All time best Premier League Managers XI

On the Premier League show tonight I saw that they did a fluff piece on who would make a playing XI taken from the current managers.

They also mentioned that there might be an all time Managers XI coming up.

I thought I would give it a go:

                      Adkins
Clarke  Adams  Souness  Pearce

                      Keane  
  Bryan Robson         Guillit  
                     Laudrup

  Dalgleish                 Keegan     

BTW, I don't think this will be the eleven that they come up with, just one I would like to see myself.

A few notable exceptions, such as Zola, Shearer and Hoddle. Not sure there has been another keeper who has been a EPL coach other than Adkins either...

Who would others pick?

Needs more Ferguson.

 As a player I don't think he would cut it... especially as he played striker.

Would have him or either Clough as my manager though.

 Here was the current year's managers XI (you could have anyone who has been a manager this EPL season, hence Di Mateo & Hughes):

                        Adkins

Clarke  Moyes    Big Sam  Hughton

                      Lambert 
  O'Neill                          Di Mateo 
                      Laudrup 

               Hughes   Mancini 

Manager: Ferguson

Di Matteo is worth a shout surely?

Also Hughes was a handy footballer wasn't he?

If I had a 5 man bench (and say mysteriously there was another keeper somewhere) I don't think Di Matteo or Hughes would make the bench. Hughes closest though...

GK: ...

Def: Steve Bruce

Mid: Carlo Ancelloti

Mid: Glenn Hoddle

Str: Alan Shearer 

Some wikipedia analysis on each of the 20 managers. Note club apps/goals are league fixtures only. 

Alex Ferguson (Forward): 0 caps for Scotland. Dunfermline 89 apps (66 goals), Rangers 41 apps (25 goals), Falkirk 95 apps (36 goals)

Roberto Mancini (Attacking Midfielder): 36 caps for Italy (4 goals). Sampdoria 424 apps  (132 goals), Lazio 87 apps (15 goals)

Andre Villas-Boas (Position unknown): 0 caps for Portugal, no professional clubs.

Rafa Benitez (Sweeper): 0 caps for Spain. Real Madrid Castilla (Real Madrid's reserve side) 247 apps (7 goals)

David Moyes (Centre Back): No caps for Scotland. Celtic 24 apps (0 goals), Dunfermline 105 apps (13 goals), Preston North End 143 apps (15 goals)

Arsene Wenger (Defender): No caps for France. Strasbourg 11 apps (0 goals).

Steve Clarke (Defender): 6 caps for Scotland. St Mirren 200 apps (7 goals), Chelsea 330 apps (7 goals)

Brendan Rodgers (Defender): 0 caps for Northern Ireland. No club stints of note.

Michael Laudrup (Attacking Midfielder): 104 caps for Denmark (37 goals). Juventus 102 apps (16 goals), Lazio 60 apps (9 goals), Barcelona 167 apps (49 goals), Real Madrid 62 apps (12 goals)

Tony Pulis (Defender): No caps for Wales. Bristol Rovers 130 apps (5 goals) - over two stints.

Sam Allardyce (Defender): No caps for England. Bolton 198 apps (21 goals) - over 2 stints, Preston North End 93 apps (2 goals) - over 2 stints, Millwall 63 apps (2 goals)

Chris Hughton (Fullback): 53 caps for Republic of Ireland (1 goal). Tottenham 297 apps (12 goals), Westham 32 apps (0 goals)

Martin Jol (Midfielder): 3 caps for Netherlands. ADO Den Haag 267 apps (15 goals) - over 2 stints, Twente 71 apps (9 goals), West Bromwich Albion 63 apps (4 goals) 

Martin O.Neill (Midfielder): 64 caps for Northern Ireland (8 goals). Notts Forest 285 apps (48 goals), Fulham 94 apps (27 goals), Norwich City 66 apps (12 goals) - over 2 stints

Alan Pardew (Midfielder): No caps for England. Crystal Palace 128 apps (8 goals), Charlton 104 apps (24 goals)

Paul Lambert (Midfielder): 40 caps for Scotland (1 goal). St Mirren 227 apps (14 goals), Motherwell 103 apps (6 goals), Borussia Dortmund 44 apps (1 goal), Celtic  193 apps (14 goals)

Nigel Adkins (Goalkeeper): No caps for England. Tranmere Rovers 86 apps (0 goals), Wigan Athletic 155 apps (0 goals)

Roberto Martinez (Defensive Midfielder): No caps for Spain. Wigan Athletic 187 apps (17 goals), Swansea City 122 apps (4 goals)

Brian McDermott (Midfielder): No caps for England. Arsenal 61 apps (12 goals), Exeter City 68 apps (4 goals), Yeovil Town 62 apps (12 goals)

Harry Redknapp (Midfielder): No caps for England. Westham 149 apps (7 goals), Bournemouth 101 apps (5 goals)

And also the managers already sacked this season:

Roberto Di Matteo (Midfielder): 34 caps for Italy (2 goals). Lazio 87 apps (7 goals), Chelsea 119 apps (26 goals)

Mark Hughes (Forward): 72 caps for Wales (16 goals). Manchester United 345 apps (120 goals) - over 2 stints, Barcelona 28 apps (4 goals), Chelsea 95 apps (25 goals), Southampton 52 apps (2 goals), Blackburn 50 apps (6 goals).

Of those 22, broken down as follows:

Goalkeepers: 1

Defenders: 8

Midfielders: 10

Forwards: 2

Position unknown: 1

So if you go with a 4-4-2 since that was commonplace when most of these guys were playing, ferguson, hughes and adkins are all definites as they're the only strikers/goalkeepers. Unless you drop fergie and play laudrup in behind hughes... ooh i like that...

I find it too hard to name an eleven as I dont know which defenders would be fullbacks (aside from hughton obviously, and I dont know which side he played on), and I dont know which midfielders would be suited to the flanks. Need to brush up on me football history!

 

According to AJ13 it doesn't matter because all defenders should be able to play anywhere along the back four and it happens all the time in leagues all over the world. Apparently.

double post

2nd edit: now apparently not a double post... wtf

You all missed "Di Canio".......He would be first pick in my team !!

Souness was a midfield player not a central defender.

Must read the thread more carefully !!!!.......But Swindon will get there !!!!!

 err... good point.

Bruce in for Souness then.

Well this would have made my selection process a little easier:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Premier_League_managers

Didn't know Atillo Lombardo was a caretaker manager for Palace!

The eventual team they selected was stacked, Hoddle and Keegan on the bench!

 oh... can you remember what it was?

Here it is:

                              Mike Walker

Steve Clarke  Tony Adams  Steve Bruce   Stuart Pearce

                     Roy Keane        Ruud Gullit

Michael Laudrup                                            Gianfraco Zola

                     Kenny Dalglish     Alan Shearer

Bench: Nigel Adkins, Joe Kinnear, Glenn Hoddle, Bryan Robson, Mark Hughes, Gianluca Vialli, Kevin Keegan

That is a pretty awesome team...

Does it count for assistant managers who have had caretaker spells?

If so I'd argue for Pat Rice ahead of Steve Clarke

Also Paul Ince might have got a look in?

I'd have them play this team:

                                     Atkins

Phil Neal  David O'Leary  Gareth Southgate  Chris Hughton

                                  

Paul Ince       Graeme Souness          Bryan Robson   Glenn Hoddle

                               

                       Mark Hughes     Kevin Keegan

They would loose 5-3 but the 3 goals from the B team would all be outstanding with Hoddle and Hughes volleying the crap out of the ball and a clean strike from Keegan as a consolation.

:-)

Interesting that they have not included Alec Ferguson as any caps. He toured with a Scottish XI in 1967 of Asia and Oceania and they played against a NZ under 23 side at the Lower Hutt Recreation Ground and also against Auckland at Newmarket Park.
This tour included games against Australia and Israel.   AF played seven out of the nine games and scored 9 goals.

Toured with a "Scottish XI".

So no full caps for Scotland.

Thanks Buffy, I did gather that, but he was a striker( obviously a good one) and his strike rate was pretty good. 326 games for 180 goals.

 Clough would probably get in before Ferguson... even still Ferguson seemed to be a decent striker.

Sammy Lee?

Did you play in any of those games Leggy?

Great memory - did you need to look that up?

[quote=paulm]

Did you play in any of those games Leggy?

Great memory - did you need to look that up?

[/quote


Yes to both questions., Paulm. Both games.

Who are some of the most famous players you've played with/against? 

How many games did you play for the AWs?

Any funny anecdote that sticks out from your career?

Obviously you and I dont usually get along but it is very cool to have our own resident former-AW

*thread hijack apologies*

I have never done this before so here goes.
Peter Lorimer, Francis Lee, Johhny Haynes,George Eastham,Johnny('Budgie) Byrne,Tony Macedo,Jimmy McCalliog,Gordon Banks,John Greig,Tommy Mclean,Jimmy Armfield,Bruce Rioch,Tony Hately,Jimmy Robertson, Keith Weller, Keith Eddy,Jimmy Greenhoff, Geoff Hurst,Nobby Stiles, Pat Crerand,Bobby Charlton, George Best,Stuart Pearson, Sammy Mcllroy, David Armstrong,Graeme Souness.
One thing I remember, and it was not funny.
At half time Pat Crerand had a chat with the Auckland captain and an ex mate of his from  Scotland(Tom McNab) and told him if I fouled Best one more time they would break my legs. I was only a kid and it wad not deliberate, he was just too sharp. One minute he was there the next he was gone.

Probably most of these names could be unknown to you and some are no longer on this planet, but to me, I will never forget them.

jaysus there are some names in that list! Yea I don't know a lot  of them but there are some obvious HUGE ones in there, what an experience it must've been to be on the pitch with those guys. 

Hilarious Best anecdote - obviously not funny for you at the time but it gave me a giggle!

 Yeah Leggy.  As Paul says I can see that at the time not funny, but years later it is quite amusing for those not involved.

Just seen this where is Mancini????

Needs more Clough. He had an unbelievable strike rate.

Villas Boas... oh wait..

On that basis most people on here could manage a team in the EPL.

I could, piece of piss.

I know the feeling. LOL

I hear Chelsea will be looking for a manager soon.