ImagesPA; Getty Images85 RICHARD MOLLER n IELSEn
83
GEORGE RAMSAY
Ramsay joined Aston Villa
as a player by accident,
invited to make up the numbers in
an 1876 practice match. So impressive were
his skills, he was recruited on the spot. Injury
curtailed his playing career but opened a
new door in 1884, as the Scot became the
first-ever manager in the history of world
football. His paid secretary position at Villa –
a gig he held for four decades – was the first
of its kind, and culminated in six league titles
and six FA Cups.84
ALBERTO SUPPICI
In 1930, a 31-year-old
Suppici coached Uruguay
to success at the inaugural World
Cup – and almost a century later, no younger
manager has won it. ‘El Profesor’ took charge
of the Olympic champions and led them to
third in the South American Championship of
1929, before lifting the World Cup a year
later. Uruguay trailed Argentina at half-time
in the final but stormed back to win 4-2, one-
armed forward Hector Castro sealing victory
late on.82
FULVIO
BERNARDINI
Legend has it that virtuoso
midfielder Bernardini was dropped
by Italy boss Vittorio Pozzo in 1931 for being
too good. “Your team-mates don’t have the
same grasp of the game,” Pozzo is claimed
to have told him. Bernardini spun similar
gold as a manager. In a league forever
dominated by Milan and Turin, he guided
Fiorentina to a first Scudetto in 1956, then
won Serie A again with Bologna in 1964.
Sandwiched in between was Lazio’s maiden
trophy, the 1958 Coppa Italia.81
SILVIA NEID
The most triumphant German national
team manager since reunification isn’t
Joachim Löw. In fact, Neid and Tina Theune
(stop sniggering) share that record with four
women’s titles apiece. Theune won
Germany’s first World Cup in 2003; Neid led
them to their second four years on without
even conceding. Ruthless, expertly drilled
and yet a delight to watch in possession,
Neid’s side won European Championships in
both 2009 and 2013, before she signed off
with gold at the 2016 Olympics.In 1992, Richard Moller Nielsen
engineered one of the greatest upsets in
international football. A couple of years
earlier, the Danish FA had tried everything
to avoid appointing him as national
team manager.
Known for his defensive approach, Nielsen
had used such tactics as Odense won the
first and second league crowns in their
history. He managed Denmark’s under-21s,
and acted as assistant for the senior team.
So, when Sepp Piontek resigned in 1990 after
failing to book a World Cup place, Nielsen
seemed all set to succeed the German boss.
But his hopes were dashed by behind-the-
scenes manoeuvring.
Members of the Danish FA had concerns
and so did some star players, who felt that
Nielsen didn’t have the experience to step
up. Lacking the full respect of the squad
was a significant roadblock, and with Danish
FA chairman Hans Bjerg-Pedersen saying,
“My grandmother could have achieved the
same results as Richard Moller Nielsen”, a
different coach was unveiled: Horst Wohlers,
another German.
There was just one problem. The Danish FA
hadn’t come to an agreement with Wohlers’
club, Bayer Uerdingen, and a day later the
deal fell through. The new shortlist
contained eight names, but seven turned it
down. Finally, they went back to Nielsen.
Things started badly. Denmark won just
one of their first three Euro 92 qualifiers,
prompting Michael and Brian Laudrup to quit
in anger at the team’s defensive style, after
the attacking freedom of their Danish
Dynamite generation. Both went public with
their criticisms, hoping that would lead to
Nielsen’s removal. It didn’t.
Denmark won their final five qualifiers even
without the Laudrups, triumphing in Belgrade
against a Yugoslavia outfit who had been just
a penalty shootout away from the semi-
finals of Italia 90. “It isn’t always the best
players who make the best teams,” said
Nielsen. “The players ran for each other.”
Even so, Yugoslavia pipped Nielsen’s men
to qualification. Before Denmark hosted
Norway in an April 1992 friendly, someone
broke into the stadium and painted ‘F**k
Ricardo’ on the pitch, referencing Nielsen’s
nickname. It was still visible when the
match started.
Meanwhile, the Bosnian War had broken
out. And so it was that, less than two weeks
before the tournament’s opening fixture,
Yugoslavia were kicked out of Euro 92... and
replaced by Denmark. Nielsen, well aware of
the situation unfolding in the Balkans, had
spent the spring planning for their
participation – just in case.
He had a team of players who’d worked
with him at under-21 level, including the
returning Brian Laudrup. Michael refused to
come back, believing Denmark would fail
miserably in the competition. Instead,
after a 0-0 draw against Graham Taylor’s
England and a 1-0 defeat to hosts and
group winners Sweden, they edged
unexpectedly into the semi-finals by beating
a French team managed by Michel Platini.
For a finale, Nielsen’s workmanlike Danes
stunned the Dutch (the holders) and then
Germany (the favourites) for unlikely glory.
Dynamite indeed.FourFourTwo.com The Managers 13GREATEST
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