10 Managers Who Defied the Odds for Their Teams

Every once in a while there are those situations that make a manager's success seem above and beyond what was supposed to be able to happen.

When all the stars align, there is truth that miracles can and do happen in the world of football.

These are the stories of some of those managers that led their clubs to glorious achievement that no one would have thought possible on more than one occasion.

Alex McLeish: 2011 Birmingham City

Alex McLeish has been all over the press lately after being sacked by Aston Villa only a year after having switched over from their fierce cross town rivals, Birmingham City.

However, this is the shout-out for what McLeish managed to pull off with the Blues during the 2010-11 campaign.

Despite the club eventually being relegated from the English Premier League, McLeish took them on a barnstorming run through the English League Cup to reach a Final showdown with Arsenal.

Arsenal had already defeated the Blues twice in the EPL, but it was to be the day for the Blues as they lifted the Carling Cup in a 2-1 victory over their powerful opposition.

Rafael Benitez: 2001-04 Valencia

Rafael Benitez managed to wrestle the Spanish league title away from the perennial powers of Real Madrid and Barcelona for two out of the three seasons he was at the Mestalla between 2001-04.

Benitez's tenure saw Los Che win their first league titles since 1970-71 and also led them to their first ever European title with the 2003-04 UEFA Cup, which they lifted as part of a double trophy season alongside the La Liga title.

Kenny Dalglish: 1991-95 Blackburn Rovers

Although the club has since fallen from grace in the post Jack Walker days, Blackburn Rovers were once a mighty force in the English Premier League for a short time.

While Kenny Dalglish will forever be remembered for his contributions to Liverpool both as a player and a manager, his time at Blackburn Rovers were some of his finest years.

Dalglish led the club to promotion for the 1991-92 season and immediately had the club fighting for the top of the league with a fourth place finish in 1992-93, runners-up in 1993-94 and the EPL title in 1994-95 to cap a meteoric rise to the paramount of English football.

Osvaldo Bagnoli: Hellas Verona 1984-85

The one and only Italian Serie A Scudetto to be lifted by Hellas Verona came in 1984-85 under the management of Osvaldo Bagnoli.

In the previous seasons, Bagnoli had led the club to promotion in 1981-82 and back to back Coppa Italia runners-up medals in 1982-83 and 1983-84.

However, nothing will top his club's great run to the top of the Serie A title with Torino and Inter Milan chasing them all the way.

Vujadin Boškov: 1990-91 UC Sampdoria

Serbian born manager Vujadin Boskov led to Italian side U.C. Sampdoria during the best time in the club's history, but his odds-defying season was in 1990-91 when he led his side to their first and only Scudetto title.

Il Doria managed to claim the top spot with a five point advantage over AC Milan and also an even better finish than Inter Milan.

Boskov found a way to turn the club into one of the most successful club sides of the early 1990s in Italian football.

Sir Alex Ferguson: Aberdeen 1978-86

You can think that Sir Alex Ferguson's time at Aberdeen was not one to defy the odds, but a closer look at the over all dominance that Celtic and Glasgow Rangers have had over the Scottish top flight throughout history can make any club reaching the summit ahead of them amazing.

Ferguson led Aberdeen to back to back Scottish Premier League titles in 1983-84 and 1984-85, making him the only manager to lead Aberdeen to that feat and also as only the fourth team in Scottish history to win back to back titles.

Steve McClaren: FC Twente 2008-10

While Steve McClaren has managed to fail rather miserably in any league, aside from Holland, the English-born manager of FC Twente did find a way to bring a little magic to a long-standing Dutch club.

In the 2009-10 season, McClaren led FC Twente to the summit of the Ditch Eredivisie. It was the first time since Door Wilskracht Sterk in 1963-64 that a club other than Ajax Amsterdam, PSV Eindhoven, Feyernood Rotterdam or AZ Alkmaar won the Dutch first division.

Otto Rehhagel: Greek National Team 2004

With a national side that had not a single major international star, the Greek National team managed to take the 2004 European Championship by storm.

On the basis of tactical discipline, unquenchable desire and paramount fitness, the Greeks fought through the tournament a match at a time under the excellent guidance of manager Otto Rehhagel.

The Greeks beat Portugal twice while France and the Czech Republic fell between the two wins over the hosts in what will always be a miracle moment in international football, and one the Greeks thoroughly deserved en route to their title in 2004.

Luis Fernando Montoya: Once Caldas 2003-04

Few may have heard of, or remember, the 2004 South American coach of the year, Luis Fernando Montoya.

Montoya put Colombian club Once Caldas on the map in their fantastic 2003-04 season, which saw them win the first division of Colombia for the first time in their history.

However, that was not to be the master stroke that would come later. Not only did Montoya lead the club to their first league title, he led them into the 2004 Copa Libertadores only to come out on top after beating five-time South American champions Boca Juniors in the final.

Roberto Di Matteo: Chelsea 2012

The incredible end of the season for Chelsea in 2012 under Roberto Di Matteo had to come up at some point and might as well cap the slideshow.

When he was brought in as the interim manager for the sacked Andre Villas-Boas, it was not expected that Di Matteo would do anything but see out the remainder of the season and hopefully rescue a fourth place finish.

However, the former West Bromwich Albion boss had higher aspirations, and as he galvanized the elder statesmen of the dressing room, he set about to bring the Blues back.

A massive 4-1 victory over Napoli in the UEFA Champions League saw the club continue their run in Europe by overturning a 3-1 deficit.

Di Matteo would again lead the club toward a final with a defeat of Tottenham to reach the FA Cup Final and a defeat of Benfica on aggregate, only to face off against FC Barcelona in the Champions League semi-final.

However, Di Matteo would lead the club to victory over Barcelona to advance to the UEFA Champions League final and then return to England with a victory over Liverpool to win the FA Cup despite a hard-fought Reds resurgence.

Against all odds, Di Matteo would also pick a squad that could get the job done in Germany as he brought home the Blues' first ever UEFA Champions League title by defeating Bayern Munich on penalty kicks.