‘Player Manager’...

[Rozay]

Remember those good old days? A manager gets sacked during the season and the Bravehearted Scottish defender (or equivalent other) just took over while still co-ordinating matters on the pitch.

Doubt we’ll ever really see those days again, but seemed to be a semi-frequent occurrence when I was growing up. There was like a new one every season in the 90s. Kids of today will likely never know the legend of the player manager!

 

[OnlyTwoDaSilvas]

GOAT Player Manager

 

[Silas]

 

[LARulz]

 

[FrankDrebin]

 

[iHicksy]

Vialli was player manager of Chelsea for a season or so wasn't he?

 

[FrankDrebin]

Vialli was player manager of Chelsea for a season or so wasn't he?

Wasn't Gullit too ?

 

[Lever]

Kompany recently tried it a bit at Anderlecht, but stepped down from the manager role later on. Otherwise Dennis Wise (Millwall), Gullit and Vialli (both at Chelsea) comes to mind.

And didn't Monk still play during his first time as manager at Swansea? In 2014 or 15?

 

[Damien]

Kompany has been a player-manager this season. Didn't work out well for him.

 

[Spaghetti]

Wasn’t Hoddle also player manager?

 

[iHicksy]

Yes! I've just googled it and they were actually back-to-back player managers. Gullit was from 96-98 and replaced Hoddle and then Vialli took over after playing under him. Weirdly when he first signed Gullit was played as a sweeper, before being moved into midfield where he came runner up to Eric for player of the year. His first year in management he led them to their first FA Cup in 26 years and the next year two quater finals and Chelsea were 2nd in the league when he was sacked.

 

[Rozay]

Ffs!

 

[Vidyoyo]

Always wondered how it even worked because surely the manager is under so much pressure to train well as well as lead his disciples.

Perhaps wasn't such a big deal in the olden days when the league wasn't replete with prime athletes (no nostalgia, just an observation).

 

[duffer]

Wasn’t Hoddle also player manager?

Yep, Chelsea had three in a row.

Hoddle, Ruud, Luca.

 

[horsechoker]

GOAT Player Manager

Playa manager

 

[Rozay]

Always wondered how it even worked because surely the manager is under so much pressure to train well as well as lead his disciples.

Perhaps wasn't such a big deal in the olden days when the league wasn't replete with prime athletes (no nostalgia, just an observation).

Can’t see it happening in today’s game. The demands of the manager’s job are seemingly too much now, and the managerial bar has been raised so high too. You wouldn’t get away with just being someone to ‘drive the team forward’. You need to be tactically proven today.

 

[Igor Drefljak]

Isn't Vincent Kompany still player manager at Anderlecht?

 

[UnrelatedPsuedo]

Wasn't Gullit too ?

And Hoddle? At both Chelsea and Swindon?

perhaps just Swindon.

 

[SirAF]

Don’t forget the one time in pre-season Ferguson subbed himself on to take out an opposing player who had roughed United up

 

[Siorac]

Don’t forget the one time in pre-season Ferguson subbed himself on to take out an opposing player who had roughed United up

That was at St. Mirren actually, way back in 1976.

 

[United58]

Kompany was player/manager of Anderlecht just this season, but after a disastrous start "stepped down" (was probably sacked) as manager and took up the captain's armband

 

[TheReligion]

 

[SirAF]

That was at St. Mirren actually, way back in 1976.

Blimey, you are right.

 

[Spaghetti]

Yep, Chelsea had three in a row.

Hoddle, Ruud, Luca.

I seem to remember camera zooming in on Hoddle after a goal and he starting unzipping his tracksuit. Could have been 94 cup final.

 

[T_Model101]

I seem to remember camera zooming in on Hoddle after a goal and he starting unzipping his tracksuit. Could have been 94 cup final.

I think you're right, did he come on at halftime? Cascarino absolutely savages Hoddle in his autobiography

 

[V.O.]

Shoehorning yourself into the United side when your player was invariably total shite

 

[Sparky Rhiwabon]

I played as Player Manager Bryan Robson on the game Player Manager (http://hol.abime.net/1086) - you got to play as your player with the other players on your team being computer controlled. I carried on playing into Bryan's 70's although in his later years I had to play either as a sweeper (who played the opposition onside a lot) or a goal hanging striker, as his pace gradually got slower and slower each year!

 

[horsechoker]

Shoehorning yourself into the United side when your player was invariably total shite

Didn't even know that existed

 

[Gopher Brown]

Shoehorning yourself into the United side when your player was invariably total shite

Jeez, he was 60, doubt he would have been up to much as player-manager. Would have been a brave move though, we probably wouldn’t have signed van Nistelrooy with that sort of competition up front.

 

[Fingeredmouse]

Souness at Rangers.

 

[Cascarino]

Kevin Nolan at Leyton Orient a few seasons ago.
Gary Monk was technically a player/manager too but didn’t make any playing appearances.

 

[Redcy]

Gordon Strachan player a couple of games for Coventry when he was about 40 from memory. I heard somewhere his players begging him to play, he was apparently super fit, but couldnt walk for a week after playing two games back to back (which they won)