The Top 5 Managers of All Time: Spurs
Tottenham Hotspur FC, or Spurs as it is commonly known, is a football club that plays out of – you guessed it – Tottenham. The club itself was founded in 1882 when some of the boys from the local cricket club wanted to play sports after the cricket season ended, so they chose football, and the rest, as they say, is history. Since its inception, the club has had 49 managers; however, not all of them have been effective or influential enough to really leave a mark. Read on to learn more about the club’s all-time top 5 managers.
5 – Martin Jol
Martin Jol was a relatively unknown entity when he took over the team, and during his time at the helm, he didn’t secure any trophies for the team, and they won less than half the matches played. However, to be fair to Jol, he inherited a thoroughly mediocre team that hadn’t made it any higher than eighth in eight years.
Jol worked hard and managed to get the team within a hair of having a champion’s league appearance during his first season. This was somewhat of an achievement despite the fact that they didn’t quite make it. Jol managed to move Spurs up the league table and hold a top-five finish back-to-back for several seasons. Arguably he set up the groundwork for a lot of the future success of the club.
4 – Harry Redknapp
Truthfully, Redknapp is not particularly popular among a lot of die-hard fans because of his links to rival clubs. There was concern as to where his loyalties lay. Although many fans have an interest in more than one team or follow specific players through various clubs. There are a lot of ways to support your favourite team, including gambling or using the best casino apps to place bets on your team. That being said, there were several merits to his management style. Throughout his tenure with the club, he helped to whip them into shape and transform them into contenders for the champions league.
When Redknapp first got to the club, they were at the bottom of the league. He started strong pulling out a draw from the first match, and that was simply the beginning. The team definitely became stronger underneath his leadership. During the four years that Redknapp managed the team, it did become pretty strong both domestically and during their European campaign. Although this did all begin to unravel towards the end of Redknapp’s time there.
3 – Arthur Rowe
Arthur Rowe took control of Spurs in 1949, which was a pivotal time for British football. Rowe’s unique push-and-run tactic that he developed himself allowed Spurs to win the second then first division in consecutive football seasons, which is quite the achievement. Rowe was hugely influential to the next generation of players and managers.
Rowe did a lot for the game itself as well as for Spurs as a club, although he is an often-overlooked figure in the football world. He helped to advance the sport forward not only in Britain but Europe too when his Ideals came with the team to their European matches. Rowe also signed ‘Mr Tottenham’ himself: Bill Nicholson.
2- Keith Burkinshaw
Keith Burkinhsaw is often credited as the man who helped to put Spurs back on the map. When Burkinshaw first took the reigns on the club, they had been narrowly avoiding relegation for the last few seasons until they simply couldn’t anymore. The club was indeed relegated, but instead of being disheartened, Burkinshaw saw it as an opportunity to rebuild the club.
He got to work, and sure enough, after being relegated for the season, Spurs was right back to the first division. Burkinshaw was a shrewd manager making sensational trades and building a stellar team. He secured a few cups wins during his tenure, which cements Keith Burkinshaw firmly in place as the second-greatest manager Spurs has ever had.
1 – Bill Nicholson
The top spot was always going to go to Bill Nicholson. As any Spurs fan would attest, Nicholson is a truly iconic figure in the club’s history. He was originally signed under Arthur Rowe to play for the club, and arguably that is where he learnt a lot of his management style. He had incredibly high standards and expectations for the club, which helped to buoy both players and fans. While it is certainly true that the club would indeed still exist without Nicholson, he really did change the club at its core.
His achievements are numerous. As a player, he played hundreds of first-division matches. The first match with Nicholson as manager was truly something to witness, Spurs won 10-4 against Everton, and this really set the tone for the rest of his management career. Nicholson built one of the greatest teams in the club’s history. He secured 11 trophies for the club and managed the team for almost a thousand matches. Even after Nicholson stepped down, he remained a fixture at the club, and his death in 2004 was truly a dark day for the club as a whole.
The Bottom Line
Out of the 49 managers that Spurs has had since its inception in the late 1800s, choosing the top five managers really wasn’t too difficult. Truthfully, Spurs as a football always seems to be overlooked in favour of the bigger clubs, and they may not have won as many accolades or cups as some of them, but this has often come down to the leadership of the club. Under solid leadership, like the managers mentioned above, the potential that this team holds becomes clear. Each of the managers on this list is there for a reason; as any Spurs fan can attest, the results speak for themselves. Some fans may debate a few of the entries on this list, but it is highly unlikely that any Spurs fan will disagree that Bill Nicholson is the best manager that Spurs has ever had. What do you think?
