The appointment of Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard at Rangers has led to many to tip him for success due to his great playing career. But do great players necessarily make great managers.
Does being a great player mean you are going to be a great manager?
Alan Shearer
In 2009, Alan Shearer was given the chance to manage his boyhood club Newcastle in the Premier League. The ex-England striker was given a spell of eight games to try and save the Toon Army from imminent relegation. The Newcastle legend was unable to stop the rot and was only able to secure one win during the eight games. Newcastle were duly relegated on the final day of the season at Villa Park. Shearer had been promised by Mike Ashley that if Newcastle were to go down he would be given the opportunity to bring them back up. The Sports Direct owner reneged on that promise and left Shearer devastated. Shearer was not given time or the tools to be successful. This sad spell had led to Shearer deciding to stay in the media and publicly decide that he has no interest in returning to management.
Teddy Sheringham
The ex-Spurs striker has 51 England caps to his name and is seen as one of the most intelligent footballers of his generation. However, all that playing intelligence did not help him when he turned his hand to management. In 2015, League 2 Stevenage Town felt they had pulled off a massive coup when they brought in the former Champions League winner. Nine months later, a poor run of 3 points from 24 led to the Hertfordshire club firing Sheringham. He did try his hand abroad but was also unsuccessful in a spell in India. These two poor spells may have ended his dreams of being a top manager.
Gary Neville
The ex-England defender is seen as revolutionising football punditry with his excellent analysis. The Manchester United stalwart wanted to translate his playing success into managerial gold. In December 2015, he was appointed coach of Spanish giants Valencia. Neville was chosen due to his friendship with Valencia owner Peter Lim. The former Red Devil was confident he would be able to deal with the language barrier. However, his managerial career started with a horrendous run of nine games without victory. He was unable to get much from a talented but underachieving squad. A 7-0 humbling by Barcelona at the Nou Camp and premature Europa League exit were lowpoints for Neville. Lim put his friendship aside and ended Neville’s tenure after only three months at the Mestalla. The Valencia spell has led to his credibility in punditry being reduced and could mean that he never returns to management again.
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