5 managers who were made to look better than they were by their team
A football manager is like a general in war, like a grandmaster in chess or like Benjamin Linus on Lost. Although they do not actually step on to the field, much is made of their strategy, methodical preparation and ability to effectively communicate with players from all corners of the world.Management provides some interesting stories. Hundreds of tales can be told of the manager proving to be the difference in a close contest, or of inspiring underdogs to fantastic victories, be it through their motivational skills, tactical inspiration or pre-prepared game plans.But at the other end of the spectrum are those whose managerial talents are overplayed by partisan supporters and an ever willing media.These managers did possess a superb of players at their disposal, after all. It is eventually these players, and these players alone, who have to do the talking on the pitch.Here are five managers whose role in successful sides was probably overhyped.
#1 Joe Fagan
Turning the pages of history, one comes across a rather overlooked managerial tenure in English football. The Liverpool sides of the 1980s were among the best in Europe, and although the Heysel disaster put a damper on any European hopes in the latter half of the decade for Kenny Dalglish, Bob Paisley before him had established a domination of the game that had scarcely been seen before in England.
Between these two colossal individuals came the two years under the stewardship of Joe Fagan (1983-1985). It remains rather surprisingly forgotten.
Surprising, because Liverpool completed a treble in the first season, something even the superlative Paisley had been unable to accomplish. However, that was hardly due to any brilliance on the part of Fagan.
One would suspect that the momentum accrued through the Paisley years kept Liverpool going through most of 1983-84 because the Merseysiders lacked inspiration on many occasions and seemed to win games more through sheer bloody-mindedness than the quality of their play.
This was probably best illustrated by their extraordinary grind in the League Cup. Liverpool went through multiple replays (including one in the final) in what was eventually a successful campaign, often making heavy weather of opponents they would have crushed in years past.
These were punctuated by astonishing lapses in concentration (such as a 4-0 defeat at Highfield Road), and what constantly got Liverpool out of jail were the performances of their almost superhuman quartet.
Ian Rush (47 goals in all competitions) and Graeme Souness put on some unbelievable performances to drag Liverpool through, while Phil Neal (who scored in the European Cup final) and Kenny Dalglish displayed an admirable, though more stable, brand of consistency to see Liverpool home in close games.
Liverpool finished the season with three trophies, but it was by dint of a string of sublime individual performances that covered up any deficiencies of inspiration.