Yay.

Benitez has no business criticizing other managers. That guy is still living off one of the flukiest games in CL history.

Capello, Lippi, van Gaal, etc. have only won the CL once each. Hiddink never has. I don't think that's very fair to Fergie, because it's rare that a manager wins it more than once. The best thing to do is to look at managers who preform well and progress far in the tournament on a consistent basis. This is what really separates managers like Mourinho and Ferguson from bums like Mancini.

To be fair he has 2 Uefa Cups, and one Champoions League championship.

But I honestly put more credence into things that are not one ofs, rather long string of success

I'd say he's a decent cup manager and an awful one for the league. Nothing out of the ordinary.

Benitez? Absolutely. Some of his decisions in the league recently have been absolutely baffling. I'm still a little irked that he subbed on Benayoun against Tottenham. We could have had 3rd place locked up.

I could be wrong, but team wealth/finance has a lot to do with managerial success. But for the IPO in new york, United might not have gotten the league title. That ipo got them van persie. You wanna test managers, cap salaries. not that i don't admire what ferguson has achieved, but money has become a clear and defining tactic in football.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog ... ague-table

Also interesting data
http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog ... ey-figures
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-20464371 bbc's fergie time, although, really, when they install goal line tech they shud buy a few game clocks from the nba. Yo EPL, a stopwatch, what a concept.

Wealthy and successful clubs hire successful managers; it's no different than the type of players they bring in.

Fergie is definitely unique in that he will be more remembered for the players he sold than the players he bought.

haha, well put

Erm...Wenger?

we're talking about moves that worked out here, forgie

yeah Wenger will be known for different reasons. Still like and respect Wenger as a manager a lot more than Fergie.

How can you respect Wenger more than Fergie? Fergie has been the best of the Premier League era without question. Wenger has been well...not even close.

Van Persie? Ashley Cole?



Because he's not a brash, hypertensive bullshitter.

Wenger has purchased a lot of players, that other clubs scuffed at because they did not work out, or became a huge steal years later. Henry, Vieira, Pires, Ljungberg, Van Persie, Fab, Adebayor, Toure, etc.

Respect doesn't have to do with success. I feel that Wenger has done more with less than most managers in the top 5 ever had. And to simply write off Arsenal as just, not having a trophy in 8 years, doesn't look at the scope of those 8 years - in those eight years, three years we were very legitimate title contenders, reached the quarter finals of the Champions League 5 times, semis twice and the finals once. Major injuries to players, our best players at times - Fab and RVP for starters - as well as the revolving door of players moving to bigger clubs (Henry, Hleb, Fabregas, Nasri, Cole, RVP, etc), are two huge reasons for why they haven't achieved more.

During Wenger's tenure, Arsenal has never not qualified for the Champoions League. Only one other manager had that claim, but he just retired.