Will one of these win Premier League Manager of the Season?
As it comes down to the last and most entertaining month of Premier League football, it’s time to take a look at which club bosses are in the candidacy for having had the best campaign. Of course, this subject has to be looked at objectively, taking into account everything about each team including the size of each squad, transfer budgets and realistic goals for each team. Nothing’s set in stone yet, with some teams still with eight games left to play, but the managers mentioned here will certainly be viable winners.
We’ll start off with one of the more obvious candidates, and the only selection amongst the top six. Harry Redknapp was always going to find it hard living up to last year’s magnificent 4th place finish, however in the scheme of things has performed with a calm head, yielding more success. Taking into account their simultaneous success in the Champion’s League (which looks inevitably over), the squad has survived and with the defensive strains Spurs have had, their achievements this year seem all the more magnificent.
The £14m signing of Brazilian Sandro has proven to be a revelation. Coming from seemingly nowhere, the former Internacional defensive midfielder has performed fantastically, earning a man of the match award against Milan to prove it. The free transfer of William Gallas was amongst this year’s savviest purchases and the cut-price acquisition of Rafael Van der Vaart is the best £8m Tottenham have spent in a while. Altogether, great signings and great performances commonly occur with responsibility going to management. European football next season is pretty much in the bag and Redknapp looks to have worked his magic once more.
Falling away towards the latter end of this season, but nevertheless in a respectable position, come Bolton Wanderers. Owen Coyle took over the manager role at the Reebok midway through the 2009-10 season, and had a bit of a clean-up job left for him by Gary Megson. He led the team to survival, coming 14th after what was a generally successful first six months in Manchester. It was however this season that would prove his real test, and in that regard he’s passed with flying colours.
Coyle spent next to nothing this year, securing the services of Martin Petrov, Ivan Klasnic and Robbie Blake all on free transfers. The latter, Blake, being a favourite of Coyle’s from former team Burnley. With such limited resources, critics were expecting another mid-table finish at best, the likes of which Trotter fans had become used to. Quite the opposite occurred however, with the West Midland club flourishing under their Scottish management.
Swede Johan Elmander finally started to seem worth £8.2m, after a subdued first two years in Bolton. Kevin Davies came up with his usual contribution of goals, as well as the likes of Lee Chung-Yong and American Stuart Holden adding ammunition where needed. All of these attacking options helped towards an emphatic start to the season with the team losing only twice in their first 15 games. This sort of form has deteriorated since Christmas time, but the team look safe and in contention for a European spot. Currently placed 8th, Owen Coyle will be looking to build on a brilliant debut season, and improve again in the 2011-12 outing.
Finally, a manager that’s constantly coming up with the goods despite dramatically limited resources, David Moyes. Everton have possibly the smallest transfer budget in English top flight football, contending even with newly promoted teams. Spending a grand sum of £1.5m this season, it’s astonishing how the Glaswegian holds the Toffees in their current position of 7th. It seems to fly past some that at this rate, Everton will be playing in Europe next season, and when you can say that you’re doing so having spent less than Blackpool F.C, the manager is doing something extremely right.
David Moyes is coming into his ninth season in Liverpool should he stay this summer. That being said, the success of the manager isn’t assured this year, with Manchester United and Chelsea just some of the harder games left to play. If anybody can deal with that kind of pressure though, Moyes certainly knows how. Graft and hard work seem to be two weapons this Scot favours greatly, and you have to think what Moyes would be capable of, were the club to inject some real cash into the team. Keeping Everton afloat all on his own, my manager of the season, David Moyes.
