5 managers who can't produce results without big budgets

Louis van Gaal spent a lot of money this summer to go about solving the problems in the squadProbably the toughest job in the game of football is that of the manager. A manager is responsible for motivating the players, getting the right players for his team, imposing his philosophy on the team, getting his tactics right, emerging victorious and most importantly winning promotions in case of smaller clubs and titles in case of the bigger clubs. If the club is successful the players are credited with the success, but if the club fails the blame falls on the manager. So, the life of a football manager is one of the most difficult to live.Modern day football has evolved to such an extent that those who don’t live up to the expectations are fired straight away, as no second chances are given. However, the perks of being the coach of a top club also means that there is a huge budget to build a team, thus leading to high expectattions.History shows that the most successful ones in the world right now are the people who have had the biggest financial muscle in the transfer market. Every year these guys spend millions on players hoping that they would be able to guarantee them titles, a yardstick used by owners to evaulate the coach’s performance. Money buys success is definitely being used as a mantra by most coaches to reinvigorate their careers.We look at five such successful managers who would not have been able to produce results without the money they spent on transfers. Author’s Note: The transfer spendings indicate the money spent by coaches over the last 10 years

#5 Sir Alex Ferguson

One of the greatest managers in the history of sports, Sir Alex Ferguson also relied on influx of capital to be successful in his 26 year reign of Manchester United. One of the greatest man managers as well as tactically astute, he required trust and a bagful of money to end the trophy drought after a miserable initial six years.

Every season he made marquee signings and always tried to improve a title winning side even though it didn’t require much changing. He made a total of 104 transfers during his time at United. He spent approximately £30m on Rio Ferdinand in 2002, £28 for Veron in 2001, £26 for Rooney in 2004 and £30 for Berbatov in 2008.

Two seasons ago saw him spend £19m for David de Gea, £17m for Phil Jones and £15m for Ashley Young (and people ask why English players are so expensive). United have always spent huge sums of money on top players whether it's Roy Keane, Andy Cole, Rio Ferdinand or Michael Carrick. For all the money spent, he delivered 38 trophies which included multiple Premier League titles, Champions Leagues, FA Cups and Carling Cups. He won the Premier League 13 times out of 21 seasons leaving behind a record that will be very difficult to emulate.

The legendary Scotsman was lucky to be part of a club that placed so much trust in him and allowed him to spend their money. For his part he justified the spending with success both on and off the pitch.

#4 Manuel Pellegrini

The Chilean is no doubt a tactically astute manager, but the fact remains that he became a phenomenon when he was given a huge transfer war-chest. Unlike other top managers, he is one who has never been able to convert his atrocious spending into titles.

Having been made the top guy at Real Madrid after his consistent development of Villareal, he announced himself to the footballing world by spending €259 million in his first and only season. He shattered the transfer record by swaying Cristiano Ronaldo to his dream club in a deal worth €80 million. He also managed to acquire the services of Kaka and Alonso in deals worth €65 million and €40 million respectively. However, he was fired due to his inability to win the La Liga and the Champions League.

He later moved to Malaga, where he was appointed as the head coach, again a cash rich club after its acquisition by an Arab. An initial injunction of cash saw him paired with Javier Saviola, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Cazorla and Jeremy Toulalan. However, wage issues and non payment of taxes led to a financial mess for Malaga.

Seizing his opportunity to excel at a top club, he signed for another cash rich club, Manchester City. He spent a total of €117 million in transfers most notably bringing in Fernandinho and Alvaro Negredo for €38 million and €28 million respectively.

For his spending troubles, he finally had a league title to show last season. The restrictions by the Financial Fair Play (FFP) have reduced his spending this term round and it remains to be seen if he achieves success domestically as well as in Europe.

#3 Roberto Mancini

A hugely successful player in his prime, Mancini has also been successful as a manager. He was a driving force in resurrecting Inter Milan’s fortunes by winning the Serie A and Coppa Italia three times and the Supercoppa Italiana twice in his five years at the club. Of course he achieved this with the blessing of Massimo Moratti and a squad that he assembled during his tenure.

After resigning from Inter, Mancini took a break from the game only to return as manager at Manchester City who had been snapped up by ultra rich Abu Dhabi Sheikh. He spent a total of €365 million in his spell at Eihiad. Some of his major signings included Sergio Aguero for €49 million, Mario Balotelli, Yaya Toure and David Silva for approximately €34 million each. His transfer business during his time has formed the core of the team that is being led by Pellegrini. He won the Premier League, FA cup and the League Cup on the back of his transfer business.

He joined Galatasaray in 2013 after being fired from City. After an expensive transfer spending over the summer by his predecessor Fatih Terim, Mancini could never really impose his philosophy and tactics on the squad. Constant problems with the board and the owners led to him being ousted from the club.

Again without a club, it will require a club with massive financial backing to lure Mancini back to management. His success with the necessary is a safe bet for any team looking to win titles.

#2 Carlo Ancelotti

The Italian maverick is one of the most successful coaches in modern times having been instrumental in various title winning teams. He holds the unique record of winning the Champions league three times (plus two as a player) twice with AC Milan and now with Real Madrid after having sealed the coveted Decima. Not as high profile as Jose Mourinho or Pep Guardiola, with a different philosophy when compared to the other two, he still boasts of a bulging trophy cabinet.

As most of the coaches on the list, he has needed the financial backing to be so successful in winning titles in Italy, England and Paris. At Milan, he had built a team around the squad he inherited when he took over. He won the league title only once with AC Milan. However, his real spending spree started once he moved to Chelsea. At Chelsea, he spent a cumulative £116 million from 2009-2011, winning the Premier League and FA Cup.

His biggest signing still remains the purchase of Fernando Torres from Liverpool worth £50 million which became the British record then. His failure in the league and Champions league the next season saw him accepting a role at PSG. He broke all sorts of records when he took over the reins at the French club. In his first full season with PSG, he spent a whopping €146 million on player transfers. Thiago Silva became the most expensive defender when he joined for €42 million. He could manage only a league title in his short stint at PSG.

His move to Real Madrid in 2013 led to the world transfer record being shattered, as Bale became the new Galactico for a jaw dropping €105 million. He also forked out €24 million for Isco and €32 million for Illarramendi. This season alone a total of €117.5 million has been shelled out to acquire new players; the most eye catching one of course being the Colombian superstar James Rodriguez who came in for a cool €80 million.

For the money spent he has only won the La Decima. With such an expansive outlay its imperative that he win both the La Liga as well as the Champions League.

#1 Jose Mourinho

"Please don't call me arrogant, but I'm European champion and I think I'm a special one." This was what Jose Mourinho had to say when he joined Chelsea after winning the Champions League with FC Porto. Considered as one of the finest tacticians and managers in recent times, Mourinho has only enhanced his reputation by achieving success in four different leagues.

However, is he really the “Special one” or the “spending one”?

The fact is that Mourinho has never really achieved success without spending huge amounts. His first real success came at Porto where he guided them to the league title, the UEFA Cup and the Portuguese Cup in his first season. Mourinho spent approximately £20 million in his 2 years at the club.

His exploits in Europe’s premier competition caught the eye of the Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich, who was embarking on the philosophy of building success by spending and spending big. An overall sum of £300 million was spent to buy success that included back to back league titles and the League Cup.

With the blessings of the big spending Massimo Moratti, Mourinho spent close to £130 million in two seasons at Inter Milan. However, this time around he managed to become European champion again and led the club to a historic treble.

The Galacticos and Florentino Perez came calling for the “Special One” and he took over the reins in 2010. The richest clubs in the world would be a perfect platform for Mourinho to keep spending big. He did just that by acquiring some of the best players in the world for £154 million in three seasons. However, he just won the La Liga and the Spanish Cup in his stay in Spain.

Life came full circle for the Portuguese when he was hired back as manager at Chelsea. His extent of success might have been different at different clubs, but he still continues his spending spree as always!