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He's the Aston Villa manager who has been ranked above all-time legends of the game like Bill Shankly, Brian Clough and Bill Nicholson.

And quite rightly so, you could say, because it was George Ramsay who steered the club to unparalleled success around the turn of the 20th Century.

The great Scot led his teams to an astonishing six league titles and six FA Cups between 1893 and 1920, a managerial record that stands today.

But it is the 49.59 per cent win ratio he achieved during his remarkable 42-year tenure at Villa Park that has nudged Ramsay above some of the game’s biggest names.

His relentless success leaves him ninth in a table ranking Premier League/First Division managers through history on their overall win percentage records.

And that puts him ahead of Liverpool legend Shankly on 49.31 per cent, double winning Spurs coach Bill Nicholson on 48.72, and Nottingham Forest’s Clough, who had a 45.03 win rate during a trophy-laden career, including two European Cups.

Villa archivist Laura Brett said Glaswegian Ramsay, who died aged 80 in 1935, deserved his place among the soccer legends.

She said: “It is only right Ramsay is celebrated for his loyal and long service to Villa and is remembered as a true pioneer of football.

“With his tremendous football knowledge he was instrumental in bringing success to Villa both on and off the pitch in the club’s early golden era.

“Whilst there was no official position of manager at the time, as secretary, George Ramsay ran the team for 40 years.

“He could spot potential easily and his reputation was such that he could attract star players to the club.”

It may come as no surprise that Jose ‘the Special One’ Mourinho topped the table, with a staggering 67.36 win percentage. The controversial Chelsea boss has still not lost a home league match in almost four full seasons at Stamford Bridge.

Sir Alex Ferguson, who stood down as Man United boss last season, was second on the list with a 58.14 win ratio, followed by former Liverpool gaffer Bob Paisley on 57.7 per cent.

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger, who takes charge of his 1,000th Premier League game today at Chelsea, was fourth with a 53.87 win percentage.

Don Revie, who led Leeds United to one league title, one FA Cup and two League Cups, completed the top five, with a success figure of 52.06.