Just as in 2021, Gareth Southgate was unable to lead England to European Championship glory in Germany. While the campaign was not without its challenges as England laboured towards the latter stages of the tournament, the Three Lions’ ultimate failure to put an end to 58 years of hurt saw Southgate call time on his tenure.
Southgate oversaw one of England’s most successful periods in decades. During his eight years in charge, the Three Lions reached a World Cup quarter-final and semi-final, as well as two European Championship finals.
But having come so close to ending their long trophy drought, where does he rank among England’s best managers? Ranking them by win percentage, Football FanCast takes a look at the top 10 managers to take on the job. However, much to the disappointment of Sam Allardyce, to qualify for this list, they must have managed a minimum of ten games.
All data correct as of 15th July 2024. Games settled via penalty shootouts are considered as draws.
Manager
Tenure
Games
Wins
Win%
Fabio Capello
2008-2012
42
28
66.7%
Alf Ramsey
1962-1974
113
69
61.1%
Glenn Hoddle
1996-1999
28
17
60.7%
Ron Greenwood
1977-1982
55
33
60%
Gareth Southgate
2016-2024
102
61
59.8%
Sven-Goran Eriksson
2001-2006
67
40
59.7%
Roy Hodgson
2012-2016
56
33
58.9%
Walter Winterbottom
1946-1962
139
78
56.1%
Steve McClaren
2006-2007
18
9
50%
Bobby Robson
1982-1990
95
47
49.5%
Don Revie
1974-1977
29
14
48.3%
Graham Taylor
1990-1993
38
18
47.4%
Terry Venables
1994-1996
24
11
45.8%
Kevin Keegan
1999-2000
18
7
38.9%
10 Sir Bobby Robson 49.5% win rate
Tenure
1982-1990
Games
95
Wins
47
Draws
30
Losses
18
World Cup best
4th place (1990)
European Championship best
Group stage (1988)
After an impressive managerial stint in charge of Ipswich Town, Robson was handed the chance to take charge of England in 1982.
His time at the helm began poorly. He controversially dropped Kevin Keegan and saw England fail to qualify for Euro 1984, but despite his offers to resign, he was kept in his post and helped England qualify for the 1986 World Cup two years later.
His side reached the last eight of the competition, only to be knocked out by a Diego Maradona-inspired Argentina including the infamous ‘Hand of God’ goal. Two years later, they were out at the group stage of the European Championship.
Robson is perhaps best remembered for the 1990 World Cup, where his side lost to West Germany on penalties in the semi-finals. Heartbreaking but England’s best tournament performance in decades nonetheless, Robson left on a high despite a paltry 49.5% win percentage.
9 Steve McClaren 50% win rate
Tenure
2006-2007
Games
18
Wins
9
Draws
4
Losses
5
World Cup best
n/a
European Championship best
Qualifying stage (2008)
Put in charge of England after Luis Felipe Scolari turned down the role, Steve McClaren is remembered by England fans for all the wrong reasons. With a 50% win rate in charge of the Three Lions, he was unable to string together any consistency, and dropped popular veterans such as David Beckham and Sol Campbell.
The results didn’t vindicate his decisions, and a 2-1 defeat to Russia in Euro 2008 qualifying meant that they needed to beat Croatia at Wembley to book their place at the tournament. A 3-2 loss while McClaren stood under an umbrella became the main storyline from the game, as England failed to qualify for the Euros for the first time since 1984.
The next day, he had been fired and his 18 games in charge remains one of the shortest reigns an England manager has ever recorded. His tenure was a total disaster.
8 Sir Walter Winterbottom 56.1% win rate
Tenure
1946-1962
Games
139
Wins
78
Draws
33
Losses
28
World Cup best
Quarter-finals (1954, 1962)
European Championship best
n/a
England’s first-ever manager, Walter Winterbottom was also the longest-serving coach that the Three Lions have ever had. Appointed with zero managerial experience, he had the help of a selection committee (something later done away with) and managed an impressive 78 wins in 139 games, qualifying for four World Cups but never making it past the quarter-finals.
Despite some impressive results against major players Italy, Portugal and Brazil, however, he is probably best known for being the man replaced by Sir Alf Ramsey in 1962.
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1 ByLuke Randall 7 Roy Hodgson 58.9% win rate
Tenure
2012-2016
Games
56
Wins
33
Draws
15
Losses
8
World Cup best
Group stage (2014)
European Championship best
Quarter-finals (2016)
Another manager whose win percentage doesn’t truly reflect his perception as England boss, Roy Hodgson took charge in the aftermath of Fabio Capello’s exit, with England having already qualified for Euro 2012.
The tournament began well with a draw against France and wins against Sweden and Ukraine, as the Three Lions finished top of their group.
But defeat to Italy on penalties ended their run and marked the high point of Hodgson’s reign. In Brazil two years later, his side finished bottom of their group thanks to defeats to Uruguay and Italy, as well as a draw with Costa Rica.
Still in charge by Euro 2016, Hodgson’s side navigated their way out of the group stage behind Wales, but fell at the first knockout hurdle as they capitulated to a 2-1 defeat to minnows Iceland, one of the worst results in England’s history.
With just three wins from 11 tournament games, he resigned immediately after that defeat.
6 Sven-Goran Eriksson 59.7% win rate
Tenure
2001-2006
Games
67
Wins
40
Draws
17
Losses
10
World Cup best
Quarter-finals (2002, 2006)
European Championship best
Quarter-finals (2004)
After success in Italy at club level, Eriksson was appointed England boss in 2001, and despite a memorable 5-1 win over Germany, they still relied on David Beckham’s free kick to secure qualification for the 2002 World Cup.
He navigated the Three Lions through the group stage before eventually falling in the quarter-finals to eventual winners Brazil in a game remembered for Ronaldinho’s lob of David Seaman.
At Euro 2004, his side fell to a penalty shootout defeat to Portugal in the quarter-finals, and there was plenty of apathy towards Eriksson, to the point that he had agreed to leave his post even before the 2006 World Cup had kicked off.
Portugal once again foiled the Three Lions, with a second successive shootout defeat at the quarter-final stages, leaving Eriksson signing out with a whimper, despite plenty of initial promise.
5 Gareth Southgate 59.8% win rate
Tenure
2016-2024
Games
102
Wins
61
Draws
24
Losses
17
World Cup best
4th place (2018)
European Championship best
Runners-up (2020, 2024)
Loved and hated in equal measure depending on which England fan you ask, Southgate’s methods may have been boring at times, but his results spoke for themselves.
Appointed initially on a caretaker basis after Sam Allardyce was sacked, he remained in the post for eight years, during which time he reached heights
In that time, he has reached a World Cup semi-final and a European Championship final while instilling a feel-good factor around the England camp after years of distrust.
Year
Finish
2018 World Cup
Semi-final
Euro 2020
Runner-up
2022 World Cup
Quarter-finals
Euro 2024
Runner-up
However, there are accusations that he is too conservative, especially in games where his side have taken the lead and gone on to lose (namely against Croatia in 2018 and Italy in 2021).
Despite this, his record in charge was impressive, and guided England through one of their best periods of international football. And even without a trophy under his tenure, he leaves the role having out-performed plenty of his predecessors.
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1 ByStephan Georgiou 4 Ron Greenwood 60% win rate
Tenure
1977-1982
Games
55
Wins
33
Draws
12
Losses
10
World Cup best
Second group stage (1982)
European Championship best
Group stage (1980)
Initially appointed as caretaker boss, Greenwood ended up in charge of England for five years, and made history by selecting the first black player to play for the Three Lions in Viv Anderson.
However, his side were not too successful on the pitch. They failed to qualify for the 1978 World Cup, were knocked out in the group stages of Euro 1980, and though they qualified for the World Cup in 1982, were knocked out in the second group stage.
Eventually, he stepped down, leaving the post with an impressive win percentage, but little to show for it.
3 Glenn Hoddle 60.7% win rate
Tenure
1996-1999
Games
28
Wins
17
Draws
6
Losses
5
World Cup best
Round of 16 (1998)
European Championship best
n/a
Appointed as the replacement for Terry Venables, Glenn Hoddle was in charge for 28 games across his three-year stint in charge, winning 17 of those. However, tournament football remained a disappointment, as his side lost to Argentina in the second round of the 1998 World Cup and had a poor start to Euro 2000 qualification.
The former Spurs and Chelsea man never got to see through that qualification campaign, leaving the England job under a cloud after making comments to a journalist about disabled people being punished for the sins of their former lives. Though he argued they were “misconstrued, misunderstood and misinterpreted”, the backlash prompted the FA to terminate his contract.
Despite that, his managerial success is only bettered by three other Three Lions bosses.
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ByJack Salveson Holmes 2 Sir Alf Ramsey 61.1% win rate
Tenure
1963-1974
Games
113
Wins
69
Draws
27
Losses
17
World Cup best
Winners (1966)
European Championship best
Third place (1968)
The only England men’s manager to win an international trophy, Sir Alf Ramsey remains a manager unequalled in the minds of many.
He took on the role in 1962 and immediately claimed that his side would win the 1966 World Cup, but he suffered a 6-3 aggregate defeat to France as his were side knocked out of qualifying for Euro 1964 to leave his claim seeming hollow.
1966 rolled around and England sailed through the group stage on home soil, beating France and Mexico before beating Argentina 1-0 in the quarter-finals. They went on to beat Portugal in the semi-finals and famously defeat West Germany 4-2 in the final thanks to a hat-trick from Sir Geoff Hurst.
Ramsey went on to reach the semi-finals of the 1968 European Championship and the quarter-finals of the World Cup in 1970, but neither he nor any other England boss has managed to replicate the success experienced in 1966.
1 Fabio Capello 66.7% win rate
Tenure
2008-2012
Games
42
Wins
28
Draws
8
Losses
6
World Cup best
Round of 16 (2010)
European Championship best
n/a
Still England’s most successful manager by win percentage, Fabio Capello is often accused of squandering England’s golden generation despite his overall record. Taking charge in 2008, the former Milan and Real Madrid manager was hailed as the right sort of man for the job thanks to his trophy record and reputation for discipline, which is something many felt was lacking in previous regimes.
His tournament record was less than ideal, though. England were knocked out by Germany in the last 16 of the 2010 World Cup after a poor group stage campaign in which they won just once, with the Italian leaving before Euro 2012 came around despite helping the Three Lions to qualify for the competition.
Of his 42 games at the helm, Capello won an impressive 28 of them, losing just six. Though it gives him the best win percentage of any manager to have been in charge of the Three Lions, his tournament record means that few will remember him too fondly.
