It is tough to win the English top-flight title as a manager with so much competition and pressure to succeed. However, there is a small group of managers to win the top flight with two clubs.
Who are the few bosses amongst the illustrious to have achieved the feat?
Tom Watson (Won titles with Sunderland and Liverpool)
The Newcastle-born Watson is considered to be one of the finest managers of the early years of the English game. Before joining Sunderland in 1889, Watson had a backroom role at both Newcastle West End and Newcastle East End.
It wasn’t until he joined the Black Cats that he really made a name for himself as a manager. Watson was in charge of the north east club until 1896, winning the First Division title on three occasions in seasons 1891/92, 1892/93 and 1894/95. The titles made him the most successful manager in the history of the club.
Tom Watson won Sunderland’s first title in 1896 and Liverpool’s first in 1904.
It is surprising that only four men have managed the feat.
— Howard Jones (@hjoneshojo) March 2, 2024
In 1896, Watson headed to Merseyside to join Liverpool. Watson transformed the fortunes of the club, winning the club’s first top-division titles in seasons 1900/01 and 1905/06. Watson is Liverpool’s longest-serving manager of all time, having stayed in the role for 19 years.
He was still Liverpool’s boss in April 1915 when he passed away from pneumonia during a visit to Newcastle. He is buried in Anfield cemetery near the Reds home stadium.
Herbert Chapman (Won titles with Huddersfield Town and Arsenal)
Chapman enjoyed a modest playing career, but he became one of the managerial innovators of the early 20th century. He came up with new tactics and innovations that revolutionised the game.
He started his managerial career at Northampton Town before moving on to Leeds City (now Leeds United). Although he guided Northampton to the Southern League title, it was at Huddersfield Town that he first won the English top-flight title.
Chapman guided Town to the title in seasons 1923/24 and 1924/25 while also winning the FA Cup with the Yorkshire outfit in season 1921/22.
He moved to Arsenal on 11th June 1925 and continued his silverware-laden career with the capital club. Chapman guided the Gunners to the First Division title in seasons 1930–31 and 1932–33 and the FA Cup 1929–30.
Even after his death from Pneumonia in January 1934, his legacy lived on at Arsenal. The Gunners won the title in back-to-back years, which meant the north London outfit had won three straight top-flight titles. No team managed a hat-trick of English top-flight titles until Liverpool from 1982 until 1984.
Chapman’s service to the club was recognised with a statue erected outside the club’s old ground, Highbury. There is also a replica at the Gunners new home, the Emirates Stadium. The only other Arsenal manager to have the same honour is Arsene Wenger, who was also another revolutionary manager.
In 2003, Chapman was inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame due to his influence on the beautiful game.
Brian Clough (won titles with Derby County and Nottingham Forest)
The charismatic Clough is recognised as one of the best English managers of all time. Clough started his managerial career at Hartlepools United (Now Hartlepool United, without the ‘S’ on end in 1965), where he managed until 1967, when he joined second-tier Derby County.
The move was a key one, as it was in the Midlands where Clough established himself as a top manager. Clough guided the Rams to promotion from the Second Division as champions.
Under Clough, County became English champions for the first time in their history in season 1971/72. In 1973, despite leading Derby to the European Cup semi-finals, Clough left the Midlands club after a breakdown of his relationship with club owner Sam Longson.
Clough then enjoyed an underwhelming spell at Third Division Brighton Hove Albion before his now infamous 44-day stint as Leeds United boss in 1974.
20 September 2004. Brian Clough died (aged 69). He was one of the greatest managers of all time. His top achievements were a top division league title with Derby and a league title, 2 European Cups and 4 League Cups with Nottingham Forest. His 44 days at Leeds were a failure. pic.twitter.com/RrSH04t8kz
— Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) September 20, 2024
However, his switch to Nottingham Forest in 1975 was a move that revived his career. Just like he had done at Derby, Clough helped the Tricky Trees earn promotion from the second tier.
In their first season back in the English top flight, Forest became champions of England for the first time in the club’s history. Of all Clough’s managerial feats, though, winning the European Cup on two occasions in 1979 and 1980 was without a doubt the biggest.
Clough remained as Nottingham Forest boss until he retired from management in 1993. His contribution to football was recognised in many different ways, including being given the freedom of Derby in 2003.
In 2008, four years after his death, Nottingham recognised his contribution to Forest’s success by erecting a Clough statue in the city centre.
Kenny Dalglish (Won titles with Liverpool and Blackburn Rovers)
The Scot became a football legend during his playing career with Celtic and Liverpool. After an illustrious and trophy-laden career, it was with the latter that Dalglish started his managerial journey.
He became the club’s player-manager in the summer of 1985 after Joe Fagan resigned his post as Reds boss. Dalglish was highly successful in the role, as he helped the men from Merseyside win the English top-flight title on three occasions. He resigned from the position in February 1991 after a 4-4 FA Cup draw in the Merseyside derby.
Dalglish wasn’t out of management long, though, as in October 1991, he took the reins of second-tier Blackburn Rovers.
In 1992, Dalglish led Rovers to a play-off final victory over Leicester City at Wembley, earning promotion to the Premier League.
After heavy investment from the club’s owner, Jack Walker, Blackburn thrived and, in 1995, won the Premier League. Rather fittingly, they won the title at Anfield despite a 2-1 defeat, as title rivals Manchester United failed to win their game at West Ham.
Dalglish decided to become Blackburn’s director of football in 1995, ending his spell as the club’s manager. He left the club in the 1996/97 season.
Dalglish had spells as boss of Newcastle United and Celtic before a return to the Liverpool dugout in January 2011 after the dismissal of Roy Hodgson. The Reds won the League Cup, their first silverware in six years, but he was sacked as boss in May 2012.
In October 2013, he returned to the club as a non-executive director. Four years later, Anfield’s Centenary Stand was renamed the Sir Kenny Dalglish Stand.
Dalglish became sir in 1985 when he became a Member of the Order of the British Empire (OBE).
