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Football has changed so much over the past few decades that failure to keep up with new innovations and advancement in philosophy sees managers fall behind. As most experts would say, a world class manager usually enjoys a decade at his peak before he is found out and goes into relative decline.
Consider this; nowadays the average reign of a manager at a single club in the Premier League is 18 months. Such are the demands that a lack of instant success usually sees boards move on to Plan B with business also a factor involved in the decision-making and not just football.
In an era where betting odds getting slashed on which manager gets sacked first are not uncommon anymore, longevity in the modern game is looked up to and respected by the football fraternity. Here are five managers who had reigns longer than 20 years.
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Note: This article was updated on 1 July 2018
#5 Arsene Wenger: 22 years at Arsenal
On 22 September 1996, Arsene Wenger was announced as the new Arsenal boss and the football landscape soon changed for the better in England. The Frenchman wasn’t the first foreign manager to cut his teeth in the Premier League but he was one of the first pioneers.
When he arrived at Highbury, the club did not even have a training ground of their own. He set about changing player diets, training regimens, commissioned a state-of-the-art training centre, complete with physiotherapists and sports scientists, and changed the brand of football. The Gunners were soon transformed from the ‘Boring, boring Arsenal’ to the most exciting side to play attacking football in the country.
Three Premier League titles, including an unbeaten campaign in 2003/04, a record seven FA Cups, and the move to the Emirates Stadium have defined his career in north London.
His reign can be separated into three distinct eras – the initial success at Highbury, the rebuilding project with financial restrictions and the current era where trophies have returned along with the money to spend on world class players.
The only thing he lacks is an elusive European trophy. And the last time he came close to winning it was the 2006 Champions League when the club lost to Barcelona in the final.
However, after the Gunners failed to qualify for the Champions League for two seasons in a row and slipped further down the Premier League table, it was time for him to step down and the 2017/18 season was the Frenchman's last before the club's reins were handed over to Unai Emery.
#4 Dario Gradi: 23 years & 10 months at Crewe Alexandra
The Italian-born Englishman is easily one of the most respected managers in England. Although he has been associated with Crewe Alexandra for more than 30 years, it was his first stint between 1983 and 2007 that won him an Outstanding Contribution to League Football award in 2011.
In close to 24 years, he was in charge of the club for over 1200 games. Though he did not have a great win percentage, he did lead the club from the wilderness of the Fourth Division to the First Division over years of hard work.
But his stint at the club was not exactly similar to those of other managers at the time. For starters, he was given a ten-year contract when he finally guided the club to promotion in 1989 but the club flirted with three divisions over the years. Gradi also used to receive a percentage of the profit when players were sold.
Now 75 years old, he is still very much active with the club, albeit in a less busier role. He currently manages the Crewe Alexandra Academy, preferring to work with youngsters and he even managed to field a team made entirely of homegrown academy graduates in 2013.
#3 Michel Le Millinaire: 24 years at Stade Lavallois
A former footballer who played at Laval, Michel Le Millinaire returned to the club as a manager in1968. And he stayed at the club for nearly two-and-a-half decades till 1992.
While Wenger may be known as Le Professeur (The Professor), Millinaire actually did hold a teaching post in the north-western region of France known as Mayenne. But he had to give that up when coaching became a full-time profession.
What makes his achievement even more miraculous was that he was never a big fan of football. But he eventually came around and accepted the challenge – something he has never regretted.
It wasn’t easy as he just about managed to keep the club among the elite only to see his hard work taken apart in the off-season with more ambitious clubs stepping in and taking his best players. By 1989, he was under pressure to leave even though he stayed loyal to the club. It wasn’t until 1992 that he was dismissed and replaced by his assistant.
Nevertheless, he joined Rennes and helped the club gain promotion to the first division. He would go on managing until he was legally bound to retire due to his old age.
#2 Sir Alex Ferguson: 26 years & 8 months at Manchester United
Regarded as one of the greatest managers of all time, former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has won a grand total of 38 trophies at Old Trafford. It includes two Champions League trophies, a record-setting 13 league titles, five FA Cups and four League Cups.
The Red Devils had not won a league title since 1967 and their illustrious northwest rivals Liverpool were pulling away from the rest of the pack. Ferguson made it his goal to reel in the Reds.
He did not have it easy at first. The memorable banner which said ‘3 years of excuses and it’s still crap... Ta Ra Fergie’ are now fondly remembered for what could have been had the Scottish manager not been given time to make United a competitive team.
And once the Premier League was formed, there was no looking back. United became the team to beat winning titles galore with brief rivalries with Arsenal and Chelsea. The 1999 treble was Fergie’s biggest triumph as they won the Champions League in the dying seconds of the final. In the end, he did manage to see United overtake Liverpool and win 20 titles in all compared to the Reds’ 18.
“My greatest challenge was knocking Liverpool right off their f***ing perch. And you can print that!” – Sir Alex
#1 Guy Roux: 36 years & 6 months at Auxerre
Technically, Guy Roux spent more than half a century at French club, Auxerre. Roux spent his entire senior career at the club where he became a player-manager before becoming a full-time manager.
It was in 1952 that he became a player-coach and would go on to manage the club all the way into the 21st century. By the time he left, his record read 890 games in charge with 375 wins – a win percentage of a little over 42%.
While his single longest reign was 66 years, there was a brief hiatus in the 2000/01 season. In all, he was in charge for 44 long years and under his guidance, the academy produced world class players such as Eric Cantona and Laurent Blanc.
Auxerre isn’t exactly one of the top clubs in France. He had won the Ligue 1 title only once in 1995/96 but he did win the Coupe de France four times towards the end of his career. He only called time on his career aged 66 when he knew the club was in a safe position, saying: “All the lights are green, the team has had a good season and the finances are stable.”
His fourth French Cup title would be his last contribution to the club before retirement. Although he did manage Lens for four games in 2007, a winless run saw him resign and quit for good.
