Greatest Newcastle United Managers Ever – Top 7
Newcastle United are one of the biggest football clubs in England. They have a massive fanbase and a rich history. The club have had some great managers in the past. These managers helped in shaping the history of the club. In this article, let us have a look at some of the greatest Newcastle United managers ever.
Based on win percentage, success, silverware, critics’ and fans’ opinions, here are the seven greatest Newcastle United managers ever.
7. Rafa Benitez
Rafa became Newcastle’s manager in March of 2016 but it proved to be too late to avoid relegation despite an unbeaten run of six matches. However, he guided the team back to the Premier League as they won promotion as Championship champions at the first attempt.
Reportedly, Newcastle owner Mike Ashley refused to honour promises on transfer backing and Rafa did his best with what he had. Two more than decent Premier League seasons followed but he was continually restricted by those above him. He left at the end of his contract much to the annoyance of the fans.
6. Sir Bobby Robson
Sir Bobby Robson was a fantastic Newcastle manager, building young, swashbuckling teams that played exciting football and took them to the brink of major silverware. He transformed Newcastle’s fortunes, driving them up the Premier League standings and taking them to the semi-finals of the 2003/04 UEFA Cup.
Robson was controversially dismissed by the club in 2004 after a poor start to the season, but he retained a special place in the hearts of Newcastle fans. His relationship with the club and the supporters was truly special, and he is a figure that is still celebrated in various ways.
5. Eddie Howe
Eddie Howe was appointed as the manager of Newcastle United in November of 2021. At that time, Newcastle were in the relegation zone having won none of their first eleven games of the season. The odds were against him but Eddie Howe managed to save Newcastle United from relegation.
In fact, the club finished the season in 11th place, having accumulated 49 points. 44 of those points came under the management of Eddie Howe, with wins over Arsenal, Leicester & Everton amongst others. The following season, he took Newcastle one step further and qualified for the UEFA Champions League. If he could lead the team to a trophy in the season ahead, he could achieve an immortal legacy at St. James’ Park.
4. Kevin Keegan
Keegan didn’t just transform the football club, he re-energised a whole city. United were on their uppers in the lower reaches of the second division when he arrived. When he left they were one of the best in Europe.
Keegan was a dreamer but built a team according to that. His side were glorious to watch and transformed the standing of the club. The attack was free-flowing and spectacular, and his players adopted his hard-nosed attitude as well. Runners-up in 1995-96, Newcastle just missed lifting the title after a late push from Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United.
He decided to step away from management midway through the 1996/1997 season. He returned to the hot seat in 2008, but quit again later that year after a big fallout with the board that resulted in a bitter legal case that Keegan subsequently won.
3. Joe Harvey
Harvey enjoyed a distinguished career as a player with Newcastle and went on to become the club’s longest-serving manager. His 224 victories as the Newcastle manager, are more than any other in this list.
United were in the doldrums when Harvey arrived in the early Sixties but during his tenure, they returned to the top flight and won their only European cup in the Inter-City Fairs Cup in 1969. He is regarded as one of the greatest Newcastle United managers ever.
2. Stan Seymour
Stan Seymour is known as Mr Newcastle United. Seymour was a former player turned manager who laid the foundations for the Newcastle United that exists today. He guided the squad to consecutive FA Cup successes in 1951 and 1952. Thus, he became the first man in English football history to lift the trophy with the same club as both a player and manager.
Seymour was responsible for giving striker Jackie Milburn a trial with the club, proving that he had a shrewd eye for talent. He was part of the club’s board until his death in 1978 and is widely recognised as one of the most important figures in Newcastle’s history.
1. Frank Watt
Newcastle United have won four league titles in their entire history. The first was in 1905, the last in 1927, and at the heart of the club during that period was none other than Frank Watt. He was appointed to the role of club secretary in December 1895 and would oversee a period of unprecedented success.
Watt effectively ran the club for the next 37 years during what is quite easily Newcastle’s most successful period. They won Division One four times and reached seven FA Cup Finals winning two of them.