[Football] Who's the best manager England have ever had?

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Who has been the best in your view?


  • Total voters
    169








papachris

Well-known member
Alf Ramsey obviously the best because of winning the World Cup, but I was only 4 then so can't say I knew anything about it.
But the 1990 World Cup with Bobby Robson and his team. I think I've never known such passion and support for the England team like it was at that moment.
If you ever hear Pavarotti singing Nessun Dorma it takes you right back to that time
 




Rookie

Greetings
Feb 8, 2005
12,324
Sir Bobby, top manager and top bloke
 




Han Solo

Well-known member
May 25, 2024
2,454
Sven, Capello or Robson. Maybe not in terms of their England tenures, but as managers they are certainly up there. Sven is the last manager to win a European cup with an amateur team. Capellos achievements in general speak for themselves. Robson was a very brave coach who kept himself at the top of the game until the end.

Alf Ramsay... heh. Stanley Rous won the World Cup for England, no one else. 1978 in Argentina aside, the 1966 World Cup is the cup where FIFA and refs put down the most effort to create unfair advantages for the home nation. Just watch the quarter final against Argentina and tell me it was a fair game... nah, the win in 1966 was prearranged. Counts for nothing. Going to the semi final in 1990 with a pretty poor squad was a much stronger achievement.
 








Lenny Rider

Well-known member
Sep 15, 2010
6,010
Alf Ramsey, obviously. Silly question, and no need for a list of failed managers for a poll.
Until the introduction of substitutes, never got his head round the concept of it.

Two prime examples
June 1970 vs West Germany at Leon in Mexico, Bobby Charlton had Beckenbauer in his pocket, and was by his own admission fine, Sir Alf took him off with 20 mins left, England 2-0 up and it changed the game.
October 73 vs Poland at Wembley, England needed to beat Poland and at 1-1 Derby’s quality striker Kevin Hector got 90 secs as a sub, and still had a chance!

For me it’s between Ramsey and Robson, you could argue the loss of Bryan Robson, then the most complete English footballer, at both the 86 and 90 tournament, where we narrowly lost to both the eventual winners, was a huge factor, we will never know if Robbo would have led England to World Cup glory twice?

The same could be said for Sir Alf, regardless of the Hector Poland scenario, what if Gordon Banks had been wearing a seatbelt when he crashed his car in 1972, he wouldn’t have gone through the windscreen, and therefore would have almost certainly been in goal for England in the qualifiers instead of Shilton?

We had arguably the strongest ever England squad at Mexico, but had we gone to West Germany in 74 that squad would have run the 1970 pretty close.
 
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Bodian

Well-known member
May 3, 2012
14,245
Cumbria
'Best' doesn't necessarily equate with 'Most Successful'.

Venables for me, followed by Robson. They were the two that got real passion and enthusiasm (and belief) behind the teams we had at that time.
 


dangull

Well-known member
Feb 24, 2013
5,161
Considering we invented the game and now have the best and most exciting league in the world, 1966 being the only success in our history is underwhelming when you look at Germany and Italy with 4 World Cups and I can't be bothered to look at their Euro wins as well. France has in recent times had multiple world and euro titles as well.
 
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ManOfSussex

We wunt be druv
Apr 11, 2016
15,168
Rape of Hastings, Sussex
It's actually Robson. After The FA sacked the league and world cup winning Ramsey only Birmingham City wanted him.
 




Eeyore

Colonel Hee-Haw of Queen's Park
NSC Patron
Apr 5, 2014
25,901
It's actually Robson. After The FA sacked the league and world cup winning Ramsey only Birmingham City wanted him.
Not quite true. Ramsay effectively retired from management after that but Birmingham City persuaded him back a few years later.
 


bhadebenhams

Active member
Mar 14, 2009
353
Dean Wilkins
 




Official Old Man

Uckfield Seagull
Aug 27, 2011
9,095
Brighton
I too have gone for Sir Alf, simply because he done something no one else has, won some silverware.
But if you asked Greatest Albion Manager would it be between Mullery & Houghton, both took us to the promised land and in a way silverware, or RDZ who took us into Europe but won nothing.
Difficult question.
 




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