Discussion Forum

Stemming from a conversation with my dear deluded Manchester United supporting Shameless fan, Skoob, thought I'd see whether there's any consensus on who was/is the greatest football manager of all time. I know Scoob will be voting Shankly as will I (with Bob Paisley a very close second)...

Anyway, this damn thing only let's me give five options so that's the only reason the likes of Jock Stein, Brian Clough (the lying scumbag motherfucker), Miguel Munoz, Mario Zagallo, Jose Mourinho, Joe Fagan and Bobby Robson aren't in it.

And don't tell me that Wenger should be on the list, I'll argue that one all day long.

Q: The Greatest Football Manager of All Time Bill Shankly 33% Bob Paisley 0% Matt Busby 50% Alex Ferguson 16% Rinus Michels 0% There have been 6 responses to this poll

To your list, I'd have to say you should add:
Paul Brown
George Halas
Vince Lombardi
Tom Landry
Don Shula
Chuck Knoll

I'd be happy to let any one of them run my football team (even the dead ones).

You're making this difficult JP.

I have to go for Sir Matt, obviously.

He didn't win as many honours as Fergie or Bob Paisley, but he took over a club that was down and out and on its arse and made them into an institution.

Plus when I was about ten years old he sent me a letter - it's at my mum's house, still got it. I wrote a poem and my mam sent it in. The man took the time to write back. Signed it with a fountain pen.

I actually went to Maine Road before I went to Old Trafford, but it wasn't quite my cup of tea. First time at OT was in 1969 as a nipper. Best, Law, Charlton, it's changed a bit since then.

It always feels like I'm really home whenever I'm there.

Oh, pass the frigging tissues.

You'll have me skriking in a minute.

Regards

Skoob.

I'm allergic against Liverpudlians and Rooney, so let's go north of the border, Busby, no doubt (he would have been even greater if he could have tamed Bestie!)

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Quote: Throckmorton Turdblossom

To your list, I'd have to say you should add:
Paul Brown
George Halas
Vince Lombardi
Tom Landry
Don Shula
Chuck Knoll

I'd be happy to let any one of them run my football team (even the dead ones).

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Different game J-Man.

I've heard of all of them, and I'm sure they're worthy, but as we've said before - our game is truly global, whereas yours is parochial American.

Not that there's anything wrong with that. Your version of football can be great to watch, and probably good to play, but it really doesn't arouse the passion our game does.

The vuvuzela thing at the World Cup in South Africa must have put a lot of people off, and most of us found it really annoying - but that really is an aberration.

As Pele legendarily said: "The beautiful game."

Very few people would argue with that.

Kindest Regards

Skoob.

Skoob,

We are not an American game (if you refer to the United States). There has been a Canadian Football League for many years.

Also, many of the great players in college and the pros come from places like Tonga and Samoa, where they see our football as their way out of the islands and onto the mainland.

When the NFL plays games in places like London, Berlin, Tokyo, or Mexico City, they always sell out stadiums.

We are becoming more and more global.

That's a fair comment J-Man

But I honestly believe that no matter how aggressively your game is marketed, it'll never have the appeal and tradition, the history or the passion of that game we fondly refer to as 'football.'

No disrespect, because I would have probably quite enjoyed playing your version, but it was never popular here during my sport playing days.

Having said that, I really have enjoyed quite a number of NFL games over the years. Ones that stand out for me are Walter Payton, Jerry Rice, Joe Montana, Dan Marino, and Joe Theissman.

Not saying at all that there's anything wrong with your game, but it just isn't what we call 'football.'

Best Regards

Skoob.

American Football is not football. This is for many reasons but mostly because:

(1) It should not have the word foot in it. Feet are not really involved in Gridiron save for tiny parts of the 'game' and even then - they have to bring a special little guy on to do it.

(2) It is not a ball. A ball is round.

(3) Saying 'American' in the words 'American Football' indicates that other countries play it else they would simply call it football. But no other country of any note plays it (Tonga and the like simply don't count and Canada has spent its entire history copying America) and the term football is already taken thanks very much. If anything, it should be called American Rugby. Or better still, "American, Slightly Camp, Rugby".

(4) Americans are too fat to see their feet. Plus they're so dumb that they have to write the distances on the actual pitch because the players and fans are too stupid to remember them otherwise. You don't see "6 yard box" or "goal area" written on one of our pitches.

(5) Worse of all, the support of American football is incredibly transient as are the actual teams. "Fans" often switch their support between different teams and rarely support a team because of local ties and family tradition. Even worse - the teams themselves often change names and in many cases entirely move state.

(6) The game is hardly athletic and strategic enough to be called a game so thus falls in the category of professional hobbies like darts and snooker. About 200 people play on each team and they only play for about 3 seconds a time then they all take a break having finished hugging each other for a brief interlude while an entirely different team comes on and minces about for a bit while bellends wearing oversized headphones and mouthpieces have a natter and a large black man with black paint under his eyes wanders round acting tough and pumped up. So very, very gay. The average amount of time the 'ball' (or as I prefer to title it, the "leather egg") is actually in play on the field during an NFL game is less than 11 minutes. Then there's 27 minutes of shots of the head coaches and referees, 72 minutes of replays, 115 minutes of commercials, 65 minutes of shots of players huddling, standing at the line of scrimmage or generally just milling about between snaps. And this is supposed to be exciting? Maybe for your average middle American but not for the cultured, well traveled and well educated Europeans like us I'm afraid.

(7) You like to call it a contact sport. It's not, it's just a random collision sport. Besides, Rugby makes American Football look like a tupperware party.

( Finally, there is not enough off-pitch fan violence for my liking. The fans of gridiron just don't care enough to form gangs and fight each other with stanley knives like real men.

Busby for me too.

Less foul language came out of his mouth than Alex Ferguson who should have his own fetid cavity publicly washed out with a bar of carbolic, IMVHO, haha.

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Quote: queen mudder

Busby for me too.

Less foul language came out of his mouth than Alex Ferguson who should have his own fetid cavity publicly washed out with a bar of carbolic, IMVHO, haha.

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QM, Alex let's his gum-s do the talking, chew that one over or Wrigle-y out of it

Yes and some Canadians also play in the NFL.

Some superfans, like the Viking that catches players after touchdowns in Minnesota are Canadians as well.

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Quote: Throckmorton Turdblossom

Skoob,

We are not an American game (if you refer to the United States). There has been a Canadian Football League for many years.

Also, many of the great players in college and the pros come from places like Tonga and Samoa, where they see our football as their way out of the islands and onto the mainland.

When the NFL plays games in places like London, Berlin, Tokyo, or Mexico City, they always sell out stadiums.

We are becoming more and more global.

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