Five longest serving football managers of all time

Guy Roux (Auxerre 1961–2005)

The legendary Auxerre figure had an unprecedented 44-year spell at the helm of the club. He began before The Doors, Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd had made their musical bows and retired from management the year that Rihanna, Chris Brown and Panic! at the Disco released their debut albums!

Longevity like Roux’s is unique in football and it also brought with it great success for the club with the league title in 1996 being the only time when the club became French champions. Roux holds the record for being the longest serving football manager at the highest level.

Won: Ligue 1: 1995–96; Ligue 2: 1979–80; Coupe de France: 1994, 1996, 2003, 2005; Intertoto Cup: 1997; Coppa delle Alpi: 1985, 1987

Willie Maley (Celtic 1897–1940)

At a time when clubs didn’t have an official manager, Maley is recognised as the first official manager of Celtic – a club that came into existence in 1887. Maley’s tenure began in 1897 and he remained at the helm until 1940, having established Celtic as one of the biggest forces in European football with 16 league titles and 14 domestic cups.

Prior to his managerial reign, Maley had turned out for Third Lanark, Celtic as well as Manchester City. He had also won two caps for the Scottish national team.

Won: 16 Scottish League titles, 14 Scottish Cups, 14 Glasgow Cups, and the only edition of the Empire Exhibition Cup in 1938.

Bill Struth (Rangers, 1920–1954)

If Maley established a dynasty at Celtic then Struth achieved the same feat at the other end of the Glasgow divide. Although he couldn’t surpass Maley for longevity, Struth won more league titles than the Celtic legend in nine fewer years with Rangers.

He was at the helm when Rangers became the first Scottish side to win the treble of the league title, the Scottish Cup and the Scottish League Cup in 1947. Struth’s association with Rangers was longer than his managerial years since he began as an assistant manager and was also the vice-president of the club in the final years of his life.

Won: 18 Scottish League titles, 10 Scottish Cups, and two Scottish League Cups

Ronnie McFall (Portadown 1986–2016)

He took charge of the Irish club a month after Alex Ferguson was installed at Manchester United but stayed for three more years than the Old Trafford legend.

He went on to win Portadown’s first league title in 1990 and won three more league titles before he eventually retired in March 2016. He remains one of the most successful managers in Irish football.

Won: Irish League Champion 1989–90, 1990–91, 1995–96, 2001–02; Irish Cup Winner 1990–91, 1998–99, 2004–05

Ignacio Quereda (Spain women, 1988–2015)

Querada was part of the Real Madrid youth academy in his early days in football, and he took charge of the Spanish women’s national team in 1988.

He guided the side to the 2015 World Cup qualification and oversaw a 17-0 demolition of Slovenia in 1994.