tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-55636410663420272.post2658922061241914082..comments2023-12-27T06:44:09.195+00:00Comments on Polly's Pause for Sport: Those who can, play. Those who can't, manage: Why great players don't usually make great managersDominic Pollardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15873610807787984958noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-55636410663420272.post-2096441744881191382013-04-04T23:13:32.015+01:002013-04-04T23:13:32.015+01:00I agree with you. Obviously there are some excepti...I agree with you. Obviously there are some exceptions but most of the players that they try to be coaches they fail pay per head servicehttp://www.hostpph.com/about-us.aspxnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-55636410663420272.post-38795248812423379702011-02-06T17:03:26.759+00:002011-02-06T17:03:26.759+00:00Cruijff did slightly more than ''work with...Cruijff did slightly more than ''work with elite'' players. Without Cruijff, you don't have Barcelona as we know it.<br /><br />Further, if the analysis holds then why do so many elite players then fail when managing top clubs (indeed, why does anyone fail when working with elite players)!<br /><br />RCMRob Marrshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13557080968658349380noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-55636410663420272.post-49448631291552204972011-02-06T14:50:25.848+00:002011-02-06T14:50:25.848+00:00I think the conclusion is correct, however there i...I think the conclusion is correct, however there is a slight flaw in the argument. Managers are pretty much individuals when it comes to managing a team successfully, however as a player they are part of a team. Never does one player win a trophy single-handedly (Maradona in 1986 is perhaps the only possible exception).<br /><br />Case in point: Carlo Ancelotti. With 13 trophies to his name as a player you are comparing him to Arsene Wenger who only won 1 trophy as a player. But to say that Ancelotti was a better player than Wenger is misleading because Ancelotti was part of the great AC Milan of the 80s/90s and Wenger wasn't.<br /><br />A better argument would be to compare teammates. Take Gullit, Rijkaard, and van Basten. All three were great players, they won the Euro 88, won lots of trophies with AC Milan. As managers though, only Rijkaard has been successful - and that only with Barcelona. He did well with the Dutch National team in 2000, got relegated with Sparta and got fired from Galatasaray. Gullit and van Basten are pretty much failures as managers.<br /><br />And with that the conclusion is the same as yours: great players can make great managers but they are not great managers because they were great players.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-55636410663420272.post-11487344353994062102011-02-06T11:35:08.891+00:002011-02-06T11:35:08.891+00:00Thanks for the comments guys.
Rob, I think I have...Thanks for the comments guys.<br /><br />Rob, I think I have to agree with the cbales01 and Michael when I say that these examples succeeded because they were managing players like themselves. This makes it both easier for them to be successful, because they had extremely good squads, but also easier for them to coach and manager players who are, like they were, great. I do not, however, want to say that they were not great managers for those teams, rather that those teams were unique examples where they could succeed. They were not prototypical clubs for a traditional manager's true skills to be tested.<br /><br />Michael, I completely agree with your last point. As I say at the end of the post, any great players who do become great managers do so in spite of their greatness which often is a hinderence. Management (like teaching) requires a completely different set of skills, characteristics and way of looking at the game - things which after missing in supremely talented players who, like you say, never really had to think or understand the game in the same way. I suppose that was the point I tried to make with my MENSA example - the naturally gifted will always struggle to help those who do not share the same innate ability. Being a great manager or teacher is a different gift altogether.Dominic Pollardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15873610807787984958noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-55636410663420272.post-9141445826211433922011-02-06T08:11:53.696+00:002011-02-06T08:11:53.696+00:00Ruud Gullit is another prime example of a manager ...Ruud Gullit is another prime example of a manager who can never understand why his players aren't as good as he was. There's a very good point above about Cruyff and Beckenbauer - how successful would they have been if they hadn't been 'parachuted' into jobs with Barcelona and Bayern (lucky manager counterpoints to your argument on Busquets?). Personally, I've always felt that the very best players have never had to really understand the game. When things come so instinctively, you don't always stop to wonder why. As a teacher, I know some of the most important qualities you can have are rapport and communication skills. Great players have a tendency to be aloof, loners, arrogant - none of which feature prominently on the skills required for management.Michaelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11492434940865733042noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-55636410663420272.post-38795459881149991282011-02-06T04:19:00.746+00:002011-02-06T04:19:00.746+00:00Cruyff and Beckenbauer are not good examples as th...Cruyff and Beckenbauer are not good examples as they only worked with elite teams, which do not require the same type of coaching/management that the mid- to lower-level teams require. The test of a good manager is to see how a they improve the performance of a team. Dan Finkelstein (Fink Tank) of the London Times has some good thoughts on this topic.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-55636410663420272.post-38125236638290536192011-02-05T18:35:55.164+00:002011-02-05T18:35:55.164+00:00The best example of a fine player not understandin...The best example of a fine player not understanding why their charges can't do stuff is apparently Hoddle.<br /><br />That said, I think Cruijff is probably crucial to this argument. In my opinion, the best all-round player to have played the game (Maradona was more gifted as was Pele but Cruijff inspired so much more and created so much more). Look what he did at Ajax and, more importantly, Barcelona where he really started the dynasty that is astonishing the world right now.<br /><br />Also, Beckenbauer achieved a lot as both a player and a manger...<br /><br />There's no reason as to why former players should succeed but, also, no reason why they shouldn't.<br /><br />RCMRob Marrshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13557080968658349380noreply@blogger.com