AVB deserves a second chance: Most good managers and some great ones have failed before



You rarely get a second chance at the top level in football management. That has been my impression over the years as I’ve watched some of the best leaders I played with take the step up from playing to coaching. Roy Keane, Bryan Robson, Paul Ince, Tony Adams, Gareth Southgate and Alan Shearer have all tried to make that jump to be a top-class manager. All of them were strong characters and clear leadership material. And some of them are looking to get back into football at the moment.

Which is why Andre Villas-Boas is undoubtedly lucky to be Tottenham manager. Having failed at Chelsea, he walked straight back into one of the top six jobs in the country. I sense some people might even resent that, while others are waiting for him to fail. But contrary to the popular opinion that grew last season, when it was perceived by some that I had an agenda against him — and I certainly didn’t — I’m really pleased he’s been given his second chance at Tottenham.

Because too often we bury people on the basis of their early mistakes and brand them failures, or inept, or tactically naïve. We’re very quick to trash reputations before people have even got going in their managerial careers.

Old pals: Villas-Boas and Di Matteo

And when it comes to high-profile ex-players, you can move very quickly from people talking about you as a legend on the pitch to being referred to as a washed-out manager. It can even begin to taint the reputation you had as a player.

The question I’m asked most frequently since I retired, apart from ‘Do you miss playing?’, is ‘Why didn’t you go into management?’ Recently I was talking to Howard Wilkinson at a League Managers’ Association event and he said that he thought I should get back inside football, rather than commenting from the outside.

But the truth is, I’m wary of making that leap too soon and realistic about my abilities to do the job. I have done my UEFA A and B licences, and am about to start my pro licence in January, and I don’t think I’m anywhere near qualified to be a manager.

Apart from anything else, all I had known and experienced up to 18 months ago was at Manchester United, which is a little bit like living on an island. Don’t get me wrong: it’s a fantastic island to be on with its superb sport scientists, medical and rehabilitation back-up and stability of leadership. But it’s not the norm.



And all I had done up until my retirement was play the game. There is no reason why a good player should necessarily be a talented manager of people. You can develop some of the skills required to be a manager while playing. But just because you’re a decent builder doesn’t mean you have the skills to run a building firm. Even if you do take an interest in management and tactics as a player, ultimately you’re totally focused on your job and your responsibilities to your team-mates. As for thinking about the team as a whole, that’s the manager’s problem.

The new generation of managers such as Villas-Boas and Brendan Rodgers, who are closer to me in age, have a big advantage in that they have been preparing for the job for the past 20 years, working as coaches under mentors such as Jose Mourinho and Bobby Robson. Some of the skills that I would like to learn, they have been developing while I was playing.

I always thought that it would be important after retirement to step away from that and fresh experiences of the game. My media work has given me an important insight into that side of football. It also means I’ve been around the country watching more football than ever before and a huge diversity of games. Being part of Roy Hodgson’s team with England has allowed me to watch and learn from one of our most respected coaches at close quarters and begin to experience a little bit of what it’s like to sit on the bench.

But nothing has convinced me yet that I’m ready to take the step to where your job is on the line match by match. It is something I might like to do at some stage once I’ve completed all my licences but even then I might not feel ready.

Learning curve: Gary Neville and Roy Hodgson observe proceedings in Warsaw

Because if it’s the case that you might get only one shot at the job, you would be foolish not to be as well prepared as you can be and have gathered as much experience as possible.

When I was a young player, my early games for United were, to be frank, not great. I made mistakes and I had lots to learn. But as part of a team, you could make mistakes, miss a few games and then come back. And I had a manager who believed in me. There are no such luxuries as a manager — and at times one or two failures can seemingly signal the end of a career.The truth is that most good managers and some great ones have failed at some point in their career. St Mirren sacked Sir Alex Ferguson. Sir Bobby Robson lost his first job at Fulham. Alan Pardew was sacked by West Ham and Brendan Rodgers by Reading. But both have risen again to take jobs at two of the top clubs in the country.

We shouldn’t be too quick to judge Andre Villas-Boas a failed manager. He has admitted that he made mistakes at Chelsea but you can be sure he will have learned from them. And last month, leading Tottenham to a win at United, he helped ease some of the pressure on him from those who do expect — or even want — him to fail.

He might have been fortunate to be invited back into such a good job so quickly. But I don’t begrudge him that. In fact, I hope that more managers are given second and third chances to prove their worth rather than be written off too quickly. The knocks you take while you still have the L plates on as a manager might be the making of you.

Famous victory: Villas-Boas oversaw Spurs' first win at Old Trafford since 1989

Exciting times ahead



I’m already excited about next Sunday’s clash between Chelsea and Manchester United. I watched Tottenham v Chelsea before going to Old Trafford and we saw two excellent games.



Both teams scored four goals and let in two but each have attacking players who are incredible to watch. Oscar, Eden Hazard and Juan Mata were superb for Chelsea, while Wayne Rooney, Robin van Persie and Danny Welbeck all scored.



It’s very early but this feels like it might be the first substantive title clash of the season. It’s not going to decide the title race but it might define the next phase of the season for these two clubs.