Club: Norwich City

Pros: Catches people off guard with his high pitched voice

Cons: Jesus mate, just do some defensive coaching for once in your life

Is Daniel Farke just David Wagner, or is that a disservice to the former Huddersfield manager who’s now tearing it up with Schalke?

Norwich started the season as an exciting side, but quickly found that you actually have to try and stop the ball going in your own net in order to win football matches. Unfortunately for them, it’s left them in huge danger of relegation.

Club: Manchester United

Pros: Knows all of the lyrics to Glory Glory Man United

Cons: Doesn’t know anything about management and/or tactics

Solskjaer treats managing one of the biggest clubs in the world the same way you treat Football Manager team talks the first time you buy the game – he’s just passionately screaming at his players to go out there and give the fans their money’s worth. It isn’t working.

Club: Aston Villa

Pros: Keeps the economy of his local curry house stable

Cons: Did you know who he was before this season?

Aston Villa appear to have cast themselves in the role of Fulham this season – buying loads of players to unsettle a winning formula. Dean Smith, who bleeds Villa claret (red), will be the fall guy if it ends in relegation, and is set to be a top answer on pub quizzes for years to come.

Club: Bournemouth

Pros: Takes good care of his allotment

Cons: Never looks sincerely happy

Future Everton/West Ham/Arsenal/Leicester/Newcastle manager Eddie Howe has given Bournemouth a distinct identity in their time in the Premier League, but it looks like they’re running out of steam. The goals have been harder to come by and it might be time for a refresh on the south coast.

Club: Burnley

Pros: Part-time nightclub bouncer, might be The Boogeyman from WWE

Cons: Part-time nightclub bouncer, might be The Boogeyman from WWE

The glass ceiling may have been hit at Burnley, and now the rest of the league is figuring out how to set up against them. Dyche has done a cracking job and you can’t fault his work at Turf Moor, but there just happens to be plenty of better managers about.

Club: Arsenal

Pros: Devilishly handsome, piercing eyes, pure heartthrob

Cons: Contrary to popular belief, is not the best manager of all time. Also, might actually be Captain Scarlet’s sworn enemy, Captain Black

The jury will be out on Mikel Arteta for the time being because the sample size is just too small, and while the early signs are promising, he’s too much of an unknown quantity. 

Don’t get too mad, Gooners.

Club: Brighton and Hove Albion

Pros: Might be a top manager in waiting

Cons: Might be an extra in an Edgar Wright film

Brighton have been fun this season, haven’t they? The fury around Chris Hughton’s dismissal seems a long time ago now, with Potter having them playing some quality football. The Seagulls are soaring and they look like they’re here to stay.

Club: Watford

Pros: Hardest bloke in England

Cons: Sworn nemesis of ostriches everywhere

Nigel Pearson’s arrival at Watford is good for the Premier League and you absolutely cannot convince us otherwise. Set up the foundations which allowed Leicester’s fairytale to flourish, and is now trying to work miracles with the Hornets. Godspeed, Nige.

Club: Chelsea

Pros: Plays the weans, pissed off Leeds 

Cons: The nickname ‘Fat Frank’ is unfortunately quite funny

Under two years into his managerial career, Lampard has shown real promise as a manager. At their worst, his Chelsea and Derby sides were energetically wasteful, but at their best they’re showtime entertainment. A smart chap no doubt and will figure out solutions to his problems.

Club: Newcastle United

Pros: Quality cameo in Home Alone 2

Cons: Noted enemy of cabbages

Steve Bruce gets a bad wrap considering he’s never done an awful job. Birmingham and Sunderland fans will argue that he’s a traitor, and they might be right, but with the tools at his disposal, he’s a good coach. People wrote off Newcastle in the summer, but here they are punching above their weight again.

Club: Crystal Palace

Pros: Human equivalent of a Furby

Cons: England 1-2 Iceland

When Hodgson was exiled from these shores for 100 years and doomed to walk the Earth atoning for his sins for his crimes against football back in 2016, it seemed as if his managerial career was over.

To head back to his hometown side in Crystal Palace with the club bottom of the table after Frank de Boer’s ill-fated spell at Selhurst Park was a brave move, but he guided the Eagles to safety and are now a comfortable mid-table side.

Club: West Ham United

Pros: Invincible, men want to be him, women want to be with him

Cons: Perennial loser, this photo

Boomerang Moyes, heading back to the Premier League full of inspiration and wisdom! A typically safe appointment unless you’re Manchester United or Sunderland, in which case sorry for your loss.

Club: Southampton

Pros: Huuuuuge, giving others a fair chance by managing a rubbish side

Cons: Lost 9-0 this season

Put some respect on Ralph Hasenhüttl’s name – he’s a good manager in charge of a bad team. His work in Germany with Ingolstadt and RB Leipzig meant that Southampton were punching above their weight in appointing him, and would be in serious trouble without a manager of his quality at the helm.

Club: Everton

Pros: Charming, elegant, a true gentleman

Cons: “Carlo, lower those eyebrows! And the other one.”

Welcome back to England, Don Carlo! Good luck trying to change Everton’s mentality of a loser club to one that matches your incredible CV and legacy!

Club: Sheffield United

Pros: Would buy the first five rounds at Wetherspoons

Cons: Loves Sheffield United for some reason

Taking the Premier League by storm after several years of dominating the lower leagues, Wilder has instantly become a favourite among neutrals, and for good reason.

His Sheffield United side are one of the most tactically interesting in Europe, daring and innovating their way toward the European places in their first year back in the top flight.

Club: Tottenham Hotspur

Pros: Has great PR, is a ‘winner’

Cons: Goth, is no longer a ‘winner’

Just when you thought Jose had his last ride in the travelling showcase which is the Premier League, Spurs go and bring him back to engage in some more nonsense. Could still take Tottenham to unscaled heights, but will need plenty of time and money to do so.

Club: Wolverhampton Wanderers

Pros: Lovely beard, had that funny argument with Neil Warnock in 2018

Cons: Would play five at the back against a team of 11 year olds

Gary Neville’s predecessor at Valencia has been hugely successful since managing on English shores. After winning the Championship and finishing 7th in Wolves’ first season back in the Premier League, they remain one of the division’s toughest outfits and have a real shot of winning the Europa League.

Club: Leicester City

Pros: Softly spoken, most decorated manager of all time (citation needed)

Cons: Actually David Brent

After winning 463 trophies up in Scotland with Celtic, Rodgers made his return to the Premier League in early 2019, and has since taken Leicester back toward the top of the table – and this time around, they look more likely to stay there.

Club: Manchester City

Pros: Saves a lot of money by not having to purchase shampoo

Cons: Sticks his head in the Shine-O Ball-O

Probably the most high profile manager of the 2010s and will surely still be toward the top for the 2020s, Guardiola oversaw two years of near total dominance in English football. His refusal to improve defensively is quite admirable at this point, and it’s going to cost him a third-successive league title.

Club: Liverpool

Pros: Gives good hugs, has nice teeth again

Cons: Might not wear deodorant

Simply the best right now and it’s very hard to argue otherwise. Turned Liverpool from a laughing stock into the ‘bastion of invincibility’ that Bill Shankly always envisaged.

The ‘trophy dodger’ became the trophy dominator, and has finally worked his way to the top of the game. Fair play.