30 Jan 2014 13:31:55
Iced in in Atlanta! Can't get to work, so filling the time with speculation and aneurysm inducing fretting about the transfer window. So I'm looking for a few distractions.

Yesterday I suggested Brendan Rodgers was the best manager in the EPL at the moment. This proposition was not met with unanimous approval! I'd be interested in hearing who y'all would give that tribute to, if not him. And also on what criteria you are basing your judgement.

1.) 30 Jan 2014
How can a manager be "the best manager at the moment", that is a ridiculous statement. Do you really need anyone to explain why?

2.) 30 Jan 2014
Well, on medals and accolades alone their is only Mourinho by some distance.

3.) 30 Jan 2014
WHAT HAS HE WON?NOTHING.
WHATS HE going to WIN? NOTHING.

Not that good.If he didn't have Suarez, they would be nowhere near fourth.

4.) 30 Jan 2014
I would love to know what you are basing your judgement on? The fact they are in 4th place? (three teams doing better than them). Or the way he has wasted money on Aspas, Alberto, Moses, Assaidi, Illori, Cissokho, Borini & Allen? Or is it that he cannot keep his trap shut for more than five minutes, moaning about his employers? Is it that they are playing good football? Because Pellegrini's City are playing better football, Wenger's Arsenal are playing better. So yes, please humour us? Why is BR the best EPL manager "at the moment".

5.) 30 Jan 2014
My view will not be a popular one, but for me it is Arsene Wenger. He has always got his teams playing the right way, regardless of personnel. Is a master of helping upcoming youngsters realizing their potential. If he had some financial backing from the frugal Arsenal board, they would have been better. He is a decent man manager as well. (Fabregas/Father). Brendan is not fit to tie his laces.

Deeps.

6.) 30 Jan 2014
Intuitively it would be Pellegrini but there are much harder teams to manage and coach than City. Right now? I'd say Mourinho, Wenger and Martinez.

7.) 30 Jan 2014
Good question I would say BR is up there to be honest.
Jose for me is the stand out manager in the league Southampton manager has done a great job and city are playing some great football .

8.) 30 Jan 2014
Pardew. simply for calling Pellegrini a f*****g old c**t!;)

9.) 30 Jan 2014
Forgot about Martinez I think he has the potential to be a top manager .
On a side note who would people choose between moyes and Rodgers and why

10.) 30 Jan 2014
Deeps, AW is doing well, but for me Pellegrini has taken City to another level. Very good manager. Jose is of course a very good manager, AW is a very good manager, Martinez have Everton playing exceptionally well although injuries have affected them recently. BR is doing an okay job at Liverpool, many pool fans still not 100% convinced. I find Peashooter's post very odd indeed.

11.) 30 Jan 2014
Mourinho or Wenger by far for me. I'm not sure who I would pick out of the two, both are proven winners. Ask me in again in a few years and I hope to say Moyes

12.) 30 Jan 2014
There are polite ways to disagree with someone - do please try to use them. That being said:

We will see how Rodgers's time at Liverpool turns out, but I would say this:

1. Mourinho and Pellegrini both took on teams with apparently limitless budgets, which tends to obscure their abilities. If I had to choose between these two I'd go for Pellegrini.
2. Wenger would be right up there in my book. His teams always play great football to watch, but they haven't won a single trophy in 8 years, and that's got to be something of an indictment.
3. Martinez remains to be seen. He inherited a good team from Moyes but if they finish 7th, would you say he was a great manager? He may have won the League Cup with Wigan but he also managed to get them relegated
4. Despite some of the less successful purchases, Rodgers has signed Coutinho, Sturridge, Mignolet and Sakho who all look good, and none cost more than 15m. He also did an excellent job with Swansea, which Laudrup (whose praises are sung by many) has hardly improved. So, on a relatively limited budget he's got a team playing some exciting and incisive football.

Based on the starting point, I still think you can make a very good case for Rodgers - and I can see no problem with the term "at the moment" because managers come and go and careers go through ups and downs. 10 years ago obviously one would have said Wenger or Ferguson.

13.) 30 Jan 2014
For one, it depends what you base your judgement on. Is it the style of football, the continuity, the success, the tactical ability, the ability to rebuild a team?

three managers stand out, Arsene Wenger, a visionary, makes his team play an entertaining brand of football and is capable of rebuilding teams and provide continuity. His tactical abilities are quite limited for a manager of his quality, and he's not much of a winner, especially for the last 8 years.

Mourinho is a winner on the other hand, the smartest manager in the league. He knows tactics, and he can use them, and no one comes close in that department. He doesn't play good football all the time, but when he does, his teams are unstoppable ( Madrid 2011-2012 ).

Pellegrini has both. He's a bit of a mix between Wenger's vision and Mourinho's tactics, but he's not as good as either in their respective domains.

All in all I'd say Mourinho because of his CV, but the others are not too far

14.) 30 Jan 2014
Peashooter, you have made 'NO' case for BR. How is signing four good players and wasting millions on others a case for BR being the best EPL manager? How about Pellegrini getting Negredo for just £16m? Cheaper than Joe Allen. Because Moyes has signed Mata, does that make him a better manager?

So far you have given us nothing to back up your argument that BR is the best EPL manager.

15.) 30 Jan 2014
Sydney, you didn't mention the 37 mill paid for mata'. And all managers have bad buys, the great sir alex bought anderson and.BEBE which is enough to close the arguement. BR is a modern managet trying to play imo the right football even.united fans would agree they would want.their team playing free flowing football.

16.) 30 Jan 2014
Big Al, I agree with you completely, however this is a discussion on whether or not BR is the best EPL manager at the moment. Which I am sure you would agree, he is not.

17.) 30 Jan 2014
When I think of BR I think of small man syndrome and full of s---.

18.) 30 Jan 2014
Arsene Wenger for me is better than Mourinho or Pellegrini who are both good managers.

Neither could manage a team as consistently as Wenger has and kept them in the top 4 with almost no money spent as has Wenger.

I think most forget that these Mourinho, and pellegrini are backed by massive amounts of money already spent talent and continued spending on more talent.

Br has definitely improved liverpool a lot by the style he is preaching and buying players that suit that style. Like everything else he needs more time, more funds to improve his team and then maybe win trophies.

It is very difficult to compete with the likes of chelsea and city with their current spending rate no matter who is Managing them, case and point being chelsea who change managers and keep winning.