What are the greatest managerial turnarounds you know of?

[SirAF]

LVG with AZ. Finished 11, wanted to resign, players asked him to stay, started the new season (2008-2009) with two losses, then won the league.

Good shout! That was something that gave me great hope for LvG here - oh well.

 

[Bestietom]

No mate. That was a fluke. All the big clubs failed to turn up.

And they say the League don't lie.

 

[Gio]

Frank Rijkaard had a terrible start at Barcelona. Then mid-season they got Edgar Davids and things massively changed. They lost the league, but closed a huge gap from from Real, and went on to win the league and the CL over the next few years.

Good shout. Davids must take most of the credit - 6 wins in Barcelona's opening 18 games without him, then 14 wins out of the next 16 games following his arrival.

 

[Hound Dog]

Guardiola at City.

They never remotely looked like winning the title in his first season and went out in the CL to a vastly inferior Monaco side. A lot of frustrating results, especially at home, and a lot of fans wanted him out.

However, he then went on to spend 10 billion quid and improve City's return of 2 titles in the 5 years before he came in to 3 titles in the first 5 years of his reign.

Truly the greatest of all time.

 

[giorno]

Guardiola at City.

They never remotely looked like winning the title in his first season and went out in the CL to a vastly inferior Monaco side. A lot of frustrating results, especially at home, and a lot of fans wanted him out.

However, he then went on to spend 10 billion quid and improve City's return of 2 titles in the 5 years before he came in to 3 titles in the first 5 years of his reign.

Truly the greatest of all time.

Huh. City were the best team in the PL by advanced metrics, they mostly struggled with poor finishing and soft, dumb goals conceded because they had nothing better than Sagna and Clichy...not for nothing the moment they replaced those two with good players the dumb goals conceded stopped, finishing went back to normal and they ripped off 100 points

And as for the vastly inferior Monaco side...city signed 2 players off them, Fabinho went to liverpool, bakayoko to chelsea, lemar to atletico madrid and their attack was Mbappé and Falcao back to ~80% of his best...I really would not call them vastly inferior to City...

Plus, City dominated most of the tie - again, it was extremely poor finishing that did them in, along with some characteristic poor defending on a set piece

 

[Bosnian_fan]

City kicked the season off with 10 wins out of 10 if I recall properly.

 

[Hound Dog]

Huh. City were the best team in the PL by advanced metrics, they mostly struggled with poor finishing and soft, dumb goals conceded because they had nothing better than Sagna and Clichy...not for nothing the moment they replaced those two with good players the dumb goals conceded stopped, finishing went back to normal and they ripped off 100 points

And as for the vastly inferior Monaco side...city signed 2 players off them, Fabinho went to liverpool, bakayoko to chelsea, lemar to atletico madrid and their attack was Mbappé and Falcao back to ~80% of his best...I really would not call them vastly inferior to City...

Plus, City dominated most of the tie - again, it was extremely poor finishing that did them in, along with some characteristic poor defending on a set piece

That style of football is always going to result in excellent advanced metrics. The problem is that it is extremely risky and that you need extremely good players in all positions to pull it off AND get results. Which is why it works only with ridiculously good teams and against top opposition it is not that effective as evident from his CL record outside of Barcelona.

And I would even say his CL record overall as their 2009 CL win would not have happened if rules of football were applied in their semi.

 

[.Phil1968]

From where we were in the late 80s under Fergie to where he took us from the 90s onwards was nothing short of remarkable.
Late 80s the football was dire, results were awful, attendances dropping and we were in a relegation battle in 89/90. Lots of fans were Fergie out as well as lots of fanzines and in my opinion he would have been sacked if we'd lost at Forest in the cup.
The F A cup was a catalyst and we never looked back , to think we went from relegation candidates to world champions in 10 years is incredible.

 

[Glaswegian]

Moyes has to be up there, the guy looked haunted after the United job. Glad he's doing well at West Ham, hope he stays and cements a legacy with them.

 

[Blood Mage]

Ole's turnaround last season was pretty sensational. Looked nailed on to be sacked in December, then he went on to finish 2nd and break Arsenal's away record. I'd attribute it more to Bruno, Shaw and Cavani being in great form, the lack of opposition fan pressure at away grounds and extraordinary luck more than Ole but still.

 

[tentan]

Hussenhuttl. A few 9-1 losses and a lot of consecutive defeats in the past few years or so. Southampton shouldve been relegated a couple of times but he's kept them up. He's done a good job.

 

[mark clatternburg]

And they say the League don't lie.

Mmmmmm………

 

[Loon]

Would Clough count? Thrown under a bus by Leeds only to turn an unfashionable Nottingham side into two-time European champions and league winners.