Do great footballers make great managers?

Shearer has tried to make his mark as Newcastle’s manager by implementing tougher disciplinary rules, and although he has had a fairly disastrous start to his managerial career, he has made it clear that he wants to stay at Newcastle even if they are relegated from the Premier League. Speaking of his intentions Shearer commented:

“I’m just asking for common sense, to be in on time for training, to adhere to the standards that Bobby Robson and Kenny Dalglish asked of me.”

But were Shearer’s idols, Bobby Robson and Kenny Dalglish unique at their ability to enjoy equal success when they traded their football boots for a tie and suit? “King Kenny” was an abundant goal scorer for both Celtic in the 1970s and Liverpool in the 1980s, and went on to enjoy a successful career as a manager, being one of only three to have won the Top Flight of the English League as a manager with two different clubs. In 1999, Dalglish was even appointed director of football at Celtic.

Sir Bobby Robson is also one of a minority of “players-turned-managers” to boast a more superior career as a manager than as a player. Although Robson spanned a successful 20-year long career as a footballer, he is now better known for his attributes as a highly revered club and international manager, who in the 1990 World Cup took England to the semi-finals. In 2002, Bobby Robson was created a Knight Bachelor for his contribution to football.

However, it seems that contemporary managers who were footballers are not achieving the same level of success as the likes of Bobby Robson and Kenny Dalglish.

Although ex-Manchester United captain Roy Keane’s own career as a manager has not started as glitteringly as his career as a footballer, the newly appointed boss of Ipswich Town recently sparked controversy by remarking that none of his ex-teammates from the mid 1990s have become successful managers. Keane is obviously as cutthroat and ruthless off the pitch as he was on it, and his definition of being a good manager is to win trophies. By Keane’s reasoning, his ex-teammate Steve Bruce is therefore an unsuccessful manager due to his lack of trophies bagged, regardless of the fact that Bruce’s job was to keep Wigan in the Premiership, which he has done more than efficiently by placing them mid-table.

Some managers, whether they have been football players or not, are not given the chance to escort a team into the realms of winning trophies, as money seems to be the leading creator of a successful club, and money is mostly generated by fans. An example of an ex-footballer manager excelling at a lesser Premier club and then struggling at a bigger club is Mark Hughes. During his reign at Blackburn, Hughes did extremely well, but as manager of Manchester City many believe he is out of his depth. With millions of pounds being pumped into the club behind an immense and loyal fan base, Manchester City should arguably be further up the table, and Hughes’ future at the top is being questioned.

Paul Ince also fails to reach Keane’s harsh definition of what makes a successful manager, having remained trophy-less since becoming a club boss. Although perhaps Ince should be praised for his courageousness of taking on monetarily deprived and unglamorous teams such as Macclesfield Town. Although gallantness aside, Ince’s status as a football manager does not look as promising as his status as a football player, given his sacking from Blackburn after a bout of bad form – a dismissal some believe was premature, as he was only with the club for six months. This insufficient amount of time many managers receive criticism often stressed for not allowing gaffers to thrive. A statement released on the Blackburn Rovers website said:

“The board, having selected Paul Ince, was desperate for him to succeed and wanted to give him as much time as possible in such an unforgiving environment as the Premier League, where time is such a precious commodity.”

Nigel Winterburn, Blackburn’s part-time defensive coach, felt that Ince was not given enough time to prove himself. Winterburn commented:

“Ince knows and I know in the Premiership it is a cutthroat world and it is a results-driven industry that is run by fear.”

Ex-football players who try their hand as a manager are often relatively young and inexperienced at being authoritative figures and barking orders. As with most jobs, skill comes with experience, and many feel these young, fresh managers are not given enough time. Aston Villa manager Martin O’Neill echoed that this sentiment is true, commenting:

“It’s getting harder and harder for young managers trying to make their mark.”

Mismanagement and a series of unsuccessful managers meant Newcastle United did not win a trophy for many years. Fans are often impatient, and they can force managers out before they have had a proper turn, and this is arguably the case with Newcastle United.

According to Manchester United fan Chris Burke, the English football leagues are not the worse for changing managers before they have had time to prove themselves.

“Other European countries like Spain and Italy change their managers nearly as often as their underpants.”

“The size of the crowd the club gets is very relevant to their performance, because of this I think Newcastle will be back in the Premiers’ top three before very long, regardless of their manager.” Burke added.

Bryan Robson is one “player-turned-manager” that seemed unable to cope in the tough role as the gaffer, and has achieved a relatively consensual opinion, albeit a negative one. Robson’s skills at barking orders in the dressing room certainly have not matched his dexterous ability on the pitch.

Newcastle United’s controversial jailbird Joey Barton may have called Alan Shearer a “sh-t manager” in a recent dressing room bust-up following Barton receiving a red card, but has Shearer had enough time to warrant such a deprecating label? The Magpies seem intent on overcoming their woes and appalling form by appointing former legends on the pitch as managers. The Geordie prodigy Kevin Keegan, who had the humiliating experience of failing twice in the hot seat, and seemed unfit emotionally for the job, infamously demonstrated this with his outburst at Alex Ferguson in 1996, another game of psychological warfare won by the ultra-controlled and highly successful Manchester United boss.

Tarring any group of people with the same brush is surely incorrect, and it would be a mistake to say no great football players can make great managers, as proved by Sir Bobby Robson and Kenny Dalglish. Footballers who fancy themselves in management are at least blessed with firsthand knowledge of the game. But football players are not commonly acknowledged for their intellectual abilities, and to be a great manager, good intellect is essential. Whether Alan Shearer has the same ability to rebuild Newcastle United as he did to score goals for the club is being closely monitored.

Gabrielle Pickard for RT