[James]

Originally Posted by alex_front2

For fairness all the other managers in their playing prime:

Here is a ranking of managers as players, I came across the other day (minus one):

1. Ronald Koeman
2. Mark Hughes
3. Slaven Bilic
4. Mauricio Pochettino
5. Quique Flores
6. Alan Pardew
7. Manuel Pellegrini
8. Remi Garde
9. Roberto Martinez
10. Sam Allardyce
11. Eddie Howe
12. Steve McClaren
13. Louis van Gaal
14. Claudio Ranieri
15. Jürgen Klopp
16. Tony Pulis
17. Alex Neil
18. Guus Hiddink
19. Arsène Wenger

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/foo...s-players.html

[alex_front2]

Originally Posted by James

Here is a ranking of managers as players, I came across the other day (minus one):

1. Ronald Koeman
2. Mark Hughes
3. Slaven Bilic
4. Mauricio Pochettino
5. Quique Flores
6. Alan Pardew
7. Manuel Pellegrini
8. Remi Garde
9. Roberto Martinez
10. Sam Allardyce
11. Eddie Howe
12. Steve McClaren
13. Louis van Gaal
14. Claudio Ranieri
15. Jürgen Klopp
16. Tony Pulis
17. Alex Neil
18. Guus Hiddink
19. Arsène Wenger

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/foo...s-players.html

I think terrible players or non players often make really good - often better managers than good players eg Wenger, Roy Hodgson, Mourinho, Hiddink. Maybe their failure as a player has left them with something to prove, desperate for non playing football glory, maybe their careers are cut short or disappointing that they do other things eg go to university and get a bit more erudite and educated so they have more sophisticated tactics.

Quite a few of the top Portuguese sides deliberately hire non ex players or journey men/ poor ex players.