The Playing Careers of Premier League Bosses
How Good were the Top Managers When They Were Footballers?
Oct 7, 2009 Jonathan Squirrell
Of the twenty managers currently operating in the English Premier League, more than half were little better than journeymen footballers. Portsmouth chief Paul Hart was a defender with several clubs, including Nottingham Forest; while Hull’s Phil Brown made more than 650 appearances for lower league sides after turning down the advice of Olympic athlete Brendan Fraser to become a runner. Owen Coyle, now Burnley manager, was previously a forward who played for more than ten Scottish league sides, he also played for Bolton in England, and won one cap for the Republic of Ireland. Combative midfielder Gary Megson had nine clubs, including two spells with Sheffield Wednesday. Long-serving Manchester United boss Alex Ferguson was a free-scoring striker for several Scottish clubs, and came close to winning honours with Rangers.
Players Return to Former Clubs as Managers
Everton manager David Moyes was a member of a championship winning Celtic squad as a young defender, but his promising career trailed away as he moved around a number of Scottish and English clubs, finishing at Preston, where he found a route into management. Similarly Sam Allardyce, now manager of Blackburn, had two spells at Bolton before he became manager there. He also played for a further seven English clubs, as well as turning out for Tampa Bay Rowdies in America and Limerick in Ireland. Spurs boss Harry Redknapp started out at West Ham, who he later managed, and like Allardyce had a brief spell in North America, this time with Seattle Sounders. He also played for both Bournemouth and Brentford. Another relatively obscure player to try his luck abroad was Tony Pulis, who had a season in Hong Kong with Happy Valley. Pulis, now manager at Stoke, also played for Bristol Rovers among other English league sides.
Undistinguished though some of these resumes seem, they far exceed that of Roy Hodgson, who after failing to break into the first team at Crystal Palace played out his career in non-league football. But it is not just British managers who failed to ignite during their playing days. Arsenal impresario Arsene Wenger was a relatively modest defender in French club football, though he did play in the UEFA cup while at RC Strasbourg. Likewise Liverpool’s Spanish manager Rafael Benitez made little impact while at Castilla and Parla Linares. Another Spaniard, Roberto Martinez who now manages Wigan, began his career with Real Zaragoza and CF Balaguer in Spain, before spending six seasons at Wigan as a player. Martinez went on to have spells with Motherwell, Walsall, Swansea and Chester.
Managers who Achieved European Success as Players
Not all the Premier League managers were undistinguished footballers however. Aston Villa boss Martin O’Neill played for Nottingham Forest during the Brian Clough era, during which time he won the League, the League Cup, and the European Cup. A steady midfield player, O’Neill also played for Norwich, Manchester City and Notts County, as well as making 64 appearances for Northern Ireland, for whom he featured in the 1982 World Cup. Mick McCarthy, now manager of Wolverhampton Wanderers, played 57 times as a central defender for the Republic of Ireland - despite being born in Yorkshire. He also won the League and Cup double at Celtic.
Steve Bruce, currently in charge at Sunderland, was another top class defender. Bruce played for Gillingham and Norwich before finding success late in his career under Ferguson at United. Bruce won three league titles at Old Trafford, including two doubles, as well as a Cup Winners Cup medal. Despite being captain of such a successful side however, he was unable to force his way into the England side. Unlike McCarthy however, he turned down the chance to play for Ireland. Another man to win the Cup Winners Cup under Ferguson - this time at Aberdeen - was Birmingham manager Alex McLeish. Another central defender, McLeish played for the Don’s more than 500 times over 16 seasons. He won 77 caps for Scotland.
World Class Players Who Became Managers
Perhaps even more impressive was the career of Mark Hughes, now in charge at mega-rich Manchester City. As a forward Hughes played for some of the giants of European football, including Barcelona and Bayern Munich. He also played alongside Bruce under Ferguson at Manchester United, winning two Premier League titles as well as 4 FA Cups, 3 League Cups and the Cup Winners Cup. Hughes played 72 times for Wales, scoring 16 goals. After leaving United he found further success at Chelsea before seeing out his career with Southampton, Everton and Blackburn.
Two Italian’s also have illustrious playing days to look back on: Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti, and West Ham’s Gianfranco Zola. Ancelotti forged his reputation as a midfielder with Parma and Roma before going on to play for the formidable AC Milan, with whom he won back to back European Cup’s in 1989 and 1990. A diminutive forward, Zola made 599 appearances for various clubs, scoring 192 goals. He played alongside Diego Maradona at Napoli, and under the management of Ancelotti at Parma, before being sold, ironically, to Chelsea, where he won the FA Cup, the League Cup and the Cup Winners Cup before returning to Italy with Cagliari. Both talented players, neither Italian won as many international caps as might have been expected. Competition for places restricted Ancelotti to just 26, and Zola to 35.
Being a top class player then is certainly no hindrance to managing at the highest level, but as Hodgson and others prove, it is no prerequisite either.
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