All-time best coach of your/any country

[17Larsson]

Ireland.....
Mick McCarthy? Am I forgetting about someone obvious?
I like Mick and he did well in most places he went to but a bit depressing if he's the best

 

[VesRiddle]

Finland: Markku Kanerva
Sweden: Sven-Göran Eriksson
Norway: Åge Hareide
Denmark: Morten Olsen

 

[Inter Yer Nan]

Ireland.....
Mick McCarthy? Am I forgetting about someone obvious?
I like Mick and he did well in most places he went to but a bit depressing if he's the best

Not sure he'd qualify as he's English unless the topic is who is the best to have coached their national team.

 

[André Dominguez]

Where would people rank Ottmar Hitzfeld? I rank him pretty much high. his career was outstaning either managing top clubs or not so top clubs.

Sven Goran Eriksson was also amazing during his prime: hiring him would be synonymous of winning titles and scoring goals.

About the Italians gotta give hands down to Trapattoni: won us (Benfica) a title after a long drought and with a very limited squad when compared with Porto and Sporting. We were using players as starters who wouldn't even be at Sporting or Porto's bench on that season.

 

[Chipper]

Not sure he'd qualify as he's English unless the topic is who is the best to have coached their national team.

He played for Ireland too, isn't that good enough to make him Irish?

Jack Charlton was a better coach of their national team but he's definitely not Irish.

Ireland is complicated though, what with those from Northern Ireland being able to claim Irish citizenship. What's Martin O'Neill, Neil Lennon, and Brendan Rodgers' passport status? With an Irish dad, Mick McCarthy may have an Irish passport too, no idea if he does.

Edit: David O'Leary had a few highs and was definitely Irish.

 

[redman5]

Busby has to be Scotland's greatest. To become champions of Europe 10 years after his great young side was decimated by the Munich disaster, how could anyone else even be in the picture ? & as for Brian Clough being England's best. Not a chance. He was nothing without Peter Taylor. Herbert Chapman who won league titles with Huddersfield & Arsenal, or Bob Paisley , should be the only 2 candidates for England.

 

[Inter Yer Nan]

He played for Ireland too, isn't that good enough to make him Irish?

Jack Charlton was a better coach of their national team but he's definitely not Irish.

Ireland is complicated though, what with those from Northern Ireland being able to claim Irish citizenship. What's Martin O'Neill, Neil Lennon, and Brendan Rodgers' passport status? With an Irish dad, Mick McCarthy may have an Irish passport too, no idea if he does.

Edit: David O'Leary had a few highs and was definitely Irish.

Yeah it can get a bit tricky but I consider McCarthy to be an Englishman the same way I consider Deco a Brazilian.

 

[ReddBalls]

Norway: Åge Hareide

Why him ahead of Eggen, Olsen or, for that matter, Solbakken?

 

[Ian Reus]

The paddy wagon in ireland is great. They even run leprechaun sighting tours for Americans.

 

[Catt]

Norway : Nils Arne Eggen

Hopefully Ole can claim this in some years.
solbakken is doing okey so far.

Not a fan but have to mention Egil Olsen.

 

[awop]

Surely Deschamps should merit a mention, Euro finalist, WC winner, CL finalist, brought Juventus back to Serie A and still fairly young.

 

[Ian Reus]

Surely Deschamps should merit a mention, Euro finalist, WC winner, CL finalist, brought Juventus back to Serie A and still fairly young.

Water carrier.

 

[Withnail]

Busby was Scottish.

Weren't they all?

 

[Withnail]

He played for Ireland too, isn't that good enough to make him Irish?

Jack Charlton was a better coach of their national team but he's definitely not Irish.

Ireland is complicated though, what with those from Northern Ireland being able to claim Irish citizenship. What's Martin O'Neill, Neil Lennon, and Brendan Rodgers' passport status? With an Irish dad, Mick McCarthy may have an Irish passport too, no idea if he does.

Edit: David O'Leary had a few highs and was definitely Irish.

He qualified to play for Ireland but he's a Yorkshire man through and through.

O Neill and Neil Lennon played for NI so he's out. Not sure about Rogers as he didnt play international football but he played under age for both NI and ROI. He also managed Celtic so maybe but I've never really considered him Irish.

Davo is a decent shout but a bit of a flash in the pan really.

Did a bit of googling and apparently it's Patrick O' Connell, a Dub, who won La Liga with Betis a few years after getting them promoted and saved Barcelona from bankruptcy in the 30s:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrick_O'Connell_(Irish_footballer)

Honours:

Player

Ireland

• British Home Championship
  • 1914: 1

Manager

Racing Santander

• Cantabrian Champions
  • Winners 1923–24, 1924–25, 1925–26, 1926–27, 1928–29: 5

Real Betis

• La Liga
  • Winners 1934–35: 1
• Segunda División
  • Winners 1931–32: 1

FC Barcelona

• Mediterranean League
  • Winners 1937: 1
• Lliga Catalana
  • Winners 1937–38: 1
• Campionat de Catalunya
  • Winners 1935–36, 1937–38: 2

 

[FootballHQ]

Michels has a better claim since he was the one who created totaal voetbal and influenced Cruyff.

Actually you're right, silly me. Rinus Michels was father figure for whole total football concept and Cruyff continue carrying the torch into modern era.

 

[Champagne Football]

The paddy wagon in ireland is great. They even run leprechaun sighting tours for Americans.

Could be a good gig for Mata after retirement. All he'd need is a green suit + hat and orange beard, and he'd clean up with the tips.

 

[Ian Reus]

Could be a good gig for Mata after retirement. All he'd need is a green suit + hat and orange beard, and he'd clean up with the tips.

So a free transfer to hibernian in the summer?

 

[Halds]

Maddest thing with him is that after winning the Euros he didn't even win the Danish coach of the year award.

Now I suppose it could have been a timing thing or even only open to league coaches but on paper that's bonkers.

The thing is, until the miracle happened in '92, Richard Møller Nielsen was the most unpopular national coach for Denmark ever.

He took over from the very popular Piontek and that was always going to be difficult as our golden generation from the 80'es was gone. The Laudrup brothers and Molby didn't want to play for him because of the negative style of football, and he didn't get results, didn't even qualify for the Euros we won.

On top of that he came around as a very stubborn and rather boring character. So he was very unpopular with the press, the fans and the players and the mood around our national team was at an all time low.

And then the miracle in '92 came in the most unexpected way. Møller Nielsen did get some recognition from the people later on. He ended up as a beloved person from the majority and was inducted in the national football hall of fame in 2014 after he passed away a few weeks before.