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In the modern world of football, the jobs of the world’s top managers and coaches never feel quite secure, and one example of that insecurity can be seen in the fact that England’s national team have gone through 10 different managers since the end of the 1990 World Cup – after only having a total of five in all of the years that preceded the 1990’s.
Ignoring short-term caretaker bosses such as Stuart Pearce and Peter Taylor, England’s managers since 1990 have been a very mixed bunch, with some being far more successful than others – even if none have been able to help the Three Lions to win a major trophy as Sir Alf Ramsey famously did in 1966.
Current boss Gareth Southgate will be looking to change that when he leads his side at Euro 2021 next summer, but until then, here is a ranking of every England boss since 1990 in order of how successful they were in the job.
#10 Steve McClaren (2006-2007)
Undoubtedly the low point for England in recent years came under Steve McClaren when the Three Lions failed to qualify for Euro 2008 despite a squad that featured the likes of Wayne Rooney, Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard at the peak of their powers. The former Middlesbrough boss was appointed following the 2006 World Cup, but despite having plenty of experience with the national team after acting as Sven-Goran Eriksson’s assistant, he seemed to be out of his depth from the start.
McClaren’s first act as England boss was to drop longtime captain and key player David Beckham. Although he reneged on that decision later on and while his reign started well with big wins over Greece and Andorra, cracks soon appeared when the Three Lions drew at home with Macedonia and lost to Croatia in Euro 2008 qualifiers.
Sure, McClaren didn’t have the best of luck with injuries, as many of his key men – Lampard, Rooney, Michael Owen – were unavailable for key matches, but there was no excuse for England’s dire draw with Israel or their loss to Russia. The end of his reign was marked by a 2-3 loss to Croatia at Wembley – a diabolical showing made memorable for goalkeeper Scott Carson’s gaffe and McClaren himself cowering under an umbrella – forever earning the nickname ‘The Wally with the Brolly’. Simply put, no other England manager squandered such a talented squad.
#9 Graham Taylor (1990-1993)
The first England manager of the 1990s, Graham Taylor’s reign was a largely disastrous one, as his Three Lions side crashed out of Euro 1992 at the group stage before embarking on a doomed attempt to qualify for the 1994 World Cup – an attempt that ended in painful failure following a series of terrible results.
Taylor’s Three Lions struggled in qualifying matches against Norway, Poland and the Netherlands, and with two matches remaining in the group, they’d claimed just 11 points of a possible 16. A controversial loss to the Netherlands sealed their fate, and despite beating San Marino 1-7 in their final match, England missed out on a World Cup spot.
Taylor was inevitably fired soon thereafter and left with his reputation in tatters following the subsequent release of a documentary following England’s botched qualification campaign. However, it’s safe to say that the former Aston Villa boss didn’t have the best talent pool to choose from during his reign, meaning he ranks above McClaren here.
#8 Sam Allardyce (2016)
Usually, a 100% win record would put a manager at the very top of a list like this, but in this case, Sam Allardyce’s 100% win record as England boss comes with a major caveat. The former Bolton Wanderers, Newcastle United and West Ham manager took charge of just one match with the Three Lions – a scrappy 0-1 victory over Slovakia – before being forced to resign just weeks after being appointed.
Allardyce became the victim of a newspaper sting, with a hidden camera capturing him apparently negotiating a fee to do some work as a ‘keynote speaker’ without the FA’s permission, criticising the England players and explaining that he could give advice on how to get around the FA’s rules against player third-party ownership. Offering no real defence for the film, ‘Big Sam’ chose to fall on his sword.
We’ll never really know how he would’ve done in charge of the Three Lions on a longer basis, but the evidence we do have – that win over Slovakia – suggests that he would’ve struggled to find the traction that his replacement Gareth Southgate was able to at the 2018 World Cup. Still, it’s hard to consider him worse than McClaren or Taylor – at least he didn’t botch an entire qualifying campaign!
#7 Kevin Keegan (1999-2000)
Appointed with a huge feeling of positivity, Kevin Keegan took over the reins with England following Glenn Hoddle’s sacking and immediately helped to turn their fortunes around in the qualifying campaign for Euro 2000, beating Poland in his first match and then steering them through the group and into a playoff against Scotland.
Keegan’s Three Lions were able to overcome their old rivals to head to the tournament in the Netherlands and Belgium, but there, disaster struck. A 2-0 lead in their first group match with Portugal was overturned and the game ended in a 2-3 defeat, and despite a strong win over Germany, another 3-2 loss – this time to Romania – meant England were sent crashing out at the first hurdle.
Keegan continued on as boss for two more games, but a loss at home to Germany in a 2002 World Cup qualifier – the final game at the old Wembley – was enough for him and he resigned in the aftermath. It’s hard to fault the former Newcastle boss’s effort and passion even 20 years later. But the truth is that despite plenty of talented players at his disposal, he was simply not strong enough from a tactical standpoint to really succeed with the Three Lions.
#6 Fabio Capello (2007-2012)
When Steve McClaren’s disastrous reign as England boss came to an end in late 2007, it was clear that something needed to change for the Three Lions. The prevailing thought was that England’s ‘Golden Generation’ needed more discipline after the supposed excesses of the Eriksson and McClaren years, and so the FA turned to tough Italian boss Fabio Capello, who had won league titles in Italy and Spain as well as the 1994 Champions League with AC Milan.
At first, the plan seemed to have worked perfectly. England destroyed any side in their path in their qualification campaign for the 2010 World Cup, putting a cap on things by dismantling Croatia – the same side who’d ended McClaren’s reign – 5-1 at Wembley. Gerrard, Lampard and Rooney seemed to be finally firing on all cylinders for the Three Lions, and glory seemed just one step away.
It wasn’t to be, though. In a strange turn of events, England arrived at the World Cup and lost all of their momentum, putting on turgid draws with the USA and Algeria before sneaking into the knockout stages with a 1-0 win over Slovenia. The Round of 16 saw them humiliated by Germany – England’s 4-1 loss was their heaviest in World Cup history – and although the Italian boss held on to secure qualification for Euro 2012, he left under a black cloud shortly after following a row with the FA over John Terry’s removal as team captain.
England’s performances in the early Capello games were as impressive as any that the Three Lions have put on in the last 20 years, but due to such a woeful performance in the World Cup, it’s impossible to rank him any higher here.
#5 Roy Hodgson (2012-2016)
Roy Hodgson took over the England job on the eve of Euro 2012 after Fabio Capello’s surprise resignation, and initially proved to be a popular choice. He led the Three Lions to the quarter-finals of the tournament in Poland and Ukraine despite losing a handful of key players through injury. In fact, his side ended up being the only team at the competition to be unbeaten in normal and extra time – only losing to Italy after a penalty shootout.
His next two tournaments were far less successful, though. Under Hodgson, the Three Lions qualified for both the 2014 World Cup and Euro 2016 with ease – even winning all ten qualifying games for the latter competition – but things went horribly wrong on the big stage. The World Cup saw England dumped out at the group stage following losses to Italy and Uruguay, while things were only slightly better in France two years later.
There, Hodgson’s side qualified for the knockout stages with a win over Wales and draws with Russia and Slovakia, but suffered a stunning 2-1 defeat to Iceland in the Round of 16 in a match that stands as perhaps England’s worst ever in any major tournament.
Despite this, the Three Lions’ showing at Euro 2012 – and their stirring win over Wales four years later – means that Hodgson should rank above Capello in this countdown.
#4 Glenn Hoddle (1996-1998)
Glenn Hoddle’s reign was a little shorter than some of the managers who rank below him, but in his time as England manager, he actually achieved a great deal. Although it was not a major tournament, he remains the only Three Lions boss outside of Sir Alf Ramsey to get his hands on any silverware, as he led his side to victory in 1997’s Le Tournoi, a warm-up tournament prior to the 1998 World Cup that saw England take on France, Italy and Brazil.
Hoddle’s reign was highlighted by the intense qualification campaign for that World Cup. His team lost to Italy at Wembley but strong results against Poland, Georgia and Moldova left them needing just a draw in Rome to qualify. In one of the best England performances of the 1990s, they secured a 0-0 result and booked their spot in France.
The tournament itself was also filled with drama; group stage wins over Tunisia and Colombia set up a clash with Argentina in the Round of 16, and after an incredible battle, the game finished 2-2 and England were beaten after a penalty shootout. Still, with Hoddle introducing young talent like David Beckham, Paul Scholes and Michael Owen into the fold, the future looked bright.
That was until the qualifying campaign for Euro 2000 got a bit sticky, though. Suddenly Hoddle’s reputation with the fans began to plummet, and when he gave a controversial interview to a Sunday newspaper – explaining his bizarre beliefs about disabled people – he was quickly fired, leaving many people to wonder what could’ve happened had he been given more time.
#3 Sven-Goran Eriksson (2001-2006)
England’s first-ever foreign-born manager, Sweden’s Sven-Goran Eriksson was bought in to replace Kevin Keegan when the former Newcastle United man resigned in late 2000. Despite some scepticism around his appointment, he brought in a strong reputation after winning the Serie A title with Lazio and had an immediate impact on the fortunes of the Three Lions.
A historic 1-5 win over Germany was the catalyst for Eriksson’s side to qualify for the 2002 World Cup, and his young team made it to the quarter-finals, only to be eliminated by eventual winners Brazil. Despite even more exciting players – names such as Wayne Rooney, John Terry and Steven Gerrard – coming to the forefront during his reign, though, the Swede could only repeat that quarter-final finish in his subsequent two tournaments with the Three Lions.
In hindsight, Eriksson may have found himself lucky during his time as England boss. It’s arguable that no manager since Sir Alf Ramsey had as much talent to call upon, but to be fair, the Swede did inspire some excellent performances from his side. The Germany win and the 1-0 victory over Argentina at the 2002 World Cup still resonate today, and given what his successor Steve McClaren did with the same players, perhaps his reign should be looked upon more highly today.
#2 Gareth Southgate (2016-Present)
It seems hard to believe now, but when Gareth Southgate was parachuted in as England’s new manager to replace the outgoing Sam Allardyce on short notice, very few fans of the Three Lions were enthused, feeling that Southgate was too much of an “FA yes-man” to succeed. Nearly four years later, the former Middlesbrough and Aston Villa man is one of the most beloved figures in England football history, after leading the Three Lions to two semi-final places in his first two tournaments.
Southgate initially raised eyebrows in the early days of his reign by dropping longtime talisman Wayne Rooney, and from there, slowly but surely, the older players who’d been lynchpins of Roy Hodgson’s sides – Chris Smalling, Joe Hart, Daniel Sturridge – were phased out in favour of younger talent like Harry Maguire and Jordan Pickford.
Results were initially similar to those produced by Hodgson, but when England went to the 2018 World Cup, everything changed. Suddenly, the Three Lions looked completely rejuvenated and unburdened by past failings – and produced their best tournament showings in over a decade to make the semi-finals before falling to Croatia despite a brave performance.
Still, unlike after the Three Lions’ semi-final finish in the 1990 World Cup, Southgate’s England have continued to progress since. They made the semi-finals of the UEFA Nations League after beating both Spain and Croatia and will go into next summer’s Euro 2021 as one of the favourites to win. Southgate has already done a tremendous job – win next summer’s tournament, and he’ll likely be remembered as England’s greatest ever boss.
#1 Terry Venables (1994-1996)
Despite Southgate’s success in the 2018 World Cup, no manager since 1990 has come as close as Terry Venables did to achieving a tournament win with England. Not only did Venables pick up the shattered pieces left behind by his predecessor Graham Taylor, but he gave the Three Lions an entirely different identity and helped them to win the hearts of the nation again during the epic Euro 1996 tournament.
Using tactical awareness usually seen on the European scene at the time rather than the traditional English 4-4-2 system, the former Tottenham Hotspur manager tinkered with his personnel for almost two years prior to the beginning of the tournament. Due to it taking place on home soil, England did not need to qualify.
And once Euro 1996 began, a mix of veteran steel from the likes of Stuart Pearce and David Platt meshed with the world-class abilities of Paul Gascoigne, David Seaman and Alan Shearer helped them to put on some amazing performances.
Scotland and the Netherlands were swept aside during the group stages – the latter in a remarkable 4-1 thumping – before Venables’ side defeated Spain after a penalty shootout in the quarter-finals to make it to the semis. There, an epic game with old rivals Germany ended in shootout pain for the Three Lions – with future boss Gareth Southgate missing the key spot-kick – but even after the loss, Venables and his side were considered heroes.
Southgate’s class of 2018 have arguably out-performed Venables’ side at this point – the 2-3 win over Spain stands alongside that famous victory over the Netherlands in England’s overall pantheon of great matches – but no Three Lions side has really captured the hearts of the fans quite like the heroes of 1996, and that’s why the former Spurs boss – who departed after the tournament – remains #1, for now at least.
