Ex-United, who makes the best manager?
By ameyrp
@ameyrp (252)
Singapore
January 24, 2008 4:35am CST
It looks like that many former Manchester United players have become manager after they retired from playing. Individuals such as Bryan Robson (Middlesbrough and West Bromwich Albion), Steve Bruce (Birmingham City and Wigan Athletic), Mark Hughes (Blackburn Rovers) and Roy Keane (Sunderland) all have make the transitions with a mixture result. Who do you think among them will become a great manager and perhaps could someday manage the club itself?
1 person likes this
5 responses
@ssujithkumar (364)
• India
28 Jan 08
yes really they will became a great managers,
you see now itself the effect of mark hughes of blackburn rovers as..they will become great managers because they had be in many critical games
@dangaroo (234)
•
29 Jan 08
Cooldude - I think that is not true.
Mark Hughes and Roy Keane will both become great managers. Mark Hughes is already a long way to doing that. All he needs is a break at a very big club (he would be my ideal successor to Fergie.. when it's finally time to say goodbye). Paul Ince is another one who will be a good manager.
Steve Bruce is fairly average and Robbo is a disgrace of a manager (albeit more experienced than me!)
I was surprised Denis Irwin never went into management.
@cooldude_no1 (883)
• Malaysia
28 Jan 08
I personally don't think any of the good player-then-manager-now managers will succeed. History speaks for themselves. Any good players who became a manager has never succeeded. I think perhaps the reason is because, they were a good player under a good manager before. To play and to manage are two different things.
However, if you look at history, often it is the lousy soccer player (or unknown soccer player) who became manager that will suceed. Look at Rafa and Mourinho for example.
For that, I would say...none of Ex-United players will make a good manager. Perhaps just a decent manager.
@stvasile (7306)
• Romania
24 Jan 08
I don't really look at other clubs progress, except Manchester United, because Premiership matches are not widely available in my country.
Of what I've seen so far, even if he only started, I believe that Roy Keane will develop into a world class manager.
@BassMonkaaa (141)
•
25 Jan 08
You forgot to mention Paul Ince - despite being a traitor of sorts, he's still worth a mention. Especially more so now that he's under speculation about a move away from MK Dons to a 'bigger and better' club (albeit, Derby perhaps isn't quite what he had in mind, and so rightly turned them down.. who knows?)
Anywhoo, out of those you mentioned, I would say Mark Hughes or Roy Keane probably have the managerial style that comes with being manager of Manchester United - both determined, both aggressive (on and off the pitch!) and both very, very competitive. Hughes has made the most progress, given that he's been in the managerial game a lot longer than Roy Keane, but I still see Keane going along the same path someday; it might just be that Hughes gets there before him.
For all that they try, both Bryan Robson and Steve Bruce just don't seem to have the 'luck' or perhaps the right style for managing teams of a higher level (i.e. Premiership), without getting their noses burnt. Both relatively 'young' enough still, but Robson has been around a while now and it might take a bit of persuasion or change in fortunes to see him take over at 'United someday. As for Bruce - he's a bit of an unknown quantity that one; we shall have to see - but my money's still on Mark Hughes or Roy Keane for the new future of 'United.
