Rank the Managers - Premiership Edition

[Ludo*1]

People are beginning to call Steven Gerrard the best manager in the league. That's a far cry from the suggestion when he started. Is he? Is he anywhere near the top? Who keeps Neil Lennon off the bottom spot? Is he a decent manager, but just a terrible human being therefore we love when it goes wrong all the more?  I love these types of thread and looking at them years down the line to see how wrong we were. I've famously had a few terrible shouts that I still get reminded about such as thinking Jamie Ness would be the best midfielder in the Championship or that Paul Hartley would have a better management career than Alex Neil (and tbf at the time, Hartley just pipped Neil's Hamilton to the title using John Brown's squad and Neil had had a mental breakdown on the pitch and cost his team the title).

It's not just restricted to me though, just a few year ago some labelled Terry Butcher as a brilliant manager before he went and Hib'sed it. Even the media have done it, with Mark McGhee being touted for the Celtic job once upon a time (or was it just him?). Anyway, that's my bloated spiel out of the way. Time to rank the managers in this division. You can use any criteria you like as long as it fits your definition of 'best'. And then, in years to come we can bump this thread and laugh at the people who thought a certain manager would be great or laugh at my list in just a few post' time.

There's been arguments about whether Derek McInnes or Jack Ross is the better manager, here's the place to settle it. You can use any definition of 'best' you like. You can rank it by who's had the best career up until this point or who you think will have the best career or even by who is the best manager, but didn't have the career to match it!

I find this much more difficult than the Championship one so I'll need to think on it more. David Martindale, will he be a massive flop and never heard from again or will he continue to have Livi fighting for Europe? John Hughes, will he continue to be a laughing stock or actually put some stock into his managerial skills by keeping County up? Neil Lennon, out of his depth at a club the size of Celtic or just a genuinely horrific manager? Jack Ross & Jim Goodwin, more style than a Tommy Wright, but as good a manager?

 

[sergie's no1 fan]

I wouldn't swap Goodwin for anyone else in the league.

[RandomGuy.]

Hard, since so many are unproven, so with that in mind...

1. McInnes - Proven success, stayed at Aberdeen too long but still the best manager.

2. Wright - Record speaks for itself. Has to prove himself in a new environment now, so might end up lower.

3. Gerrard - Feel like his backroom staff take up a lot of the slack, but deserves credit for turning Rangers around. Domestic cup record and record of collapsing a black mark he's starting to erase this season.

4. Ross - McInnes-lite so far, but has Hibs punching at their weight which makes him a successful manager for them. Has previous successes.

5. Goodwin - Currently in a purple patch, that has him very close to Ross. Previous successes elsewhere, and has shown he can build a strong squad.

6. Mellon - Successful in England, and has an abysmal United side punching above their weight.

7. Alexander - Successes in England hold him up, while he's unproven so far in Scotland signs are he'll be a steady appointment. Good manager trait of keeping things simple.

8. Davidson - Replaced a club legend, got no budget, and had to cut his squad numbers. Managed to implement a new style while looking to maintain a top 6 challenge/avoid relegation, while reaching a Final, in his first year as a manager.

9. Martindale - Basing this on him as outright manager, as unsure about the rumours he was always in charge. Great start for him, but it's too small a sample size as a manager to judge, especially when he's not recovered from any knocks.

10. Hughes - Can do well with a good squad, but a mess with anything else, and can't build through transfers. Big drop off from those above.

11. Rice - Hamilton doing what Hamilton do, I'm not sure it matters who's in charge really, so think his bizarre selections/tactics are more relevant than their late season upturn. I expect a knock at my door tomorrow.

12. Lennon - Atrocious. Relies entirely on his players coming up with some individual brilliance, while tactically he's just throws shit at the wall every few weeks until he wins a game and then sticks with it for months.

 

[DukDukGoose]

12 minutes ago, RandomGuy. said:

Hard, since so many are unproven, so with that in mind...

1. McInnes - Proven success, stayed at Aberdeen too long but still the best manager.

2. Wright - Record speaks for itself. Has to prove himself in a new environment now, so might end up lower.

3. Gerrard - Feel like his backroom staff take up a lot of the slack, but deserves credit for turning Rangers around. Domestic cup record and record of collapsing a black mark he's starting to erase this season.

4. Ross - McInnes-lite so far, but has Hibs punching at their weight which makes him a successful manager for them. Has previous successes.

5. Goodwin - Currently in a purple patch, that has him very close to Ross. Previous successes elsewhere, and has shown he can build a strong squad.

6. Mellon - Successful in England, and has an abysmal United side punching above their weight.

7. Alexander - Successes in England hold him up, while he's unproven so far in Scotland signs are he'll be a steady appointment. Good manager trait of keeping things simple.

8. Davidson - Replaced a club legend, got no budget, and had to cut his squad numbers. Managed to implement a new style while looking to maintain a top 6 challenge/avoid relegation, while reaching a Final, in his first year as a manager.

9. Martindale - Basing this on him as outright manager, as unsure about the rumours he was always in charge. Great start for him, but it's too small a sample size as a manager to judge, especially when he's not recovered from any knocks.

10. Hughes - Can do well with a good squad, but a mess with anything else, and can't build through transfers. Big drop off from those above.

11. Rice - Hamilton doing what Hamilton do, I'm not sure it matters who's in charge really, so think his bizarre selections/tactics are more relevant than their late season upturn. I expect a knock at my door tomorrow.

12. Lennon - Atrocious. Relies entirely on his players coming up with some individual brilliance, while tactically he's just throws shit at the wall every few weeks until he wins a game and then sticks with it for months.

 

[Zamora Fan]

Love it.

Judged using my own vision of “best” - a mixture of career up to now, tactical nous and how well I think they will do with the teams they are currently at.

1. David Martindale - add what he’s done as manager so far to what he achieved for years as DoF and he has the best record, has taken a micky mouse roundabout club to top flight European spots, and hopefully only a cup final rather than a cup win. Reckon he’ll keep Livi between 4th-8th for a fair few years.

2. Steven Gerrard - meh. I guess he’s doing well but not a particularly difficult job. European performances are the reason he isn’t midtable in my list

3. Tommy Wright - did some mad things for us, winning our first ever cup and coming 4th 3 (?) seasons in a row. Often overlooked that he was a great tactical manager too. Think of the number of games we played against an Aberdeen/Hearts/Hibs type opponent where he totally figured them out before the game and set up a side to stifle their expensive flair players and hit them in the weak points on the break. Broke Jackie McNamara in that season where we beat their “golden generation” team four times. Went stale but not critical toward the end and he left us in a good state with a young talented team, I think he’ll do well with Killie.

4. Jim Goodwin - he’s made St Mirren a good top flight side, didn’t think it was possible. Will go to Burton Albion or someone similar in a few months and then the Buddies will sink back into mid table championship obscurity.

5. Derek McInnes - good at Aberdeen over a prolonged period but they should probably move him on. Natural that things go stale, they need a change to shake things up and bring excitement back along with fans next season.

6. Callum Davidson - I’m impressed so far. Has us impeccably well coached and there hasn’t been a single game this season where we have been comfortably beaten by anyone, save for one game against Rangers in December when we played the reserves. Would like more tactical flexibility from his chosen system and better use of subs but beginning to see that a little. He’ll do well here I think, and has a chance to etch himself into the hall of fame next week.

7. Graham Alexander - f**k knows but he seems highly rated down south.

8. Jack Ross - don’t really see it. Could be Aberdeen’s McInnes but has to actually make Hibs good for a prolonged period first. We’ll see.

9. Micky Mellon - Zzzzzzz. Has his team playing like what people (wrongly) thought we were under Tommy Wright. Will shuffle back down south soon and be forgotten, thankfully.

10. John Hughes - not a bad manager but not a good enough one to keep Ross County up.

11. Brian Rice - a slight improvement on Martin Canning but Hamilton still require another team to stink the place out for them to stay up. Has got a turn out of them in the last few weeks

12. Neil Lennon - dreadful. If one of his players doesn’t produce an outstanding moment of quality they don’t win. No plan, no system: nothing. Might have been a good manager once but he clearly can’t be arsed anymore.

[Ludo*1]

Lennon done pretty well with Hibs, had them playing attractive football, got them promoted and into the Europa League in his 2nd. I hear people about to jump down my throat and say that's the bare minimum for Hibs, but it was much better than what many others have done. Surely, as embarrassing a job as he's doing right now, he shouldn't be bottom?

[HibsFan]

16 minutes ago, RandomGuy. said:

1. McInnes - Proven success, stayed at Aberdeen too long but still the best manager.

[ropy]

19 minutes ago, RandomGuy. said:

Hard, since so many are unproven, so with that in mind...

1. McInnes - Proven success, stayed at Aberdeen too long but still the best manager.

2. Wright - Record speaks for itself. Has to prove himself in a new environment now, so might end up lower.

3. Gerrard - Feel like his backroom staff take up a lot of the slack, but deserves credit for turning Rangers around. Domestic cup record and record of collapsing a black mark he's starting to erase this season.

4. Ross - McInnes-lite so far, but has Hibs punching at their weight which makes him a successful manager for them. Has previous successes.

5. Goodwin - Currently in a purple patch, that has him very close to Ross. Previous successes elsewhere, and has shown he can build a strong squad.

6. Mellon - Successful in England, and has an abysmal United side punching above their weight.

7. Alexander - Successes in England hold him up, while he's unproven so far in Scotland signs are he'll be a steady appointment. Good manager trait of keeping things simple.

8. Davidson - Replaced a club legend, got no budget, and had to cut his squad numbers. Managed to implement a new style while looking to maintain a top 6 challenge/avoid relegation, while reaching a Final, in his first year as a manager.

9. Martindale - Basing this on him as outright manager, as unsure about the rumours he was always in charge. Great start for him, but it's too small a sample size as a manager to judge, especially when he's not recovered from any knocks.

10. Hughes - Can do well with a good squad, but a mess with anything else, and can't build through transfers. Big drop off from those above.

11. Rice - Hamilton doing what Hamilton do, I'm not sure it matters who's in charge really, so think his bizarre selections/tactics are more relevant than their late season upturn. I expect a knock at my door tomorrow.

12. Lennon - Atrocious. Relies entirely on his players coming up with some individual brilliance, while tactically he's just throws shit at the wall every few weeks until he wins a game and then sticks with it for months.

 

This should be established as the baseline positions and then adjusted week by week as events unfold.

[coprolite]

51 minutes ago, Ludo*1 said:

People are beginning to call Steven Gerrard the best manager in the league. That's a far cry from the suggestion when he started. Is he? Is he anywhere near the top? Who keeps Neil Lennon off the bottom spot? Is he a decent manager, but just a terrible human being therefore we love when it goes wrong all the more?  I love these types of thread and looking at them years down the line to see how wrong we were. I've famously had a few terrible shouts that I still get reminded about such as thinking Jamie Ness would be the best midfielder in the Championship or that Paul Hartley would have a better management career than Alex Neil (and tbf at the time, Hartley just pipped Neil's Hamilton to the title using John Brown's squad and Neil had had a mental breakdown on the pitch and cost his team the title).

It's not just restricted to me though, just a few year ago some labelled Terry Butcher as a brilliant manager before he went and Hib'sed it. Even the media have done it, with Mark McGhee being touted for the Celtic job once upon a time (or was it just him?). Anyway, that's my bloated spiel out of the way. Time to rank the managers in this division. You can use any criteria you like as long as it fits your definition of 'best'. And then, in years to come we can bump this thread and laugh at the people who thought a certain manager would be great or laugh at my list in just a few post' time.

There's been arguments about whether Derek McInnes or Jack Ross is the better manager, here's the place to settle it. You can use any definition of 'best' you like. You can rank it by who's had the best career up until this point or who you think will have the best career or even by who is the best manager, but didn't have the career to match it!

I find this much more difficult than the Championship one so I'll need to think on it more. David Martindale, will he be a massive flop and never heard from again or will he continue to have Livi fighting for Europe? John Hughes, will he continue to be a laughing stock or actually put some stock into his managerial skills by keeping County up? Neil Lennon, out of his depth at a club the size of Celtic or just a genuinely horrific manager? Jack Ross & Jim Goodwin, more style than a Tommy Wright, but as good a manager?

 

If you enjoy looking back and laughing, why not have a look at what blithering idiocy people came up with 80 days ago? 

 

[Ludo*1]

Just now, coprolite said:

If you enjoy looking back and laughing, why not have a look at what blithering idiocy people came up with 80 days ago? 

 

Aw, that's disappointing!

[Coventry Saint]

I'm off to start a Rate the Managers Threads Thread.

[coprolite]

6 minutes ago, Ludo*1 said:

Aw, that's disappointing!

It's only 75% of the same managers though

[Junior_Arab]

4 minutes ago, Coventry Saint said:

I'm off to start a Rate the Managers Threads Thread.

Shouldn’t that be a “Rate the Rate The Managers Threads” Thread? 

[Coventry Saint]

1 minute ago, Junior_Arab said:

Shouldn’t that be a “Rate the Rate The Managers Threads” Thread? 

You're absolutely right, tbf. Damnit.

[The Other Foot]

1. Gerrard. Let's be honest, he's worked wonders for Sevco. I'd even consider taking him at Hibs, should Ross get the imminent Spurs gig. His brand of football is attractive, and he gets the results. There's very little to fault about him - seems like a good manager and a born leader. Won't be hanging about the Scottish game for much longer, you'd imagine. 10/10 - job done. 

2. McInnes. The stats don't lie. I haven't seen those stats, but I'm sure that if someone were to find those stats on my behalf, they would provide clear and indisputable proof that I am factually correct in describing McInnes as a top manager. Wouldn't want him at Hibs - his brand of football is dire - but he gets the results. He seems a right c*nt though - the type that trims his pubes into a 'D', drives a black Range Rover and hangs out in modern glass-and-stainless-steel drinking establishments. 08/10 - league mastery, but could have done with an other cup. 

3. Ross. Oozes sophistication and class. Rumour has it that Jack can be found in The Royal Oak every Saturday night, regaling the crowds with anecdotes of his time as a Netflix superstar, buying rounds of drinks for the whole bar and intermittently strumming a tune on the mandolin. Set up a foundation for crippled Yemeni orphans. Isn't afraid to cry at sad movies. Remembers your name, and asks how your sick auntie is. Will look after your dog when you go to Benidorm for a fortnight. Smells of cedarwood and satsumas. 07/10 - has got Hibs back to where they should be, but room for improvement. 

4. Martindale - 06/10

5. Wright - 05/10

6. Goodwin - 05/10

7. Hughes - 04/10

8. Mellon - 04/10

9. Lennon - 03/10

10. Alexander - 02/10

11. Davidson - 02/10

12. Rice - 01/10

[Ric]

Interesting people putting Wright up there, when he's literally not won a single game all season.

[accies1874]

Be interesting to hear St Mirren and/or Alloa fans' views on this, but Goodwin > Ross IMO. I'd consider having him third behind Gerrard and McInnes.

I've also probably been more impressed than most by Davidson and Mellon (some of that will be to do with the fact they've come up against awful Accies sides). Mellon's got a lot of stick for his negativity, which I'm sure is deserved, but against us and in a couple of games early on they looked pretty well coached in attack. Davidson's probably just a case of me liking him sticking to a fairly different system for most of the season. Bad finishing also seems to let him down.

[Coventry Saint]

2 minutes ago, accies1874 said:

Be interesting to hear St Mirren and/or Alloa fans' views on this, but Goodwin > Ross IMO. I'd consider having him third behind Gerrard and McInnes.

Shhhhhhhh!

But yeah. Ross has achieved marginally more, but that's mainly by dint of having been in the game a couple years longer. I reckon in five years' time Goodwin will be widely accepted to be the better manager. The fact we keep getting beaten by Hibs isn't helping his case right now, mind.

[HibsFan]

3 minutes ago, accies1874 said:

Be interesting to hear St Mirren and/or Alloa fans' views on this, but Goodwin > Ross IMO.

Want a Hibs fans' view? You're unhinged.

[AmericanFan]

2 hours ago, RandomGuy. said:

Hard, since so many are unproven, so with that in mind...

1. McInnes -