List of English football championship–winning managers

The top level of the English football league system from its formation in 1888 was the Football League, until the introduction of a Second Division in 1892 when it became known as the Football League First Division.^[1] This remained the top level of English football until 1992 when it was replaced by the Premier League.^[2][3] The role of the manager is to select the squad during the league season, develop the tactics of the team and manage potential issues within the squad. Due to the prestige of winning the league championship, the pressures on managers to succeed can be great.^[4]

Alex Ferguson won a record 13 league championships from 1993 to 2013 as manager of Manchester United.

William Sudell managed Preston North End to the inaugural championship in 1888–89, which they retained the following season, with Suddell becoming the first manager to win multiple championships.^[5] Since then, a further 24 managers have won the championship on more than one occasion. Alex Ferguson won 13 league championships as manager of Manchester United, which is the most a manager has won.^[6] George Ramsay and Bob Paisley won six league championships as managers of Aston Villa and Liverpool respectively. Nine managers — Ted Drake, Bill Nicholson, Alf Ramsey, Joe Mercer, Dave Mackay, Bob Paisley, Howard Kendall, Kenny Dalglish and George Graham – have won the championship as a player and a manager.^[7] Dalglish is the only one to have won the championship as a player-manager, a feat he achieved in the 1985–86, 1987–88 and 1989–90 seasons.^[8]

English managers have won the most championships, with a total of 58 championships won by 38 different managers. Scottish managers are next with 37 championships won by 10 different managers and Spanish managers are third with five titles all won by Pep Guardiola. The last English manager to win the championship was Howard Wilkinson, who led Leeds United to victory in the 1991–92 season.^[9] Arsène Wenger became the first manager from outside the British Isles to win the championship when he guided Arsenal to the 1997–98 Premier League title.^[10] Manuel Pellegrini became the first manager from outside of Europe to win the championship when he guided Manchester City to the 2013–14 Premier League title.^[11]

Managers

George Ramsay (left) and Bob Paisley (centre) won six league championships as managers of Aston Villa and Liverpool respectively. Pep Guardiola (right) is the most recent manager to have won the league championship.

Period: Football League (1888–1892) • Football League First Division (1892–1992) • Premier League (1992–present)

English football championship-winning managers^[12][13]

Season	Nationality	Manager	Club	Ref.
1888–89	England	William Sudell	Preston North End	[14]
1889–90	England	William Sudell	Preston North End	[14]
1890–91	England	Dick Molyneux	Everton	[15]
1891–92	England	Tom Watson	Sunderland	[16]
1892–93	England	Tom Watson	Sunderland	[16]
1893–94	Scotland	George Ramsay	Aston Villa	[17]
1894–95	England	Tom Watson	Sunderland	[16]
1895–96	Scotland	George Ramsay	Aston Villa	[17]
1896–97	Scotland	George Ramsay	Aston Villa	[17]
1897–98	England	Joseph Wostinholm	Sheffield United	[18]
1898–99	Scotland	George Ramsay	Aston Villa	[17]
1899–1900	Scotland	George Ramsay	Aston Villa	[17]
1900–01	England	Tom Watson	Liverpool	[16]
1901–02	Scotland	Alex Mackie	Sunderland	[19]
1902–03	England	Arthur Dickinson	The Wednesday	[20]
1903–04	England	Arthur Dickinson	The Wednesday	[20]
1904–05	Scotland	Frank Watt	Newcastle United	[21]
1905–06	England	Tom Watson	Liverpool	[16]
1906–07	Scotland	Frank Watt	Newcastle United	[21]
1907–08	England	Ernest Mangnall	Manchester United	[22]
1908–09	Scotland	Frank Watt	Newcastle United	[21]
1909–10	Scotland	George Ramsay	Aston Villa	[17]
1910–11	England	Ernest Mangnall	Manchester United	[22]
1911–12	England	Robert Middleton	Blackburn Rovers	[23]
1912–13	Ireland	Bob Kyle	Sunderland	[24]
1913–14	England	Robert Middleton	Blackburn Rovers	[23]
1914–15	England	Will Cuff	Everton	[25]
1915–19[a]	—	—	—	—
1919–20	England	Fred Everiss	West Bromwich Albion	[27]
1920–21	England	John Haworth	Burnley	[28]
1921–22	England	David Ashworth	Liverpool	[29]
1922–23	Scotland	Matt McQueen	Liverpool	[30]
1923–24	England	Herbert Chapman	Huddersfield Town	[31]
1924–25	England	Herbert Chapman	Huddersfield Town	[31]
1925–26	England	Cecil Potter	Huddersfield Town	[32]
1926–27	Scotland	Frank Watt	Newcastle United	[21]
1927–28	England	Thomas H. McIntosh	Everton	[33]
1928–29	England	Robert Brown	The Wednesday	[34]
1929–30	England	Robert Brown	The Wednesday	[34]
1930–31	England	Herbert Chapman	Arsenal	[31]
1931–32	England	Thomas H. McIntosh	Everton	[33]
1932–33	England	Herbert Chapman	Arsenal	[31]
1933–34	England	Joe Shaw (caretaker)	Arsenal	[35][36]
1934–35	England	George Allison	Arsenal	[37]
1935–36	Scotland	Johnny Cochrane	Sunderland	[38]
1936–37	England	Wilf Wild	Manchester City	[39]
1937–38	England	George Allison	Arsenal	[37]
1938–39	England	Theo Kelly	Everton	[40]
1939–46[b]	—	—	—	—
1946–47	England	George Kay	Liverpool	[42]
1947–48	England	Tom Whittaker	Arsenal	[43]
1948–49	England	Bob Jackson	Portsmouth	[44]
1949–50	England	Bob Jackson	Portsmouth	[44]
1950–51	England	Arthur Rowe	Tottenham Hotspur	[45]
1951–52	Scotland	Matt Busby	Manchester United	[46]
1952–53	England	Tom Whittaker	Arsenal	[43]
1953–54	England	Stan Cullis	Wolverhampton Wanderers	[47]
1954–55	England	Ted Drake	Chelsea	[48]
1955–56	Scotland	Matt Busby	Manchester United	[46]
1956–57	Scotland	Matt Busby	Manchester United	[46]
1957–58	England	Stan Cullis	Wolverhampton Wanderers	[47]
1958–59	England	Stan Cullis	Wolverhampton Wanderers	[47]
1959–60	England	Harry Potts	Burnley	[49]
1960–61	England	Bill Nicholson	Tottenham Hotspur	[50]
1961–62	England	Alf Ramsey	Ipswich Town	[51]
1962–63	England	Harry Catterick	Everton	[52]
1963–64	Scotland	Bill Shankly	Liverpool	[53]
1964–65	Scotland	Matt Busby	Manchester United	[46]
1965–66	Scotland	Bill Shankly	Liverpool	[53]
1966–67	Scotland	Matt Busby	Manchester United	[46]
1967–68	England	Joe Mercer	Manchester City	[54]
1968–69	England	Don Revie	Leeds United	[55]
1969–70	England	Harry Catterick	Everton	[52]
1970–71	England	Bertie Mee	Arsenal	[56]
1971–72	England	Brian Clough	Derby County	[57]
1972–73	Scotland	Bill Shankly	Liverpool	[53]
1973–74	England	Don Revie	Leeds United	[55]
1974–75	Scotland	Dave Mackay	Derby County	[58]
1975–76	England	Bob Paisley	Liverpool	[59]
1976–77	England	Bob Paisley	Liverpool	[59]
1977–78	England	Brian Clough	Nottingham Forest	[57]
1978–79	England	Bob Paisley	Liverpool	[59]
1979–80	England	Bob Paisley	Liverpool	[59]
1980–81	England	Ron Saunders	Aston Villa	[60]
1981–82	England	Bob Paisley	Liverpool	[59]
1982–83	England	Bob Paisley	Liverpool	[59]
1983–84	England	Joe Fagan	Liverpool	[61]
1984–85	England	Howard Kendall	Everton	[62]
1985–86	Scotland	Kenny Dalglish	Liverpool	[63]
1986–87	England	Howard Kendall	Everton	[62]
1987–88	Scotland	Kenny Dalglish	Liverpool	[63]
1988–89	Scotland	George Graham	Arsenal	[64]
1989–90	Scotland	Kenny Dalglish	Liverpool	[63]
1990–91	Scotland	George Graham	Arsenal	[64]
1991–92	England	Howard Wilkinson	Leeds United	[65]
1992–93	Scotland	Alex Ferguson	Manchester United	[66]
1993–94	Scotland	Alex Ferguson	Manchester United	[66]
1994–95	Scotland	Kenny Dalglish	Blackburn Rovers	[67]
1995–96	Scotland	Alex Ferguson	Manchester United	[66]
1996–97	Scotland	Alex Ferguson	Manchester United	[66]
1997–98	France	Arsène Wenger	Arsenal	[68]
1998–99	Scotland	Alex Ferguson	Manchester United	[66]
1999–2000	Scotland	Alex Ferguson	Manchester United	[66]
2000–01	Scotland	Alex Ferguson	Manchester United	[66]
2001–02	France	Arsène Wenger	Arsenal	[68]
2002–03	Scotland	Alex Ferguson	Manchester United	[66]
2003–04	France	Arsène Wenger	Arsenal	[68]
2004–05	Portugal	José Mourinho	Chelsea	[69]
2005–06	Portugal	José Mourinho	Chelsea	[69]
2006–07	Scotland	Alex Ferguson	Manchester United	[66]
2007–08	Scotland	Alex Ferguson	Manchester United	[66]
2008–09	Scotland	Alex Ferguson	Manchester United	[66]
2009–10	Italy	Carlo Ancelotti	Chelsea	[70]
2010–11	Scotland	Alex Ferguson	Manchester United	[66]
2011–12	Italy	Roberto Mancini	Manchester City	[71]
2012–13	Scotland	Alex Ferguson	Manchester United	[66]
2013–14	Chile	Manuel Pellegrini	Manchester City	[72]
2014–15	Portugal	José Mourinho	Chelsea	[69]
2015–16	Italy	Claudio Ranieri	Leicester City	[73]
2016–17	Italy	Antonio Conte	Chelsea	[74]
2017–18	Spain	Pep Guardiola	Manchester City	[75]
2018–19	Spain	Pep Guardiola	Manchester City	[75]
2019–20	Germany	Jürgen Klopp	Liverpool	[76]
2020–21	Spain	Pep Guardiola	Manchester City	[75]
2021–22	Spain	Pep Guardiola	Manchester City	[75]
2022–23	Spain	Pep Guardiola	Manchester City	[77]
2023–24	Spain	Pep Guardiola	Manchester City

By individual

Key

*	Manager is currently active

English football championship-winning managers by individual

Rank	Manager	Titles	Club(s)	Winning seasons
1	Alex Ferguson	13	Manchester United	1992–93, 1993–94, 1995–96, 1996–97, 1998–99, 1999–2000, 2000–01, 2002–03, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09, 2010–11, 2012–13
2	George Ramsay	6	Aston Villa	1893–94, 1895–96, 1896–97, 1898–99, 1899–1900, 1909–10
	Bob Paisley		Liverpool	1975–76, 1976–77, 1978–79, 1979–80, 1981–82, 1982–83
	Pep Guardiola *		Manchester City	2017–18, 2018–19, 2020–21, 2021–22, 2022–23, 2023–24
4	Tom Watson	5	Sunderland, Liverpool	1891–92, 1892–93, 1894–95, 1900–01, 1905–06
	Matt Busby		Manchester United	1951–52, 1955–56, 1956–57, 1964–65, 1966–67
6	Frank Watt	4	Newcastle United	1904–05, 1906–07, 1908–09, 1926–27
	Herbert Chapman		Huddersfield Town, Arsenal	1923–24, 1924–25, 1930–31, 1932–33
	Kenny Dalglish		Liverpool, Blackburn Rovers	1985–86, 1987–88, 1989–90, 1994–95
9	Stan Cullis	3	Wolverhampton Wanderers	1953–54, 1957–58, 1958–59
	Bill Shankly		Liverpool	1963–64, 1965–66, 1972–73
	Arsène Wenger		Arsenal	1997–98, 2001–02, 2003–04
	José Mourinho *		Chelsea	2004–05, 2005–06, 2014–15
13	Arthur Dickinson	2	The Wednesday	1902–03, 1903–04
	Ernest Mangnall		Manchester United	1907–08, 1910–11
	Robert Middleton		Blackburn Rovers	1911–12, 1913–14
	Thomas H. McIntosh		Everton	1927–28, 1931–32
	Robert Brown		Sheffield Wednesday	1928–29, 1929–30
	George Allison		Arsenal	1934–35, 1937–38
	Tom Whittaker		Arsenal	1947–48, 1952–53
	Bob Jackson		Portsmouth	1948–49, 1949–50
	Harry Catterick		Everton	1962–63, 1969–70
	Don Revie		Leeds United	1968–69, 1973–74
	Brian Clough		Derby County, Nottingham Forest	1971–72, 1977–78
	Howard Kendall		Everton	1984–85, 1986–87
	George Graham		Arsenal	1988–89, 1990–91

Won the League as a player and a manager

Managers who won the league as player and a manager^[7]

Name	Player club(s)	Player season(s)	Manager club(s)	Manager season(s)
Ted Drake	Arsenal	1934–35, 1937–38	Chelsea	1954–55
Bill Nicholson	Tottenham Hotspur	1950–51	Tottenham Hotspur	1960–61
Alf Ramsey	Tottenham Hotspur	1950–51	Ipswich Town	1961–62
Joe Mercer	Everton, Arsenal	1938–39, 1947–48, 1952–53	Manchester City	1967–68
Dave Mackay	Tottenham Hotspur	1960–61	Derby County	1974–75
Bob Paisley	Liverpool	1946–47	Liverpool	1975–76, 1976–77, 1978–79, 1979–80, 1981–82, 1982–83
Howard Kendall	Everton	1969–70	Everton	1984–85, 1986–87
Kenny Dalglish	Liverpool	1978–79, 1979–80, 1981–82, 1982–83, 1983–84, 1985–86	Liverpool, Blackburn Rovers	1985–86, 1987–88, 1989–90, 1994–95
George Graham	Arsenal	1970–71	Arsenal	1988–89, 1990–91

By nationality

Country	Managers	Total
England	38	65
Scotland	11	41
Spain	1	6
Italy	4	4
France	1	3
Portugal	1	3
Ireland	1	1
Chile	1	1
Germany	1	1

Notes

1. No competitive football was played between 1915 and 1919 due to the First World War.^[26]
2. In September 1939 first-class football was suspended due to the Second World War, with the 1939–40 league table voided and regional competitions contested instead.^[41]

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Bibliography

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