Succession story
Super Frank is impressing after moving from pitch to dugout at Chelsea, but he’s only one in a long line of bosses to make the switch.
One thing to note here is that we’ve included ‘interim managers’ (those who took the job on a short-term basis) but not caretakers (who stepped in, but were never the real boss).
Iain Dowie
Played for: Southampton, Crystal Palace, West Ham
Managed: Crystal Palace, Charlton, Hull
Striker Dowie wasn’t exactly prolific in the Premier League as a player, and his managerial career was equally mixed: he led Palace to promotion and then relegation, he was sacked by Charlton with the club in the relegation zone and he couldn’t keep Hull up during a brief spell.
Chris Coleman
Played for: Crystal Palace, Blackburn
Managed: Fulham
After a yo-yo spell at Palace, Coleman joined reigning English champions Blackburn in December 1995, but he eventually departed to join Fulham – the side he would later manage. He became the youngest manager in the Premier League when he took the gig in May 2003, and led the Cottagers to a surprise ninth-place finish in his debut campaign.
Paolo Di Canio
Played for: Sheffield Wednesday, West Ham, Charlton
Managed: Sunderland
Whether it was by pushing referees or scoring screamers, Di Canio certainly made his presence felt during seven years in the Premier League. His spell in charge of Sunderland was equally entertaining – particularly his celebrations when they beat rivals Newcastle in his second game in charge – and to his credit, the Italian kept the Black Cats up.
Owen Coyle
Played for: Bolton
Managed: Burnley, Bolton
Coyle had something of a journeyman playing career, but it did include a brief Premier League spell with Bolton. He later returned to the club as boss after some superb work at Burnley, who he led to the top flight for the first time in 33 years.
Steve Bruce
Played for: Manchester United
Managed: Birmingham, Wigan, Sunderland, Hull, Newcastle
Bruce enjoyed a trophy-laden spell as a player at Old Trafford, picking up three Premier League winners’ medals. His managerial efforts haven’t been quite so successful, but Brucey has established himself as an experienced top-flight boss.
Steve Clarke
Played for: Chelsea
Managed: West Brom
The current Scotland boss was a Chelsea veteran back in the day, racking up more than 300 appearances for the Blues between 1987 and 1998. His only spell as a Premier League boss came at West Brom, and he helped the Baggies record their record points total in the 2012/13 season as they finished eighth.
Slaven Bilic
Played for: West Ham, Everton
Managed: West Ham
The £1.3m fee West Ham paid for Bilic in January 1996 was their record fee at the time, and he justified the price tag before joining Everton the following summer for a less successful spell. As Hammers boss, Bilic led the club to seventh place and their highest points total in his debut campaign.
Micky Adams
Played for: Southampton
Managed: Leicester
Adams made 144 appearances for Southampton as a full-back in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, featuring in the inaugural Premier League season of 1992/93. He later took the reins at Leicester, leading them to the top flight before they dropped straight back down again.
Tony Adams
Played for: Arsenal
Managed: Portsmouth
A legend during his days as a tough-tackling defender at Arsenal, Adams won two Premier League titles at the club. His spell in charge of Pompey wasn’t quite so memorable, as he lasted just 16 games before being sacked, having picked up just 10 points.
Gary Megson
Played for: Norwich
Managed: West Brom, Bolton
Megson was a key member of the Norwich side that surprisingly came third in the inaugural season of the Premier League in 1992/93. As a manager, he couldn’t keep West Brom up after leading them to promotion, but kept Bolton in the division for two seasons before eventually being sacked in December 2009.
Brian Laws
Played for: Nottingham Forest
Managed: Burnley
Laws briefly featured in the Premier League as Forest were relegated in the inaugural campaign. His spell at Burnley wasn’t one to remember, as the Clarets fell to 15 defeats in 18 games to suffer relegation with two games to spare.
Roberto Mancini
Played for: Leicester City
Managed: Manchester City
Mancini’s brief loan spell at Leicester in the twilight of his career is oft-forgotten, but his spell in charge of City won’t be any time soon. The Italian led the Citizens to their first league title in 44 years thanks to a dramatic last-day win over QPR. All together now: “Aguerooooo!”
Malky Mackay
Played for: Watford
Managed: Cardiff
Mackay helped Watford to promotion before playing a bit-part role in the Premier League under Aidy Boothroyd. As Cardiff boss, he took the Bluebirds to the League Cup final and achieved promotion to the Premier League, but was sacked midway through their top-flight campaign.
Frank Lampard
Played for: West Ham, Chelsea, Manchester City
Managed: Chelsea
Lampard has got off to a great start to life as a Premier League manager, with his Chelsea side currently riding high in the standings. As a player, the midfielder became a Blues legend as he helped the club to three league titles and the Champions League.
Roy Keane
Played for: Nottingham Forest, Manchester United
Managed: Sunderland
Keane’s glittering playing career needs little introduction, given his importance to one of the most successful spells in United’s history. As Sunderland boss, the Irishman led the Black Cats back into the Premier League, but later resigned amid issues with the club hierarchy and poor league form.
Paul Ince
Played for: Manchester United, Liverpool, Middlesbrough, Wolves
Managed: Blackburn
Ince is one of a small number of players to have represented both sides of the Manchester United-Liverpool divide as a player, but it was with the Red Devils that he had the most success, winning two league titles. He lasted just six months in the Blackburn job in 2008, having won just three games out of 17.
Slavisa Jokanovic
Played for: Chelsea
Managed: Fulham
Jokanovic returned to England to take the Fulham job in 2015, having spent two seasons as a player at Chelsea towards the end of his playing days. After saving the Cottagers from the drop in the Champoinship, he led them to promotion in his second season, but was sacked just four months into his first Premier League campaign.
Mark Hughes
Played for: Manchester United, Chelsea, Southampton, Everton, Blackburn
Managed: Blackburn, Manchester City, Fulham, QPR, Stoke, Southampton
Sparky has quite the list of clubs to his name between his exertions as player and manager. Some highlights: two Premier League titles at United, an FA Cup at Chelsea and a League Cup at Blackburn as a player and, erm, a Premier League Manager of the Month award in 2007 as a boss...
Ruud Gullit
Played for: Chelsea
Managed: Chelsea, Newcastle
Gullit ended his playing days at Stamford Bridge and struggled in England before becoming player-manager in 1996. He led Chelsea to FA Cup glory but was later sacked before joining Newcastle, where he fell out with star man Alan Shearer and captain Robert Lee and eventually resigned after a defeat to rivals Sunderland.
Ian Holloway
Played for: QPR
Managed: Blackpool, Crystal Palace
Holloway made more than 150 appearances for QPR over five seasons at the club, and returned to the top flight as a manager when he led Blackpool to promotion in 2010. He couldn’t keep the Seasiders up, but returned to the Premier League after taking Palace up, only to be sacked just three months into the season.
Glenn Hoddle
Played for: Chelsea
Managed: Chelsea, Southampton, Spurs
Hoddle became Blues player-manager in June 1993 and while he led the club to an FA Cup final and Cup Winners’ Cup semi-final, he couldn’t take them higher than 11th in the Premier League. After his spell at England boss came tenures at Saints and Spurs, and he impressed by securing safety for the former before a hit-and-miss time with the latter.
Roberto Di Matteo
Played for: Chelsea
Managed: West Brom, Chelsea
Di Matteo made more than 100 appearances for Chelsea and later returned to Stamford Bridge as manager, after leading West Brom to the Premier League. He guided the club to one of their greatest nights as they won the Champions League final on penalties against Bayern Munich in 2012.
Remi Garde
Played for: Arsenal
Managed: Aston Villa
Garde joined Arsenal on the same day as Patrick Vieira and went on to provide reliable back-up to Arsene Wenger’s star-studded team over three years at Highbury. He was appointed Villa boss in November 2015, but lasted less than five months before leaving by mutual consent with the club bottom of the league.
Peter Reid
Played for: Manchester City, Southampton
Managed: Manchester City, Sunderland, Leeds
Reid led City to a ninth-place finish in the inaugural Premier League season, before being sacked for his uninspiring football. He took Sunderland to seventh, thanks to the goals of Kevin Phillips, before joining Leeds , who he managed to keep up despite their poor financial state.
Mauricio Pellegrino
Played for: Liverpool
Managed: Southampton
Pellegrino only has six months of Premier League football as a player on his CV after failing to secure a long-term contract during his time at Anfield, and he wasn’t given much longer as Saints boss, lasting just eight months in the job before being sacked with his team risking relegation.
Bryan Robson
Played for: Manchester United, Middlesbrough
Managed: Middlesbrough, West Brom
Robson was a two-time Premier League winner with Manchester United, but his managerial career hasn’t been quite so glorious. He got off to a good start by leading Boro to promotion and a 12th-place finish, before reaching – and losing – both domestic cup finals. At West Brom, he managed to keep the Baggies clear of relegation at the first time of asking, but not the second.
Graham Potter
Played for: Southampton
Managed: Brighton
Potter didn’t make much of an impression as a Southampton player, although he did feature in their 6-3 win over Manchester United in 1996. He took over at Brighton in the summer after impressive spells at Ostersund and Swansea, and has got off to an impressive start to life as a Premier League manager.
Gus Poyet
Played for: Chelsea, Spurs
Managed: Sunderland
The Uruguayan made a significant impact as a player in the English top flight, before later taking over at Sunderland and masterminding a remarkable relegation escape in 2013/14, taking 13 points from 15 at the end of the season when they seemed doomed.
Mike Phelan
Played for: Manchester United
Managed: Hull City
Phelan didn’t get an awful lot of Premier League playing time due to the fierce competition he faced at United, but he did make enough appearances to earn a league title medal for the 1992/93 season. After a good start as caretaker at Hull in 2016, he was handed the job permanently, but they parted ways just three months later.
Stuart Pearce
Played for: Nottingham Forest, Newcastle, West Ham
Managed: Manchester City
Pearce spent 12 years at Forest as a player, helping them finish third in the Premier League and reach the UEFA Cup quarter-finals a year later. During his stint in charge of City, he narrowly missed out on securing European qualification but was later sacked after they narrowly avoided relegation.
Scott Parker
Played for: Charlton, Chelsea, Newcastle, West Ham, Tottenham, Fulham
Managed: Fulham
A Premier League stalwart during his days bossing the midfield of various top-flight sides, Parker’s managerial career is just getting going. He was appointed as caretaker manager at Fulham in February, but it was too late to save the Cottagers from relegation, and he is now leading their efforts to return to the Premier league as soon as possible.
Nigel Pearson
Played for: Sheffield Wednesday, Middlesbrough
Managed: Leicester
After successful spells as a player in the Premier League, Pearson made his mark as a boss by guiding the Foxes to the top flight and overseeing an against-the-odds escape from relegation in 2014/15. He was sacked anyway, to be replaced by a certain Claudio Ranieri…
David O’Leary
Played for: Arsenal, Leeds
Managed: Leeds, Aston Villa
O’Leary made over 700 appearances for Arsenal, although most of them came before the dawn of the Premier League era, as he switched to Leeds in 1993. He later took the Elland Road club to the semi-finals of the Champions League after a third-placed league finish, and subsequently led relegation-threatened Villa to sixth place.
Gianfranco Zola
Played for: Chelsea
Managed: West Ham
The Italian became a Chelsea favourite in the late 1990s thanks to his eye for a stunning goal, which helped the club win two FA Cups, the Cup Winners’ Cup and a League Cup during his time at Stamford Bridge. He returned to London as Hammers boss in 2008, but his contract was terminated at the end of his second season after the club narrowly avoided relegation.
Garry Monk
Played for: Southampton, Swansea
Managed: Swansea
Monk has become synonymous with Swansea after spending a decade at the club as a player before taking the reins as manager in 2014. He led them to safety in his first season before leading the Swans to eighth the following year, but he was sacked in December 2015 after a run of one win in 11.
Nigel Worthington
Played for: Sheffield Wednesday, Leeds
Managed: Norwich
Worthington led Norwich for six years at the turn of the millennium, taking them to the Premier League before they were immediately relegated. He was eventually sacked as he struggled to guide the Canaries back to the top flight.
Ray Wilkins
Played for: QPR, Crystal Palace
Managed: QPR
Wilkins was a regular for QPR in the first couple of years of the Premier League era before becoming the club’s player-manager and leading them to eighth, but they were relegated in his first full season, resulting in his departure by mutual consent.
Danny Wilson
Played for: Sheffield Wednesday
Managed: Barnsley, Sheffield Wednesday
Wilson became Barnsley’s player-manager in 1994 after a year operating as player-assistant manager (those were the days). He guided the Yorkshire club to promotion in 1996/97 and although they went straight back down, it earned Wilson the Wednesday job, where he achieved mid-table security before being sacked the following season with the club heading towards the drop.
Gianluca Vialli
Played for: Chelsea
Managed: Chelsea
The Italian managed to do both jobs at Chelsea, initially arriving as a player in 1996 before taking on the role of player-manager in early 1998. He led the Blues to glory in the League Cup and Cup Winners’ Cup, as well as fourth in the Premier League. The FA Cup followed later on, but Vialli was sacked after a difficult start to the 2000/01 season.
Gareth Southgate
Played for: Crystal Palace, Aston Villa, Middlesbrough
Managed: Middlesbrough
The England boss became the darling of the nation during the 2018 World Cup, but it wasn’t always so. He was a talented, if not spectacular, defender during his playing days, and his one experience of Premier League management at Boro ended in relegation during his second season, after he led the club to 12th in his first.
Gordon Strachan
Played for: Leeds, Coventry
Managed: Coventry, Southampton
Strachan earned Leeds’ Player of the Year award in the 1992/93 Premier League campaign and helped them finish fifth the following season before heading to Coventry, who he led to top-flight survival for four consecutive seasons before they finally went down in 2000/01. He impressed at Saints, taking them to eighth and an FA Cup final.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
Played for: Manchester United
Managed: Cardiff, Manchester United
The jury is still out on Solskjaer the boss after a difficult start to life as United’s permanent manager, but there is no doubting his playing credentials; the Norwegian’s list of honours at Old Trafford includes six Premier League titles, the Champions League and two FA Cups.
Alan Shearer
Played for: Blackburn, Newcastle
Managed: Newcastle
Shearer the player needs little introduction: a league champion with Blackburn, a Newcastle legend and the all-time Premier League top goalscorer with 260 strikes. His spell in charge of the Magpies was ill-fated and short, as he looked to steady the ship for the final eight games of the 2008/09 season, but couldn’t steer them clear of relegation.
Tim Sherwood
Played for: Blackburn, Spurs, Portsmouth
Managed: Spurs, Aston Villa
Sherwood led Spurs to sixth and Aston Villa to the FA Cup, but was sacked by both and hasn’t been seen in a Premier League dugout since. As a player, he captained Rovers to the league title.
Lawrie Sanchez
Played for: Wimbledon, Swindon
Managed: Fulham
A stalwart for Wimbledon throughout the 1980s, Sanchez was also a part of Swindon’s one and only Premier League campaign, which ended in relegation and just five victories. His spell at Fulham lasted a matter of months before he was sacked with the Cottagers in the drop zone.
