As news emerged this evening that Jose Mourinho is now the most successful Manchester United manager in terms of his win percentage, few were left surprised that it was Alex Ferguson sitting second in that list. However, closing out the top 3 was not as many may have suspected the European Cup winning Matt Busby. Rather, it was a man who had died 7 years before World War II even commenced. So, who is Ernest Mangnall?
Today's win means that Jose Mourinho now has the best win% of any @ManUtd Manager.
Jose Mourinho 60.3%
Sir Alex Ferguson 60.1%
Ernest Mangnall 54.1% pic.twitter.com/LxorvE38MA— Sky Sports Statto (@SkySportsStatto) October 6, 2018
Ernest Mangnall
Who is Ernest Mangnall?
Born in Bolton in 1866, Ernest Mangnall had been a director with Bolton Wanderers before joining Burnley as manager in March 1900.
Overseeing a pretty ordinary spell in Division Two, Mangnall moved to Manchester United three years later; Burnley's rivals in the division.
When did he manage Manchester United?
Operating as the club's secretary (nobody was really dubbed a manager just yet), Mangnall was the first successful secretary the club had ever had.
Not too long since they'd been called Newton Heath, Mangnall oversaw 471 games in charge of Manchester United. Winning a little over half of these, he departed the club in 1912, two years before the beginning of the first World War.
What did he win with Manchester United?
During his fairly impressive spell with the club, Mangnall won two First Division titles (1907/08 & 1910/11), and FA Cup (1908/09) and two Charity Shields (1908 & 1911).
What did Ernest Mangnall do next?
Well, after leaving Manchester United in 1912, Ernest Mangnall upped sticks and headed across the city.
Taking over Manchester City straight after leaving United, he spent 12 years in the blue half of the city. Overseeing 350 games (undoubtedly there were some stoppages due to the war effort), his record at City wasn't all that bad either; winning 43% of his games in charge.
That being said, no trophies were forthcoming.
So, there you have it. When someone next asks who is Ernest Mangnall? You'll have some idea anyway.
