In the long, rollercoaster history of English football, we have enjoyed some wonderful managers, and some not so great.
The virtues of our current incumbent will be scrutinised relentlessly over the next four weeks but recent research from Amazon revealed interesting results.
Gareth Southgate, England’s current manager, has been voted the English national team’s best ever manager, no matter what happens this summer.
Alf Ramsey, who led England to their one and only World Cup title in 1966, follows behind in second place (29%), with Sir Bobby Robson (26%) coming in at number three according to Brits.
New research of 2,000 UK residents, conducted by Amazon Fire TV ahead of the upcoming men’s European football tournament, found that 39% of Brits believe England will make it to the Men’s final, with 23% believing England will finally lift the trophy this summer.
The Top Ten English National Team Managers as voted by Brits:
1. Gareth Southgate (2016 - present) - 37%
2. Alf Ramsey (1963 - 1974) - 28%
3. Sir Bobby Robson (1982 - 1990) - 26%
4. Terry Venables (1994 - 1996) - 18%
5. Sven-Goran Eriksson (2001-2006)- 15%
6. Kevin Keegan (1999-2000) – 10%
7. Roy Hodgson (2012-2016)- 9%
8. Glenn Hoddle (1996-1999)- 8%
9. Fabio Capello (2008–2012)- 8%
10. Graham Taylor (1990-1993) – 6%
When asked what makes a good international manager, Brits believe that being able to relate to the players (39%) is the most important factor, followed by needing to be tactically astute (30%), and have a passion for the country they’re managing (30%).
Interestingly, only 1 in 5 (19%) say that it’s necessary to play attractive football to be a good manager, and whilst English fans love to moan about the team, only 10% say they believe they could do a better job.
As the summer tournament nears, nearly one in three (31%) Brits plan ‘to pull a sickie’ to cheer on England, with two thirds (69%) saying they prefer watching major tournaments on their TV at home for a better experience over the pub or an office viewing party.
A further 56% stated they want to be surrounded by their family to celebrate the big tournament moments.
However, previous heartbreak has some Brits sceptical with 21% believing England will be knocked out during a dreaded penalty shootout yet again.
Despite this, England fans retain faith in the nation’s most successful goalscorer with 57% believing captain, Harry Kane, will win the coveted Golden Boot.
When questioned on rivalry, 29% believe that England will go further than Scotland, however, just 5% believe that Scotland will outlast England in the tournament.
The study also revealed that Brits are backing Kylian Mbpappe (41%) to nab the mantle of Player of the Tournament, with England’s Jude Bellingham (37%) and Harry Kane (36%) as close rivals.
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