EPL: Power Ranking the Current Managers in the English Premier League
It's a simple thing to look at the English Premier League table and declare the best and worst managers by their team's position in the table.
However if you really want to know how much trust to put in the man in charge of your football club, you need to look at where exactly he has brought the club and what he is working with.
For that very purpose I have ranked the 20 managers currently in the Premier League based on their performances while in charge of the club and the resources that are available to them.
One thing is for certain, you can count Jose out!
20. Roberto Martinez-Wigan
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Martinez has assembled a team with a few quality young players but they are currently rock bottom in the league. Players such as James McCarthy, Hugo Rodallega, Charles N'Zogbia, Connor Sammon and Victor Moses all have bright futures ahead of them while some are already in the process of establishing themselves.However Martinez has missed one of the first things a coach tends to install in any sporting team.Wigan lack any real form of leadership. Their manager has crucially overlooked the importance of leadership in a Premiership team. Gary Caldwell, the team's captain, is not a Premiership calibre footballer while Antolin Alcaraz is the vice captain who has been playing in England for six months, its unlikely that he has fully grasped the english language as of yet. Communication and leadership is crucial in all sports, especially at the top level.
19. Gerard Houllier-Aston Villa
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Aston Villa were once earmarked as a potential Big Four breaker during the Martin O'Neil era in Birmingham.
These days the team is taking on water and being led to the bottom of the abyss by the man at the helm.
Gerard Houllier has taken a lot of talent in a team that looked so cohesive together under O'Neil and turned them into a worse than average side.
Aston Villa are probably the most underperforming team in the league currently.
18. Avram Grant-West Ham United
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Avram Grant was appointed as West Ham's manager to do one thing: keep them in the Premier League.
Currently West Ham sit just outside the relegation zone on goal difference, however the team has lacked direction since Grant's appointment and rely heavily on the quality of Scott Parker and Mark Noble in midfield.
One major positive for Grant is the signing of Demba Ba who has seemingly given the team a huge boost as they approach the run in to the end of the season.
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17. Steve Kean-Blackburn
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A relative unknown when he took the reigns at Blackburn Kean was always going to be in a tough position following Sam Allardyce.
Whatever can be said about the style of football Allardyce played, he always got results no matter where he managed.
Kean has not been doing that as of late. Blackburn haven't won a game since the 23rd of January, they have lost twice as many games, 8, as they have won, 4, under the interim manager.
16. Roy Hodgson-West Bromwich Albion
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What an amazing fall from grace for last season's manager of the year. After completely falling apart at Anfield Hodgson was named West Brom manager on the 11th of February.
The team may be unbeaten under Hodgson but have only won one game during that five game stretch which came against Birmingham who were still suffering a hangover after their Carling cup victory.
Draws at home against West Ham and Wolves blight the points snatched from an away trip to Stoke and home game against Arsenal.
15. Mick McCarthy-Wolves
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To an extent it is harsh to have McCarthy this low on the list as the team is struggling with second season syndrome, something that many teams can't avoid.
Wolves are by no means out of contention to stay up, they are only in the relegation zone because of their goal difference.
However McCarthy has assembled a good squad of footballing talent who should be higher in the table than they actually are. I doubt that they will be relegated but McCarthy needs to light a fire under his team for the final eight games of the season.
14. Alan Pardew-Newcastle
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Pardew was put in a terrible position when he was hired by Newcastle.
Chris Hughton had been doing a good job for the tyneside team and was a favorite of the, often shirtless, fans in the stands.
Pardew hasn't drastically changed anything in St. James' Park. Newcastle have drawn a lot of games since his appointment while also being thrown out of the FA Cup by Stevenage United.
13. Alex McLeish-Birmingham City
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McLeish's Birmingham side are currently sitting in the relegation zone after a tumultuous second season in the Premiership.
However he did bring the club its first major trophy, the League Cup, in a long time. It was only the second time the club has won that competition which guarantees them a place in Europe next season.
Birmingham have struggled with injuries this year but should be able to avoid relegation with ease if they can replicate some bit of the form they showed last year.
12. Mark Hughes-Fulham
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Mark Hughes first season in charge of the London based outfit has essentially gone to plan.
A consistent but unspectacular campaign in the Premier League has them sitting at twelfth in the table, however that remains only three points clear of relegation, such is the logjam of teams at the bottom of the table.
The quality of job that Hughes has done since taking over cannot be questioned however especially considering the fact he followed up a manager who brought the team to a European final last season.
11. Ian Holloway-Blackpool
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The much publicised manager of Blackpool has done a solid job with his team. He does not have the resources in comparison to any other manager in the league but to an extent his team's performances have been overstated because of their style of football.
They may cost a pittance but the Blackpool squad still lies just one point outside the relegation zone. Should Holloway manage to keep the team up, he will rise on this list but as of late, that hasn't looked likely.
They have only won two games since the start of 2011 and picked up a total of 8 points.
10. Roberto Mancini-Manchester City
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Roberto Mancini has the most funds at his disposal but he has obviously not spent well.
As far as the club's obvious ambition to simply get Champions League football to make it easier to attract players during the summer, Mancini is doing a good job.
However the reliance on Carlos Tevez in attack and the fearful nature of his side against the better teams is shocking when you look at the talent at his disposal.
The struggles of marquee signing Edin Dzeko since January have also been a major negative on the Italian's record. His eight appearences and zero goals makes that £27 million price tag look laughable to this point.
9. Kenny Dalglish-Liverpool
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Dalglish's impact at Anfield has been somewhat overstated because of his history with the fans.
Liverpool have certainly improved after the removal of Roy Hodgson but not to the extent many fans will have you believe.
Besides being knocked out of the Europa League by a significantly weaker opponent, the team has won only actually won seven games opposed to drawing another four and losing four more. Significantly most of those victories have come since the Fernando Torres sale and included impressive results away to Chelsea and at home to Manchester United but losses to West Ham and Blackpool continue to linger over their league position.
8. Carlo Ancelotti-Chelsea
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Carlo Ancelotti easily had the most talented squad in the Premier League before Fernando Torres signed for the club in January.
The Torres signing is largely going to determine the remainder of the season. He simply does not fit in the side as he was always a better player for Liverpool when he played as a lone striker.
It was difficult enough for Chelsea to incorporate Nicholas Anelka into the team when they first signed him, with Torres they have to abandon any notion of playing the ball in midfield if they want to play all three together.
Third place is not good enough for this team and I doubt that Roman Abramovich is overly delighted with his performance as a whole during his tenure. He may be looking to please Abramovich by playing with his new favorite toy, Torres, but in reality if the team doesn't perform for the remainder of the season he will find his boss isn't too fond of him anymore and the buck only stops with one person.
It may not please anyone initially but for the sake of his job Ancelotti needs to revert back to the system that Chelsea have had so much success with over the years, otherwise an old face could be making a surprise comeback to Stamford Bridge and no I'm not talking about Giofranco Zola.
7. Steve Bruce-Sunderland
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A recent stretch of five defeats and a draw since the end of the transfer window should not take away from the seasons Steve Bruce is having with Sunderland.
When you look at the teams that Sunderland have lost to during that run; Stoke,Chelsea, Tottenham, Everton and Liverpool (they drew with Arsenal) you see that they are all top half teams.
Coupled with the abrupt end to Darren Bent's Sunderland career things haven't looked so good in recent times for Bruce. However with signings such as Sulley Muntari, Stephane Sessenon, Danny Welbeck (loan) and Asamoah Gyan this year, Sunderland have found themselves riding high in ninth position.
Surprisingly ninth only makes them six points clear of relegation but having played all the big boys, their schedule gets easier from here on out, well at least after their next game against Manchester City.
6. David Moyes-Everton
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David Moyes appears to always do one of the best jobs in the league season in and season out without much recognition.
In seasons gone by he has relied on such stars as Mikel Arteta and Tim Cahill to carry his footballing side. Arteta and Cahill aren't exactly having stellar seasons, although they have combined for 12 goals (Cahill with nine is first while Arteta is fifth on the team with 3).
This year Everton have been more rounded as a team with impressive performances from guys like Leighton Baines as well as youngsters Jack Rodwell and Seamus Coleman on a consistent basis.
Should Moyes ever find that elusive top class finisher his team so desperately is lacking each year, they may have a chance at cracking the top four. For now they still lie eight keeping alive their faint hopes of playing European football next year.
5. Arsene Wenger-Arsenal
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I'm not sure whether the Arsenal manager has always been this stubborn or if it has worsened in his old age but Arsene Wenger needs to go back and study himself.
At the peak of his time in charge of the north london based side, Wenger had strong reliable defenders such as Sol Campbell or Tony Adams leading his team. Nowadays the twittering pair of Sebastien Squillaci and Laurent Koscielny are embarrassing the side.
In addition to his reluctance to invest in a top class goalkeeper, Wenger is costin his side dearly in the race for the Premiership. The team still lies second second in the league with a chance to pull within two points, should they win their game in hand, but does anyone really think they will win it?
Unfortunately for Arsenal fans the squad that Wenger has assembled relies on two pivotal players who are both very fragile; Thomas Vermaelen has barely played this season while any soccer fan knows of the infamous glass legs of Robin Van Persie.
Often times it is unfair to blame a manager for injuries but Wenger has been buying these types of players for a few years now. He has only himself to blame for the team's forthcoming failings.
"I did not see it..."
4. Tony Pullis-Stoke City
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Tony Pullis is an outstanding football coach. He has turned Stoke City from a Championship dweller to a feared Premiership side.
Stoke can compete with any side in the league and an away trip to the Brittania is probably last on most team's list of favored destinations. Pullis has assembled a side capable of not only staying in the Premiership but competing for years to come.
Their style of football may be unappealing to many neutrals but you cannot argue with their success and consistency.
They currently lie in mid table having conceded only 15 league goals at home this season.
Pullis' signings have been particularly pleasing to Stoke fans as he has made some astute captures most notably Matthew Etherington, Asmir Begovic and Ryan Shawcross who have all been stars for the side during this season and last season in Shawcross and Etherington's cases.
3. Owen Coyle-Bolton Wanderers
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Bolton Wanderers are seventh in the Premier League table. Yes seventh!
Coyle has done an amazing job since taking over a Bolton side sat at 18th place midway through last season. Coyle got the best out of the pieces left over from Gary Megson's reign to keep Bolton in the Premier League before molding the side in his own image during the summer.
Expert signings such as Stuart Holden and Martin Petrov have since been added to with the loan of Daniel Sturridge from Chelsea and the smart signing of David Wheater from Championship side Middlesbrough.
Bolton are playing some of the best football in the league right now but more significantly they are one of the best teams in the league lying just behind Liverpool in seventh having already hit the coveted 40 points that generally guarantees survival.
It will be intriguing to see if the team pushes on during the final stretch or fades away after achieving their main goal like many teams have done so in the past.
With Coyle at the helm I have no doubt which to expect.
2. Harry Redknapp-Tottenham
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After Juande Ramos was sacked for the worst ever start to a Premier League season in Tottenham's history, Harry Redknapp took over a side with only two points from it's first eight playoff appearances.
That was 2008, two years on and Tottenham have a date with Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter final while sitting pretty at fifth place in the Premier League.
Redknapp has assembled one of the deepest squads in the league with players such as Niko Kranjcar and Jermain Defoe struggling to get regular first team football. The improvement in the performances of they youngsters at the club, most significantly Gareth Bale and Aaron Lennon, are in no small part to Redknapps influence.
He is the essence of a player's manager who's belief in his side must be permeating through the player's performances.
Redknapp has repeatedly spoken of his desire to one day manage the national side and while he is probably the best English man in management at the moment, his greatest strength lies in the transfer market exemplified by the signing of the season Rafael Van Der Vaart.
He would be better advised to stay with Tottenham who would obviously be delighted to have him.
1. Alex Ferguson-Manchester United
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Even at the ripe old age of 69, Alex Ferguson still stands out from the crowd.
This season won't bring with it the treble of 1999 or even a record high points tally, but it has the potential to be one of the most impressive in his long career.
The United squad is not anywhere near as good as it has been in years passed.
He is getting the best out of young players such as Chris Smalling, Rafael Da Silva and Javier Hernandez while established players such as Michael Carrick and to an extent Wayne Rooney struggle.
The absence of Rio Ferdinand from the team as well as the retirement of Gary Neville, who was valued more for his leadership than on field presence, has only worsened the stiff challenge set out for the Scotsman.
Ferguson's exuberance to continue in football management is astounding and he is reaping the awards of his passion.
Needless to say Manchester United fans are not capable of appreciating what they have got right now because the level of success has been there for so long.
The day that Ferguson retires will be a sad day for all of football, his true value to the game, and specifically to his club, will only be revealed at that stage.
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