Sir Alex Ferguson or Bob Paisley, who was the greatest manager ever?
Sir Alex Ferguson’s achievement in surpassing Sir Matt Busby as the longest serving manager in the history of Manchester United is a true reflection of the great man’s success, and tireless efforts to constantly build up and improve the team.
This is just one of his many achievements, and it has yet again opened the debate as to who is the greatest manager of all time. Sir Alex is among the front runners for that title without a shadow of a doubt. While there is undoubtedly no match for Ferguson
in the modern era, there were some great managers in the past who cannot be neglected.
Looking back, it is really difficult to find a man who achieved so much in such little time, other than Bob Paisley. Surprisingly his achievements at Liverpool are at times overlooked. It would be unfair to rank these two, and debate who is better.
All Liverpool fans would automatically be inclined towards Bob Paisley, while everyone who is associated with Manchester United would back Ferguson as the greatest ever manager.
What Sir Alex has achieved with Manchester United is simply quite remarkable. During his 24 years with the club he has won every single trophy that is there to be won. He has build teams from scratch at least three times over the years. Enjoying such a sustained
success with so many different players and over almost a quarter of a century can only bring shivers of disbelief down ones spine.
When he first took over, United were far from challenging for the league title, but in seven years he transformed the club once and for all. He won numerous doubles and the famous European and domestic treble, and has won an incredible 26 trophies during
his 24 years in charge.
But Paisley’s record at Liverpool is just as remarkable, if not better than the Scot. He spent nine years at http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Liverpool-c39809 during which he won 14 trophies, which is considerably less as compared to Ferguson.
Paisley won three European cups in nine years, while Ferguson has managed only two in 24. Paisley’s average of 0.67 league titles every season is also better than Ferguson’s average of 0.46.
United fans will however argue that Paisley inherited a team capable of challenging for titles, while Sir Alex had to build a team that would challenge for silverware from scratch.
However, Paisley took his team to another level, and his eye to spot players was second to none. There isn’t a man who could match Paisley in that department. He didn’t need any scouting reports; all he required was his eyes.
One quality common in both of them was of ruthlessness. No player is big enough to question the manager; it is as simple as that. Paisley would often drop players who were in-form for players he believed were more suited for a particular game.
Meanwhile this season, Sir Alex had no problem dropping his top goal scorer, http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Dimitar-Berbatov-c11254, for the game against Arsenal – who recently scored five goals in a single match.
Paisley retired at the age of 64 after winning the league with Liverpool. He went out on a high, and that is what Ferguson needs to do. At 69 he is still going strong, and his retirement does not seem imminent.
In terms of maintaining success over a prolonged period, these two stand out amongst the greatest managers of all times. People might argue whether Paisley would be successful in the modern era.
However, for a man who persisted on adaptability, there is no doubt what so ever that he would have written similar success stories in the modern era.
One thing that irks Liverpool fans is the fact that Bob was never knighted. It has also been closely observed at Merseyside that of the four Lifetime Achievement awards handed out to footballer at the BBC awards, three have Manchester United links – George
Best, Bobby Charlton and http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/David-Beckham-c10432.
If David Beckham can get it, then Bob would be my choice over him on any given day. Winning a single European trophy is considered a huge achievement, but doing it three times in five years, that can only be Bob Paisley.
Below are both managers records for you to make your own judgment.
BOB PAISLEY
League titles (6): 1975–76, 1976–77, 1978–79, 1979–80, 1981–82, 1982–83.
European Cups (3): 1977, 1978, 1981.
Uefa Cups (1): 1976
FA Cups: 0
League Cups (3): 1981, 1982, 1983
Uefa Super Cup (1): 1977
SIR ALEX FERGUSON
Aberdeen
League titles (3): 1979–80, 1983–84, 1984–85.
Scottish Cups (4): 1981–82, 1982–83, 1983–84, 1985–86
Scottish League Cup (1): 1985–86
Uefa Cup Winners’ Cup (1): 1982–83
Uefa Super Cup (1): 1983
Manchester United
League titles (11): 1992–93, 1993–94, 1995–96, 1996–97, 1998–99, 1999–2000, 2000–01, 2002–03, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09
FA Cups (5): 1989–90, 1993–94, 1995–96, 1998–99, 2003–04
League Cups (4): 1991–92, 2005–06, 2008–09, 2009–10
European Cups (2): 1998–99, 2007–08
Uefa Cup Winners’ Cup (1): 1990–91
Uefa Super Cup (1): 1991
Intercontinental Cup (1): 1999
Fifa Club World Cup (1): 2008
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