It would have to be Tommy Doc. For me he represents an era at the club during the 70's where he took over an ageing squad. He offloaded the Holy Trinity (Law, Best, Charlton), took us down into div 2. Don't think at the time there was a utd fan who didn't believe he would take us back to the top flight again and he sure did the season after. Not only that but with some clever business on the transfer market from lower divisions bringing the likes of Pearson, Coppell, Hill and Houston he revamped the club. It was football at 100 mph with onus on attack and it was great to watch. The win over Liverpool in the FA cup final 1977 being my strongest memory.
Our third greatest ever manager
- Thread starter Gazza
- Start date
But then you can’t put mourhino above him just because he won a trophy. He also gutted the club of any sense of achievement
Jesus Christ who said that Ole is our 3rd greatest manager? That person is either drunk or a troll. He would be lucky if he doesn't end up as our worst ever manager.
I don't usually care about opposition fans laughing at us a bit, part of the game really, but people genuinely claiming Ole is our 3rd greatest manager is just fuel for banter fires.
Mourinho wouldn't get on my list if he was literally the only candidate available. Hands down the worst manager in the clubs' history.
I reckon it would have been Jose if he didnt have that Sevilla meltdown, and then basically set us up to lose the final vs Chelsea in the FA Cup.
Lets wait until Ole has done another season or two till we judge him fully. (I mean he would be third right now if he had won a european cup or something prior but its too early). For all we know he and the team could have a meltdown in Jan and end up 6th with the nature of this 'full covid' season
Lets wait until Ole has done another season or two till we judge him fully. (I mean he would be third right now if he had won a european cup or something prior but its too early). For all we know he and the team could have a meltdown in Jan and end up 6th with the nature of this 'full covid' season
I agree but I just used him a as trophy refute to your point
I hope not many opposition fans look at this, we'll be ridiculed.
Agreed. Suggesting Ole is top 5 let alone 3rd is mental, he still has so much to prove. Getting to a final for a start.
Who would you have? It’s not that outlandish as there’s not much competition, Doc stands out then who? Maybe Atkinson
Yeah.
FFS how many of you focused on a couple of posters suggesting Ole without nominating your own choice? 
Ole is the third best United manager after SAF retired which does not mean much.
Magnall should be by virtue of being the only other manager except the big two who won a league title. Mourinho and Atkinson to complete top 5.
Magnall should be by virtue of being the only other manager except the big two who won a league title. Mourinho and Atkinson to complete top 5.
FFS how many of you focused on a couple of posters suggesting Ole without nominating your own choice?
I did. Guilty.
I'm just noticing a groundswell of hyperbole now that we've finally strung some good results together. I'm Ole in for the season, as he's turned a corner and kept it straight for a while now, but I can't say the false dawns have been wiped from memory. Let's see where we are at the end of the season. I'm just thankful that we finally are good to watch and relevant (for the time being at least).
Has to be Mangnall, because he's the only one other than Busby and Ferguson to win the league doing it twice as well as winning a FA Cup. Plus with the importance that the history of the club plays, Mangnall being around during the name change and the move to Old Trafford makes him third to me. Though how involved he was in either the name change or the move , I couldn't say.
I don't think you understood the point of the thread. Like, in the slightest.
Still a ridiculous thread, it ultimately just brings out another Ole In vs Ole out debate.
Has to be Moyes. Won Community Shield, signed Fellaini and finished top 7. Hard to top these achievements.
Before my time but I always had the impression that the Doc wasn’t seen as very good at United, at the time?
Mourinho got us second and won community shield league cup and Europa in same season not the best of cups but I would take that this season definitely.
Thank you for some sanity
When it comes to making such lists United are fortunate they have only had 3 managers who ever won a league title. So the top 3 should always be:
Fergie, Busby and Mangnall.
Whenever another manager wins a league title for the club, he can start at the bottom of the list. And until then, the list only has 3 names. You don't get honored with a list for winning an FA Cup right before you are sacked.
Fergie, Busby and Mangnall.
Whenever another manager wins a league title for the club, he can start at the bottom of the list. And until then, the list only has 3 names. You don't get honored with a list for winning an FA Cup right before you are sacked.
A shout for Jimmy Murphy. Trained the young Babes, then picked up the wreckage after Munich, and assembled a team that beat Milan at OT and went to the FA Cup Final. No trophies, but he kept the club going. Then turned down offers from Brazil, Juve and Arsenal and went back to coaching the kids.
United sure has a short list of great managers..
We’ve had two great managers and the rest were just managers. There. Sorted.
I'd like to see if Ole wins us anything before we start comparing him to our greatest managers.
Currently Doc third, Atkinson fourth for me, after the obvious two.
Currently Doc third, Atkinson fourth for me, after the obvious two.
That's due to the length of most of their tenures. It's something the club should be proud of, even now.
The third spot is clearly open. Hey, maybe he has his sights higher...
but OGS is at the start of his career, hopefully he’s here a long time, because if he is, then he will have been a success.
you can only rate him on what he’s achieved so far, and if he left tomorrow, clearly he wouldn’t be our 3rd best manager. But he could be.
thankfully, he’s incomprehensibly better than Moyes. Who is without doubt our worst ever manager.
but OGS is at the start of his career, hopefully he’s here a long time, because if he is, then he will have been a success.
you can only rate him on what he’s achieved so far, and if he left tomorrow, clearly he wouldn’t be our 3rd best manager. But he could be.
thankfully, he’s incomprehensibly better than Moyes. Who is without doubt our worst ever manager.
Ernest Mangell, 2 1st Division Championships, 1 FA Cup and 2 Charity Shields.
with due respect to a number of supporters on this forum, the history and success of this club was achieved before Sir Matt and Ferguson. Please take the trouble to research the history of this club you might find it interesting from a footballing view but also from the a social point aspect
Haha what?
That's just going to the other extreme.
He's nowhere near as bad as Moyes, McGuinness or Sexton (just in my lifetime).
Most of that is on Edwards and his half ass approach to us back then.
The Dapper Ron won the fa cup in his second season and normally finished around fourth and that was with a team that lets be honest, were more interested in pints than points and most were not of the standard of today's players.
Yes we are second, and ? Sexton got us to second (1979) in just a strong league that had back to back EC/CL winners Forrest, liverpool and the 1981 EC/CL winners Villa.
Lets wait and judge Ole after he has left and not now when he has done nothing others haven't done and in some cases better than him.
Ole hasn't even been here for the best part of three seasons before such a ridiculous thing is said. As it stands Mourinho has achieved more in the relevancy of the only way to judge a managers success against another on the basis of what they have won.
Seriously do you believe yourself when you write this? How can a manager who achieved our highest position and points total since SAF left and won us the most trophies be the worst manager in the club's history? Just because you dislike Mourinho's personality because he burnt bridges with the club doesn't take away his achievement for the club.
Busby will always be our number 1 in my opinion.
SAF a close 2nd.
Mangell has to be 3rd.
After that it has to be Jimmy Murphy for what he did to pull the club back from the abyss after Munich.
After that Atkinson, Docherty, Van Gaal & Jose.
SAF a close 2nd.
Mangell has to be 3rd.
After that it has to be Jimmy Murphy for what he did to pull the club back from the abyss after Munich.
After that Atkinson, Docherty, Van Gaal & Jose.
Doc left United just as we were looking to challenge Liverpool and under him we might well have won the 1st Division. Under Sexton United were simply not the same team and played safety first football as opposed to the cavalier football Docherty had us playing. I didnt like Sexton.
Eurgh, this is swinging too much the other way with Ole now. Will end in tears.
I'm a fan, and I'm "Ole in" but whoever said he's 3rd best ever Utd manager must have been on glue.
I'm a fan, and I'm "Ole in" but whoever said he's 3rd best ever Utd manager must have been on glue.