ImagesPA; Getty Images43
DIEGO SIMEONE
When Simeone returned to
coach Atletico Madrid in
December 2011, they were 10th in
La Liga and had been knocked out of the
Copa del Rey by third-tier Albacete. By May,
they’d qualified for Europe – and ever since,
the relationship between club and manager
has become so symbiotic that it’s impossible
to imagine one without the other. El Cholo’s
brand of bastardy broke La Liga’s duopoly in
2014 and won the title again in 2021.44
TELE SANTANA
“One of my biggest regrets
is not winning a trophy for
Tele. If anybody deserved one, it
was him.” So wailed Zico, reflecting on
Brazil’s revered losers of 1982. Santana’s
joga bonito had taken them to Spain 19
games unbeaten, but defeat to Italy meant
they didn’t get past the second group. He
had another go in 1986, but Brazil were last-
eight losers on penalties. Mercifully, he won
consecutive Libertadores and
Intercontinental Cups as Sao Paulo boss.42
ALBERT BATTEUX
Batteux is Ligue 1’s most
successful manager, who
oversaw two golden eras. First, he
won five titles with local side Reims, steering
them to two European Cup finals; later, he
led Saint-Etienne to a hat-trick of league
triumphs – via his adored brand of
‘champagne football’. “He was very funny,”
revealed Just Fontaine, who scored a record-
breaking 13 goals under Batteux as France
finished third at the 1958 World Cup. “We
listened to him with delight.”41
RAFA BENITEZ
At some point during Benitez’s half-
time speech in the 2005 Champions
League final, it was pointed out that he had
put 12 players on his tactics board.
Unperturbed, the Spaniard simply chalked
one off and pressed ahead; the rest went
down in history. Benitez had already
established himself as one of the game’s
wiliest operators before that, guiding
Valencia to two La Liga crowns and the
2004 UEFA Cup. The title eluded him at
Anfield, but ‘Rafa’ – who delivered the Reds’
last FA Cup of 2006 – will forever be on first-
name terms.Not even Alex Ferguson can match the
tally of league titles won by Bill Struth
– Rangers were crowned champions an
astonishing 18 times during his era.
He achieved it all despite having no playing
career of any sort. “He didn’t know a great
deal about football, but he was a great
manager,” said ex-winger Johnny Hubbard.
Hailing from Edinburgh, Struth attempted
to become a professional runner in his
younger days before moving into football to
help train players at Hearts. He then became
a trainer at Clyde, during a period in which
the club made it to two Scottish Cup finals.
He was appointed as Rangers’ assistant in
1914, taking charge in shocking
circumstances six years later – boss William
Wilton drowned in a boating accident, just
24 hours after his players had rounded off a
title-winning season.
Struth helped the Gers cope by retaining
their trophy the following season, then set
about an era of dominance. In the 19
campaigns before the Second World War
stopped Scotland’s top flight, Rangers
scooped 14 titles. In 1928, he oversaw their
maiden league and cup double, after 25
years without the Scottish Cup.
He largely left the tactics to his coaches,
but was clever when it came to recruitment
and his big focus was on fitness, diet and
discipline. To him, appearance mattered – he
insisted his players wore a collar and tie to
training, and bowler hats were mandatory.
He’d watch from a window as they arrived at
Ibrox early in the morning – if anyone was
spotted walking down the street with hands
in their pockets, they’d be sent out to do it
again with arms by their sides. One time, he
even punched a player in the ribs for doing it.
“He was strict,” said midfielder Adam
Little, who was once rebuked for knotting
his cravat incorrectly. “You had to live by
his standards –if you disobeyed certain
things, you were just transferred. In
psychology, he was a wizard. You have 11
players and no two are alike. He could
handle every one of us.”
Struth’s methods undoubtedly worked.
He became the first Scottish manager to
win the treble in 1949, bagging four league
titles after the war – triumphing in 1953
despite having part of his leg amputated due
to gangrene.
He retired in 1954, aged 78, having won 18
league titles in 27 seasons. In the same
period, Celtic won only five. If you take into
account wartime championships and cup
competitions, Struth claimed another seven
league trophies, and an incredible total of 73
prizes during his time as Rangers manager.
Ibrox’s main stand is named in his honour.45 BILL STRUTH
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