his only managerial experience being a relegation with Middlesbrough and a three year spell with the England U21’s, many expected Southgate to just be a placeholder while the FA looked for a permanent manager.

However, an impressive spell in temporary charge saw the former England international become the manager of the nation he once represented.

Southgate’s impact on the England side was clear to see from day one, a fresh approach with new faces was something the national team had been missing.

He would guide England to their World Cup first semi-final in almost 30 years, taking Croatia to extra time before being eliminated.

An impressive outing at the World Cup was followed up with a Euro 2020 campaign which had England dreaming once more. The Three Lions would defeat Germany in the semi-final to advance to their first ever European Championship final. With the final taking place on home soil, England took the lead early on before losing on penalties to Italy. A crushing blow but a journey that was celebrated up and down the county.

A quarter-final defeat at the 2022 World Cup at the hands of France was next on the agenda before Southgate would lead England to a second consecutive European Championship final in 2024.

It wasn’t to be for England once again as they lost to Spain in the final. Southgate would resign following the tournament.

Despite the lack of trophies, Southgate is the most successful England manager in recent times.

1. Alf Ramsey (1936-1974)

Only one person was going to top this list. Alf Ramsey remains the only manager to win a major tournament with England.

Ramsey guided England to World Cup glory in 1966 on home soil. The Three Lions defeated a Portugal side which included tournament top goal scorer Eusebio to reach the final before beating West Germany in the final.

Ramsey’s tenure lasted 11 years and included a third place medal at Euro 1968 and quarter-final places at the 1970 World Cup and Euro 1972.

Despite being sacked for failing to qualify for the 1974 World Cup, the success achieved under Ramsey negates the majority of criticism he faced towards the end of his reign.

What’s next?

Thomas Tuchel got off to winning ways defeating Albania 2-0 in a professional performance. The German manager is expected to take England over the final hurdle and bring silverware to a nation that has been starved for 59 years.

With experience in winning knockout competitions and the squad at his disposal, it’s fair to say that this might be England’s best shot in quite some time.

Benji Kosartiyer
Journalist
Reece Coughlan

Writer

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