Since the foundation of Tottenham Hotspur, the London-based football team has known some great football managers.
Tottenham Hotspur has known 49 managers since its formation. This list consists of interim and caretaker managers as well. At the time of writing, Antonio Conte is Tottenham Hotspur’s coach. The Italian succeeded Nuno Espírito Santo on November 2, 2021.
This article tells you about the different football coaches who managed The Lilywhites.
Frank Brettell – First Tottenham Hotspur Manager (1898-1899)
The first-ever manager in the history of Tottenham is Frank Brettell. Brettell started his football career as a player. The Englishman played for Everton as a full back.
In 1898, Frank Brettell was appointed as Spurs coach. The gaffer spent just one year with The Lilywhites before moving to Portsmouth.
John Cameron: Player-Manager (1899 – 1907)
John Cameron was a football player who played as a striker. In 1899, he joined Spurs as their new coach. After that, he became a player-manager for the London club.
During his time with Tottenham, John Cameron made 111 appearances and scored 43 goals. The Tottenham manager helped his team secure the 1901 FA Cup. It was Spurs’ first major trophy in their history.
Cameron also helped Tottenham win the Southern League in 1900, the Sheriff of London Charity Shield in 1902, and the Western League in 1904.
Fred Kirkham (1907 – 1908)
Fred Kirkham was appointed as Spurs coach in 1907. The gaffer spent one year with Tottenham. Unfortunately, Kirkham failed to bring silverware to the club.
Peter McWilliam (1912–1927)
Peter McWilliam joined Tottenham in 1912. The Scottish international remained as Spurs manager for nearly 15 years. However, despite some excellent performances by The Lilywhites, they failed to secure any trophy.
Billy Minter (1927-1929)
Like his predecessors, Billy Minter could not revive Tottenham as their football manager.
Percy Smith (1930–1935)
Percy Smith coached Tottenham for five years. During his tenure, the gaffer guided Spurs to a second-place finish in the Second Division in 1933.
Wally Hardinge (1935-1935)
Wally Hardinge joined Tottenham as a caretaker manager in 1935. However, his spell at the club was very brief.
Jack Tresadern (1935-1938)
Following the departure of Hardinge, Jack Tresadern replaced the gaffer. Jack was Spurs’ manager between 1935 to 1938.
Peter McWilliam (1938-1942)
Peter McWilliam previously managed Spurs between 1912 to 1927. The gaffer was appointed as Tottenham manager again in 1938. He stayed at the club for four years but failed to secure any trophy for The Lilywhites.
Arthur Turner (1942-1946)
Arthur Turner took over the managerial position at Tottenham in 1942. Unfortunately, he arrived when the Second World War impacted football. Still, he helped the club deliver some great performances.
Joe Hulme (1946-1949)
Joe Hulme was an Arsenal football player who won several trophies with the Gunners. He played as a right-winger. After World War II, he joined Spurs as their head coach.
Though he could not bring silverware to the club, he contributed immensely to building a squad that would reap some good fortune in the coming years.
Arthur Rowe (1949-1955)
Arthur Rowe was a well-known figure among Tottenham Hotspur fans since he previously played for them as a center half.
Rowe arrived in London as Spurs manager when they played in the second division. The gaffer had the mission to drive Tottenham back into the First Division. Instead, he helped The Lilywhites win back-to-back championships, a first for a football team after the World War.
Jimmy Anderson (1955-1958)
Jimmy Anderson arrived at Tottenham as their manager in 1955. He helped the team achieve some significant finishing positions in the league. Yet, more was expected from him. The Tottenham fans wanted to see their club lift the First Division trophy.
Bill Nicholson (1958-1974)
Bill Nicholson is regarded as a Tottenham legend. The wing-half played nearly 314 games for Spurs.
Nicholson became Tottenham Hotspur’s manager in 1958. His first trophy for Spurs came during the 1960-61 season, where he guided Tottenham to a second First Division title.
The gaffer went on to claim the FA Cup the same season. As the years went by, Nicholson turned Tottenham into a fierce side. They won 2 more FA Cups, 2 Football League Cups, 3 FA Charity Shield, 1 UEFA Cup, and 1 European Cup Winners’ Cup.
Bill Nicholson is undoubtedly the most fantastic manager in the history of Tottenham Hotspur. The gaffer left the managerial position of Spurs in 1974.
Terry Neill (1974-1976)
Terry Neill became Spurs manager in 1974. During his first season in charge, Spurs narrowly escaped relegation. However, the following season was better as they finished 9th in the league.
Keith Burkinshaw (1976-1984)
The arrival of Keith Burkinshaw proved decisive for The Lilywhites. The Tottenham manager rejuvenated the team, and their overall performance bettered.
The gaffer helped Spurs claim 2 FA Cups, 1 UEFA Cup, and 1 FA Charity Shield. Keith Burkinshaw helped Spurs claim their second UEFA Cup during his final game in charge.
Peter Shreeves (1984-1986)
Peter Shreeves’s spell as a Tottenham manager was very brief. He was succeeded by David Pleat as the Spurs manager in 1986.
David Pleat (1986-1987)
David Pleat was Tottenham Hotspur’s manager for one year. The gaffer had a win percentage of 54.93% and managed 71 games for Spurs.
Trevor Hartley (1987)
Trevor Hartley became the caretaker manager of Tottenham after David Pleat stepped down.
Doug Livermore (1987)
Doug Livermore was the joint caretaker manager with Trevor Hartley. Both were eventually replaced by Terry Venables, who arrived the same year.
Terry Venables (1987-1993)
Terry Venables joined Spurs in 1987. He previously played for The Lilywhites as a midfielder.
Terry Venables was a popular figure among Tottenham Hotspur fans. The gaffer guided Spurs to an FA Cup win in 1991. Spurs also won the FA Charity Shield the same year.
Peter Shreeves (1991-1992)
Peter Shreeves returned to Tottenham as their head coach in 1991. However, due to the poor performances of Spurs and a 15th position finish in the league, Shreeves was sacked.
Doug Livermore (1992) and Ray Clemence (1992)
Doug Livermore and Ray Clemence both became the caretaker manager of Tottenham Hotspur. Osvaldo Ardiles eventually arrived at the club the following year.
Osvaldo Ardiles (1993-1994)
Another former Tottenham Hotspur player, Osvaldo Ardiles, arrived at the club as their new manager in 1993. He managed Spurs for 56 games but failed to help them progress.
Steve Perryman (1994)
Following Osvaldo Ardiles’ departure, Steve Perryman became the caretaker manager of Tottenham Hotspur.
Gerry Francis (1994-1997)
Gerry Francis became Spurs manager in 1994. However, the gaffer was not famous among Tottenham fans. Despite spending three years at the club, he eventually resigned in 1997.
Chris Hughton (1997)
Chris Hughton became Tottenham Hotspur’s caretaker manager after Gerry Francis’s resignation.
Christian Gross (1997-1998)
Christian Gross’s appointment as Spurs coach was brief. But, unfortunately, the gaffer performance was not the best. It resulted in the termination of his contract by the club’s chairman Alan Sugar.
David Pleat (1998)
David Pleat took the position of caretaker manager in 1998.
George Graham (1998-2001)
George Graham was Tottenham’s manager between 1998 to 2001. He helped Spurs lift the 1999 Football League Cup.
David Pleat (2001)
After the departure of George Graham, David Pleat returned as caretaker manager.
Glenn Hoddle (2001-2003)
Another Tottenham Hotspur legend, Glenn Hoddle, took over the London side as a manager in 2001. Hoddle played for 12 years as a Spurs midfielder. As a player, he recorded 88 goals from 377 appearances.
Nevertheless, Glenn Hoddle could not replicate the same performance as a player. As a result, he was sacked in 2003 following a slow start to the new football campaign.
David Pleat (2003-2004)
After the departure of Hoddle in 2003, David Pleat took over as caretaker manager for the third time. The gaffer managed 16 wins and seven draws from 39 games for Tottenham.
Jacques Santini (2004)
Jacques Santini became Spurs manager in 2004. However, after 13 games in charge of the London club, Santini resigned from the position of Spurs manager. It is believed that some disagreements with Sporting Director Frank Arnesen led to this decision.
Martin Jol (2004-2007)
Martin Jol succeeded Frank Arnesen in the manager position. The gaffer managed Tottenham for three years but failed to deliver the desired results.
Clive Allen (2007) and Alex Inglethorpe (2007)
Both Clive Allen and Alex Inglethorpe were appointed as Spurs caretaker managers in 2007.
Juande Ramos (2007-2008)
Juande Ramos became Spurs coach in 2007. He helped Tottenham claim the Football League Cup during his time there.
Clive Allen (2008) and Alex Inglethorpe (2008)
Clive Allen and Alex Inglethorpe returned as caretaker managers in 2008.
Harry Redknapp (2008-2012)
Harry Redknapp became Tottenham’s manager in 2008. The gaffer managed the club during 198 games, recording a win percentage of 49.49%.
Although he spent four years with The Lilywhites, Harry Redknapp failed to deliver a trophy to Spurs. The closest he came to winning a medal was in the 2009 Football League Cup final, where Tottenham finished runner-up.
André Villas-Boas (2012-2013)
The arrival of André Villas-Boas as Spurs manager in 2012 made Tottenham fans full of hope. In 80 games for Spurs, the Portuguese coach had a win percentage of 55%. Yet, André Villas-Boas failed to secure silverware for the London club.
Tim Sherwood (2013-2014)
Ex-Tottenham Hotspur player Tim Sherwood returned to the club as manager. However, his spell with the club was brief as he failed to deliver.
Mauricio Pochettino (2014-2019)
Mauricio Pochettino became Tottenham’s coach in 2014. He turned Tottenham into one of the best football sides in Europe and England.
Pochettino guided The Lilywhites to the 2015 Football League Cup final. But, unfortunately, they could not claim the trophy.
Under the management of the Argentine manager, Spurs qualified for the 2019 UEFA Champions League final. However, the London team failed to secure the big ears trophy as Liverpool defeated them.
During his time with Tottenham, Pochettino had a 54.27 win percentage. The gaffer makes the list of the best Tottenham managers.
José Mourinho (2019-2021)
José Mourinho succeeded Pochettino as the manager of Tottenham. Nevertheless, the Special One biggest highlight as a Spurs coach remains their qualification for the 2021 EFL Cup final. But, unfortunately, the gaffer was sacked a few days before the final.
Ryan Mason (2021)
Ryan Mason joined Tottenham as interim coach. He managed Spurs during the EFL Cup final against Manchester City in 2021 but finished as runner-up.
Nuno Espírito Santo (2021)
Nuno Espírito Santo joined Tottenham before the 2021-22 Premier League campaign. The Portuguese coach previously managed Wolves. Following a series of defeats, he was sacked the same year and replaced by Antonio Conte.
Antonio Conte (2021-Present)
Antonio Conte became Tottenham Hotspur’s manager in November 2021. Spurs fans are optimistic that the arrival of the Italian coach will finally help them return to the top of English and European football.