The movie Mike Bassett: England Manager likes to paint English managers as something very idiosyncratic. Old-fashioned as we might be on this rainy isle, with a penchant for 4-4-2, coaching in Blighty is evolving.
England are currently enjoying something of a golden era in terms of emerging playing talent and while there's not the same depth when it comes to managerial expertise, there are plenty of exciting young English managers out there, plus a few grizzled old faces who just won't be beaten.
With the England job changing hands after Gareth Southgate's departure following the Euro 2024 final defeat, here's a look at some of the English managers that we rate particularly highly...
10. Michael Carrick
Former Manchester United players haven’t always made good managers – but one-time midfield string-puller Michael Carrick certainly made a fine start to his coaching career with Middlesbrough.
He started by taking Boro from the Championship relegation zone to the play-offs during his first six months in charge– and, while his side were ultimately beaten by Coventry in the semi-finals, the ex-England man has instilled a highly effective brand of football bearing the hallmarks of his own metronomic playing style.
He was able to get over a poor start in his second season last year and would end up guiding Boro to the last four of the League Cup and ended the season in eighth place.
Should he steer Boro into the play-off places this season following a five-game skid at the start of 2025, it would again his ability to turn things around,
9. Frank Lampard
While many of his contemporaries are content to work in the media or head over to well-monied overseas leagues, Frank Lampard opted to get stuck in at Coventry City, where he replaced a former staple of this list in Mark Robins, who saw his time come to an end last November.
Since taking over at the Sky Blues, the former Chelsea and Everton boss has taken his new side from 17th place and a potential relegation battle to the play-off spots.
Even if his season doesn't end in promotion to the top flight, Lampard's immediate impact in Coventry shows that the 46-year-old is continuing to develop in the dugout.
8. Will Still
Until last summer, he was the only English manager in the top four continental European leagues – but the wild praise Will Still received during his time at Reims last season was very much on merit, as he guided the former French champions to 11th placed in Ligue 1 during the 2022/23 season – embarking on a 18-match unbeaten run along the way.
Born in Belgium to English parents, the 31-year-old Still was younger than many of his players at Reims as he enjoyed the dream of so many of us mere mortals and turned his Football Manager obsession into a real-life managerial career.
His time at Reims came to an end in May after ninth-place finish in Ligue 1 and has now joined Lens and has them pushing for Europe this season.
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7. Rob Edwards
It took Rob Edwards all of seven months in the Luton dugout to complete one of the great modern football comeback stories as he masterminded the final promotion of the Hatters’ remarkable journey from non-League to the Premier League – having begun the season in charge of their arch-rivals Watford.
This rapid accent saw him go from Forest Green in League Two to the top flight, with Edwards winning plaudits for how his Hatters side battled - albeit unsuccessfully - against the drop last term.
Edwards therefore began the current season with plenty of credit in the bank at Kenilworth Road, but his side were simply unable to get used to life back in the second tier, and the 42-year-old left the club in January.
It would be a massive surprise if there was not more to come in the former Wales international's managerial career.
6. Gary O'Neil
After failing to turn the corner following a tough start to the season at Wolves, Gary O'Neil was given the shove by the Midlands side before Christmas.
The 41-year-old's track record should mean he isn't out of work for long though, as he showed early promise at Bournemouth, keeping the Cherries in the Premier League in 2022/23, before his harsh dismissal the following season.
HIs early work at Wolves saw him revitalised the team with a more adventurous style of play, as their tally of tally of 50 Premier League goals during the 2023/24 campaign season was a big jump from the 36, 38 and 31 goals they had managed in the three previous seasons, as O’Neil showed plenty of tactical versatility and adaptability.
5. Kieran McKenna
Having honed his craft in the background at Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United, Kieran McKenna made the leap to management at Ipswich Town with the club struggling in League One in 2021.
Promotion to the Championship was secured in emphatic fashion in his first full season at the club, coining an attractive, free-flowing style of football rarely seen in the lower tiers of English football.
Back-to-back promotions saw the Tractor Boys reach the Premier League for the first time in over 20 years, with McKenna getting admiring looks from Manchester United and Chelsea in their boss in the process.
McKenna's plucky Ipswich side face a real battle to retain their Premier League status this term, but the Tractor Boys have so far put up a better fight than their fellow new boys Southampton and Leicester City.
4. Graham Potter
The 49-year-old Potter took his time in returning to the game following his Chelsea dismissal in April 2023, opting to answer the call from West Ham in January.
The likes of Marcelo Bielsa and Pep Guardiola have praised Potter after coming up against his teams in the past, with the former York City left-back being touted as a potential England manager for several years now. His spell at Brighton remains his career high point so far and only the harshest critic would point the finger at him for failing to succeed at Chelsea, given the chaos he had to deal with behind the scenes there.
Potter has quickly steadied the ship at West Ham and will be hoping to consolidate for the rest of the campaign before being able to put his own stamp on the squad in the summer.
3. Sean Dyche
After cultivating a reputation for no-nonsense, pragmatic, physical football, Sean Dyche's work at Everton during his two-year spell in charge proved he is far more than a one-trick pony.
Shutting out the noise of the Toffees' financial implosion and taking two sets of points deductions on the chin, Dyche was able to follow up his final day survival act in 2022/23 by keeping his team's head above water last season, with a 15th-place finish.
Another tough campaign followed as Dyche had to block out all the external noise, but he had to Toffees above the drop zone when the club's new regime opted to make a change that was always on the cards in January.
2. Gareth Southgate
It was another case of so close, yet so far when it came to ending England's trophy drought at Euro 2024 for the Three Lions' most successful manager since Sir Alf Ramsey as we wait to see where Gareth Southgate's future lies.
No-one is arguing with Southgate's record, as two consecutive European Championship final appearances and a World Cup semi-final place have restore pride in the Three Lions and set new standards, but criticism over his style of play in Germany has left many wondering if it's time a for a change.
With his England career now in the past, it remains to be seen where and when Southgate takes his next job and how he is able to translate his abilities to the challenges of managing a club side.
1. Eddie Howe
Eddie Howe currently stands alone as the only English manager in the Premier League and he can now count himself as the first Englishman to win a major trophy in a generation - since Harry Redknapp almost 17 years ago - after he guided Newcastle United to Carabao Cup glory.
Howe made quite a name for himself by guiding Bournemouth from League Two all the way to the Premier League – and keeping them there for four seasons – but he’s taken his managerial reputation to new levels at Newcastle.
The 47-year-old succeeded Steve Bruce as Magpies boss shortly after the club’s mega-money takeover in October 2021 – and he’s not looked back, turning Newcastle into a domestic force once again, bringing Champions League football back to St James' Park after two decades last season.
Howe found the going slightly tougher in 2023/24 but has his side in the mix for a top-four spot again this season and, perhaps more importantly for long-suffering Magpies fans, has delivered the trophy they have craved for so long.
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