It is human nature to pass judgement on people even before one gets to know them and football is no different. A number of Premier League clubs have had to face the wrath of fans and pundits alike when popular managers are given the sack for new – and sometimes relatively unknown – managers to be given the keys to the club.
However, in some cases, such managers have risen above the all the noise and mud thrown at them by the critics to prove everyone wrong. We look back at five such managers who were written off even before the first ball was kicked.
1) Claudio Ranieri: Chelsea and Leicester City
The Tinkerman has been a football manager since the mid-1980s and was a revered figure in Italy where he had helped promote a clubs such as Cagliari and Fiorentina. A brief stint in Valencia had also seen his stock rise as he led them to a Copa del Rey and UEFA Super Cup title. He was the man who had set Los Che – a club in La Liga’s doldrums – on their way in the Champions League.
So it came as a surprise when his appointment at Chelsea was met with some criticism and a sprinkle of ridicule. Gianluca Vialli had been a popular man at Stamford Bridge and his sacking did not go down well with the fans who saw Ranieri as the enemy, chanting Vialli’s name early in the season. The Italian spoke very little English and struggled with the language, leading to fans naming him ‘Clownio’.
However, his impact was soon evident. Ranieri was the man who brought a young Frank Lampard to the Bridge, he signed the likes of Emmanuel Petit, William Gallas, Joe Cole, Hernan Crespo and Claude Makelele in subsequent seasons and it was he who identified Didier Drogba and Arjen Robben as potential targets.
Chelsea’s points tally improved every season as they slowly showed the makings of a ‘Top Four’ club. But even finishing second to Arsenal’s once-in-a-century Invincibles side was not enough to save his job as Roman Abramovich ran out of patience and replaced him with Jose Mourinho.
Even when he was signed on by Leicester City, there were questions raised again as he had just been sacked by Greece. We all know what happened next – the Foxes became only the sixth team to win the Premier League as Ranieri’s side overcame 5000/1 odds. And Lineker lost a bet leading to the Match of the Day host appearing on the show wearing nothing but his underwear.
2) Arsene Wenger: Arsenal
“At first, I thought, ‘What does this Frenchman know about football? He wears glasses and looks more like a schoolteacher. He's not going to be as good as George [Graham]. Does he even speak English properly?’” – Arsenal legend Tony Adams
The former Arsenal captain has no qualms about admitting that he judged the man who eventually extended his career too quickly when the French manager was appointed in September 1996. In fact, nobody knew who Wenger was except for a few well-versed in French football.
After all, what manager arrives in the Premier League from Japanese club Nagoya Grampus Eight? “Arsene Who?” became the catchphrase as foreign managers were despised for their lack of “Britishness”.
But this ignorance was only limited to England. George Weah, the first African to win the FIFA World Player of the Year award in 1995, had actually handed the award to Wenger that night on stage claiming: “Arsene Wenger made me not just the player I am today, but also the man I am.”
Over the next few years, Wenger set about transforming the club and soon gave Arsenal its first Premier League title (it’s 11th top division title overall). What's more, he even led the club to two doubles in 1997/98 and 2001/02 before creating the greatest English side ever – the 2003/04 Invincibles that went an entire season unbeaten.
His frugality and husbandry also saw them successfully negotiate a move to a larger stadium while simultaneously qualifying for the Champions League every season.
Before Wenger was signed, Johan Cruyff was a candidate but the board backed former vice-chairman David Dein when that deal did not materialise. And they will be eternally grateful to the Professor who nobody knew a thing about in 1996.
3) Marco Silva: Hull City
“Why does it always have to be a foreign manager? These ex-footballers are spending four or five years getting their badges, and what for? None of them are getting a chance. What’s he know about the Premier League? What’s he know?
“It’s baffling. When there are a lot of people out there who know about the Premier League, about what’s required to dig in. He’s not got a clue.” – Paul Merson
Those were the words Sky Sports “pundit” uttered when it was announced that 39-year-old Marco Silva was going to take over at Hull in January. The club were in dire straits sitting at the bottom of the table after just one win in 10 games.
To be fair to Hull, the club had appointed as many as eight English managers in the previous 15 years and decided to go with a foreign import who had proven his credentials at Olympiacos, Sporting Lisbon and Estoril with an enviable home record.
Three months on, Hull have had one of the finest runs in the league and Silva is now the toast of the Premier League. He turned the KCOM Stadium into a fortress where they have not lost a single game since his arrival (five wins and a draw) and had the league started in January they would have been fourth!
He was given only a six-month contract and he signed players on loan – managing to make it all work in his favour as Hull lifted themselves out of the relegation zone. The man who “has not got a clue” may keep the club afloat in the Premier League when they were written off at the start of the season as the first club to be surely relegated.
With a number of clubs lining up for his signature, he may move on to bigger things this summer.
4) Mauricio Pochettino: Southampton
“With due respect to Pochettino, what does he know about our game? What does he know about the Premier League? What does he know about the dressing room, does he speak English?” – Lawrie McMenemy
The former Southampton boss and vice-president of the League Managers' Association did not hold back when Nigel Adkins was controversially sacked midway through the season. It was a decision that did not sit well as Adkins had seen the Saints get promoted to the Premier League.
A foreign manager coming in to take over after all the hard work by Adkins was akin to blasphemy for a number of former managers and “experts”. But the Saints were not improving and former executive chairman Nicola Cortese had a decision to make.
But Pochettino was no gamble. The Argentine manager, influenced by the legendary Marcelo Bielsa, had made a name for himself at La Liga club Espanyol. Barcelona’s derby rivals were all set to be relegated when he took over and turned around the club’s fortunes. A first win over Barcelona in 27 years followed by a 10th-placed finish established his credentials thanks to an incredible run of eight wins in the final 10 games.
Southampton are known as a selling club – as were Espanyol. Yet, Pochettino kept them competitive and was the most successful manager against Guardiola’s Barcelona. Taking over the Saints when they came calling was the next logical step in his career and he transformed the Saints a hungry pack of wolves as the side covered the most distance in 2013/14 in the league.
The Spurs are also built in the same image and he has improved the club so much that they have now been in the title race in two consecutive seasons – not bad for a club that has not won a league title since 1961.
5) Gianluca Vialli: Chelsea
“Crazy! It's like giving the keys of a Ferrari to an 18-year-old.” – Fabio Capello
Before Roman Abramovich assumed control of Chelsea’s business – on and off the field – Ken Bates was the owner of the club who took decisions related to hiring and firing managers. Even before the Russian oligarch had fired managers left, right and centre, Bates had had his own run-ins with managers at Stamford Bridge.
One of them involved replacing one player-manager with another. Ruud Gullit was given the sack and Gianluca Vialli – his own signing – was promoted to player-manager. Gullit had done well with the Blues, winning the FA Cup a season before his sack – their first major trophy since 1971. At the time of his sacking, the London side were in second place in the league, in the League Cup semis and in the quarter-finals of the European Cup-Winners' Cup.
Though Vialli was Gullit’s signing, a tempest had raged in the dressing room between the pair and the sword eventually fell on Gullit’s neck. Vialli was made the scapegoat and was looked at as the upstart who had caused all the trouble. Not much was expected from him as player-managers had not really seen much success.
However, Vialli soon took control and won both the League Cup and Cup-Winners' Cup in 1998. He then became the youngest manager to ever win a UEFA Cup at the age of 33 (a 13-year-old record that would be broken by Andre Villas-Boas).
On their Champions League debut, Vialli led Chelsea to the quarter-finals and also won the FA Cup. In all, he won five trophies in three years but he, too, got the sack when he fell out with players – in this case; Gianfranco Zola and Didier Deschamps.
