Will this be a Golden Generation for gaffers?
England’s “golden generation” failed to shine for their country.
But their failure to do the business on the pitch will drive the winners among them to glory in the dugout.
I’ve had my say about Steven Gerrard on that front.
He is a born winner – he proved it at Liverpool.
Whether he’ll make a success of things at Rangers is still up in the air, especially with his old boss Brendan Rodgers leading Celtic to new heights. But Gerrard has the drive needed to flourish as a manager somewhere.
And I reckon Stevie’s old England team-mate, Frank Lampard, is cut from the same cloth. First things first – a confession. I’ve got to be honest, when I heard Frank was taking over at Derby County, I was absolutely gutted.
It wasn’t because I’ve got concerns about his ability. It was because I wanted him as boss of my old team, Ipswich Town!
He was interviewed more than once, and I honestly thought he was a shoo-in at Portman Road.
I can only guess something came along that changed his mind. Maybe that something was Derby . . . Lampard, like Gerrard, was part of the England teams of 2001-2010.
More was expected of them than any other England side in history – and with good reason.
A group of players that included Frank and Stevie, along with the likes of David Beckham, Michael Owen, Rio Ferdinand, Ashley Cole, John Terry, Gary Neville, Paul Scholes and Wayne Rooney, should have had enough about them to win something.
Instead, they fell short every time, and failed to even qualify for Euro 2008.
When you read over those names again, that’s unbelievable!
Rio recently said the “Golden Generation” tag weighed heavily on them.
But for a bunch of guys who spent their careers raking in the trophies at club level, I bet it doesn’t weigh as heavily now as their legacy of failure for England.
Even now, it will rankle with Gerrard and Lampard.
And I reckon that’s the first attribute that gives them a real shot of being successful gaffers.
They have winning attitudes – and their players will sense it immediately.
For those players, the guys at Rangers and Derby right now, that will be inspiring.
There’s not a single footballer worth his salt – particularly the younger ones – who won’t want to bust a gut to impress their new managers. But it’s not just about attitude. Both Stevie and Frank are intelligent guys – and that’s a trait you need to be a top boss.
Frank was a grammar school boy as a kid and speaks about three different languages, if I remember rightly.
Stevie is about to learn a third to add to Scouse and English – Glaswegian!
The pair aren’t the first English players of their era to try management.
Gary Neville gave it a shot and bombed at Valencia.
But, by staying in the UK, I think Frank and Stevie have given themselves a better chance of starting on the right foot, in a place where their reputations are respected.
That’s all about what they did for their clubs, rather than their country.
But if they keep achieving with their new teams the way they did with their old ones, one – or both – could end up with a second chance with England – as manager.
More was expected of them than any other England side in history – and with good reason