Analysing the management careers of England’s ‘Golden Generation’ as Gerrard leaves Al-Ettifaq

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Steven Gerrard is the latest of England’s Golden Generation to suffer a setback in their management career with the former Liverpool midfielder departong Al-Ettifaq.

Gerrard’s two-year spell in the Saudi Pro League has ended in underwhelming style as he leaves Al-Ettifaq 12th in the league, having to failed to bolster his repuation following his sacking by Aston Villa.

His departure comes a few weeks after another former Three Lions captain Wayne Rooney was dismissed by Plymouth, with Frank Lampard recently returning to management with Coventry.

Hailed as some of England’s best ever players, all three have struggled to prove they are capable of forging similarly successful careers in the management hotseat.

Here are how England’s Golden Generation have fared in management so far.

Gary Neville

The first of the England players of that genaration to foray into the top job, Gary Neville had high hopes of success when he was appointed Valencia boss in December 2015.

Neville, who retired from playing in 2011, was seen as one of the bright young minds in English football after successful spell as a pundit on Sky Sports and management was seen as the next step, having also spent time as Roy Hodgson’s assistant at England.

But his time in Spain could hardly have gone worse, with the ex-Manchester United man sacked just over three months and 28 games later.

Of the 16 league matches he managed, he won just three games and felt the wrath of supporters when his Valencia side were beaten 7-0 in the Copa del Rey.

Neville has since said of his experience in Spain: “I was a young English coach, I didn’t speak the language, I arrived at a difficult time and the truth is that it was too much for me.”

VERDICT: It is harsh to call Neville a bad manager based on this one difficult spell but he is probably best to stick to punditry, where he has proved himself to be much more successful.

Steven Gerrard

Gerrard was the next to try his luck as the boss as, after time in charge of Liverpool’s Under-18s, he was handed the huge job of restoring Rangers to their former glories in May 2018.

The early signs were good, making the the Gers competitive again and to the Europa League last 16 in the 2019-20 season.

In 2020-21, he made himself a hero in the blue half of Glasgow as he guided them to the Scottish Premiership title, preventing bitter rivals Celtic from winning their 10th in a row, going unbeaten and amassing 102 points on the way.

A few months later, Gerrard secured his return to the Premier League as he was appointed manager of Aston Villa following Dean Smith’s dismissal. Once again, the early signs were good as he guided the Villans away from relegation trouble, albeit in unspectacular style.

But a poor start to the 2022-23 season saw his tenure unravel just 11 months in and he was sacked after a horrific 3-0 defeat at Fulham left them hovering up above the relegation zone as away supporters turned on the former Liverpool icon.

Gerrard then shocked many when he opted to take his managerial career to the Saudi Pro League. His time in charge of Al-Ettifaq has hardly boosted his managerial credentials – but it may have damaged it more.

After guiding them to a sixth place finish in his only full season, he leaves the club 12th in the 18-team league, five points above the relegation zone after winning only two of their 11 games in charge this season.

VERDICT: Gerrard’s last two managerial spells have certainly damaged his reputation after being hailed as the brightest of the bunch while with Rangers. The Villa job was probably too much, too soon, while it is hard to judge performance in the Saudi Pro League.

Because of that, Gerrard will probably get another chance in England but he will almost certainly have to take a job in the lower reaches of the Championship or below.

Frank Lampard

In the same month Gerrard got the Rangers gig, Lampard was installed as manager of Championship club Derby.

And similarly to Gerrard, the former Chelsea midfielder looked to be a natural in the role, guiding the Rams to an unlikely play-off final in his only season in charge, harnessing his contacts to bring in the likes of Fikayo Tomori and Mason Mount on loan from Stamford Bridge.

Lampard was then surprisingly given his dream job the following summer, with Chelsea opting for their former Champions League to see them through a period of uncertainty caused by a transfer embargo.

He did a more than respectable job in his first season, guiding the Blues to Champions League qualification and bring through a number of young stars.

It unravelled half-way through the next season, with a poor run of results leading to his sacking, with Thomas Tuchel taking over guiding them to Champions league glory.

Lampard did enough to remain in the Premier League with Everton, though, and once again he started well, guiding the Toffees to safety from relegation.

But it turned sour in January once again as he was sacked amid fears of relegation. His most recent job was another stint to see out the 2022-23 season following Graham Potter’s sacking, where he won just one of his 11 games in charge.

He is now back in management with Coventry, who he has lifted to 12th after winning six of his 13 games in charge after replacing Mark Robins.

VERDICT: The jury remains out. Lampard should not be judged on his most recent time at Chelsea but his first spell, as well as his Everton tenure, were hardly convincing.

A return to the Championship with Coventry, who are of similar size to Derby, looks like a good place to restore his repuation. Whether it’s a good move for Coventry, after years of success under Robins, is another matter.

Wayne Rooney

Wayne Rooney’s managerial journey also began with Derby, but with the club in a much more dire position as they were rooted to the bottom of the Championship.

After stepping in from his player-coach role, the former Man Utd striker impressively  picked 31 points out of a possible 54 from his first 18 matches to eventually save the financially-striken club from relegation against the odds.

But a 21-point deduction saw them drop to League One anyway – prompting Rooney to resign. A few weeks later, he returned to Atlanta United, where he had previously starred during the latter years of his playing career.

Rooney missed out on the MLS play-offs in both of his seasons in charge and he then left America to return to England with Birmingham City in a surprise move after former boss John Eustace had them sixth in the table.

His time at St Andrews was a disaster, with the Blues going from sixth to 20th in just 15 matches, in which they won just twice.

The 39-year-old was sacked just three months into his stint before he landed another Championship job with Plymouth a few months later.

That too failed to last a whole season as he was dismissed in early January with the Pilgrims rooted to the bottom of the league.

VERDICT: Rooney’s mamagerial prospects have taken a huge beating after his last two managerial jobs with Blues and Plymouth. The striker seems desperate to make it in management but he may be best-place taking a short break to assess his options after two intense tensures.

It seems unlikely another Championship side will gamble on Rooney right now, so a return to MLS or perhaps a spell in Europe may be the best bet.

The rest

Their England team-mates have not had too much success, either. Paul Scholes managed one game as Salford interim boss before lasting only seven games in charge of Oldham and has not managed since 2019.

Gary’s brother Phil Neville has had steady spells in charge of the Lionesses and Inter Miami and is now 38 games into his time with Portland Timbers.

Sol Campbell guided Macclesfield to safety in 2018 but his time in charge of Southend proved to be a disaster and he hasn’t managed since.

The most promising of the two may well be Scott Parker and Michael Carrick, though there is a debate to be had whether they should be included as part of the ‘Golden Generation’.

Parker has been promoted with both Fulham and Bournemouth and currently has Burnley in third. Carrick’s Middlesbrough are also in the play-off positions after challenging for promotion since his appointment in October 2022 after two games in charge of former club United.




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