Three managers have been the unlikely winners of the Premier League Managers of the Season award for their teamโs remarkable form.
The Premier League Manager of the Season is the most prestigious award in English football to appreciate the manager’s role in the teamโs success. This accolade was only introduced in 1993/94, or one year after the Premier Leagueโs inaugural season.
Since 1994, only 12 managers have been awarded in this category. The figures who receive this accolade are predominantly the bosses of Premier League winners. Sir Alex Ferguson is naturally the record holder for this award. The former Manchester United boss received the award 11 times. Meanwhile, the current winner, Pep Guardiola, has just had his fifth one so far.
Nevertheless, there have always been anomalies. These three managers shocked the world as they received the accolade without even lifting the Premier League trophy. Here are those unlikely winners in the Premier League Manager of the Season awards who were also literally unknown to non-Premier League fans.
George Burley (Scotland)
The Scottish boss was the first unlikely Premier League manager of the season. He was awarded in 2001 after guiding the newly promoted side, Ipswich Town, to finish fifth in the 2000โ01 season. It was the clubโs best-record finish during the Premier League era. This was probably the last time Ipswich tickets were in huge demand, as they had a chance to play in Europe after a while.
His achievement came as a surprise, as no one from outside the top three had ever won the award before, plus he toppled Sir Alex Ferguson, who brought United to the league title again. Burley took the reins of Ipswich in 1994 and stayed till 2002 when they went back to the second tier. His team managed to seal the promotion spot in 1999/2000 after failing three times in the playoffs before.
During the 2000โ01 season, the former Motherwell and Colchester United boss led his team to snatch an unlikely 66 points from 20 wins, six draws, and 12 defeats in the top flight. Ipswichโs most notable results in that campaign were a 1-1 draw while playing host to Manchester United and a home win over Newcastle United and Tottenham. Matt Holland and Co. were also unbeaten in both fixtures against the more established team, Liverpool, which won the treble in the same season. They managed to thump the Reds on the road with a single goal from Marcus Stewart. Burleyโs men were also able to pick up three points in the away match versus the Gunners. They humiliated Arsene Wengerโs side 2-1.
In the following season, Ipswich had a stunning 1-0 victory over Inter Milan in the UEFA Cup. Alun Amstrong scored the only goal of the game. Sadly, in the reverse fixture, the Italian giant crushed them 4-1.
After he departed from Ipswich, George Burley did not have any other successful spells in the English top flight again. He attempted to replicate his triumph in Derby County, Southampton, and Crystal Palace but ended up in disappointment. He was even unable to bring the Scotland national team to qualify for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Burleyโs last club was Cypriot side Apollon Limassol, where he only had two games in charge back in 2012.
Alan Pardew (England)
He is one of the most underrated English managers in Premier League history. Pardew became the second unlikely gaffer awarded Premier League Manager of the Season in 2012 when he was at the helm of Newcastle United, toppling Roberto Mancini, who delivered Manchester Cityโs first EPL title dramatically. The former Charlton man was able to lead the Magpies to fifth in 2011/12. It might not have been a surprising achievement, as Newcastle had even finished higher under Sir Bobby Robson and Kevin Keegan. Yet, what Pardew achieved was incredible, as it was their highest position after their return to the top flight.
During the 2011/12 campaign, Newcastle had some notable matches, such as a 2-0 win over Liverpool at their home turf and a 2-0 victory on the road versus Chelsea. Yohan Cabaye and Co. were even unbeaten against Manchester United. They dismantled the Red Devils 3-0 in St James Park and held them in a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford. In the following season, Pardewโs team was able to reach the quarterfinals of the UEFA Cup before losing 4-2 on aggregate to Portuguese giant Benfica.
The 62-year-old boss stayed in Tyneside till 2014. He was then named Crystal Palace manager in 2015. The Wimbledon-born manager managed to guide them to the FA Cup final despite struggling in the lower table almost throughout the season after the positive start. His last club on English soil was West Bromwich Albion in 2018. Pardew then plied his trade abroad by taking charge of the Eredivisie side, Ado Den Haag, Bulgariaโs CSKA Sofia and the Greek side, Aris Thessaloniki from 2019 to 2023. Yet, he has been unable to deliver any silverware for his teams.
Tony Pulis (Wales)
Tony Pulis might have been well remembered during his stint at Stoke City, where he was able to guide them from the Championship to FA Cup finalist in 2011 before their narrow loss to Manchester City. Yet, Pulisโ highest individual achievement was in fact in the 2013/14 season, when he was at the helm of Crystal Palace. He was awarded Premier League Manager of the season ahead of Manuel Pellegrini, who won the league title with Manchester City due to his success in lifting The Palace from the bottom of the table to 11th in the final standings. That was the best bounce-back in the Premier League at that time.
The former Portsmouth and Plymouth boss arrived at Selhurst Park in November 2013 with the impossible task ahead: saving them from relegation. He managed to instil a fresh mentality for the rest of the campaign and relied on the available figures in the squad, such as Australian defensive midfielder Mile Jedinak, Yannick Bolasie, Welsh international Joe Ledley, former Newcastle forward Dwight Gayle, and Argentine goalie Julian Speroni. As a result, Pulis not only steadied the ship but boosted their form, securing 11 wins in the process. Crystal Palaceโs most notable games in that season were a 1-0 win over Jose Mourinhoโs Chelsea and a thrilling 3-3 draw, which dented the Redsโ hope in a title race.
The Newport-born manager did not stay the following season due to a disagreement with the management. He moved to West Bromwich in 2015 before taking up the vacant posts in the second tier afterwards with Middlesbrough and Sheffield Wednesday.
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