A thread to pay homage to some of the great leaders in sport.
A few to start us off in no particular order (not listing achievements but suggesting why they’ve contributed so much):
Martin O’Neill
Unquestionably gifted motivator. At every club he’s been at he has had an immediate impact in getting the most out of the players at the club and he has sustained that generally over time.
From taking Wycombe into the league, getting them promoted and pushing for promotion to the second flight to his current resurgence of Sunderland via a European final at Celtic he has consistently delivered but that has been accompanied by a galvanising influence on the supporters and a huge influence on individual players. John Hartson was on Sky this morning talking about how complex the psychology was but how every player was in no doubt that if they gave everything for his team then he’d reward them. Seems like basic stuff but few get their teams playing for them the way O’Neill does.
Lucien Favre
Swiss manager who was hugely successful with FC Zurich, did well with Hertha before being harshly sacked, and now has Borussia Moenchengladbach playing terrific football. He plays what is generally called a “Barcelona style” system with really quick passing and overloading the attack when they go forward. But he’s not just about passing - he’s all about pace with the ball and really organised team defence when they don’t have it.
A footballing visionary, the first manager to bring the ‘false 9’ into vogue, who has always had his teams play exciting direct football. Transformed a Roma side in financial turmoil into Serie A challengers with some good results in the Champions League along the way despite constantly losing key elements to his side during this time (Cassano, Chivu, Mancini, Aquilani etc.) Did some very good work with Udinese preceding this and has recently guided Zenit to the CL last 16 as well as being on course for back-to-back Russian titles.
Giovanni Trapattoni - An incredible record at club level that is pretty much unparalleled in modern day management. Has transformed our fortunes and the improvement has been constant since he took over
Harry Williams - Took an average group of Ulster players (only eight of whom were professional) and brought them success in European Cup. Back in the days when Irish rugby was distinctly average he put down a massive marker that Irish sides could not only compete but win at that level. Tactically very astute coach.
Jonathan Vaughters - Part of ugly US Postal team where he say all the wrongs of the sport. Since then he has played a large part in transforming cycling. He was a visionary and while some came before him and fought a losing battle, he is doing superbly with a team that has a relatively average budget and all on water. Not only has he inspired people on his team that you can win clean but he has also inspired a large percentage of the peloton.
I’m not sure about O’Neill. Celtic is the biggest club he managed and he did well there. But there is undoubtedly a large gap between the top of the SPL and EPL and he has yet to manage a club in the latter. His knowledge of the game outside of the UK is questionable as well. I read somewhere that John Carew was the only signing outside of England he made during his time at Villa.
He took Villa from relegation candidates to a side competing for Champions League football. He took Leicester from the first division to being a top half Premiership, coupled with silverware and European football on a shoestring budget. He completely reinvigorated Celtic from a horror decade to being a widely respected and feared club in Europe. Recently he has brought Sunderland from relegation candidates to a club who could be in the hunt for European football. He may have certain shortcomings but his track record is fantastic and his teams always set up to win and attack. You only have to look what happened these clubs in the aftermath of when he departed, they all went backwards.
You may be thinking of a different Martin O’Neill but I’m fairly sure he has managed a club in the EPL.
Anyway I disagree with your assessment. If we’re identifying managers with traits that they’re excellent at then O’Neill (while very different to the likes of Spaletti of Favre or a Van Gaal) is superb at man-management. I think he’d be better if he had more extensive scouting personnel but judging him on his motivation alone he’s almost peerless.
At the helm for 5 Lucozade Sports Astro League title victories and still hungry for more. Molded a championship winning team from a motley crew of individuals who promised little at the outset. Didn’t settle for being a one time kingpin, instead constantly reshaping the squad from a position of strength while introducing new systems and tactical innovations*. Has also overcome adversity to build another title winning squad this season. Combines the best parts of O’Neill and Spalletti, a superb motivator and man-manager blessed with unbelievable tactical acumen.
The team can readily play 2-2-1, 1-1-2-1 or 2-3-0. The first 6 a-side manager to develop the ‘false 5’ position.
The modesty the TFK Astro players, legends such as Bandage, show in giving all the glory to their manager is testament to his leadership of this great bunch of lads. Its a privilige to live in a time when we can enjoy this great team. Long may they last. Well done Rocko.
At the helm for 5 Lucozade Sports Astro League title victories and still hungry for more. Molded a championship winning team from a motley crew of individuals who promised little at the outset. Didn’t settle for being a one time kingpin, instead constantly reshaping the squad from a position of strength while introducing new systems and tactical innovations*. Has also overcome adversity to build another title winning squad this season. Combines the best parts of O’Neill and Spalletti, a superb motivator and man-manager blessed with unbelievable tactical acumen.
The team can readily play 2-2-1, 1-1-2-1 or 2-3-0. The first 6 a-side manager to develop the ‘false 5’ position. [/quote]
Graham Arnold - arrived at the poorest club in the A League at the start of last season. Pundits predicted we would finish bottom. We narrowly lost the Grand Final and now lead this seasons competition by 5 points with a game in hand, playing lovely passing football. His management of a cobbled together squad made up of unproven kids and on loan journeymen has been remarkable. Every club in the league wants him to manage them, every club wants our players. I thought we’d have a clear out in January, but these players, who could earn more elsewhere, want to stay at the club under his tutelage.
We will lose him eventually, but the work he’s done and loyalty he’s shown will always earn our respect.
Glasgow Celtic went further in Europe under Strachan and won 3 SPL titles in a row after
MON left. That despite having the cut a lot of high earners off the books.
MON’s 3 out of 5 SPL titles record is hardly spectacular. His CL record was laughable during the same period.
MON didn’t take Villa higher in the EPL than Little, Gregory or DOL. Little and Gregory both
had better cup records. He spent 100m net during his tenure where there were many highlights but ultimately he fell short of delivering CL football. I find him a very decent motivator and organiser of a team (set pieces in particular Villa have been a shambles at this since he left) but when it comes to scouting, player rotation, using money wisely, basically all the intellectual stuff that he seems cut out for, he falls badly short. The Carew Baros swap was instigated by Houllier. the early links to the likes of Kevin Davies would worry me if I was a Sunderland fan.
