Stewarding the national football team has been labelled an ‘impossible job’ by some cynics – a role demanding lofty ambition despite a history of failure, and second only to that of Prime Minster, here we take a look at the 5 greatest England Managers of all time as Thomas Tutchel awaits the scrutiny of being the new Three Lions chief.
5 Greatest England Managers of All Time
Here we take a look at those who came through the job with their reputations reasonably intact. The top five England managers in the history of football.
Greatest England Managers: Sir Alf Ramsey
Given that football is about lifting trophies, it is difficult to argue the case that there has been a better England manager than Sir Alf Ramsey, who guided his nation to World Cup glory in 1966.
Ramsey’s so-called “Wingless Wonders” beat West Germany in a famous final at Wembley, with Geoff Hurst scoring a hat-trick in a 4-2 extra-time triumph. England beat Portugal, including Eusebio, in the semi-finals. From the knockout stages onwards, Ramsey did not employ any wingers. Ramsey was England manager from 1963 to 1974 and, to date, no other England manager has won a major trophy.
Greatest England Managers: Sir Walter Winterbottom
The England side was selected by an FA committee until 1946, the year that Walter Winterbottom became the first England manager. Nobody has been England manager for longer than Winterbottom, whose tenure lasted 16 years (1946 to 1962), including four appearances in the World Cup and a total of 139 matches.
The former Manchester United defender won 78 matches in charge, drew 33 and lost 28. At home England lost only six matches in Winterbottom’s time at the helm, while his team twice made the quarter-finals of the World Cup.
Greatest England Managers: Terry Venables
The most revered England manager of modern times is arguably Terry Venables, who produced a formation, tactics and style of play which captivated a nation during Euro 96 – a tournament which the Three Lions hosted and came so close to winning.
Venables, overseeing a team which included Paul Gascoigne and Alan Shearer, took England to the semi-finals. A thrilling 1-1 draw against Germany resulted, with England losing a penalty shootout 6-5, before surprise finalists Czech Republic were beaten by the Germans in the Wembley final.
Greatest England Managers: Sir Bobby Robson
Like Venables, Sir Bobby Robson is remembered fondly by the large majority of England fans. He took England to the semi-finals of the 1990 World Cup, which is widely regarded as one of the best competitions in football history. Italia 90 was the best World Cup performance from England post-1966 until they again reached the semi-finals in 2018.
Robson came into the 1990 World Cup under great pressure after leading previously unsuccessful campaigns in major tournaments, but his team clicked into top gear, until losing a penalty shootout to West Germany in the semi-finals.
Greatest England Managers: Gareth Southgate
One of the most polarising managers in England’s history is Gareth Southgate. Some England followers believe he is one of the best managers the team has ever had, given that he took the Three Lions to the European Championship final in both 2020 and 2024. His detractors would say his deep runs in tournaments have come courtesy of the weakest set of opponents England have ever faced in major competitions.
Many accuse him of wasting a supposed ‘golden generation’ of playing talent by failing to win a trophy in his eight years in charge. There is a general agreement, though, that team spirit had possibly never been better than during the era of the likeable Southgate.
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