Dennis Bergkamp is my favourite footballer (or organism) of all time. From watching the calm, measured way he played, to reading about his thought processes while on the field, he gives me the picture of a true footballing genius, causing me to leap to the conclusion that he must be an amazing coach. I’m sure every fan has a player like this; a club legend who they would kill to see take the mantle as manager. A face that takes no time to get behind. Fortunately for football clubs, that is exactly how they want their fans to feel.
Putting two and two together, clubs across Europe have produced a quasi-trend of bringing recently retired players back into a familiar fold for one of, if not their very first role as a head coach. Fans are sold the idea that these guys have a deep understanding of what the club should be, about its principles and what it stands for and we expect that to translate to a harmonious recapturing of former glory years. Are we wrong to think that?
Three young coaches have taken the helm at huge clubs in Arsenal, Man United and Chelsea, and have suffered and excelled to various degrees. I would like to argue that both these successes and failures are largely unrelated to the coach’s legendary status at their respective clubs and that their hiring was a ploy by their clubs in hopes that the next time they are forced into a sacking rests many moons away.