Tottenham Hotspur have kicked off their 2023/24 Premier League account in electrifying form, winning five of their opening seven games whilst remaining unbeaten.
Harry Kane’s departure to Bayern Munich was met with a sinking sigh but, so far, they coped without their all-time leading goalscorer extremely competently.
The club’s fortunes have dramatically shifted following last season’s underwhelming showing, which saw them finish eighth, without qualifying for European football for the first time since the 2009/10 campaign.
And that is largely due to the impact Postecoglou has made since arriving from Scottish champions Celtic in the summer. His appointment was initially met with criticism from sections of the Spurs fan base, but those early qualms have well and truly gone.
He has rapidly become the ‘darling’ of the Premier League thanks to his likeable personality and down-to-earth attitude, and the early signs of his reign are extremely encouraging.
There probably hasn’t been a Tottenham manager so well-liked among the fanbase since Mauricio Pochettino, who enjoyed a fruitful five-year stint in North London between 2014 and 2019.
Many of the club’s managers over the years haven’t quite aligned with the ethos of the club and there are only a select few who will be remembered as club legends.
So, today at Football FanCast, we’ve decided to name Tottenham Hotspur’s 10 best managers of all time based on win percentages, though, we won’t be including the Australian head coach or caretaker managers.
There are certainly a few surprising names…
10
Bill Nicholson – 49%
Bill Nicholson was Spurs manager for a remarkable 16 years between 1958-1974, managing a colossal 832 matches. Considering the number of games, his win percentage is astounding. The Yorkshire-born coach is considered one of the most important figures in Spurs’ 141-year history.
Nicholson won eight major trophies during his reign and most notably led the Lilywhites to League and FA Cup double in the 1960-61 campaign, becoming only the third side in English history to achieve such a feat.
1999 saw an approach road to White Hart Lane renamed ‘Bill Nicholson Way’, evincing his legendary status at the club. In 2003, Nicholson was inducted into the English Hall of Fame.
The Spurs boss was responsible for bringing Dave Mackay, Pat Jennings and Jimmy Greaves to White Hart Lane, with the trio going on to establish themselves as club legends.
9
Harry Redknapp – 49%
Harry Redknapp was made Spurs boss in October 2008, taking over a side that had made the worst-ever start to a season in the club’s history, winless in their opening eight games.
Redknapp steered the Lilywhites to a commendable eighth-placed finish and a league cup final before guiding them to fourth the following season whilst winning the Premier League Manager of the Year award.
Across his four-year spell at White Hart Lane, the former West Ham United boss oversaw just shy of 200 games and played an exceedingly attractive brand of football.
2010/11 saw his side compete in the UEFA Champions League for the first time in the club’s history, where they progressed to the last eight of the competition before suffering defeat to LaLiga giants Real Madrid.
8
Tim Sherwood – 50%
Tim Sherwood’s spell at Spurs was pretty brief, only managing 26 games in total. His appointment was supposedly on a temporary basis but was given an 18-month contract, though he was sacked less than five months into it shortly after the 2013/14 season.
During his short reign, his side endured heavy defeats to Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool, which were perhaps the catalyst for his early departure.
Even still, he managed a creditable win percentage that saw him win half of his games in charge, leading the North Londoners to a sixth-placed finish.
7
José Mourinho – 51%
The legendary Portuguese head coach was appointed Spurs’ boss in November 2019 and his arrival was met with great optimism by fans.
Many expected him to end the club’s trophy drought, and he may well have done, had he not been sacked less than a week before his side’s League Cup final against Manchester City.
His 17-month spell in charge of the Lilywhites certainly wasn’t below par results-wise, but rather uninspiring with fans often critical of his style of play.
At the time of his sacking in April 2021, Mourinho’s side had won the fourth-most number of Premier League points across his 58 games since his arrival.
So, all things considered, he was a good manager for the club and perhaps his tenure is unfairly frowned upon, even if his football was rather dull at times.
6
John Cameron – 51%
John Cameron was the player-manager for the Lilywhites over an eight-year period between 1899 and 1907. He managed over 500 games with an admirable win percentage of 51%.
He guided the club to its first-ever FA Cup win in 1901 and also led his side to two second-placed finishes in the Southern League.
As a player for Spurs, Cameron racked up an impressive 139 goals across 293 appearances.
5
Antonio Conte – 54%
When Antonio Conte joined the North Londoners in November 2021, it was seen as a real coup for the club, having won the Serie A title with Inter a few months prior.
His arrival came after the sacking of Nuno Espírito Santo, with the club languishing in ninth but the Italian quickly changed the fortunes of the side, propelling them to a fourth-placed finish ahead of rivals Arsenal, thus qualifying for the Champions League.
Though, the following season, despite a strong start, results began to turn and a 10-minute rant – where he criticized his own players and the club – appeared to be the final straw before receiving the sack in March 2023.
Despite a sour ending, he left the club in fourth, two points clear of Newcastle United. The Lilywhites ended up finishing eighth.
4
Mauricio Pochettino – 54%
Mauricio Pochettino is certainly one of the most popular managers in Tottenham’s history, though, that mantle may have dampened a little after becoming Chelsea boss.
Notwithstanding that, Pochettino’s five-year spell in charge of the North Londoners was fantastic. He established the club as a Champions League regular, finishing inside the top four in four successive seasons and even reached the final of the illustrious competition in 2019.
The 2016/17 campaign saw Spurs finish as Premier League runners-up, amassing a commendable 86 points whilst playing an attractive free-flowing brand of football.
His impact on the football club will have a lasting effect, with foundations and a tremendous culture laid down during his tenure.
Many Spurs fans wanted the Argentine to return following Conte’s dismissal earlier this year which evinces his continued popularity despite being sacked in November 2019 following a poor run of form.
3
André Villas-Boas – 55%
André Villas-Boas replaced Harry Redknapp as Tottenham Hotspur manager in July 2012 and went on to manage 80 games for the Lilywhites across a 17-month stint in charge.
During his reign, he became the first Spurs manager to win at Old Trafford in the Premier League era and was awarded Manager of the Month twice.
2012/13 saw his side amass 72 points – the highest Premier League points tally the club had ever recorded at that time – though, it wasn’t enough to qualify for the Champions League, as they finished in fifth, one point adrift of fourth-placed Arsenal.
He was sacked in December 2013 following a humiliating 5-0 defeat to Liverpool, with his side in seventh.
Nevertheless, his 55% win rate is certainly praiseworthy and places him among the best-ever Spurs managers – based on the metric.
2
Arthur Turner – 55%
Arthur Turner was a servant of Tottenham Hotspur for an extraordinary 43 years between 1906-1949 in various different roles. One of his roles was as manager, first taking on the mantle in 1908 before Peter McWilliam was appointed in 1912.
He again assumed responsibility in 1942, helping Spurs through the remaining period of World War Two and the most challenging time in its history.
The Football League had been suspended during the war, but Turner’s efforts saw Cup Competitions and friendlies fulfilled.
Across his two stints as manager, he won 27 of his 49 games in charge, only conceding defeat on 11 occasions.
1
Frank Brettell – 58%
And the manager with the best win rate is, Frank Brettell, who managed Spurs for 11 years between 1888-1899. He won 37 of his 63 matches in charge before resigning to join Portsmouth, who offered him a more lucrative deal.
During his tenure, he signed a number of players from the north of England, including Everton’s John Cameron, who became his successor in 1899 and makes this list in sixth.
Of course, it would be unfair to include Ange Postecoglou in the list at this stage as he’s not long been in charge of the north London club, but if things carry on in the direction they’re currently going in then he could just make it onto this list once he has a bigger pool of games to draw stats and comparisons from.
