| 100% | TORDGRIP | 8 | 2001-06 England football assistant manager under Sven-Goran Eriksson |
| 53% | ERIKSSON | 8 | Sven-Goran —, 2001-06 England football manager |
| 34% | SVENGORAN | 9 | __ Eriksson; ex-England Swedish football manager |
| 25% | PHILLJUPITUS | 12 | Comedian who played Tommo Thompson in 2001 comedy Mike Bassett: England Manager |
| 23% | TOMLINSON | 9 | Ricky —, actor who played the title role in 2001 film comedy Mike Bassett: England Manager |
| 22% | PATRIOTS | 8 | New England football team |
| 22% | PATRIOT | 7 | New england football player |
| 21% | PATS | 4 | New England football team, informally |
| 21% | PAT | 3 | New England football player, familiarly |
| 21% | VENABLES | 8 | Terry —, England national football team manager from 1994-96 |
| 21% | REVIE | 5 | Don —, England national football team manager from 1974-77 |
| 20% | MIT | 3 | Sch. in the New England Football Conference |
| 20% | STURRIDGE | 9 | Daniel —, 2011 England football debutant against Sweden |
| 20% | EMERY | 5 | Unai ___, Spanish football manager |
| 19% | JOBTITLE | 8 | Assistant to the regional manager, for one |
| 19% | MOURINHO | 8 | Football manager, called himself "The Special One" |
| 19% | REPORTTO | 8 | Work under, as a manager |
| 19% | PADS | 4 | Wear under a football jersey |
| 19% | FANTASY | 7 | Game for armchair managers: __ Football |
| 19% | GARETH | 6 | __ Southgate; became England manager in 2016 |
| 19% | PATRIOTS | 8 | New England's pro football team |
| 19% | ENRON | 5 | Company that went under in 2001 |
| 18% | IANWOAN | 7 | 1990-2000 Nottingham Forest FC midfielder; Burnley assistant manager since 2012 |
| 18% | AUSSIE | 6 | __ Rules, down under football similar to rugby |
| 18% | XFL | 3 | Football league that played only one season in 2001: Abbr. |
| 18% | ROBSON | 6 | Surname shared by an England manager and captain |
| 18% | GULLIT | 6 | Ruud __; Dutch football manager and ex-pro player |
| 17% | VIALLI | 6 | Gianluca —, manager of Watford FC from 2001-02 |
| 17% | FERGUSON | 8 | Alex —, former football manager who was knighted in 1999 |
| 17% | BIRMINGHAM | 10 | City in England that houses Villa Park football stadium |