By David Lee Wheatley
This Premier League campaign has proved to be one of the most exciting in living memory and several managers have each done a wonderful job at their respective clubs. Here are six men who I believe are the most outstanding candidates for the LMA Manager of the Year award:
Brendan Rodgers (Liverpool)
The Northern Irishman has fulfilled the huge potential most observers believed he had within to lead Liverpool on an unexpected title charge this season. However, it appears the Premier League trophy is Manchester City's following the Reds' recent slips at home to Chelsea and away at Crystal Palace, but that doesn't cloud over the wonderful job Rodgers has done at Anfield in guaranteeing the club Champions' League football next term. A top-three finish beckons for a young manager widely regarded as one of the finest in the game and don't bet against another championship challenge during 2014/15.
Roberto Martinez (Everton)
FA Cup winner Martinez left Wigan Athletic following relegation to the Championship, but his exploits in the game's most prestigious domestic knockout competition had many bigger clubs circling for his services. Having lost David Moyes after eleven years at the helm, Everton chairman Bill Kenwright sought to deliver a bright, youthful manager who could harness an attractive style of play while getting results. Therefore, he turned to the Spaniard and he certainly hasn't disappointed; blending both the physical attributes of the Toffees' defensive line with a free-flowing passing game which helped the Merseysiders to fifth spot. Though just missing out on Champions' League qualification, this campaign has illustrated the promise within the Goodison squad under the tutelage of the affable 40-year-old and also dispelled early doubts among the supporters over his credentials to undertake the task in hand.
Mauricio Pochettino (Southampton)
Another season of progress has been enjoyed at St. Mary's under another bright star in the coaching world Mauricio Pochettino, leading to much speculation over his future on the south coast. Eighth-place in the league represents a fine return, while the emergence and steady improvement of the young stars under Pochettino's care has proved his ability to bring the best out of his players. The likes of Lallana, Shaw and Rodriguez have shone throughout the year, with all three pushing incredibly hard for World Cup squad places alongside elder statesman Rickie Lambert. It seems the only way is up should the Saints manage to keep hold of their highly-rated Argentine tactician.
Steve Bruce (Hull City)
Bruce recovered from a rather bruising period in charge of Sunderland to lead Hull City back to the top-flight, before finding mid-table security this term. Moreover, the ex-Manchester United defender has overseen a fine FA Cup run all the way to a final meeting with Arsenal later this month at Wembley. The Northumberland native also guaranteed Europa League football at the KC Stadium through that extraordinary journey to the final, as the Gunners already have Champions' League action to look forward to. Should 50-year-old Bruce leads his side to Cup glory, this campaign will undoubtedly go down as the greatest in the Tigers' entire history.
Gustavo Poyet (Sunderland)
Uruguayan Poyet took over a team languishing at the bottom of the table with one point and seemingly doomed to relegation, but he injected a new lease of life into the squad in taking them all the way to the Capital One Cup final in March and giving a measure of hope to long-suffering fans that there was still a chance of Premier League safety. His side showed decent form following his arrival in October until a lull set in following Wembley defeat at the beginning of March. However, despite odds heavily stacked against them, the Black Cats rescued their season with four wins on the trot to seal security in the top division with one match still to play. In doing so, they became only the second team in the Premier League era to stay up despite sitting bottom of the pile at Christmas. Poyet requested a miracle when his side lay seven points adrift with six games remaining and that is exactly what he got, due in no small part to his sterling efforts.
Tony Pulis (Crystal Palace)
Experienced campaigner Tony Pulis had a similar scenario to Poyet when taking on a mammoth challenge to keep a struggling Crystal Palace in the promised land of the Premier League with only four points on the board when he walked through the door. Assessing the squad in detail and making judgements based on the personnel at his disposal, the Welshman tailored his tactics to suit the players he inherited and the tireless work he's put in has reaped great rewards. The south Londoners shot up the standings thanks to a much more organised approach and are sitting pretty in 11th-place thanks to an unbelievable set of results culminating in a comfortable mid-table position. Pulis deserves huge credit for taking the so-called 'no-hopers' from the abyss of the bottom three to an ultimately fine season in the end.
Twitter: @davewh1980
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