Top 5 City Managers of all time?

[bocadillo]

I'm surprised and slightly disappointed this hasn't brought around the crap that MON did more bad than good for the club.

I don't think anybody has ever said that.

 

[Brown Nose]

Ranking should be based on achievements. It's nothing to do with style of play, character, signings, etc. Therefore, two obvious candidates stand out, Gillies and O'Neill. O'Neill won two major trophies compared to Gillies one so gets the edge.

The second level of managers can best be determined by keeping us in the top flight for successive seasons. Willie Orr and Jimmy Bloomfield both did it for six seasons so must be placed third/fourth. I place Orr third because he achieved a runners up finish in his spell whereas the best Bloomfield did was seventh.

Gordon Milne is the only other manager to keep us in the top flight for three full seasons so must get fifth place on that basis.

For the record, Pearson has managed us for more games outside the top league than anyone else by a country mile. The next one in line after him is David Pleat.

 

[Macky]

I'm surprised and slightly disappointed this hasn't brought around the crap that MON did more bad than good for the club.

Has that been mentioned before so? Can't say that it's something that I've ever heard, but I would be fascinated to

 

[Volpone]

Nigel Pearson best manager for me.
MON
Matt Gillies
Jimmy Bloomfield
Jock Wallace

 

[Profondo Rosso]

Ranking should be based on achievements. It's nothing to do with style of play, character, signings, etc. Therefore, two obvious candidates stand out, Gillies and O'Neill. O'Neill won two major trophies compared to Gillies one so gets the edge.

The second level of managers can best be determined by keeping us in the top flight for successive seasons. Willie Orr and Jimmy Bloomfield both did it for six seasons so must be placed third/fourth. I place Orr third because he achieved a runners up finish in his spell whereas the best Bloomfield did was seventh.

Gordon Milne is the only other manager to keep us in the top flight for three full seasons so must get fifth place on that basis.

For the record, Pearson has managed us for more games outside the top league than anyone else by a country mile. The next one in line after him is David Pleat.

I disagree it's solely about achievements and I disagree achievements should only be about winning trophies. Reaching FA Cup finals and finishing in the top 6 of the top tier have to be considered great achievements as well.

Style of play, character, signings, loyalty etc. definitely do play their part however. Comparing Sven's 9th place finish in the Championship after spending bucketloads and Pearson's 5th in the Championship after just coming up from League One. It's clear Pearson's 5th place is a far greater management than the 4 position separation suggests.

The best has got to be between Gillies and O'Neill really on simple achievements, Gillies probably edges it on league form and FA Cup runs even if he won one less League Cup. Bloomfield I wasn't old enough to watch, but I don't see why people can't prefer him based solely on his style of play.

My dad speaks highly of Gordon Milne, although he says fans perhaps didn't appreciate him at the time. He had arguably the best strikeforce the club has ever had in Gary Lineker and Alan Smith but defensively that side had nothing.

Is Peter Hodge not often regarded as building the side which finished runners-up ahead of Willie Orr? And also as the manager who really stopped Leicester from struggling near the bottom of what was, at the time, the bottom division? Surely he's worth a mention too?

Let's see how Pearson can handle the Premier League first, but there's no reason why his achievements don't already rank alongside the likes of Jock Wallace or Frank O'Farrell.

And what about even Brian Little with how he turned round a dire side on a shoestring budget?

 

[Profondo Rosso]

Going back down the list, here are the managers who on the face of it have done good jobs here to differing extents.

Peter Hodge (1919-26 & 1932-34)
Willie Orr (1926-32)
Frank Womack (1936-39)
Johnny Duncan (1946-49)
Norman Bullock (1949-55)
Matt Gillies (1958-68)
Frank O'Farrell (1968-71)
Jimmy Bloomfield (1971-77)
Jock Wallace (1978-82)
Gordon Milne (1982-86)
Brian Little (1991-94)
Martin O'Neill (1996-2000)
Micky Adams (2002-04)
Nigel Pearson (2008-10 & 2011-Present)

14/34 managers who were actually any good is not a particularly good record.

 

[Volpone]

The statistics show that NP has so far won more than 50% of matches, more than any other manager, whereas MON only won 38%.

I expect next season that Nigel's win ratio will have dropped somewhat, unless we have a top 6 finish.

 

[fox58]

winning percentages

Pearson's first spell 2008-10: 51.40%
Pearson's second spell 2011-present: 50.37%
Frank O'Farrell 1968-71: 46.76%
David Halliday 1955-58: 44.14%
Brian Little 1991-94: 42.70%
Matt Gillies 1958-68: 40.70%
Norman Bullock 1949-55: 39.39%
Frank Womack 1936-39: 38.71%
Martin O'Neill 1995-2000: 38.12%

 

[Jeff]

winning percentages

Pearson's first spell 2008-10: 51.40%
Pearson's second spell 2011-present: 50.37%

He's clearly getting worse. We'll be down to 49% next season, which is totally unacceptable. Get rid before it's too late and get Ince in.

 

[Ike O'Noclassed]

The statistics show that NP has so far won more than 50% of matches, more than any other manager, whereas MON only won 38%.

I expect next season that Nigel's win ratio will have dropped somewhat, unless we have a top 6 finish.

Matt Gillies' 40 odd percent were all in the top flight, AND he went on to manage Forest to relegation

 

[Orifice]

Pearson must be the only Leicester manager to win the league in two different divisions.

 

[tedfoxxx]

Pearson must be the only Leicester manager to win the league in two different divisions.

He is, seeing as we've never won the top flight and spent only one season the third tier.......

 

[camberwell fox]

He is, seeing as we've never won the top flight and spent only one season the third tier.......

 

[fox58]

Slightly off topic, but nostalgic never the less, I stumbled across this old programme

http://issuu.com/seatpitch/docs/programme?e=11786951/7655301


In the introducing our visitors, A most promising young goalkeeper.

 

[Blue Maniac]

Slightly off topic, but nostalgic never the less, I stumbled across this old programme

http://issuu.com/seatpitch/docs/programme?e=11786951/7655301


In the introducing our visitors, A most promising young goalkeeper.

Five-digit phone numbers, centre-halves, people called Roy and Ken young enough to play football. The past really is a foreign country.

 

[bocadillo]

Five-digit phone numbers, centre-halves, people called Roy and Ken young enough to play football. The past really is a foreign country.

I remember three-digit phone numbers. And I've just learnt how to saw "thank you" in Polish today.

 

[Blue Maniac]

I remember when phones were invented.

That's some memory for a man your age.

 

[bocadillo]

That's some memory for a man your age.

I remember when hardly anybody had a phone at home and if the phone rang as you were passing a phone box, you would answer it and then go down the road and knock on the door of the person who the call was for.

I remember when policemen didn't have radios and used to stand outside a pre-designated phone box each hour just in case there station wanted to phone them with a message.

I remember seeing a mobile phone for the first time. The owner had to use both hands to carry the battery.

 

[Blue Maniac]

I remember when hardly anybody had a phone at home and if the phone rang as you were passing a phone box, you would answer it and then go down the road and knock on the door of the person who the call was for.

I remember when policemen didn't have radios and used to stand outside a pre-designated phone box each hour just in case there station wanted to phone them with a message.

I remember seeing a mobile phone for the first time. The owner had to use both hands to carry the battery.

Ffs, go to bed.

 

[David Gwilliam]

Management has totally changed. In the days of Norman Bullock managers usually had little authority with the exception of Matt Busby and Stan Cullis. I don't know whether David Halliday or Norman Bullock even picked the team - many teams including England were picked by a committee.

In the 1960s things changed completely. Television made managers known for their personalities - Bill Shankly, Tommy Docherty, "Uncle" Joe Mercer. As late as 1970 the Derby chairman Sam Longson made it clear that he regarded Brian Clough as an employee.

David Halliday and Norman Bullock would have paid his players the same wage as Duncan Edwards or Stanley Matthews. Nobody ever complained about Halliday or Bullock getting substitutions wrong; there were no substitutions. Leicester City did not have a squad; it had a team,. No player was ever out of contract This made life much easier for managers.

During the 1970s management changed. Don Revie brought in "win by any means" including bribery. . Jimmy Bloomfield could bring in Sammels, Weller, Birchenall and Worthington in 1971. By 1977 when they were past their best he could not get replacements of the same quality.

By Martin O'Neill's time he was dealing with agents and a win at all costs mentality. The ablest players did not want to join Leicester; or when they did there was something wrong as with Collymore. Martin's team did extraordinarily well with players who were not that good; Muzzy was no Weller and it was never difficult to distinguish between Ian Marshall and Frank Worthington.
Now Nigel works in a world where half the team is foreign and the club is tied to an Asian business.

This is not an old man being nostalgic. There were things that were better in the old days but overall I would rather have football today. I bet Birch looks out on that lovely pitch and remembers that he used to play in mud.