Most successful Irish managers

A part of the world rich in footballing heritage, we take a look at the most successful Irish managers to grace the game.

Brendan Rodgers

Born in Carnlough, Northern Ireland - Brendan Rodgers is arguably the most successful of any manager from the Emerald Isle.

His first major success came in 2011 when he led Swansea to the Premier League via the playoffs but the years since then have produced almost non-stop success for 52-year-old.

During a three year stint at Liverpool, Rodgers came extremely close to delivering a Premier League title but it was at Celtic where the trophy floodgates would open.

The former Chelsea academy coach achieved the 'double,treble', landing the Scottish Premiership, Scottish Cup and Scottish League Cup in both of his first two seasons with the Bhoys.

After lifting another Scottish League Cup in 2018/19, Rodgers left for Leicester where he would win the club's first-ever FA Cup title.

Issues both off and on the pitch signalled the end of his reign with the Foxes and a return to Celtic beckoned.

Now approaching his third season after taking over for a second time, Rodgers has lifted four more trophies at Celtic Park.

Mick McCarthy

When it comes to Irish football, it can't get better than Mick McCarthy. Can it?

McCarthy is an icon of the Irish game with two famed stints as Republic Of Ireland boss.

Following failure to qualify for both the 1998 World Cup and 2000 Euros, McCarthy got his nation over the line to qualify for the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan.

His rather public spat with Roy Keane overshadowed events but his side performed admirably. Reaching the second round of the tournament before being eliminated by Spain on penalties.

Away from the international game, the 66-year-old has won the Championship on two occasions. Once with Sunderland in 2004/05 and then with Wolves in 2008/09.

Martin O'Neill

It would be difficult to match his achievements as a player, but Martin O'Neill has given it a good go, carving out a distinguished managerial career.

Earning his stripes at Wycombe Wanderers, the former Nottingham Forest man took The Chairboys from non-league to League One in just a few seasons.

Leicester City soon came knocking and O'Neill was a resounding success. He sandwiched Championship playoff victory in between two League Cup triumphs.

O'Neill was sought after by top clubs across Britain, but it was Celtic who he would choose as his next destination.

Across a five-year spell, Celtic won 213, drew 29 and lost 40 of the 282 games that they played, giving him the highest win percentage of any Celtic manager in their entire history.